Friction drive vibration? ...........How bad ?

[Bill P]

I am in the market for a kit, I had a GEBE kit a few years and liked it but I don't know if I want to spend that much this time.I didn't like the fact the the drive ring seemed to be wearing around the spoke attachment even with zip ties on place.Anyway , I have never used a friction drive, was planning on a staton, I could afford the GEBE but not sure if its necessary.Also is a Honda 50 simply roo much weight for a friction drive ?

 

[Bonefish]

I've had 2 friction kits. Vibration isn't bad and wouldn't be my concern if I was going from a GEBE to a friction drive. Having more flats would be though, considering the extra weight of a honda 50 back there. Remember with a friction drive you have 2 surfaces that contact the tire(the road and the roller) what ever the tire picks up from the road it has another chance to embed in your tire when the roller comes around and drive it in.

 

[Bill P]

Thaanks for input, we do have a lot of small rocks out here in the desert, I guess a good kevlar tire would be in order.

 

[darwin]

Kevlar tire, thorn resistant tubes and tire liners. You'll think flat means a british apt.

 

[Bill P]

Very good darwin ! , lol. I would probably insist on a real smooth tire like the worm to limit rocks gettin jammed in there.I am deciding between the gebe and staton f/d at the moment.I would like to keep the cost Round $500 which limits options, Inhave heard others suggest a Hs 142f type motor, but not sure I have faith in these engines for long term durability, what do you think ?

 

[darwin]

Smooth tire is a great f/d tire, you want tread crossing it at some point so you can keep track of the wear. HS is a great motor and bang for the buck. Even though I'm having issues with mine out of the box it's an easy fix I'm sure. Just been too lazy to tear into it, feels like it's restricted on the top end somehow. Mine's a step child and is unusual. Owned 3 HSs and you will not regret buying one. Many have gotten 1000s of miles out of their's.

 

[siouxindian]

i have 4 motor bicycles and one of them is a Stanton robin Subaru friction drive . i do not see anymore flats with it than the others . you know some times there is a flat . i always take a new chain and a chain breaker. a new tube and patches that's just me . i take other stuff also . but i don't see any more flats with the friction drive than the others just be prepared.

 

[Bill P]

Yeah, I think a good quality tire w/ liner prolly prevents most flats.

 

[cpuaid]

I am in the market for a kit, I had a GEBE kit a few years and liked it but I don't know if I want to spend that much this time.I didn't like the fact the the drive ring seemed to be wearing around the spoke attachment even with zip ties on place.Anyway , I have never used a friction drive, was planning on a staton, I could afford the GEBE but not sure if its necessary.Also is a Honda 50 simply roo much weight for a friction drive ?

you're absolutely correct about the GEBE drive ring having a tendency to wear at the point of contact with the spokes. this appears to escalate with the larger size engines as you are more likely to ride more aggressively. you will also require the thicker spokes such as the 105g with the GEBE. your standard size spokes will break around the 3000 mile mark, especially if you have a larger engine. i use my GEBE for bad weather riding but actually prefer my staton friction drive for nice weather riding. the GEBE is a PITA if you have to change out a flat but the on the Staton FD I can change out a flat in 5 minutes tops. the only vibration issue i've ever had on the Staton FD was with a new tire that had a mfg defect as it was molded or formed. the the joined bead on on side was slightly higher than the other side. the bead ran straight down the center of the tire. it took me awhile to figure out what was going on with the vibration. swapped to a different tire and problem was solved. the smoother the tire the better the ride quality on FD's. my main complaint with friction drives is premature tire wear. constant downward pressure also has a tendency to make the sidewalls crack. if the streets are wet, don't even try riding a FD bike, not unless you want lock that rack down hard on the tire. i wouldn't be too concerned about the engine weight of the Honda 50 on the Staton FD. the 2 support rails does a good job keeping the rack at the desired height on top of the tire and it pretty effectively distributes the weight of whatever engine you choose. personally, the price of a Staton Friction drive can't be beat for a quality kit. I have 2 of them and use it as my test/development bikes for the different types of small engines that I come across. the Staton is also more forgiving towards cheap quality wheels. i've been riding Statons FD's for 10 years and have yet to break a spoke. On my GEBE's, i have become a self taught wheel master and have replaced LOTS of broken spokes, again we're talking about if when using the standard wheel spokes. just my 2 cents.

 

[Bill P]

decisions, decisions. I may go with a staton f/d and use a maxxis hookworm or similar tire.Thanks for the input.