A Motorized bike for ultra long distance

[butre]

see if you can build something that'll average 42 and do the bun burner 1500 while you're at it

 

[Steve Best]

Get a setup like mine and just use one engine for most of the trip. If you ever need extra power or something happens to you first engine you can run the 2nd engine as backup. And they're 4 strokes so they are reliable.

Ummm, 70 lbs of motors,and where would I put my gear?
One good reliable motor is always a good way to go.
If you start with a light motor and good bike you can always pedal.
My Grubee Skyhawk will haul me and 40 lbs of backpack up any hill in this county with minimal effort pedaling.

I am a fan of the 2 stroke China Girl, light and powerful with only a few mods.
Simple is always better so single speed and a 44 or more tooth sprocket to get up the hills.
Widen the exhaust and intake ports slightly, drill out the stock exhaust flange 3/4" to port match it and cut some squish in the head at 0.030" gap. Use high quality synthetic or a true castor oil at 32:1 and keep your rpm under 8000 to keep the engine reliable. Bring a spare plug and some tools. Replace the chain tensioner bearing with a good brand of bearing. Check the bike over and gear grease and chain lube daily. Spokes, brakes, chain tension and every nut and bolt, every day for all day riding.

Use the pedals at all time and shut the motor off in towns. For hostile states you can cover the motor up a bit and only use it in remote areas. Stick to secondary roads for your safety and better views. I did a few 100-200 mile runs this summer. The Grubee did it with ease. With motor off pedaling on the easy parts I was getting over 100 miles to a tank of fuel.

Sounds like a great trip, wish I could join you!

 

[KCvale]

I'm considering riding my bike from Saint Louis, Missouri to Oceanside, California and and am thinking about using a motorized bike to make it easier I'll probably be using the motor for 3 to 5 hours at a time to make the journey go by a little faster so i need a set up thats capable.

Easier than what, walking?
That's a long way in a car on the freeway over the rockies, one hell of a journey on the backroads, especially pulling weight.
I do happen to build bikes capable of it.

4-stroke 5-speed internal shifters.

Gears to help you get up hills and go fast, dual disc brakes to slow you down going down the other side, and you can run them all day long.
~$1500.

Plan your entire route out including stops with fuel and supplies, I think you'll find it tough when you can't use the freeway.
Good luck!

 

[FurryOnTheInside]

The spare engine can stay at home or with a friend who can mail it out to the nearest post office and you can pick it up.
I don't know if the caadx bike with light alloy frame and carbon fork would hold up to the weight and power and clamps of the two stroke or even fit the four stroke engine.
The caadx isn't a touring bicycle anyway though.

The OP never told us the budget or how much cargo / rider weight the bike will have to carry / pull.

Would a walbro style carb be an advantage in crossing over the mountains?

 

[LRSimons]

In my opinion, I'd say to carry an extra engine if you're going the china girl route. For me at least, wrenching on the side of the road with an uncertain outcome is annoying. You can throw the other engine on in ~10 minutes and tinker with the first one when you've made camp. With two engines you should be able to have one going constantly.

A four stroke would probably be okay with just spare consumables, but could be difficult with your fitment situation. A GEBE/rack mount setup might be worth looking at. Somewhat high cost of admission for the GEBE at least however.

Sounds like an awesome trip! Is the plan to primarily pedal and use the engine when necessary, or use the engine most of the time and pedal the nice bits? If you're going to be mostly pedaling you'll want some sort of freewheel function for the engine to limit frictional losses. Pedaling with a single speed china girl sucks for more than a mile or two. I pull the chain when I need to pedal somewhere. A centrifugal clutch on the four stroke would take care of this.

Keep us posted!


Logan

 

[BIG BOBBY]

Getting any bike, rider, and trailer up long steep hills is going to require a seriously low gear. Too low to be any good for flat roads. You are going to need a shifter bike. You are also going to need a quality 4 stroke engine. Those Chinese crap engines wouldn't come close to lasting that kind of distance. And that Cannondale is not suitable for such a setup. I recommend building the bike, starting with a cromoly steel mountain bike frame for strength, a super strong rear wheel 26x2.125, and a disc front brake if possible. Doesn't matter about the rear, the front does 90+% of the braking. The reason for the strong front brake is going downhill. Check the laws of the states you are going through. Unlike concealed carry permits, there is very little reciprocity between states with regard to motorized bikes. In some states they are not legal at all. Many states allow bicycles to be ridden on the shoulders of freeways, but that does not include motorized bikes. So trying to follow bicycle routes will not usually work on a MB.

I disagree with the assertion that a china girl wont make it 3000 miles. just about every single time somebody says they got a "lemon",.. or their motor blows/stops in less than 3000 miles,....it's almost ALWAYS the same guy who doesn't even know how to line up a chain driveline,...doesn't know what mix to use,....or they assume they are riding a Suzuki RM 250 and go 12,000 rpm for an hour nonstop. --in a word,... AMATEUR. no offense!!! please. lemons DO happen.

if your motor made it the first 500 miles through break-in, without a hitch...it *should* go another 3000. unless YOU break it, horse it, over-rev it, abuse it,....neglect it,...etc.

with that said,.. yeah,....hills will need: a running start,...then pedal assistance,...and then just kill the motor before it melts and push. your butt will probably appreciate some blood flow anyways. --and pushing your rig up and over a hill is still way better than pushing it/pedaling it the rest of the way home because you melted your engine.

 

[China Girl Steve]

You know, this thread is 3 years old?
The original guy posted twice and never came back. Just say'in'.

That said, I agree with you totally.

 

[The_Aleman]

pushing your rig up and over a hill is still way better than pushing it/pedaling it the rest of the way home because you melted your engine.

Ahh, you mean the walk of shame! Yeah, well, we all have had to do that from time to time, especially when traveling using a chinagirl engine! If you haven't had to do it yet, you haven't ridden long enough! Such shameful walks aren't exclusive to the chinagirl engine tho, all it takes is traveling via bicycle

 

[Lukesky36]

a 30 tooth with 26 inch tires would be good since you would use all bottom end while traveling and a 36 with 29er's 700c

 

[Deleted member 26224]

In my opinion, I'd say to carry an extra engine if you're going the china girl route.

Since y’all brought this thread up I read this sentence and blew my soda all over my computer bursting with laughter!!! When I worked in a race kart shop where we repaired everything smaller than ~400cc, we had this creepy homosexual homeless guy occasionally bring his abortion of a bike, a folding mtb with engine pulling a trailer with his stuff and shaggy dog, complete with nasty sticky grips and levers, questionable to say the least he would bring it in for engine related repair. We had a brief conversation with him on reliability and he said something along the lines of “yeah well they are reliable as long as you carry some parts, like a spare spark plug, cables, small nuts n bolts, a spare piston and pin set, a spare cylinder.....” which is when I about lost it and had to go inside!!!