My 4 stroke EHO-35...by Glenn61

[Glenn61]

Gravel Roads....?

about 50% gravel roads out here in the country.

Rollfast,,,I would utilize a bike engine for limited off road only,,especially a friction drive.

If you're going to be doing most of your commuting on roads that are not paved then perhaps you should consider a trail bike....like a Honda XR50,,,all you would need is a moped tag.

Or something bigger like a 100cc trail bike with a motorcycle license.
The tires are wider and thicker,,,designed for gravel and dirt surfaces.

And you will no doubt need rear suspension. A hard tail mountain bike that accommodates a friction drive mount would take a real shaking and no doubt have alignment and stability issues.

And let's not forget that bicycle rims meant to absorb that kind of abuse usually only come in 20 inch and are expensive.

A Bicycle with an engine is still restricted to where one can ride a bicycle,,just faster.

Yup,,,sounds like you're going to need a trail bike for your gravel roads,,,in my humble opinion......G61

 

[Glenn61]

Leaky Fuel Line Grommet

I have been having an issue lately with the race gas leaking through the teflon tape around the grommet that holds the fuel lines in my improvised gas tank.

It holds for a while then turns red as there is dye in race gas to signify off-road use only.

So the teflon tape which was designed to stop water is not holding against the much thinner gasoline,,,,,here's where lock wire comes to the rescue again.

I twisted a piece of wire and tied it to the coat hanger mount with pressure against the grommet,,,using black vinyl electrical tape to make a cushion so the wire does not cut into the rubber grommet.

It seems to be working, but only time will tell....If anyone has a better solution to secure a fuel line grommet,,please feel free to express your idea.....G61

 

[SirJakesus]

I have the Mitsubishi TLE43 and yes it is an awesome engine. It has tons of power for climbing the hills around here, it's very compact and lightweight and very quiet for a 2-stroke. Much more quiet than those briggs engines on lawnmowers for sure even wide open. I do a fair amount of trail riding with my full suspension rack mounted setup (chain driven) but I have the ability to take it slow as to not stress out my equipment too much or lose control and do a superman. Even the paved roads around my home are pretty rough and uneven. Low gearing is necessary for rough road and off road riding which is why I got a NuVinci kit with variable gearing which I would fully suggest to anybody who wants a lot of versatility from their MB. Given that you live in florida its probably overkill and possibly not worth the extra expense.
Anyhow, happy trails!

 

[Glenn61]

great post....!

I have the Mitsubishi TLE43 and yes it is an awesome engine.
Even the paved roads around my home are pretty rough and uneven. Low gearing is necessary for rough road and off road riding which is why I got a NuVinci kit with variable gearing which I would fully suggest to anybody who wants a lot of versatility from their MB.

Hit up Rollfast on the PM,,,he's got some rough terrain to deal with and you could probably help him out with your experience there.....G61

 

[dbigkahunna]

The white teffon tape is not resistant to gasoline espically the clean fuels type of unleaded and the high additive type of fuel you are using. They make a more resistant type that is yellow. But even it will deteriorate under the type of fuel you are using. You can seal the line with one of the 2 part stick type of epoxies. You will need to abrade the plastic and wipe it with xyelene before you put the putty down or it will never stick to the plastic.

 

[Glenn61]

The white teffon tape is not resistant to gasoline espically the clean fuels type of unleaded and the high additive type of fuel you are using.

Yeah,I was thinking maybe some drum seal putty,,,,the kind that comes separated in stick form and you have to kneed it to activate the hardener.

 

[Glenn61]

Leaky Fuel Line Grommet Fixed

I filled my gas tank made from a one gallon jug with the grommet tied against the jug with wire and rode it to work the last couple of days.

No leakage at all..! ,,,,The wire tightened against the grommet sealed with teflon tape makes a sufficient seal.

I fill the jug to about a half an inch below the grommet which is just shy of a full gallon and the splash does not seep through.

It's a nice feeling to know that I have effectively fixed the problem with out spending any money on specialized parts,,mounted a $4 gas jug as a useful, large capacity fuel tank using a plywood base affixed with drywall screws,,,two wire coat hangers, teflon tape, some stainless steel lock wire and electrical tape,,,(all items from around the house)

My other idea was to cut a slot in a washer to slide over the fuel lines and drill two holes,,one on each side and tie the washer against the grommet to apply pressure evenly to make a seal,,but the wire with electrical tape wrapped it around to make a cushion against the grommet seems to work well.

And I have noticed something interesting here,,,,with a tightly sealed gas jug, and a cap that is NOT vented,,it creates a certain amount of internal pressure in the improvised tank.

This makes for better performance and start ups,,,never needing choke or prime as there is pressure on the fuel lines creating better feed of fuel to the carburator.

I think that an improvised tank made from a cheap 1-gallon jug makes a better tank than anything the manufacturers have offered....what do you think,,,,comments welcome...........G61

 

[Glenn61]

Best Rear Tire for Friction Drive...

I've been covering some distance on my bike with my Subaru EHO-35 and so far, so good.
The mixture of race gas with premium from the pump and the Lucas 5W20 oil in the crank case works great,,and monthly carb intake cleaning keeps her running at full blast.

I have had a problem with the folding bead Continental tire,,,it refuses to seat evenly, leaving a hump and a slight out of roundness.

So I purchased the wire bead version for it's replacement,,,,,the wire is always the best bet,,,I got mine for $49.95 plus shipping.....
Continental Top Contact Wire Bead 26x1.9" $49.95

From WesternBikes.com.........

http://www.westernbikeworks.com/productdetail.asp?p=COCLJ

 

[Glenn61]

The best HORN....!

Today I was almost forced into the side of a car,,,a stupid B**** on a cell phone passed me then turned directly in front of me, never noticing me as I skidded into the gutter narrowly missing her right/rear fender.

I spent the next few hours thinking about how I would react the next time this happened,,,I contemplated tying a One Ounce lead fishing sinker to my handle bars with light monofilament to yank it off and hurl it,,,, blasting out the rear window of the careless idiot.

But that would only get me legal problems I don't need.....then a lady friend stopped by my house and gave me a really loud air horn she took the the Marlins Baseball game the night before.

It was still near full of air and since it was a loud blaster,,,I decided to mount it directly on my handle bars with a hose clamp,,,with the button near my thumb for fast access.

The next time I see a careless driver passing me and setting up for a turn,,,I'm going to make my presents known with a loud, ear deafening blast from this air horn.....check out the pics.

 

[MotorBicycleRacing]

Thanks Glenn for a great thread......love the pics

Please don't use drywall screws on anything except drywall
They are very brittle and will shear off easily
I have broken them with just a cordless drill and would never trust them
to provide mechanical support

I have found that the increased weight of the engine requires a rear mounted kick-stand,,I have purchased the Greenfield brand kick-stand,,,it's very sturdy but mine did break at the cross members.

I fixed it by drilling two holes through the kick mount and inserting dry wall screws into the bike frame to securley hold the kick-stand in place.

A good idea would be to make the re-enforcement adaptation before the kick-stand mount became stressed and broke away.