Rhodes 4 wheeler, w/ Staton chain drive

[Esteban]

I could see a nice yellow Subee motor on this one !!

http://fortmyers.craigslist.org/lee/bik/1535554685.html

 

[bamabikeguy]

Dave has this Twin Robin Subaru EH035 and Gear Box for Trikes and Four Wheelers for $899

http://www.staton-inc.com/Details.asp?ProductID=3376

That would give you a combined 3.2 horsepower, enough to get that cruising. (what do you guess it weighs, 225 pounds???)

Luckily it's down Florida way, flat as a sandbox.

 

[Esteban]

Here is a link to one like it, or close to it. Shows 175lbs.

http://www.surreycompany.com/surrey.htm

 

[bamabikeguy]

Tomorrow I'll take the Quad-o-Ped out on a 20 mile spin, it may take that long to get my photo fiasco sorted out...

Jack and I started mounting the engine about noon, and by 3:30 were on the road, well over 500 pounds of riders, vehicle and the new engine....we made one or two adjustments, each took a solo spin to make sure the chain was correctly spinning, then Jack followed me in his Jeep to time it on his digital speedometer.

It easily hits the intended 15 mph with me riding solo, and it GAINS speed without assistance on the hills. More on that later.

I put about 10 miles on the engine before sunset, and will soon commence this report (and probably not in this particular order):

Part I The kit

Part II Installation on the axle tips

Part III Mounting the engine

Part IV Liftoff

Part V 50 miles of testing, tweaking & overview

 

[Esteban]

Looks good ! Probably a pretty quiet ride with the motor so far back, too.

 

[bamabikeguy]

Looks good ! Probably a pretty quiet ride with the motor so far back, too.

Funny you should mention that. It's 38 degrees outside, so when I went to check the barnyard, I cranked the engine. First pull, and idles really quiet.

My photo problem continues, I can't seem to get Staton's Honda 50cc image over into Photobucket. Here's the link, the kill switch and exhaust face forward; the choke, oil neck and oil drain plug face rear.

http://www.staton-inc.com/Details.asp?ProductID=3567


My $50 pawnshop camera just doesn't seem to get the depth of Eureka Hill, the testing spot that drops down to Beckwith Creek, then rises in two steps to Old Summit Road, about a mile from ridge to ridge. (my closeups didn't do well either, will try again later.)

So after Jack went home, I rode the Quad, and man, it sped up to esimated. 22 mph on the way down, with the fingerthrottle off! Pure gravity !

The engine has a governor, so it's a bit of a trick to get used to resuming acceleration coming off such a steep drop, but now it's a cinch.

I turned around at Old Summit Rd. intersection (pulled through the Causey's driveway, aimed right at their bulldog....missed).

Took the second pic.

Then, when I got down to the bottom of Beckwith Creek bridge, I came to a dead stop, pic 3. And I swear, the Honda 50 gained speed on the way up.

This is as steep as any local grade, maybe 1/4 mile to the top.

I'm making this quickie reply, a test to see if I still could put up attachments.

& apparently I can, so.....SUBMIT REPLY

 

[bamabikeguy]

Part V 50 miles of testing, tweaking & overview

There is a lot of interest in the potential for 4W builds, & since this is my first, before getting into the minute details I need to address 3 problems right away, the customer is going to pick it up next Wed.

PROBLEM 1: I put up a carburator float question in: "GXH50 Frame Mount Kit, After-build questions:"

http://www.motoredbikes.com/showpost.php?p=256532&postcount=3

The customer came by last night with some more $$$, and I advised him of the quirk, but its only happened twice, now I know to keep a slightest bit of throttle open.

Carb-float appears to be a problem fixed with "fingerthrottle technique" when hitting bumps in the road, not anything wrong with the engine.

We're going to call this "PROBLEM SOLVED", blame the customer's itchy trigger finger for stalls !!

h/t to Houghmade, if it stumps MB.experts, it must be an operator deficiency.....

PROBLEM 2 results from changing design, we used the Staton flat plate for attaching kit to frame, no "well". We didn't know about the option until the kit arrived, when we could check chain clearances.

So, I ordered 100" inch throttle cable, I need 110". Staton charged $7, I figure I can find it locally today.

btw: Staton had a barrel on the trigger end, and a "ball" at the engine end. BUT, you have to thread the cable through a small opening, MUST cut the "ball" off. So if you order one, tell Dave to send that "ball" loose, you can put it on as a finishing touch.

See how short the throttle cable is? But problem 2 should be solved this afternoon......

Before I post PROBLEM #3, the one which needs MB.advise, some more pix:

Rearview engine:

Rearview, pre-chainguard installed:

Sideview, pre-throttle cable replacement:

 

[bamabikeguy]

POTENTIAL PROBLEM #3, request for solutions......

e-mail sent at 2 a.m.

To:
"Dave Staton" <sales@staton-inc.com>

Dave,

I've put about 30 miles on the engine yesterday, but won't finish putting up the photos until next week, they will be here:

http://s103.photobucket.com/albums/m135/bama_bikeguy/rhoadescar/

But I have a question, specifically looking at THESE TWO photos:

We used the flat plate, drilled 3 holes completely through the frame to hold on the plate, and countersunk 3 holes to accommodate the Allens head bolts (loktited) holding the plate to the engine.

That leaves the 4th corner, the one closest to the axle sprocket "dangling", unsupported by the plate.

There is NO chain-skipping currently, but the chain revolves counter-clockwise, and if you "goose the throttle", you can see the bottom of the chain stays really taut, there is a slight pull/tilt on the drive gear, and the top of the chain slackens a bit.

If it slackened too much, that would cause skipping.

What I want to know is should we weld or bolt a bar under the clutch housing, so there is "zero-play" in the chain's tightness?

And if we did put a bar under that housing, should we make it touch the housing, or maybe leave a little bit of space, (say 1/8" to 3/16" inch) and let the bar more serve as a "stop" to that tilting/pulling motion ?

It may not be necessary to support that 4th corner, but I thought you might have encountered something like this before and know how the chain will operate hundreds of miles down the road.

I'm putting the install and tips on MB.com, in the Power Trike section. There seem to be a lot of these used Rhoadescar's on Craigslist, especially along the coastal areas. There are real bargains available, since they are difficult to pedal by themselves.

fyi: We had to cut the ball off the end of the cable to push it through the hole on the engine throttle. I'm going to get one locally 10" longer, since we moved the engine back since the first planning.

So, that's the advise I seek from you chain drive experts:

What I want to know is should we weld or bolt a bar under the clutch housing, so there is "zero-play" in the chain's tightness?

And if we did put a bar under that housing, should we make it touch the housing, or maybe leave a little bit of space, (say 1/8" to 3/16" inch) and let the bar more serve as a "stop" to that tilting/pulling motion ?

 

[bamabikeguy]

Staton sent me 3 e-mails with pics....I'll report on that when the sleet stops and I can do a measurement on the Quad.


Speaking of 4 wheelers, I saw 3 models of 150cc GoCarts, built like mini-dunebuggies at the local Tractor Supply Store. The website say $1,800-2,200.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/vehicl...s/helix-150-cc-go-kart-electric-start-5502594

Powerful 150 cc 4 stroke engine with automatic transmission and reverse. Keyed electric stroke start and full suspension for convenience and comfort. Hydraulic disc brakes for quick stops. Adjustable seat and seat and 3 point shoulder/lap belts.

Then, on the other end of the spectrum, THIS showed up in my google alert:

http://green.autoblog.com/2010/01/2...-mini-sport-a-really-expensive-single-seat-e/

Tajima shows off EV Mini Sport, a really expensive single-seat electric vehicle

The price tag for the new EV Mini Sport single-seat electric vehicle from Tajima Motor Corp. reads ¥2,079,000 (that's about $23,024 U.S. at today's exchange rate). This isn't totally crazy for an electric vehicle, because we all know that advanced light and powerful batteries are pricey. Wait, what'd you say? That's the price without a battery? Ouch.

Unveiled as part of the 1st EV & HEV Drive System Technology Expo in Tokyo this week, the EV Mini Sport weighs just 660 pounds and can use either lead acid batteries (for $2,500 extra) or lithium polymer batteries (at an additional price of $4,300). Those packs will push the little racer around for 25 kilometers with the lead acids or all the way to 90 km (range rated at 40 kilometers an hour). The vehicle, technically a motorized bicycle, has a top speed of 70 kmh. Longer and two-seat versions are possible, should Tajima decide to export the EV Mini Sport outside of Japan. We admit it's pretty sweet, but $23k for a batteries-not-included toy? Wow. Check it out in the video after the break.

Help me out metric people, doesn't 70kph = 42 mph?

For what? 30 minutes of battery life?? Isn't that what range rating means?

 

[Esteban]

Look at this one !
http://secure.adpay.com/clicknbuy.aspx?p=2042&adid=ALA4053798