On the road, finally!

I'm rollin'! Finally came to my senses and abandoned putting a go-kart motor on this thing (ad for it under "Buy/Sell/Trade"). Still have some finish work to do (probably always will), but rode it around a bunch last weekend. A buck's worth of gas (about a third of a gallon) went well over 50 miles!

The BIKE:
Huffy tandem, Shimano/Suntour drivetrain (yes, those are Biopace eccentric chainrings), Sturmey front drum brake, caliper brakes both wheels, car horns (battery not shown in these pics).

The MOTOR:
Robin/Subaru 35 cc 4-stroke (a whopping 2 cubic inches for you gearheads), Staton gearbox, mount kit, and rear wheel. Motor runs great, I really like it.

I pedal all the time, whether the motor is running or not, runs out of pedal gearing at about 22-25 mph, so that's going to be the limit. Seems plenty fast, anyway!
 

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With the color and all, I'm thinking of that old timey WWII cargo netting, where goods were hoisted up by Ensign Pulver in "Mister Roberts".

Instead of something rigid, having something elastic, rope/macrame/hempish, that could expand enough to hold a small cooler/picnic basket, secure enough to drop an expensive camera into and not worry about bumps and potholes.

Stops 1/2" above any metal framing when it sways.

Easy to detach when not in use, or at least when the only thing in it is your rain slicker/collapsible umbrella, it "envelopes" tight and looks green.
 
How do you like the Staton drive? I haven't settled on what to get for my next bike, and that's one of the options I'm looking at. Please let me know your impressions about it. Power loss? Noise? Reliability?
Oh yeah. The bike looks real cool. I agree that the line of the frame is interesting enough that you don't want to obscure it, but I can't think of a good way to utilize it, that won't.
 
I'm thinking of that old timey WWII cargo netting
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Hmmm, a mini-hammock between the seat posts? I like it, as long as I could keep people from trying to sit (or lie down) on it!

How do you like the Staton drive?
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Seems to be built very well, good quality parts, love the Japanese-made motor. A bit noisy, but they say it'll quiet down as it wears in. I pedal without the motor a lot, and this setup is the best for that, I think.
 
Great looking bikes! I want the staton w/subaru 35, but I want a inside drive. I have a Raliegh comfort bike to put it on and its very important to me to be able to ride without motor. I am a heart transplant person and need the exercise but I get tired and can't get back. Please tell me more about pedaling without the motor, what noise does it make? can you feel it at all slowing you down? Is it just like it was not there ? Very interested in this aspect of the ride & your the first person i've found that wants to pedal .
 
I'd probably try an inside drive for the next one I build, but I'm glad I got the outside for the first one, it was enough work. The only noise when pedaling w/o the motor is the "tick-tick" of the freewheel (the creaks and groans are mostly from me!). No drag whatsoever. I pedal all the time, motor or not (got nice wide range pedal gearing), and now that it's finally cooling off a little here will be pedaling (only) more. 200 mpg summer, closer to 300 in the winter with more motor-off pedaling.

Also, I put the motor setup on this bike instead: http://www.motoredbikes.com/showthread.php?t=7225&highlight=staton,+lowered
 
Alright thats what I wanted to hear! I'm going to have to try the inside drive because the wife is only going to give me one shot at this. I like the looks of the inside drive and because I get week sometimes I need all the balance I can get. In looking at different pictures here I don't think its above my skill level. And I'm counting on the help of other MBc members to get me over the rough spots.Your bike is a little like mine but I have three cogs on the front & seven on the back for a total of 21 gears, I need all the low ones!!! I plan to pedal as far as I can and motor back. I've always loved riding my bike & thought I was going to have to give it up. Thanks for your reply it helps.
 

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Thats a 2004 model, I bought it new & rode it a lot on the Chesapeake & ohio canal bike trial when I was in Delaware. Now thats a great ride! I have not seen any new models like it and I love it!
 
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