New motorized bicycle enthusiast

[LewieBike]

Hello, I'm from Coos Bay/North Bend OR and have in the past have wanted to fabricate a powered bicycle.

Seems like the times have caught up with my aspirations and now we have a few companies making an assortment of kits and engine conversions for powered bikes. I have to say I'm more into the engine assisted bicycle concept, I was many years back the owner of a VeloSolex and it's speed is about where I'm planning my present project. I'm also looking at making a polyflex belt ratio reduced friction drive for this bike, getting it made into a sanitary package on my creation will be a part of the adventure.

 

[wheelbender6]

Welcome to the forum. I like the clean look of a friction drive motorbike too but I don't know how well they may work in a wet climate.

 

[bluegoatwoods]

Welcome aboard.

You might want to consider the plain old 2 cycle engine/chain drive kit. They are just right for putting around at about Solex speeds. While they can run faster than that, I don't recommend it myself.

 

[LewieBike]

Thanks for the welcome.

Actually I've got most of the functioning bits already for this, just finding the inspiration and the 'AHA' moment to put it together effectively.

I'm planning on running an old Kioritz-SRM 32cc weedeater through a rpm reducing polyflex power belt to a separate jack shaft/friction drive. The thought being you make the friction drum large, it has more contact patch, runs at slower RPM's, less stress and pressure to maintain drive force.

The big plus is the engine size is under the Oregon 'powered scooter' size for legal road use. No faster than 20 mph and under 35 cc.

Yeah it's ancient tech, with points and condenser ignition, but it was one of the best quality Japanese old tech engines of it's time, and it still runs like new. I'm finding replacement bits on Ebay for it, so it still has some support through the Echo dealerships.

 

[wheelbender6]

I saw a DIY friction friction drive bike that used a 3 speed hub for a friction roller. The engine drove the 3 speed hub thru a chain. Sand paper was glued to the outside of the 3 spd hub for traction. The roller hub was shifted with a cable and a normal 3 speed shifter. He said it would really climb the hills.

 

[LewieBike]

Yeah, as a bike mechanic I hate seeing gear-hubs used in this fashion, they aren't really designed to be run at rpm speeds faster than about 200~400 rpm, because they rely upon a film of lube on the internals which in a rapidly rotating installation would be flung out, leaving the gears and ball bearings dry. Which is why I'm going with a set of nice oversized, sealed precision bearings as the jack shaft bearings, and keeping the installation as a simple, single speed friction drive. besides the bike is also a single speed and I want to keep the complexity of multiple chains to a minimum.