i dont like the alloy exposed gears! they say they work ok, and i guess they do turn slowly, and are pretty far out of the way... but surely a neat lil carbon fibre/moulded poly cover would only cost a few more dollars?
shame the system looks to be frame specific, not a bolt on kit... now that would be something!
i know the rokon is the longest running production 2wd bike... a slow speed, climb anything, oversized minibike for dragging dead moose home with. steering isnt really a big concern.
anyone looked at the kingpin drive used on (i know this may seem a bit hillbilly to some) tractors with 4wd? use a bevel drive and shaft in the kingpin rather than a uni/cv joint...
surely the idea could be adapted to a threadless headset and forks?
gearing/drive is an issue. yamaha had the front wheel driven slightly faster, but with some "slip". the benefit of hydraulics.
too much and it wears tyres, too little and it wont let you turn properly, as every time you turn, the front wheel travels slightly further than the rear...
hence the third differential, between front and rear axles.
how much were the gears on fleabay? i have a collection of cheap grinders for that reason... the gears. looking at the prices on some some machinists supply site made me have an aneurysm. 170 a gear, and the pinion and crown have to be purchased as a set... and very few ratios commercially available.
spiral bevel/hypoid gears are the hardest of all gears to cut. beyond the scope of a home machinist...normally. straight bevel comes close second. they are just about manageable with the right setup. lot of maths!
throw in hardening and grinding...
how can i buy a whole angle grinder for $15? ????