Too much info......

[5-7HEAVEN]

Yeah looking hard at the staton friction drives and honda gx35
Not too worried about it being stolen.
The chance of somebody stumbling on it in the woods 30 yards away from trail near trailhead, and having the desire and tools to cut a lock cable.... Over a short say four or five day period is fairly slim. Covered with camo 3d cloth and brush. Can also
be left at private placed with permission...stores canoe outfitters, etc.

Looking for decent bike with disc brakes.

Check your local Craigslist ads.

 

[5-7HEAVEN]

You’ll also find good bargains on used motorized bicycles on Craigslist.

 

[berdomb]

Yeah I've been checking Craigslist it's mostly junk..... And none near me.

If I'm going to depend on something to take me 50-75 mi and possibly have to pedal it that far..... it's going to be a good used bike and a good motor on a good drive....... Not a junk bike with a cheap Chinese two-stroke engine...... That's fine for riding around the neighborhood but....not 50 miles.

Been thinking it's really easy enough to take the motor/drive off the bike and stash it and just leave the bike locked in view at a trailhead. I leave vehicles at remote trailheads with no issues. An older bike in good condition.won't attract any undue attention.... Not like something shiny and new and $$$ might.

 

[Poor boy]

I’d use a vintage 90’s mountain bike. I have a motor mounted on a gt avalanche. Yes you’ll have v brakes but V brakes easily stop me after I’ve done 50. It won’t draw tons of attention and can be had for cheap.

 

[Old Busted Hotness]

You're going to have trouble fitting a 4-stroke inside the frame. Friction drive will be easiest, but wet performance is poor and it'll wear out a knobby tire real fast. Might be you want a rear-mount chain drive setup.

 

[5-7HEAVEN]

You have VERY HIGH expectations.

Champagne plans on a beer budget.

You still haven't said what your budget is.

You should get a used small motorcycle, maybe a dirt bike.

Then 50 miles on a motorcycle is not a problem, right?

 

[berdomb]

You have VERY HIGH expectations.

Champagne plans on a beer budget.

You still haven't said what your budget is.

You should get a used small motorcycle, maybe a dirt bike.

Then 50 miles on a motorcycle is not a problem, right?

Budgets not a problem....
It will pay for itself in a couple of uses...
Discounting the price I could sell it for used, it will possibly even break even for itself in a single use.....



I'd like simple, light, and reliable enough to ride down remote roads/gravely dirt forest service roads for a few hours at a time. Some hills. find a decent used bike for about 200 bucks..... And $800 all up isn't that big of a deal. Including new smooth tires... And a big azz cushy seat.

Motorcycles are much heavier, harder to get in and out truck bed, require license and registration, etc. Harder to walk into the woods and hide.

I've already got two places in mind in Arkansas I know I could use it and save either $150 that would be paid to shuttle providers....or a couple days of my vacation time that would be required to hike some trail out-and-back as an alternative. My vacation time has some value to me too.... I hate wasting a day hiking something I already hiked in the opposite direction.... I don't do that to save money, a lot of people do.

Plus getting a new toy that could be used near home seems just kind of fun too. Might be good to take camping as well at places like state parks and such.... Get around without having to drive your vehicle.

Friction drive still seems good to me.
With the honda gx50, the roller would be bigger, and I'm assuming probably slip the minimal amount when wet, or at least less as compared to a smaller engine and a smaller diameter roller.

Lots of the friction drive reviews were 10 years ago.. at that time Staton and seem to have a knurled roller and today it's a grooved.... Obviously that must be an improvement compared to back then to make that change... Or else it was cheaper and easier to manufacture.

The thing about wet weather is edges are what grip. That's why your tires have siping on your car. That's why boat shoes have soles that are smooth with lots of little slits across the bottom of them.... that's how you grip a wet boat deck. Those little razor thin cuts in the tire tread are what grips the road when the road is wet . The more edges the better the wet grip will be. The thinner the ribs on the drive roller and the more of them there are in contact... the better the wet grip would be too.

Along those lines people have been known to take razor blades and slit tire treads and things to create better traction when wet..... Anybody ever tried that on a friction drive bike?

 

[5-7HEAVEN]

Budgets not a problem....
It will pay for itself in a couple of uses...
Discounting the price I could sell it for used, it will possibly even break even for itself in a single use.....



I'd like simple, light, and reliable enough to ride down remote roads/gravely dirt forest service roads for a few hours at a time. Some hills. find a decent used bike for about 200 bucks..... And $800 all up isn't that big of a deal. Including new smooth tires... And a big azz cushy seat.

Motorcycles are much heavier, harder to get in and out truck bed, require license and registration, etc. Harder to walk into the woods and hide.

I've already got two places in mind in Arkansas I know I could use it and save either $150 that would be paid to shuttle providers....or a couple days of my vacation time that would be required to hike some trail out-and-back as an alternative. My vacation time has some value to me too.... I hate wasting a day hiking something I already hiked in the opposite direction.... I don't do that to save money, a lot of people do.

Plus getting a new toy that could be used near home seems just kind of fun too. Might be good to take camping as well at places like state parks and such.... Get around without having to drive your vehicle.

Friction drive still seems good to me.
With the honda gx50, the roller would be bigger, and I'm assuming probably slip the minimal amount when wet, or at least less as compared to a smaller engine and a smaller diameter roller.

Lots of the friction drive reviews were 10 years ago.. at that time Staton and seem to have a knurled roller and today it's a grooved.... Obviously that must be an improvement compared to back then to make that change... Or else it was cheaper and easier to manufacture.

The thing about wet weather is edges are what grip. That's why your tires have siping on your car. That's why boat shoes have soles that are smooth with lots of little slits across the bottom of them.... that's how you grip a wet boat deck. Those little razor thin cuts in the tire tread are what grips the road when the road is wet . The more edges the better the wet grip will be. The thinner the ribs on the drive roller and the more of them there are in contact... the better the wet grip would be too.

Along those lines people have been known to take razor blades and slit tire treads and things to create better traction when wet..... Anybody ever tried that on a friction drive bike?

I must've gone thru 25 tires, using friction drive.

No such thing as slipping minimally when wet.....it's ALL slip when wet.

Methinks you're asking too much from motorized bikes.

MB's are good to putter around short miles,

but they're not as dependable as mopeds and m/c's.

They're cheaper to fix, for sure.

but they need much more attention than a moped or motorcycle.

Think ramps, or a motorcycle rack on the back of your truck.

Good luck.

I'm done.

 

[mark20]

I'm going to recommend you get a moped since they're a lot more robust than a motorized bike (similar speed, around 30mph), possibly a PUCH or a Yamaha qt50, since you don't need to license them in Arkansas (i think).

or get something newish like a Yamaha jog and slap on some offroad tires. (this would be batter since they have a CVT and can climb hills pretty well, upgrades are also dirt cheap)

 

[Street Ryderz]

Budgets not a problem....
It will pay for itself in a couple of uses...
Discounting the price I could sell it for used, it will possibly even break even for itself in a single use.....



I'd like simple, light, and reliable enough to ride down remote roads/gravely dirt forest service roads for a few hours at a time. Some hills. find a decent used bike for about 200 bucks..... And $800 all up isn't that big of a deal. Including new smooth tires... And a big azz cushy seat.

Motorcycles are much heavier, harder to get in and out truck bed, require license and registration, etc. Harder to walk into the woods and hide.

I've already got two places in mind in Arkansas I know I could use it and save either $150 that would be paid to shuttle providers....or a couple days of my vacation time that would be required to hike some trail out-and-back as an alternative. My vacation time has some value to me too.... I hate wasting a day hiking something I already hiked in the opposite direction.... I don't do that to save money, a lot of people do.

Plus getting a new toy that could be used near home seems just kind of fun too. Might be good to take camping as well at places like state parks and such.... Get around without having to drive your vehicle.

Friction drive still seems good to me.
With the honda gx50, the roller would be bigger, and I'm assuming probably slip the minimal amount when wet, or at least less as compared to a smaller engine and a smaller diameter roller.

Lots of the friction drive reviews were 10 years ago.. at that time Staton and seem to have a knurled roller and today it's a grooved.... Obviously that must be an improvement compared to back then to make that change... Or else it was cheaper and easier to manufacture.

The thing about wet weather is edges are what grip. That's why your tires have siping on your car. That's why boat shoes have soles that are smooth with lots of little slits across the bottom of them.... that's how you grip a wet boat deck. Those little razor thin cuts in the tire tread are what grips the road when the road is wet . The more edges the better the wet grip will be. The thinner the ribs on the drive roller and the more of them there are in contact... the better the wet grip would be too.

Along those lines people have been known to take razor blades and slit tire treads and things to create better traction when wet..... Anybody ever tried that on a friction drive bike?

You've got alot to learn,the slit's or tread in a tire are to disperse water away from the contact patch and reduce the chance of hydro planning NOT added grip.Deck shoes are made with rubber non marking soles so as not to mess up the decks and rubber gives better grip and again the slit's or tread is to disperse the water. Friction drive rollers rely on the friction/tension against the tire for the cut's to grab and this method is older than you, don't you think that if there was a better way/design it would be in use.