Drivetrain for a bike

[Tedd_12]

I have got an old Suffolk Engine that I want to put on a bicycle but I don't know what I'll need to make it drive the back wheel.
There is nothing on the main shaft.

 

[Chainlube]

I have got an old Suffolk Engine that I want to put on a bicycle but I don't know what I'll need to make it drive the back wheel.
There is nothing on the main shaft.

Got a picture of the engine and a measurement of the crank diameter?

 

[Tedd_12]

Got a picture of the engine and a measurement of the crank diameter?

The Shaft is roughly 20mm in diameter

 

[Chainlube]

Nice looking vintage engine, probably 3/4" shaft. Which gives you lots of options for drive gear. The easiest is a centrifugal clutch and a jack shaft. Of course you'll have to fab a mount. Nice to see that go on a vintage-ish bike.

 

[Tedd_12]

Nice looking vintage engine, probably 3/4" shaft. Which gives you lots of options for drive gear. The easiest is a centrifugal clutch and a jack shaft. Of course you'll have to fab a mount. Nice to see that go on a vintage-ish bike.

Yeah, I can put the clutch on the one of the crank shaft and have a sprocket on the other side of it. But what is a Jack Shaft. As I'm completely new to this. This will be my first project.

 

[Chainlube]

Here's one at Go power sport, https://www.gopowersports.com/3-4-jackshaft-not-threaded-19-long/ you'll need a couple of pillow block bearings to support it an both ends.

 

[Sidewinder Jerry]

You might should consider a rear rack mount for the engine. Another thing that'll be a must is putting a kill switch in. If you have a problem especially while riding (and you will, it happens to us all) you'll need to be able to quickly kill the engine. That's why most builders mount the switch on the handle bars near a hand.

 

[Tedd_12]

You might should consider a rear rack mount for the engine. Another thing that'll be a must is putting a kill switch in. If you have a problem especially while riding (and you will, it happens to us all) you'll need to be able to quickly kill the engine. That's why most builders mount the switch on the handle bars near a hand.

That's a good idea. To have the drivetrain go downwards. Still not sure what other parts I might need other than a centrifugal clutch.

 

[Sidewinder Jerry]

Well in order to calculate drive reductions you'll need to know how many rpm the engine turns and it's horse power rating

 

[Sidewinder Jerry]

If you can weld, get a steel bicycle frame. You can buy welders very cheap for them. An aluminum frame will require a tig welder and they can cost several hundreds of dollars even for a used one.

If you're unsure about the metal in a frame just do the magnet test. Steel will stick.