Grubee Solves Lighting Problem!

[Deleted Member 4613]

I just noticed the China Gas site has a HS engine equipped with a 7 amp generator. Does anyone know about this and who carries it in the US? Also
I am wondering if it is available with the 4G belt drive. Does anyone have info about these new developments. I'd say it's much cheaper than my solution for lighting, which also produced about 7 amps. These are very exciting developments and long overdo.

 

[jimraysr]

GruBee 4 stroke wt. Generator / belt drive

Unfortunally they only include two generating cols, no regulator or rectifier pack and the engine is 2" wider.

They have the belt drives down in AU and they don't seem to be very impressed with them. The drive sprocket hangs way out of the case with no support. Likewise the assembly adds a lot to the width of the engine / transmission. Again it would appear the testing was done on paper and not in the real world. Too bad as when these things come out and have major engineering flaws, it would appear the supplier feels he has to sell enough of them to pay for his tooling changes.

Good luck with your project, you may come up with an answer before the gentle giant?

Jim

 

[fetor56]

Grubee hasn't solved anything....another incomplete,ill-conceived mess.
I pity the ppl that don't consult forums & buy this stuff in good faith,only to find it's unworkable;doesn't help the MB cause.

 

[arceeguy]

Unfortunally they only include two generating cols, no regulator or rectifier pack and the engine is 2" wider.

......They have the belt drives down in AU and they don't seem to be very impressed with them.....

Jim

Jim,

with lighting, you don't need a regulator or rectifier. Incandescent bulbs run fine on AC. Regulation isn't a big deal either. It is normal for lighting on small motorcycles and dirt bikes to vary somewhat with engine RPM.

As far as the so-called review of the Grubee G4 goes, you have to take into account who the reviewer is. He is a guy who really can't say anything nice about anything made in China, and freely admits his hatred for things produced there. So when he posted his "review", it was about as predictable as a Scooby Doo cartoon.

It is unfortunate that others repeat his opinions without first hand knowledge of the product.

I'll reserve my opinion for when I actually ride one.

 

[fetor56]

Irish John doesn't change physics....if an engine + tranny are 11.5" wide then their 11.5" wide.
Add to that another 2" for incomplete electrics & that's 13.5".....astounding concidering HT's are 4.75".

IJ's Review Quote:
"The G4 plus engine is 11.5" wide from outer edge of pull starter to outer edge of gearbox case (i.e external overall width) as opposed to the old Grubee gearbox rigs which are 9".
That extra 2.5" makes all the difference in the world"

So now instead of being 2.5" wider it has the potential to be 4.5" wider than any previous version.....and i thought the G2's/G3's were already too wide.

 

[arceeguy]

Irish John doesn't change physics....if an engine + tranny are 11.5" wide then their 11.5" wide.
Add to that another 2" for incomplete electrics & that's 13.5".....astounding concidering HT's are 4.75"......

"incomplete electrics"? It is absolutely NORMAL for a utility engine to have a lighting coil or alternator coil without an integrated rectifier or regulator. Remember, these are utility engines adapted to use on a bicycle. HT's are narrow because they are two strokes (much simpler) and purpose built for bicycle duty with integrated mounting bosses and integrated gearbox/clutch.

Also, I was not questioning his measurements, but his opinions:

You know my feelings about cheap Chinese crud and as long a product works I can put up with a hefty price tag. If it costs more because it is made in the US by unsweated labour so be it. That is a good marketing point. I see you have not taken my previous advice and stamped the stars & stripes on the GB cover. That's good cos I think instead of doing that you should just stamp "Proudly Not Made in China".

How do you expect an unbiased, honest review of a product built in China when the author has these opinions.

 

[Deleted Member 4613]

My solution also widened the engine on the recoil side a little, but the pedals still moved freely by the engine. It depends on how wide the mods make the engine, if the pedals can pass by it's ok, and if not a larger pedal crank could be used. It doesn't seem to be a serious problem. I'd say there seems to be a lot of prejudging here without a lot of
seeing and testing.

 

[Deleted Member 4613]

I don't know: I've been reading more about the 4G belt drive. If it's too wide on the drive side and can't match up with the wheel sprocket, it's a real problem.

 

[jimraysr]

4g And Alternator Output

Actually I have never seen Utility Engines with lighting output. Motorcycles, yes, but as any biker knows, they regulate the voltage with the load of the two bulbs and when one goes, the other is soon to follow.

Alternator coils are generally there to charge a battery for a starter?

This thread is duplicating part of an other thread going at the same time.

They moved the ignition coil out from under the flywheel, rather than re engineer the engine to make space for the "lighting" / charging coil like you see on Honda and other engines. That makes the 2" addition to the width totally unnecessary in my opinion.

I can see clearly from the pictures of the 4G that the output sprocket is hanging out so far in space without support that it will need a shuttle mission to service it. )

What John says about China is probably well earned by them. I really doubt that anyone who has built a bike with a China kit will vouch for their quality. I only have two parts on my bike that I trust, The Honda engine and the Manic Sprocket adapter and the sprocket. Every thing else has or will fail. My first sprocket with the rag drive was out by a good 1/4" on sprocket teeth alignment. Likewise the 9 bolt holes were not centered with the tooth circle. The nine bolts for the sprocket began to fail right away and had to be replaced with Home Depot ones. Then how long can I trust the idler wheel and its mount? Many who don't want to trust in chance lock the mount into the chain stay to keep it out of the spokes. Yes, quality all the way. China is an example of stolen technology gone wild.

Forgot one other major QC problem. The keyway for the clutch of the GruBee gear box was not the same as the keyway in the idler bushing. I bought and other gearbox complete for $80 and it was the same way. Finally Bicycle-Engine got some clutches and $20 later I had a clutch with the proper keyway. So now I have and extra transmission and two clutches to broach wider keyways.

The engine mounts are now 5/16"-18 and have muffler clamp retainers.

So if you feel I am being unfair, I am here to listen with an open, but experienced mind.

Jim

 

[arceeguy]

Actually I have never seen Utility Engines with lighting output. Motorcycles, yes, but as any biker knows, they regulate the voltage with the load of the two bulbs and when one goes, the other is soon to follow.

Alternator coils are generally there to charge a battery for a starter?

Some snow thrower engines, kart engines and lawn mower engines have a lighting coil to power headlights.

Even those with "alternator" windings often use just a rectifier with no regulator. The lead acid battery serves as the voltage stabilizer in the system.

My point about Irish John is that there is no way he is going to give a fair review to a piece of equipment that he has already deemed "crud" because of the country of origin.