New Staton First ride tonight!

[ampliflyer]

I finally got my staton/EH035 chain and gear drive this week.
Stopped by the bike shop on my way to work this morning and had a new tire and cog stack installed on the heavy duty rim 12 guage spokes and staton hub.
The bike is a Giant Sedona (had it for 8 years great bike) and the install was for the most part straight forward.
Overall it was about 3 hours from box to first ride but I did it over 2 evenings.
It was not at all easy but of course now that it's on and running it doesn't really feel that it was that bad in hindsight
I asked one of the guys in my shop to help out and dont really think I would want to tackle it alone but I'm sure plenty have.
So this evening we got it all in place ...I filled the case with fresh oil and rode it as a bicycle(not too heavy feels more stable actually) up to the automated gas station in my industrial park where my shop is.
I pulled up to the evil gas pump selected the best most expensive grade of gas and proceeded to pump about 2 seconds later the tank was full and when I looked up at the price it read .52 cents.YES!
4 pulls of the recoil starter had the little Robin purring and I hopped on my bike the vibration was a VERY strange situation I gave the thumb throttle a push and away I went.....slowly at first then faster as my confidence in the design and installation increased.
I rode around for about 30 minutes testing and inspecting for any potential problems.
So far so good.
I actually went "trail riding" out in a horse field behind my house.
Surprising power ....I am 6'2" 240lbs. and It was exhilarating ....accelerating up modest hills
It was an absolute blast just thought I would share my zeal!!!!!

 

[stude13]

ZEAL we dont need no stinkin ZEAL! congratulation

 

[lennyharp]

The Staton kit I setup is running strong after 800 miles and I am loving it.

 

[SirJakesus]

Good choice going with the staton. They're definitely the most durable and have the most stable engineering on the market. You won't be disappointed, mine hasn't let me down once after 350 miles. And oh so smooooooth!

 

[billintexas]

I run the friction unit ot the chain drive.After over 150 miles,since last week,I find the stanton drive just like you fantastic. I can't say enough about this system it has sure freed me and my grandson up. I owe it all to the peolple of the forum board. They convinced me this is the way to go greener. Thanks one and all!!!!!

 

[kerf]

You've definitely bought the Cadillac of bike engines, the more you ride it, the more you love it. One nice accessory you should consider, is the twist grip throttle. Much more comfortable on long rides.

 

[ampliflyer]

Well...I'm 25 miles in and so far so good.
I did some fine adjustments this afternoon and rode around town, man this thing is really cooler than i imagined.
The little Robin fires right up...I had major league concerns about the 1.6hp motor but that little bugger just rocks!
I'm able to keep my bike in the 21st gear and at red light I gun it and pedal for about 2 or 3 kicks then off I go the acceleration is brisk (for what it is) and then I can maintain cruising speed that is comparable to the traffic most of the time.
It is a little noisier than I had hoped but not terrible.
The mount seems rock solid ...I'm impressed.
I like the fact that it is an American product for the most part(motor itself is Japanese).

 

[Warner]

I'm thinking Staton all the way. I've heard the install is a little tougher than some other kits, but I keep thinking, "How bad could it be?" I think it'll be FUN installing the kit. I'm going to go with the 2 stroke Mitsu TLE 43 engine though. One question....from the time you ordered your kit, how long before you received it?

Good luck and thanks!

Warner

 

[ampliflyer]

First of all I'd like to say that I too own a small manufacturing company and I know first hand how tough it can be to deliver from time to time.
I do however try to stay in contact with my customers to keep them informed of the status of their order.
That said I placed my order on a monday and was told that it was all in stock and though it wouldnt ship that day it would go out by wed. or thur. of that week.
David said that I would receive an email notification when it shipped.
Well about a week after the payment cleared my account, middle of the following week I still hadn't received my email confirmation so I thought I might give a follow up call just to make sure my order hadn't fallen through the cracks.
Staton was borderline rude and said if I hadn't received my email then it hadn't shipped (his demeanor instantly reminded me of the "soup nazi" episode of Seindeld)......so I asked when I might expect it as I had to go out of town for a trade show and needed to arrange for someone to receive the package.
He assured me that it would go out the next day 2 at the latest.....
So another week came and went and I sent a short email saying that he had my money for a couple weeks and that he had assured me that the kit would ship the next day each time I had contacted him and that I was feeling a little stupid with the deal.
No response to the email...... so off I went to my trade show and when I got back home I had an email saying it had shipped.
The very next day the engine and gearbox arrived but no wheel....later that day I got another email saying the wheel had shipped but the cog stack was still on backorder.
It was about a month from the day I ordered the kit(maybe a little less) to the time I received most of the parts.
I still havent received the cog stack but I had another that worked perfectly.
The total lack of communication was frustrating....I would never have bothered him if he had said it will take a month but he repeatedly said it's shipping tomorrow and so I believed him.
The quality of the kit once received more than made up for my mild irritation over the deal.
It is real mechanical genius and I am quit chuffed with the end result.
As far as the fun of the build the instructions are lame at best and the pictures are not as detailed as you really need if you have never actually seen one of these installed.
As I said before now that it is installed a second kit would be a breeze.
You basically just need to figure it out for yourself as each bike frame is different.
I build and fly radio control helicopters and manufacture semi complicated tube based audio gear for a living so the kit was really "up my alley" so to speak but anyone with limited tools and mechanical experience probably would not be able to assemble this kit without professional assistance.
My engine choice was the robin micro 4 stroke because I wanted to be able to just pull into any gas station pump in my .50 cents worth of fuel and motor on.
I already own a 2 stroke Tanaka 35cc and a Chinese pocket bike motor that is as souped up as it can be (52cc big bore / pipe /large carb/boost bottle etc) and thought if I needed the extra power I could use either of those but this machine is intended to be a daily(weather permitting) commuter and need the straight gas no mix convenience.
So I definitely recommend the kit just expect a longer delivery time and you will be thrilled with your ride.

 

[Marktur]

May I ask how much was the kit and total amount invested? I have a Happy Times now, but considering moving up to 4 stroke.

Also - for other guys: How does the performance compare to the 2-stroke HT motor...not sound or gas mileage, but actual riding, accelerating, cruising, and top speed?

I guess I mean does the 35cc Robin stack up to the almost 70cc HT?