Am I sane?

[dbigkahunna]

Loosing Weight

I thin what you will find is where you MAY have ridden the bike 2 a week, when you add and assist, you ride it every day. And where you rode 3 miles you now ride 10. I have ridden my bike more the last month than the last 5 years.

 

[bamabikeguy]

The original post might have been "too long", so I did not include the following:
1) I had planned on making the 'rack' such that removal (with the proper tools) would be a five-minute affair.
2) I had hoped to eventually fit disk brakes.
3) I really want to lose weight, but have had no luck as of yet. (Yes, I do walk as much as I can, and I try to be careful as to what and how much I eat.)

I'm really warming to frame-mounting, but really see no reason to remove the mount, and with frame instead of axle mounting, tire repair is a lot easier.

It's best to go into this with a good sturdy frame, and the idea that IF you ever get tired of it, you could sell it as a motorized unit to somebody else.

And I'm gonna be bragging about the Greygeezer Bike I just finished, for older and heavier riders. Only thing I can't change is I'm spoiled by the 12" saddle, can't get comfortable on narrower models.

I have a guy, Jack, whose dropped from 275 to 240 in a little over 8 months, and the ONLY thing he does is half throttle, with the 11 tooth trail gear, peddle along at 15 mph.

He does it daily (belts run in rain), to the cafe about 10 miles away, for lunch.

He's addicted to the daily rides, so does probably 200 plus miles per week.

 

[Hive]

Engine - Drive Choices

Well, it appears you are taking your time making your choice.

I must also assume you have read the Rack 'em Up "Sticky" "How Does GEBE System..." post, and the Dooz and Do Not Dooz, etc post and the GEBE Recumbent stuff under Discussion or Pictures - whatever.

There is a lot of good info on the GEBE system, if you search it out patiently.

Briefly, the 25 Honda I had was fine, but the 2-cycle T-3300 is better. The Honda worked well on the flats, but not so good on hills. Needed to be broken in longer, but its smaller clutch limits its potential if torque is needed. Other than that, it is a good choice.

The T-3300, with its large clutch is better choice, for me anyway, though I detest oil mix and low mileage break-in. Regardless, that little motor has better weight-to-HP ratio, and when it finally gets "broke," it should run great.

The Tanaka is louder, but not not offensive. On my bent, the exhaust is about a foot below and back of my right ear.

All of these trimmer motors have built in mufflers behind the protective covers, be they 2-cycle or 4-cycle and are quiet enough.

If you think about it, and wish to pedal as well, the belt drive GEBE offers some favorable options:

Free ride, which is a very big thing to me, by removing belt (which you can do without removing drive gear cover.)

The choice to motor and pedal along is available for fitness. Pedal out, motor back, etc.

GEBE engine is installed without drilling frame etc., so removal and transfer leaves former frame without holes etc.

Normal tires and no slippage if wet, and some dirt-hill runners swear by them.

Lastly, these trimmer engines are well made, tough and less troublesome; and, though seemly bomb proof, if something does happen, the engine can be removed and the bike used with minimal inconvenience, etc. Lots of shops fix these motors and are familiar with them, if warranty is over, etc.

Good luck.

 

[prism]

I had a chance to see both the gx31 and gx35 recently, and while the -31 has four tapped places on the bottom of the crankcase, the -35 does not (perhaps it has two, if that.) After examining the available data (downloaded 'shop manuals') I came to the conclusion that I'm going to need to mount off of the clutch. Given that, the Robin seems the best of the three (and no, it does not have a cast iron sleeve for the piston, according to the shop manual. It does, however, have a needle bearing for the wrist pin.)

 

[Hive]

A Suggestion on the Engine Choice

If I understand your reply correctly, and, assuming you are going with the GEBE system, the two-bolt mount employed by them has the bracket attached to their clutch/drive housing and I believe the measurement for belt centering is somewhat critical. The engine will come attached to the housing from GEBE.

Frankly, if you are going with the 4-cycle motor, I would stick with their Subaru/Robin engine, even if it costs a bit more from them than if you buy another engine separately. I suggest this from experience. The engines they (GEBE) supply are every bit as good as the Honda or better. If fact, the differences are not worth the trouble.

It will save you time and grief, honestly.

Consider the weight factor as well. The lighter T-3300 will deliver same HP as the either the Honda or the R/S 35 but with the weight of a 25, but I believe its torque is much higher. It also sits much lower.

I cannot comment on the noise, save the GX25 was very quiet, so I must assume the 35 is not much louder.

I might add that the Tanaka is popular for a good reason.

The Tanakas are chrome lined and I think the S/R are as well, but regardless, they run forever, relative to rider use etc.

And, think about installing a Sinz or similar brake lever for a throttle - way better than the ones sent with GEBE kit, even if you have to buy a different cable, which is unlikely, unless you have a longer frame. If you want one that can be set at one speed as you go, let me know. I have one I bought and never used.

 

[prism]

more confusion

firstly, I'm planning on using a home-built friction-drive arrangement. The GEBE setup most likely will not work on my bike, and I do not have enough room (I live in a 2nd floor appartment) for two bikes. Also, because I live in an appartment, I need to have a quick-detach system so I can put the motor out on the balcony and not need to worry about gasoline smells and vapor accumulations indoors.

 

[dbigkahunna]

Check on the Staton site. He has a Robin 40cc engine used for generators that would make a spiffy direct drive friction drive bike. I have on of these I am looking for a bike to set it on. CarrPresision Engineering has some plans for using a weed wacker to make a friction drive set up. The plans cost seem to be reasonable. Keep us informed on your progress.

 

[prism]

Progress...

1) the 'Burd', complete with clutch, was donated as a
'Christmas present'. Best one of those I ever had.
2) have all the bearings, some chain, throttle cable, some hardware,
chain tensioner parts, etc.
3) Need to get the aluminum so's I can start cutting metal, which brings me to issue four:
4) someone wants me to assemble a 'Happy Time' engine for him and then fit it to the bike. Of course, the thing will need some break in... This leaves me with one obnoxious question:

Just how do you remove a badly-made nut that's shaped like a circle with five randomly-filed half-round notches in it? The reason: there's a lot of what looks like chewed-up clutch material in the gap, and that scares me to death.

thanks in advance for any comments. I've got a camera now, so I'll be documenting my findings as I go, along with drawings as needed. (It will take a while, as I'll finally need to replace a lot of the tools I lost in that 2002 car crash.)

 

[Esteban]

Friction drive bike motor kits have been around forever, & do NOT devour tires. The rider has to learn how to operate them correctly & accelerate slowly. Proper roller pressure on the tire i & inflation is a must as well.

 

[duivendyk]

To my mind it all boils down to: Do you need substantial all-weather hill climbing ability, if so rollerdrive is prob.a bad idea and chain or belt drive would be preferable IMO.