Is this normal? Tanaka 32cc vs Tanaka 40cc, question

Crosshair_84

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My bike had been put together with a rear wheel 7/8" Staton friction drive with a Tanaka 32cc Engine. I can get about 21-22 mph out of it. I upgraded to a used 40cc and I put in the 1 1/8" that I have for a project I have not gotten to. However, the speed decreased to about 18-19 mph. I then swapped back to the 7/8" roller and I can get up to about 20-21 mph. However, my acceleration has picked up substantially. I don't really need to pedal once I get going.

I am a big guy and weigh about 270 pounds, but it's very flat where I live.

I checked the power curves and think that I have found the problem. The 32cc doesn't have good torque figures vs the 40cc, but it puts out max power right where I need it to get top speed, around 8500 RPM, while the 40cc puts out max power about 2,000 rpms sooner, 6500 rpm.

http://www.tanakapowerequipment.com/pdf/PF_3300_Info.pdf

http://www.tanakapowerequipment.com/pdf/PF_4000_Info.pdf

At first I was disappointed with not getting any higher speed, but after riding it a bit, the extra acceleration certainly does come in handy, especially in areas with lots of stop signs where I need to get going back up to speed.

So it looks like I still don't have enough power to swing the 1 1/8" roller and I've traded about one mph of top speed in exchange for better acceleration.

Is this about the performance I should be seeing or is there perhaps something wrong with my setup or the engine? The 40cc was broken in when I bought it.

/Thanks everyone.
 
I have both engines Tanaka 32cc & 40cc & currently both are on Dax friction drive units.
I use a 1.5" roller on the 40cc & it can pull 40 mph. The 40cc is much more powerful everywhere in the rpm range.
The 32cc can hit about ~30 mph which is just a tad underpowered for my use.
Make sure to not push the roller into the tire too deep & make sure the tires are inflated to intended pressure. I go faster with harder tires (higher pressure).
I'd like to get another 40cc or even a 47cc if I can find one?
-Lowracer-
 
How much do you weigh though? I have the tires at about 45-50 psi right now. Through trial and error I've learned how hard to have the roller on the wheel.
 
I have a tanaka "R" 47 cc on a trike here that works well....alot more power than the stock engine that came on the gocarts we took em off....sxr go carts
 
Crosshair,
I weigh 172 & the bikes weigh about 65 lbs (both Downhill MTB's)
Racie,
I'd like to get a 47cc Tanaka....where do you suggest I look?
Thanks
-Lowracer-
 
not sure really..its been a few years since I gathered up these 2.....one thing they do well is start first pop well usuallyand the walbro on them is better than the smaller sxr motors..so they have good compression and pop right over and run well.
I bought these online used and they weren't super cheap but not too bad...I'd sell one for $150 and both for $250 and do the change I wanna to electric on the trike.
 
I have both engines Tanaka 32cc & 40cc & currently both are on Dax friction drive units.
I use a 1.5" roller on the 40cc & it can pull 40 mph. The 40cc is much more powerful everywhere in the rpm range.
The 32cc can hit about ~30 mph which is just a tad underpowered for my use.
Make sure to not push the roller into the tire too deep & make sure the tires are inflated to intended pressure. I go faster with harder tires (higher pressure).
I'd like to get another 40cc or even a 47cc if I can find one?
-Lowracer-
Dont those engines only run at 5,500 rpm max
 
IMAG0119.jpg

here's the trike....an American Tri-Ped
 
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