Is a Dahon M7 a good candidate to motorize? (Staton ?)

[skyl4rk]

How much did it set you back?

 

[5-7HEAVEN]

it cost $379, plus $13 for extra engagement support rod. plus shipping is $30 to HI, but free to lower 48 states.
more expensive than 80 pounds of 72vdc batteries. however, NimH or Lithium batteries would cost more than TWICE as much as this engine kit.

 

[srdavo]

did you buy the staton kit? I have one......23cc mitsubishi. I am impressed, so far. here's my thread---->
http://www.motoredbikes.com/viewtopic.php?t=823

now here's the story I seldom tell.......
At 1st I put my friction drive on a kids bmx with a long seat post & tall handlebars.
here it is in front of the rest of my rats.... 8)

On this 20" bike, It would run over 20 mph, but took forever & lots of pedaling to get there. Plus, it rode kinda freaky, being such a short wheel base. On the current bike....a grown up Schwinn, I pedal & throttle up to 8 mph, then just throttle up to 23/24 mph. It rides nice....but the schwinn seat feels like a brick!!

I believe your Dahon will have a much longer wheelbase, so it should handle better. Does the Dahon have gears on the pedal side? If so...that should help.
FYI....I have noticed NO tire wear.
and.....the kit took about 20 minutes to change from bike to bike.

 

[5-7HEAVEN]

8) Thanks for feedback on your bikes, Dave. yes, the DAHON has 7 speeds.
i just picked the bike up from the shop. tuneup plus new cables and PRIMO 90psi tires and tubes. it handled very well, and i'm waiting for STATON to email with total cost.
i hope the ROBIN engine runs as well as advertised.
Myron

 

[bamabikeguy]

Hey there Fifty Seven-

I hate to harp on zip ties on the spokes, but 50 cents worth of zip ties will make those wheel tuneups last ten times longer.

Your setup isn't as SPOKE unfriendly as others, but it still solidifies the feel of the bike, and comforts the brain when you bottom out on a pothole.

BTW- do the roads in Paradise have any potholes??

 

[5-7HEAVEN]

8) thanks for ziptie tips, bama. i have quite a few of them. before i retired from VERIZON in 2002, my boss told me to clear out ALL the equipment from my telephone truck before i turned it in...and i did.
there are more potholes in HAWAII than there are bicycles. as American tourist drivers would comment, we have the MOST potholes per mile, in the USA.

 

[5-7HEAVEN]

Latest update:

my DAHON folding bike is an EXCELLENT candidate to motorize. i originally installed a ROBIN 35cc 1.6hp w/STATON friction drive. it ran great w/ 1.125" roller, and slipped when the roads were wet, or when raining. power was more than enough, with great gas mileage and 96oz fuel tank.

before the ROBIN engine could break in, I replaced the friction drive with a MITSUBISHI 43cc 2.2HP engine and STATON gear chain drive. owner DAVE STATON shared that his gear chain drive would be 100 times better than friction drive. i liked his friction drive a lot, so gear chain drive w/a more powerful engine is maybe three times as good as his friction drive. the new engine's 23oz tank is not as large as ROBIN'S 96oz fuel tank, but i can still drive more than 2 days between fillups.

the gear chain drive's final drive ratio is 16.67, similarly to happy time engine and 41-tooth sprocket. the engine seems to be screaming at top speed and midrange, so i will change 18t at the gearbox to 20t. this compares to 15:1, like a happy time engine with 37-tooth rear sprocket. or maybe swap to 19t sprocket, akin to happy time and 39t rear sprocket.(i'll call Dave Staton tomorrow.)

with PRIMO tires set at 65psi and 12" seat, the tiny folder bike is comfortable riding, powerful, nimble, but squirrely. i especially like the fact that the rear sprocket is freewheeling AND threaded onto STATON'S HD hub.

no spoke problems whatsoever. i bought the new rim with 14g spokes and HD hub from STATON, and use tie wraps on front and rear wheels.

with friction drive, the DAHON wouldn't fold, only bend. with gear chain drive, the DAHON can once again fold, but not fit into its travel bag. no problem, because i never bag the bike and rarely fold it.

at 45 pounds total weight, i can still easily carry the bike to my 2nd floor apartment.

Myron

 

[grndslm]

before the ROBIN engine could break in, I replaced the friction drive with a MITSUBISHI 43cc 2.2HP engine and STATON gear chain drive. owner DAVE STATON shared that his gear chain drive would be 100 times better than friction drive. i liked his friction drive a lot, so gear chain drive w/a more powerful engine is maybe three times as good as his friction drive. the new engine's 23oz tank is not as large as ROBIN'S 96oz fuel tank, but i can still drive more than 2 days between fillups.

Yea, I think chain driven is typically the way most people wanna go. Which of those two engines do you find quieter?

with PRIMO tires set at 65psi and 12" seat, the tiny folder bike is comfortable riding, powerful, nimble, but squirrely.

Me likey, but squirrely doesn't sound too good. Do you think the Mitsubishi 43cc is too powerful?

i especially like the fact that the rear sprocket is freewheeling AND threaded onto STATON'S HD hub.

What's this HD hub?

 

[5-7HEAVEN]

grndslm, the Robin is quieter, especially at idle.

The Mitsubishi 43cc seems just right for gear chain drive or friction drive.

The Staton HD hub mounts the left-side freewheel sprocket to drive the gear chain drive. It comes with HD axle,bearings,etc.

I removed the Mitsubishi from the small bike, bolted on a friction drive and set it onto an old Schwinn heavi duty frame. The Schwinn sat too high for my liking, so I gave it away and moved the Mits-friction drive onto a fenderless girl's Raleigh retro-glide with Rockshox fork and suspension seat post. On its maiden run, the original knobbie rear tire went flat, so I replaced it with a smooth performance tire.
The Raleigh now handles like a charm with power and suspension, not like the squirrelly Dahon. I'll restore the 19" bike to original and use another 26" cruiser for the pocketbike engine and gear chain drive.

BTW, the pb engine bolted right onto the Staton gear chain drive, even with an ADA goped pipe.

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