Reliability For Under $300. Is It Possible?

[Smallwheels]

I've owned the Golden Eagel kit; Staton Friction Drive, and That's Dax rack mount gear drive kits. All of them have given me problems. I quit the Golden Eagle because of constantly breaking spokes and the main engine support cracked in half.

The Staton kit used the Tanaka motor from the GEBE kit. The bearings wore out fast and so did the roller. Nobody talks about how the friction drive kits destroy the interiors of tires. The tire threads would wear through the rubber and blow the tubes. I never wore out the outside of a tire before the interior of the tires exposed the threads.

The That's Dax rack mount chain drive kit is the best so far but it is always going out of alignment and slipping down the rear supports. The original sprocket at the reduction gear was manufactured with a couple of flaws and I had to purchase two more due to problems. The latest and no longer made version is working properly.

I need a new motor. Buying another Tanaka and bolting it on would cost over $350. I could buy an in frame whole kit for half of that. It seems that many here say they are unreliable. I need a kit to take me to and from work daily in Montana winter weather.

I bought two different Titan motors from That's Dax. The XC 35 head leaked within three days. The Titan 50 cc two stroke motor that I got as a replacement also leaked oil from the head within a week. I got refunds but I paid shipping two and from the place four times and don't have a motor to show for it.

My Tanaka 32 cc worked great for years with little work. Should I pony up the huge cash for another or buy a new bicycle and cheap China Girl kit and hope I get a good one?

I can't put one of those kits in my current bicycle because it won't fit inside the frame. The Wal-Mart bikes look OK but none of them have regular size frame tubes anymore. The down tubes are all very fat ovals.

All suggestions are welcome.

I have gotten a utility motor from a friend but I don't know if it will fit into my chain drive kit yet. I don't even know if the motor will run. So I'm seeking a solution to my problem.

Let me know of your experiences.

Michael

 

[BchCruizer]

I've owned the Golden Eagel kit; Staton Friction Drive, and That's Dax rack mount gear drive kits. All of them have given me problems. I quit the Golden Eagle because of constantly breaking spokes and the main engine support cracked in half.

The Staton kit used the Tanaka motor from the GEBE kit. The bearings wore out fast and so did the roller. Nobody talks about how the friction drive kits destroy the interiors of tires. The tire threads would wear through the rubber and blow the tubes. I never wore out the outside of a tire before the interior of the tires exposed the threads.

The That's Dax rack mount chain drive kit is the best so far but it is always going out of alignment and slipping down the rear supports. The original sprocket at the reduction gear was manufactured with a couple of flaws and I had to purchase two more due to problems. The latest and no longer made version is working properly.

I need a new motor. Buying another Tanaka and bolting it on would cost over $350. I could buy an in frame whole kit for half of that. It seems that many here say they are unreliable. I need a kit to take me to and from work daily in Montana winter weather.

I bought two different Titan motors from That's Dax. The XC 35 head leaked within three days. The Titan 50 cc two stroke motor that I got as a replacement also leaked oil from the head within a week. I got refunds but I paid shipping two and from the place four times and don't have a motor to show for it.

My Tanaka 32 cc worked great for years with little work. Should I pony up the huge cash for another or buy a new bicycle and cheap China Girl kit and hope I get a good one?

I can't put one of those kits in my current bicycle because it won't fit inside the frame. The Wal-Mart bikes look OK but none of them have regular size frame tubes anymore. The down tubes are all very fat ovals.

All suggestions are welcome.

I have gotten a utility motor from a friend but I don't know if it will fit into my chain drive kit yet. I don't even know if the motor will run. So I'm seeking a solution to my problem.

Let me know of your experiences.

Michael

i ride a bumblebeebolton for $279. They use the urethane drive wheel. It works great. There's not clutch to wear out and there design is simple and reliable. Check em out on there website i think you will be very happy there kit. I have 5,000miles on mine and it still runs great! I think they are one of the most reliable kits out there. people on here always argue with me over and only a few of them have rode one..and the few members that did get one i never see them on here anymore with any problems!

 

[BchCruizer]

How long did your staton kit last. I have never tried one but i have heard good things about them

 

[Richard H.]

I need a kit to take me to and from work daily in Montana winter weather.

This is the money quote for your situation and you're gonna be hard pressed IMO to meet those requirements for the price range you've indicated. Look at it this way, what do you think you'd have pay to have a small motorcycle set-up to meet your needs and be reliable? You've already had a fair amount of experience with a number of different designs so I could almost certainly say you'll find no solution with an out-of-the-box HT inframe kit or something like a cheap made in China 26cc bunglebee kit.

The first word in your subject line is "reliability", that combined with what I'm sure can be fairly grueling conditions of your geographic location mean to me a number of things: It won't come cheap. Many seasoned motored bikers I know are of the consensus that it takes somewhere between $1000 and $1200 to build a MAB with all weather reliability that you just jump on and ride day in and day out without daily tinkering. (that dollar figure is somewhere along the lines of 60/40 or 65/35...engine-drive assembly/bicycle-wheels-componets) This consensus comes after all the early miscues and money spent on trying to save money. It also means it might be hard to find what you're looking for in a kit because many guys I know have had to fabricate themselves, at least in part, a system with components and design built to take the beating. I think you have to remember that most of what you see on online and in forums and such is folks who are happy to get a bike to buzz around the neighborhood or run local errands but do so only during good weather and close enough to home where they can get back home easily if the thing quits on them.

Thus far I've not a suggestion and perhaps it's moot at this point given the second part of your subject line "under $300". Stepping aside that restriction for a second, if I were making suggestions it would probably include something like a Staton gearbox or maybe an EZM drive and probably an engine that starts with the letter H.

hth

 

[Smallwheels]

How long did your staton kit last. I have never tried one but i have heard good things about them

The Staton friction drive kit lasted about six months. I bought new bearings for it but couldn't find a way to remove the old ones. So I have the kit with new bearings waiting around doing nothing. I'll probably sell it here some day with the uninstalled new bearings. The same goes for my Golden Eagle kit parts.

Friction drive kits won't work on wet tires forever. They will work acceptably when new because the rollers can grip the tires. Once those sharp points wear away the rollers won't grip in rain or snow. By the time winter rolled around I tried the friction drive with snow. It slipped too often.

If I were to do it all over again from scratch I'd buy a 50 cc scooter from Honda or Yamaha. I would spend less money over time and get many more miles out of it. Right now I'm poor with two part time jobs and a huge medical bill from a night time crash on my motorized bicycle. I need to decide if I will buy another quality motor by Subaru; Tanaka, or Honda, and bolt it into my That's Dax kit or try another type of kit and see if it works better.

 

[BigBlue]

SmallWheels,

Sounds like you've attended the school of hard knocks

My suggestion, sell what you have and buy a 79cc or 99cc Predator with a warranty or a 98cc Lifan and a bike (Craigslist or garage sale) that allows you to mount a AGK jackshaft kit. You might also consider a shift kit.

http://www.affordablegokarts.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=99cc

Here's a link on the other forum regarding a Lifan 98cc build:
http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=42475&highlight=lifan+97cc

If not an option, you could buy a 37cc HS from Live Fast Motors for $165 for your Dax kit.
http://www.livefastmotors.com/categories/rear-mount-bicycle-motor-kits.html

Maybe just buying a new quick release might solve some of your slipping problem. Can't you just tac weld the supports to the U channel, so it doesn't slip? or possibly attach a set of bolts through the rear supports to the U channels? How about tac welding the support to the bicycle. My guess is that your setup isn't solid and you get some lateral movement that causes the chain to become misaligned. You'd have to install some type of chain tensioner if you welded the supports.

Here's post #2 from Lowracer on eliminating play that might be causing alignment issues:
http://www.motoredbikes.com/showthread.php?38999-Dax-Friction-drive-converted-to-V-belt-drive



Just buy a scooter.

Good Luck,

Chris
AKA: BigBlue

 

[Richard H.]

For those who think it matters, MT law states a 50cc limit on MABs.

http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/mca/61/8/61-8-102.htm

 

[GoldenEagleChris]

scooters are for ***********. stay with a motorized bike or buy a motorcycle....or drive a car and shedup

 

[Esteban]

If you must ride a two-wheeler in those conditions, I would forget a motorized bike, & get a trail bike.

 

[BigBlue]

If you must ride a two-wheeler in those conditions, I would forget a motorized bike, & get a trail bike.

I would have to agree with you that a Honda Trail 90 would be ideal; However, O.P. stated he only had $300.00. Is the O.P. going to get a trail bike for $300.00? Maybe if he is willing to spend more money getting it running or do the work himself. With all respect to the O.P., I have the impression the O.P. is not mechanically inclined or doesn't have the time. He stated he hasn't installed the new bearings on the Staton friction drive kit, so he would probably have to pay someone to work on the trail bike.

I think the China Girl option would be more headaches for O.P. since they need constant maintenance and/or repair.

Chris
AKA: BigBlue