How do you Improve the Grip of a Drive Roller?

[Fender100]

I have a good 43cc Kawasaki Bike Motor Parts friction drive unit.

It's great but you can feel the drive roller slip all the time. I soldered some blobs on the roller...and they all came off the first time I used it that way!

Can anyone suggest what I can do to the metal drive roller to improve the grip? Does it take a particular type of solder to do the trick?

Thanks.

 

[SirJakesus]

Several MBc members have welded rough beads onto their rollers to recondition them or used JB weld mixed with coarse like sand or broken grinding wheel. Solder will not stick to the steel under that kind of stress.

 

[fetor56]

BMP's drive rollers are fine,probably not as good as Statons for strength but never-the-less more than adequate for the job.Are u sure u have the correct tyre type & the roller is tensioned correctly to said tyre.Also your in England where it's wetter than most places....has that got something to do with your slippage.
Sorry about stating the obvious but i don't know how much u know.

 

[Fender100]

I have used it in the wet and dry. Wet, it slips like mad. In the dry, it slips at higher revs and generally so I am losing a lot of drive.

I use a slick tyre.

Thanks.

 

[fetor56]

Sounds like your doing everything right.
If the using the standard drive roller(with freewheel) & your thinking about soldering/brazing/welding anything to it be careful....freewheels & heat don't mix.
What size roller are u using BTW & how far has it done?
The Staton rollers are hardened steel where-as BMP's are mild....if your concidering using one you'll need to remove the inner surface coating for it to fit BMP's drive shaft(5-7HEAVEN knows much more about it than me)
Out of sheer curiosity i'de try the JB weld/sand combination.....coarse sand.
It doesn't necessarily have to be JB weld either....any REALLY strong acrylic resin glue/filler should do.

 

[loquin]

I normally have the roller pressing 'into' the tire about a quarter inch, or a bit less. I use a fairly smooth tire, 26 x 2.125, inflated to about 50 psi.

What tire size/type are you using, inflated to what pressure?

 

[Fender100]

I am using a 26 inch slick tyre at about 50 psi also.

 

[5-7HEAVEN]

You could press the roller deeper into the tire.

After setting adjustments you could lock the pivot points at the front of the engine housing.

What I've also done is to replace the quick-release rear support lock with my own devices. Both struts lock independently so if one slips the other is still locked in.

You could also replace the BMP rollers with more aggressive Staton spindles. This would involve removing the entire roller assembly which is clutch bell, spacers, driveshaft, bearings, collars, etc. The Staton assembly slips into place. The only thing you need to do is fabricate a bearing retainer on the outboard side. This is to prevent the bearing from falling out at 35mph, which is what happened to me.

The bearing will fall out only if you change the fit onto the friction roller from pressfit to slipfit. I did this to make it easier to remove and reinstall the roller and bearings.

Good luck.

 

[Esteban]

Always use the throttle in a smooth & slow manner. Revving, quick bursts of speed, revving while stopped, will just lead to problems. Also, casually use the pedals to assist the motor, when starting off & when going uphills. Riding a friction drive this way will lead to a much better ride & is easier on all parts, including the tires.

 

[jjstanza]

I know this is an older thread but on my drive wheel for my weed whacker friction drive bike I jb weld a piece of #36 grit sanding belt (available @ home cheapo etal) all around the drive wheel (cut to fit diameter). Zip tie the piece of belt on the drive until it hardens, then cut the zip ties off and go. Works great even when wet. I tried the jb weld and sand trick first but I couldn't get it even enough to keep the vibrations down. I get about 300 or so miles out of a tire with this set up. With a real high quality tire I may get more miles.