Newbie with a bike and not much gas money.

[Tarvarno]

Hey all, happy to find you guys! I'll just explain my situation in brief: I'm a college student that lives miles and miles from anywhere, owns a mountain bike, and would rather avoid paying for car insurance and gas. My mechanical experience is practically nil, excepting the little bit I've picked up being around guns. That said, I'm a pretty quick learner, so my lack of experience up to this point shouldn't be an insurmountable obstacle.

The bike I hope to outfit with a motor is a trek with three gears on the left hand and six on the right. Does that mean it's an eighteen speed?

Anywho, that's about it. Hope to be talking to ya!

 

[professor]

Hi Tarv, welcome to Motoredbikes! Yes, that is an 18 speed but you will only need the back gears. Do a lot of reading here, the deal is, the HT kits are down there in price but frequently need massaging. The higher price stuff has much better quality but you pay up front.

 

[give me vtec]

Hi Tarv, welcome to Motoredbikes! Yes, that is an 18 speed but you will only need the back gears. Do a lot of reading here, the deal is, the HT kits are down there in price but frequently need massaging. The higher price stuff has much better quality but you pay up front.

good advice... do some research before you buy a kit. the better quality ones cost more up front, but are; easier to install, more reliable, and are waaay better on gas mileage.

please feel free to ask any questions, the people here are helpful.

 

[Tanaka40]

The more expensive kits like staton, GEBE and others are pricey like give me vtec stated. I have mechanical background but I elected to go the GEBE route complete with 105g rear wheel. Expensive, Yes ! Ease of installion , piece of cake Riding my motored bike....Priceless

 

[Tarvarno]

Hey guys, thanks for the welcome, and the advice! I've been doing a fair bit of reading, and have some initial thoughts.

Since I'm looking for something that will just work, with a minimum of fuss, it sounds like a 4-stroke engine would be better for my purposes. On the other hand, since I would be driving on a two-lane road on a somewhat steep grade, so going at a speed sufficient to not be run down by traffic (30-35 miles per hour or so) is also a concern. Can a 4-stroke manage that, or are there trade-offs for the 4-stroke's increased reliability over 2-stroke engines? I've also read about different sprockets being used for different situations, so I'm wondering how that factors into all this. Does the necessity to use different sprockets for different terrain types mean that going from hill-climbing capability to speed sufficient for the open road would require physically changing the sprockets out?
I hope I've not asked anything too obviously answered elsewhere, but I didn't find quite the answers using the search feature. Thanks!

 

[give me vtec]

Hey guys, thanks for the welcome, and the advice! I've been doing a fair bit of reading, and have some initial thoughts.

Since I'm looking for something that will just work, with a minimum of fuss, it sounds like a 4-stroke engine would be better for my purposes. On the other hand, since I would be driving on a two-lane road on a somewhat steep grade, so going at a speed sufficient to not be run down by traffic (30-35 miles per hour or so) is also a concern. Can a 4-stroke manage that, or are there trade-offs for the 4-stroke's increased reliability over 2-stroke engines? I've also read about different sprockets being used for different situations, so I'm wondering how that factors into all this. Does the necessity to use different sprockets for different terrain types mean that going from hill-climbing capability to speed sufficient for the open road would require physically changing the sprockets out?
I hope I've not asked anything too obviously answered elsewhere, but I didn't find quite the answers using the search feature. Thanks!

you are right... the eho35 is a bit underpowered for 35 mph.

If you are willing to be flexible... I hear the 2 stroke tanaka GEBE kit has plenty of power. I dont have any experience with the tanaka engines but there are plenty of people here that do. I do have the larger #14 gear and have tried it with my kit, a couple of extra ponies supllied by the extra 2 stroke per cycle should easily get you in that 30 mph range.

With not much more money than the GEBE kit you can build a multi speed 4 stroke Schwinn. Using the honda 50cc 4 stroke, a sick bikes 4 stroke jackshaft kit, and a grubee stage 3 gearbox; you can utilize the stock derailleur available on the Schwinn bike at target. Thats my next build, should be fun.

The kit would essentially allow you to have multiple gears and a 4 stroke engine... only problem I can see for you is installation... I am expecting the project to be fairly more complicated than a GEBE kit or a friction drive.

 

[Tanaka40]

I have a GEBE with the Tanaka 40cc (PF-4000) engine. This thing has the torque of a larger engine and the speed that you want. Depending on your area that you live, you would get the proper gear. The 40cc 2 stroke is rated at 1.8 to 2.1 hp (depending on what website you want to believe) and can be upgraded to put out 2.4 hp or slighly more with the larger carb and exhaust expansion pipe (and boost bottle). Currenetly I spotted a 32 cc tanaka GEBE system on Ebay (new) http://cgi.ebay.com/BELT-DRIVE-32cc...IA%2BUA%2BFICS%2BUFI%2BDDSIC&otn=16&po=&ps=63. An expansion pipe for this engine can be had for under 30 bucks. good luck and give GEBE a call . Denise and Julia would be happy to answer all your questions. (BTW I did this before I ordered )