My 4 stroke EHO-35...by Glenn61

[Glenn61]

This is my bike,,,it's an inexpensive Chinese import, a Rally-m20 that I bought for $215.

I purchased my Robin-Subaru EHO-35 from Stanton.com for $375 plus shipping and have done much experimentation with it.

My kit came with two support bracket bars,,as it should. One bracket bar on one side causes the roller housing to slant to one side.

I have discovered some other tech tips that I will share with other 4-stroke engine kit owners here that will drastically improve the engine's performance.

 

[Glenn61]

no gears

I have stripped off all all of the gear shifting apparatuses, except for the rear derailleur which is necessary for chain tension adjustment,,,also shortened the chain using a chain tool and master link to keep the chain from flopping off the front sprocket.

I have the rear derailleur set screw fixed at the second smallest sprocket and the front on the largest sprocket

 

[Glenn61]

gas tank

Also my kit came with a 2 liter fuel tank,,,this tank is of poor quality and soon became brittle, cracked and leaked.

I went on line to see about a replacement,,,,$39.95, plus shipping...I don't think so.

I went to my local Advance-Auto Parts Store and bought a 1 gallon Blitz red plastic gas jug for $4,,,cut a 2 centimeter hole in it and sealed the grommet with plumber's teflon tape (several layers) and mounted my gas jug to the top of the engine housing with some plywood, dry wall screws, wire coat hanger and stainless steel lock wire.

Check out the pics,,,notice how a washer was used to prevent a puncture from the wire tie and ,how the coat hanger mount spaces away the plastic gas jug from the hot engine by bending the coat hanger horizontally and applying downward pressure with lock wire around the clutch case.

 

[Glenn61]

mud flap-fenders

A piece of 1 inch thick wood is useful as a mud flap when cut to fit in the front open space of the roller drive housing,,,drill four holes to permit the tying of lock wire through the wood onto the cross bolt that connects the mount to the clamp-bracket on the frame,,,this holds the piece of wood in place to block water and mud spray from the tire to the back part of your legs.

Also,,,if your bike does not have fenders,, purchase a set of plastic ones and cut them to fit your bike....allowing a space for the roller drive to contact the tire..

I mounted the rear half of the back plastic fender to the back of the roller drive housing, thus providing a place to mount my tail light.

 

[Glenn61]

kick stand

I have found that the increased weight of the engine requires a rear mounted kick-stand,,I have purchased the Greenfield brand kick-stand,,,it's very sturdy but mine did break at the cross members.

I fixed it by drilling two holes through the kick mount and inserting dry wall screws into the bike frame to securley hold the kick-stand in place.

A good idea would be to make the re-enforcement adaptation before the kick-stand mount became stressed and broke away.

 

[Glenn61]

mirror, lights and zip ties

OTHER TIPS: My mirror,,,I like the Blackburn brand end mount, I see a lot of cyclist using them and the one piece folding model provides an excellent view of cars over taking me.

My head lights,,,I did not spend a lot on my lights, I use the standard Bell brand. I use two headlights in front,,one aimed directly ahead so I can be seen from far off and a second aimed to shine about 30 feet in front of me for when the way is dark and I have to watch for road hazards. The spare head light is also a back up if my batteries go dead in the first.

I once again use 1 1/8 inch dry wall screws to secure the head lights from moving. Drill a hole through the mount into the handle bar and secure it permanently.

And I inserted shortened screws under the lamp where the release is to prevent them from falling off,,,I can still change batteries by opening the top, but the head lamps are fixed in place.

My tail light,,,I also use a small screw and lock wire to prevent it from falling off the mount.

This became necessary after one popped off from the vibration,,I just have to cut and replace the wire with each battery change, but I use the slow flash option so the batteries last for a while.

Another safety tip is to use zip-ties to secure your hub locks on your wheels from releasing,,,and fine straighten your rims with a spoke wrench to allow minimum brake gap,,,so you can stop quickly if you have to....

LET'S NOT FORGET THAT WE ARE OVER RIDING THE MANUFACTURERS INTENDED CAPABILITY OF OUR BIKES WITH A BIKE ENGINE...going faster than the bikes designers imagined.

 

[SchwinnAlloySeven_GT5]

Nice bike, but I think you have put this thread in the wrong forum section. This section is for organization of Ride Events! Your thread should go to Picture Gallery instead.

 

[Glenn61]

tires

The tires you select for use with a friction drive bike engine is crucial......I have experimented with several tires before I found what I feel are the best choices.

For my REAR TIRE: The bike shops will often recommend one of the Continental Top Contact series since they have a high center for use with a bike engine......but there are different types and strengths in the manufacturer's inventory.

My best performance has been with the Continental TOPCONTACT 50mm,,,also known as the Continental Top Contact Folding Bead 26x1.9".

Best grip even when wet,,,,unlike the high rated kevlar tires that use a rubber cap that will peel off under friction drive,,,, the best tire is a solid rubber semi-soft tire with heavy smooth tread...no knobbies. And the Continental TOPCONTACT 50mm works great..Hand made in Germany, it's not cheap..$55 at my local bike shop and not much cheaper on line,,,especially after shipping cost.

It's available on line at Western Bike Works:

http://www.westernbikeworks.com/productdetail.asp?p=COCLJ

My FRONT TIRE: is a Continental too,,,it's the TRAVEL CONTACT,,,I like this tire because it has a guide center,,,that means it levels and straightens itself on contact. The front wheel will settle back to center when the bike is upright,,,,and there are knobbies on the sides that contact the road on turns enabling me to lean my 215 pounds steep in turns without fear of wiping out.

I over inflate both of my tires because I'm a big guy,,,I put 70 psi in the read tire and 60 psi in the front,,,your requirements may vary.

 

[Glenn61]

vice grip handle

With the large one gallon tank made from a plastic gas jug there's no room to apply exact pressure to the roller housing when pressing it down on the rear tire,,,So I use a pair of pointed Vice Grips clamped on the back,,makes an excellent handle to push down enough for just the right amount of pressure,,,fast running with out slippage.

I set mine so I can easily throw the wheel about half a turn with the roller housing clamped in place and the rear wheel up on the kick stand, off the ground,,engine off of course.

I can remove the Vice Grips and store them in my back pack and have them should I need to adjust the roller drive pressure.

 

[Glenn61]

Wanna go fast..?

The little EHO-35 is a tough little engine,,,great ignition system, capable of high RPMs but, like all small engines, it has to run clean or else it suffers.

I easily cruise at over 30 MPH,,and average about 80 MPG,,,I pedal assist the engine up to speed then let the engine build RPMs...this is possible with race grade products.

GAS,,, I use Sunoco Race gas in my EHO-35,,,I buy the 5 gallon can of Sunoco Maximal 116 octane from Horse Power Sales here in Miami,,then I mix it in a 7 gallon jug with a gallon and a half of BP-Amoco Supreme from the gas station.
I have found this mixture to give qiuck cold starts and great clean running performance.

AIR INTAKE,,, In the EHO35's air intake housing there's a felt pad behind the black sponge air filter. This felt pad becomes oily and dense over time and need to be replaced or the air flow is restricted even more....I removed mine and traced it on to a 3X5 card,,cut out the outline and then using a U.S. 5 cent nickle, drew a hole directly over the intake manifold and cut it out.
Then put the sponge filter on top and close the housing.
This allows maximun air flow with the suction directly into the carburater and increases top end.

It's also important to use carb cleaner to clear the intake of dirt with each oil change,,,monthly, depending on how much you ride.

CRANK CASE OIL,,,There is no debate in my opinion,,,Lucas 5W-20 is the best oil for this engine,,,a good substitute would be Royal Purple or Mobil One also in 5W-20,,the lighter, the better for top end performance.