Thanks HV & Znsane:
I do have a fairly complete shop, and I really like MB's. They are a lot of fun.
I enjoy the design side of my business...it keeps things intersting. MB's are so fun, (from a design standpoint), because of the endless possibilities.
When I look at a new design with the intention of offering it for sale, I have to consider the bottom line price versus the perceived value.
I failed to do this with the clutch kits. I was new to MB's and I thought the clutch kit would really sell since my first build had a really stiff clutch.
The first MB I built, or I should say rebuilt, came from one of my industrial customers who had bought an engine kit and a Point Beach Schwinn. He tried to install it and gave up. He brought it to the shop knowing I could fix it...and I did.
I didn't know you could buy a kit to put a motor on a bike! I was like a kid in a candy store!
I made an engine mount, fixed the stiff clutch by designing a proper actuator, and replaced the rag joint with a machined adapter that clamped to the hub.
When done; it was fun to ride. I talked to many engine kit dealers afterward and they all said that the stiff clutches were definitely a major complaint from their customers...so I made 250 clutch kits almost a year ago. They also told me that the rag joint was not an issue! I didn't like the rag joint; but I wasn't going to argue...these guys were dealers.
At the time I had not joined a forum, so I didn't realize that there were work-arounds for the stiff clutch. No work-around will do, for the clutch, what my kit will do: but my clutch kit did not have a percieved value of $27.50 because there were work-arounds listed on the forums before I came along.
I am down to about 40 clutch kits in inventory, and I will keep 30 for my local customers. This product will be discontinued.
The sprocket adapters & sprockets are a different story...The value versus cost is inline with what buyers consider a valuable upgrade.
It is very difficult on my end to guess what MB guys "really" want to solve the problems associated with the installtion of a kit.
I have a few, (5), customers who have ordered modified HT engines. I'm going to do them for fun, but in the long term I plan on making a mini 4-stroke that looks like a motorcycle engine.
Jim
