Building a motorized bike?

[stryped]

x-no-archive:yes

I posted a few days ago about using a bike to get to work to save on
gas. I live about 20 miles away. I have a place I can park my truck and
ride from their. It is 14 miles away.

I rode this weekend my Wal Mart trail bike. It too roughly 24 minutes
to go 4.6 miles and that included time it took to fix my chain that
came off when shifting.

Always wanted to toy with the idea of adding a motor to my bike. I have
seen those ones with rollers that drive the wheel but I would think it
would wear the tire down with regular use. A better way to go seems
like a chain and sprocket but then I would not be able to pedal if the
motor quit working or I just wanted to use it as a regular bicycle,
right?

All of this 20 miles is open roads, no stopping bacially highway
driving. (Not in a city).

I have a 3 horsepower Briggs and stratton at home that I thought of
playing with but I am guessing it would be too heavy. (??) I bet it
would fly though.

Any advice?

 

[Jim Stewart]

stryped wrote:
> x-no-archive:yes
>
> I posted a few days ago about using a bike to get to work to save on
> gas. I live about 20 miles away. I have a place I can park my truck and
> ride from their. It is 14 miles away.
>
> I rode this weekend my Wal Mart trail bike. It too roughly 24 minutes
> to go 4.6 miles and that included time it took to fix my chain that
> came off when shifting.
>
> Always wanted to toy with the idea of adding a motor to my bike. I have
> seen those ones with rollers that drive the wheel but I would think it
> would wear the tire down with regular use. A better way to go seems
> like a chain and sprocket but then I would not be able to pedal if the
> motor quit working or I just wanted to use it as a regular bicycle,
> right?
>
> All of this 20 miles is open roads, no stopping bacially highway
> driving. (Not in a city).
>
> I have a 3 horsepower Briggs and stratton at home that I thought of
> playing with but I am guessing it would be too heavy. (??) I bet it
> would fly though.

Buy or restore an old Honda S90. They
are trivially easy to keep running, the
parts are still relatively easy to find
and they'll do 45 mph getting 170 mpg.

 

[Werehatrack]

On 1 May 2006 10:25:17 -0700, "stryped" <[email protected]> wrote:

>I posted a few days ago about using a bike to get to work to save on
>gas. I live about 20 miles away. I have a place I can park my truck and
>ride from their. It is 14 miles away.
>
>I rode this weekend my Wal Mart trail bike. It too roughly 24 minutes
>to go 4.6 miles and that included time it took to fix my chain that
>came off when shifting.

Not too surprising. With more time spent in the saddle, the speed
will improve, but you're probably going to want to start looking for a
more reliable bike before you start real commutes. (Meanwhile, go
over the current unit to get the adjustments as close to right as they
can be made.)

>Always wanted to toy with the idea of adding a motor to my bike. I have
>seen those ones with rollers that drive the wheel but I would think it
>would wear the tire down with regular use. A better way to go seems
>like a chain and sprocket but then I would not be able to pedal if the
>motor quit working or I just wanted to use it as a regular bicycle,
>right?
>
>All of this 20 miles is open roads, no stopping bacially highway
>driving. (Not in a city).
>
>I have a 3 horsepower Briggs and stratton at home that I thought of
>playing with but I am guessing it would be too heavy. (??) I bet it
>would fly though.
>
>Any advice?

Back in the '60s, at the height of the first minibike craze, kids in
my neighborhood tried many ways of making this work. The bottom line
is that while it's possible, what you have at the end of the process
isn't really a bike anymore. It's heavy, it shakes, it uses fuel and
gets hot, and eventually the stress and vibration tends to crack the
frame if you use a Briggs or Teke (or similar unbalanced) one-lung
mill for the powerplant. If what you really want is a low-power
motorcycle, buy one; be prepared for the sticker shock when you go to
get the insurance coverage for it, though.

Your current bike may be making the task of riding to work seem harder
than it should be; cheap bikes tend to have that result, though not
always. Making the mods already recommended should improve the
outlook, but the main thing that you'll need to do is get some miles
in so that you're building up your own resources to the level required
for the task. Once that's achieved, the 20 miles will fly by.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

 

[Ignoramus11316]

I had a motorized bike in Russia, in the attic, but never rode it, it
had a motor that would drive the actual bicycle chain. I never rode
it.

These sorts of things, if well made, offer great efficiency.

Also, try looking for used light bikes at garage sales. Good bicycles
sell for next to nothing. Those cheap Walmart bicycles are very
painful to ride due to their weight, gear issues, etc.

I had a Walmart bike, which I hated. Now I have a very light bicycle
that I bought for $2 at a garage sale, that is very easy to ride and
has a much better speed selector.

i

 

[Ken C. M.]

stryped wrote:
> x-no-archive:yes
>
> I posted a few days ago about using a bike to get to work to save on
> gas. I live about 20 miles away. I have a place I can park my truck and
> ride from their. It is 14 miles away.
>
> I rode this weekend my Wal Mart trail bike. It too roughly 24 minutes
> to go 4.6 miles and that included time it took to fix my chain that
> came off when shifting.
>
> Always wanted to toy with the idea of adding a motor to my bike. I have
> seen those ones with rollers that drive the wheel but I would think it
> would wear the tire down with regular use. A better way to go seems
> like a chain and sprocket but then I would not be able to pedal if the
> motor quit working or I just wanted to use it as a regular bicycle,
> right?
>
> All of this 20 miles is open roads, no stopping bacially highway
> driving. (Not in a city).
>
> I have a 3 horsepower Briggs and stratton at home that I thought of
> playing with but I am guessing it would be too heavy. (??) I bet it
> would fly though.
>
> Any advice?
>
I have to agree with the other reply of building something. If it does
work out, it wont be a bike any longer. It will be heavy and probably
unreliable. If you feel the need for some assistance they do make
electric bikes. Try google. I think you should stay with the idea of the
bicycle though. It will be sort of tough for a bit, but once you get the
bike adjusted properly and get your body in better shape it will be easier.

Ken
--
New cycling jersey: $49
new cycling shorts: $39
Not being a slave to the petrol pump: priceless.

 

[Alex Rodriguez]

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
>
>
>x-no-archive:yes
>
>I posted a few days ago about using a bike to get to work to save on
>gas. I live about 20 miles away. I have a place I can park my truck and
>ride from their. It is 14 miles away.
>
>I rode this weekend my Wal Mart trail bike. It too roughly 24 minutes
>to go 4.6 miles and that included time it took to fix my chain that
>came off when shifting.

Why give up on the bicycle? Slick tires will make a huge difference.
Adjusting your drivetrain so that the chain does not fall off will
also help out. The other thing to keep in mind is that the more you
ride, the fitter you will be. So you can cut your commute down a
fair amount.
---------------
Alex

 

[Q]

It would take a lot of work to modify a bike to accept a Briggs engine,
and when you're all through it would be a really lousy bike to peddle.
Best bet (and cheapest) is to use one of the Chinese bike engine kits
that you can find on eBay or other internet sites for under $200. Here
are three examples that I have used, though there are several others.

http://thatsdacs.com
http://www.livefastmotors.com
http://kingsmotorbikes.com/index.html

I ride commute 28 miles per day on my motorbike. No registration, no
insurance, no hassle. I also have motorcycles but really enjoy the
motorbike. Be sure to check the laws in your state.

Q


stryped wrote:
> x-no-archive:yes
>
> I posted a few days ago about using a bike to get to work to save on
> gas. I live about 20 miles away. I have a place I can park my truck and
> ride from their. It is 14 miles away.
>
> I rode this weekend my Wal Mart trail bike. It too roughly 24 minutes
> to go 4.6 miles and that included time it took to fix my chain that
> came off when shifting.
>
> Always wanted to toy with the idea of adding a motor to my bike. I have
> seen those ones with rollers that drive the wheel but I would think it
> would wear the tire down with regular use. A better way to go seems
> like a chain and sprocket but then I would not be able to pedal if the
> motor quit working or I just wanted to use it as a regular bicycle,
> right?
>
> All of this 20 miles is open roads, no stopping bacially highway
> driving. (Not in a city).
>
> I have a 3 horsepower Briggs and stratton at home that I thought of
> playing with but I am guessing it would be too heavy. (??) I bet it
> would fly though.
>
> Any advice?
>

 

[Ted Bennett]

Q <[email protected]> wrote:

> It would take a lot of work to modify a bike to accept a Briggs engine,
> and when you're all through it would be a really lousy bike to peddle.

Not only would it be hard to sell, it would also be hard to pedal.

--
Ted Bennett

 

[stryped]

x-no-archive:yes

How do I properly adjust the chain? So adding a motor is a bad idea?
Alex Rodriguez wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> [email protected] says...
> >
> >
> >x-no-archive:yes
> >
> >I posted a few days ago about using a bike to get to work to save on
> >gas. I live about 20 miles away. I have a place I can park my truck and
> >ride from their. It is 14 miles away.
> >
> >I rode this weekend my Wal Mart trail bike. It too roughly 24 minutes
> >to go 4.6 miles and that included time it took to fix my chain that
> >came off when shifting.
>
> Why give up on the bicycle? Slick tires will make a huge difference.
> Adjusting your drivetrain so that the chain does not fall off will
> also help out. The other thing to keep in mind is that the more you
> ride, the fitter you will be. So you can cut your commute down a
> fair amount.
> ---------------
> Alex

 

[Ken C. M.]

stryped wrote:

> How do I properly adjust the chain? So adding a motor is a bad idea?
> Alex Rodriguez wrote:

Check the link below for instructions on adjusting your derailers.

http://sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html

Ken
--
New cycling jersey: $49
new cycling shorts: $39
Not being a slave to the petrol pump: priceless.

 

[Gunner]

On 1 May 2006 10:25:17 -0700, "stryped" <[email protected]> wrote:

>x-no-archive:yes
>
>I posted a few days ago about using a bike to get to work to save on
>gas. I live about 20 miles away. I have a place I can park my truck and
>ride from their. It is 14 miles away.
>
>I rode this weekend my Wal Mart trail bike. It too roughly 24 minutes
>to go 4.6 miles and that included time it took to fix my chain that
>came off when shifting.
>
>Always wanted to toy with the idea of adding a motor to my bike. I have
>seen those ones with rollers that drive the wheel but I would think it
>would wear the tire down with regular use. A better way to go seems
>like a chain and sprocket but then I would not be able to pedal if the
>motor quit working or I just wanted to use it as a regular bicycle,
>right?
>
>All of this 20 miles is open roads, no stopping bacially highway
>driving. (Not in a city).
>
>I have a 3 horsepower Briggs and stratton at home that I thought of
>playing with but I am guessing it would be too heavy. (??) I bet it
>would fly though.
>
>Any advice?


Yes. Buy a used 250cc-350 Honda 4 stroke dirt bike, resprocket it to
road gears and simply drive it to work everyday. I suspect you will be
money and time far far ahead by not building your own. A small road
bike would also be good, but not as nimble.

If I could carry all the needed tools and materials on my BMW
R90/6..Id be riding it daily. Which I did for well over 5 yrs when I
was managing a company 45 miles away.

Gunner

"I think this is because of your belief in biological Marxism.
As a genetic communist you feel that noticing behavioural
patterns relating to race would cause a conflict with your belief
in biological Marxism." Big Pete, famous Usenet Racist

 

[stryped]

x-no-archive:yes

Can I really expect one of those chineese engines to last a long time
going 40 miles/day with alot of Hills? Do they pedal as easy with the
motor off as it would with no motor at all? (Is it harder to pedal with
the motor and chain hiiked up?)

 

[Gunner]

On Mon, 01 May 2006 18:12:16 GMT, Werehatrack
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>Your current bike may be making the task of riding to work seem harder
>than it should be; cheap bikes tend to have that result, though not
>always. Making the mods already recommended should improve the
>outlook, but the main thing that you'll need to do is get some miles
>in so that you're building up your own resources to the level required
>for the task. Once that's achieved, the 20 miles will fly by.


Check all the local second hand stores, pawn shops, the chain of Play
it Again Sports or other recycled sporting goods shops for a GOOD road
or mountain bike. Craigs list, yard sales etc are also places to
look.

I picked up my minty minty Cannondale for $50 IRRC..the kid got a near
new Diamondback for $35 and I recently bought a pair of his and hers
Schwinn Miatias (street/mountain) bikes for $30 the pair, for the son
and his wife. New tires, some adjustment..and they were good to go.

Lots of folks buy high quality bikes with the best of intentions...5
yrs later they are simply taking up space so they get yard saled or
put on consignment someplace for little or nothing. And being hardly
used, but 3-5 yrs or older .there is not much of a market for
them..not Cool enough..so they get sold for dirt cheap.

I was given a Nishiki mountain bike a couple weeks ago. Seat and tires
were bad from sitting in the sun, but out of the rain. Wife now tools
it around as heart excercise. I couldnt see that it had any use at all
on it.

Gunner

"I think this is because of your belief in biological Marxism.
As a genetic communist you feel that noticing behavioural
patterns relating to race would cause a conflict with your belief
in biological Marxism." Big Pete, famous Usenet Racist

 

[[email protected]]

rumors of asian civilizations producing two wheel motorized vehicles...

 

[Hank Wirtz]

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> rumors of asian civilizations producing two wheel motorized vehicles...
>

Couldn't have said it better myself...so I didn't.

 

[Werehatrack]

On 1 May 2006 15:18:51 -0700, [email protected] wrote:

>rumors of asian civilizations producing two wheel motorized vehicles...

Unsubstantiated claims that they were invented in the local vicinity,
by several widely distributed voices...
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

 

[Werehatrack]

On 1 May 2006 14:26:34 -0700, "stryped" <[email protected]> wrote:

>x-no-archive:yes
>
>Can I really expect one of those chineese engines to last a long time
>going 40 miles/day with alot of Hills?

Several thousand miles is certainly not out of the question. This
might be a short time, or it might not.

>Do they pedal as easy with the
>motor off as it would with no motor at all?

The mere presence of the weight will add to the effort of pedalling,
so that's a solid "no" even if the declutching mechanism is very good.

>(Is it harder to pedal with
>the motor and chain hiiked up?)

As noted, you're carrying around extra weight at the very least.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

 

[Chalo]

Werehatrack wrote:
>
> If what you really want is a low-power
> motorcycle, buy one; be prepared for the sticker shock when you go to
> get the insurance coverage for it, though.

Not sure what you mean there. I used to pay $140/yr for liability
insurance on my Suzuki GSX1100G back in Texas. Now in Washington, I
pay nothing (because WA does not require liability insurance on
motorcycles).

> Making the mods already recommended should improve the
> outlook, but the main thing that you'll need to do is get some miles
> in so that you're building up your own resources to the level required
> for the task. Once that's achieved, the 20 miles will fly by.

Very few of the "career cyclists" I know, myself included, can cover
that sort of distance in an hour. Make it 1.5 hours, and make it your
commute, and you're spending 3 hours a day en route. Dunno about you,
but that's not a satisfactory use of my waking hours. If I spend more
than one hour each way to and from work, I'm doing something wrong.

Chalo

 

[Q]

I have no idea how long they'll last but being a long time motorcycle
mechanic I would guess they'll go at least 10,000 miles, then parts are
really cheap. I've heard of people with several thousand miles on them
but I've only got about 600 miles on the one I'm riding now. There are
millions of them in use in China.

There is some drag when peddling but not a lot. With the engine
disengaged you are turning the chain, and a shaft with 2 ball bearings.
The great thing is that to disengage the engine you just pull a lever,
like a latching bike brake lever, and you can do it on the fly. So...
you can peddle for a few minutes, motor for a few, peddle for a few, etc..

Q

stryped wrote:
> x-no-archive:yes
>
> Can I really expect one of those chineese engines to last a long time
> going 40 miles/day with alot of Hills? Do they pedal as easy with the
> motor off as it would with no motor at all? (Is it harder to pedal with
> the motor and chain hiiked up?)
>

 

[ko57]

http://brandscycle.com/itemlist.cfm?category=104

http://store.nycewheels.com/bikes.html

check these out, stryped...