Staton or Golden Eagle?

[az cra-z]

My 2 (why the heck isn't there a "cent" key on the keyboard anymore?) cents

How much pedaling without the motor do you want to do? I pedal all the time, only have the motor running half the time or less, and the Staton chain drive is far and away the best for this. Hit the kill switch, and all that's moving in the motor drive train is a freewheel going "tik-tik-tik". Want to "hit the power", all I do is reach behind with my right hand and give the rope a little yank (after turning the kill switch back on, of course).

 

[Roy Carpenter]

Hi all,
Here is my take on this. I only have 820 miles on my GEBE R/S35 Belt drive though I did have a whizzer in 1949. First, because I read this web site and checked many bikes before I bought anything, I ended up with an easy, quick install. So far absolutely no problems. There is no sign of wear at all. I ordered the solid axle and am still using the original belt, nobby tires and original wheels. I expect this system will go a very many more miles and this is the reason. I change oil often, I keep things tight, I pedal to 5/10 mph, then advance the throttle easy. I pedal on hills that I could go up without pedaling. I weigh 200 lbs and have a heavy bike (Schwinn Aerostar). You must realize that no matter what you do to your bike that you are still riding a BIKE. The engine is only to assist YOU. I will not ride faster than road conditions allow and obey all traffic laws. If you ride with respect toward others you will ride and live longer. You ask which kit is better. They are all good if you pay attention to the installation, treat the bike and engine good and use common sense while riding. Do that and you will no doubt have many enjoyable hours and miles ahead of you. You will see on this site many people that want to push everything to the limit. They are having fun, love to work on their bikes and know they will wear them out quicker and replace parts more often than a cream puff like me. I'll be 72 next month. Can you guess why I'm still riding and enjoying myself on the streets and back roads? That said, I may get a larger engine! Why? For more power on the mountains when I want to carry a heavier load. NOT for speed! I will still pedal to start out and will pedal as much as my tired old bones will allow on the hills. If you want to ride off of ski jumps and do double flips over a row of cars with a 200cc engine disguised as a milk crate, thats great! Enjoy yourself to the utmost! If you want to enjoy the scenery, old age and keep your bike awhile, then do it my way. Treat your wife, girlfriends and bikes (not necessarily in that order) with respect and see if it won't pay off! KenSpice

Hi Kenspice! 72 next month? Bless your heart. I hope I'm still riding my GEBE then.
No...believe it or not, I did all of the above too....still broken spokes. Of course I'm weighing in at 345....lol....that may have something to do with it. I have seen other posts about an ongoing spoke breakage problem with practically all types of kits. I'm happy to hear that you haven't had any problems, but I wish I could have been so fortunate. I'm merely out here stating a solution for it that worked for me. I'm 50 myself, and I'm sure not out there to set any new speed records on a motoredbike, and exercise, (and fun...hehe), was my main reason to set up my GEBE. It's a handy dandy for running over to the bank, or to band practice on a nice night too..lol. With the price of gas these days, I use it more than I would have 10 years ago...that's for sure.

 

[kenspice]

Glad you got that spoken broke problem fixed, Roy! Those 10 gaugers should go on forever.

 

[Roy Carpenter]

Yessir...those are some big 'ol fat spokes..lol. Glad I got 'em now. Turned my GEBE experience completely around.

 

[smapadatha]

I only have experience with GEBE and so I can't comment on other bike engine solutions. I have owned a GEBE kit for about 6 months and ridden it for about 3 months/500 miles (it took me a while to get the right bike). I am so disgusted with the people at GEBE and their product that I cannot imagine buying one now, or recommending one. I would not even sell the one I have without explaining to potential buyers the experiences I've had, which would tend to dramatically lower the resale value.

I talked to Dave Staton about a month ago. He asked me what kind of kit I have, and I said GEBE. He said he gets a lot of customers who previously had GEBE kits.

I believe him.

-Sam

 

[loquin]

I've been using the Staton friction drive a little more than a year now, and have had no problems with it. (Of course, living in the Phoenix area, we don't have to deal with wet roads very much...) Just make sure that the roller is firmly down on the tire before locking it.

As others have stated; make sure that the roller is aligned at 90 degrees to the tire, otherwise, you'll be replacing the rubber fairly often.

 

[kerf]

I agree with loquin, the Staton friction drive is well worth considering, I've got several of them. Wet roads with hills are a issue but other than that, they're light, simple, quite and rugged. When I was running one, 40 mile rides were a piece of cake.