Development of a turn-key gas bicycle

kodex

New Member
Local time
8:51 AM
Joined
Oct 17, 2011
Messages
3
Location
Hartland, WI
Hello all,

I put together a Happy Time kit a few years ago and ran into a coworker recently who did the same. We're both of the impression that there could be a market for a high-quality, fully-assembled 2-stroke gas bicycle. Our concept would be a throwback to the turn-of-the-century cycles that made our town (Milwaukee) famous.

We intend to engineer the engine and rest of the powertrain from the ground up. We've done a bit of investigation and have found that a 50-state legal bike would need to be 50cc and direct injected to pass emission standards. These are technical obstacles that we both already have the skills to overcome. So what I need is some feedback on the types of features that you would expect to see in a production vehicle.

- What kind of range would you want?
- Would you want the bike to have interesting exhaust note or be as quiet as possible?
- Should we stick with the old school aesthetics or consider a modern approach?
- Would you use features such as a power port for accessories or USB charging?
- Do you mind working a clutch, or should this be fully automatic?

These are a few of the questions that we are hoping to get feedback on. If you have any other initial thoughts, I would love to hear them!

Thanks a lot,

Steve
 
- What kind of range would you want?
100 miles would be nice. At 25 average that would be 4 hours riding time.

- Would you want the bike to have interesting exhaust note or be as quiet as possible?
Many opinions on this issue. I think quieter is better as drawing attention to ourselves may not be in our best interest

- Should we stick with the old school aesthetics or consider a modern approach?
Form meets function. Bugatti vs Beetle, Far more similar than different.

- Would you use features such as a power port for accessories or USB charging?
The bigger question is alternator/generator/dynamo or power pack? Either way, yes on USB port.

- Do you mind working a clutch, or should this be fully automatic?
Perhaps both options?

These are a few of the questions that we are hoping to get feedback on. If you have any other initial thoughts, I would love to hear them.

Weight may be another design criteria to consider. Price will always be a consideration, but it should not be your primary focus. Reliability, durability, portability and functionality should be high on your must have list. Others far more knowledgeable than me will hopefully chip in some suggestions.
Wayne

Thanks a lot,

Steve[/QUOTE]
 
I would be interested in a quality 2 stroke made in USA. I built a China 66cc 2 stroke a few years back that thing was so poorly made. It started having problems within the first month of use. I'm currently putting together a friction drive kit but I have thought about a 2 stroke build sometime next year.

Don't forget about CARB (California Air Resources Board) They've put allot of 2 stroke companies out of business and made it hard for freelance truckers to get their trucks approved effectively putting them out of business. It's a curse we Californians have to put up until someone with the right mind abolishes CARB.

As far as what I would want in a 2 stroke I would prefer an automatic that's jack shaft compatible so if we want to shift we have a choice and I would like a range of 50 to 100 miles per tank depending on tank size. Would be nice to get 100 MPG and have the bike use a 1 gallon tank for decent commuter range because honestly most people don't drive a full 100 miles continuously on a motorized bike even if they do have a 1 gallon tank.

In the bikes design I love old school styles like early Dyno cruisers but that doesn't seem to be the hip new thing anymore when it comes to what bikes they have in local bike shops. These days, I mostly see pricey mountain bikes and road bikes and only few bare bones cruisers.
 
Back
Top