motorized recumbant bicycles

anyone with information concerning motorized recumbant bicycles.

I saw some about two years ago. A Montreal recumbant tour group had two cycles that had been
modified with gas "grass trimmer" engines on the back for cruise assist.

if you have plans or pics please let me know

Patrick Sarsfield (af919)

 

why not go with an E-Motor on your Front wheel? ICE Motors tend to be 2 cycle and noisey/polluting
and you gotta pre-mix Outboard Marine oil with Gasoline.

If you must do it, use a GSX31cc Honda 4 stroke. Email me off this NG if you really want to go
with an ICE.
---------------------------------------
"af919" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> anyone with information concerning motorized recumbant bicycles.
>
> I saw some about two years ago. A Montreal recumbant tour group had two cycles that had been
> modified with gas "grass trimmer" engines on the back for cruise assist.
>
> if you have plans or pics please let me know
>
> Patrick Sarsfield (af919)

 

af919 wrote:
> anyone with information concerning motorized recumbant bicycles.
>
> I saw some about two years ago. A Montreal recumbant tour group had two cycles that had been
> modified with gas "grass trimmer" engines on the back for cruise assist.
>
> if you have plans or pics please let me know
>
> Patrick Sarsfield (af919)

See: http://home.thegrid.net/~lllove/bikes.htm for pictures of my motorized Tour Easy.

It uses one of those evil two-stoke engines everyone will warn you about, never mind that it is a
modern design that is quieter, cleaner and more fuel efficient then many older four-stoke engines,
never mind that electric bikes get their power from coal burning and/or nuclear power plants.

28 to 29 mph no pedal speed on the flat, around 150 mpg with minimum pedaling, typical mileage with
normal peddling is more like 300 mpg. Mostly I use it for hill climbing in this mountainous area.
With the engine engaged I can pedal up steep grades that I would have to walk up otherwise.

Check your local laws for arcane restrictive laws on gas power assisted bicycles.

See: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/power-assist for more info.

Lorenzo L. Love http://home.thegrid.net/~lllove

"We recognize, however dimly, that greater efficiency, ease, and security may come at a substantial
price in freedom, that law and order can be a doublethink version of oppression, that individual
liberties surrendered for whatever good reason are freedom lost." Walter Cronkite, in the preface to
the 1984 edition of 1984

 

Lightfoot Cycles does Heinzman electric conversions, Honda 31cc 4-stroke conversions, and even
hybrid gas/electric using a Honda gas generator. Lightfoot is in Montana and builds LWB OSS and
similar delta trikes. See the link from the RCN Sponsor page.

Bob Bryant http://www.recumbentcyclistnews.com

 

Lorenzo, Cool website. How much life/miles do you get out of a roller/rear tire? Anything else we
should know about the engine kit? Thanks Bob

 

DrRecumbnt wrote:
> Lorenzo, Cool website. How much life/miles do you get out of a roller/rear tire? Anything else we
> should know about the engine kit? Thanks Bob

I use wood rollers so they wear out, not the tires. Apparently no more tire wear then normal. The
rollers are easy to replace and don't cost much. They look like they are wearing a lot at first, but
once they wear into the profile of the tire, the wear slows down considerably. Couldn't tell you how
many miles I get, I swapped around rollers to get different gear ratios and haven't worn one out
completely. The bigger the roller, the higher the gearing and the higher the top speed, smaller
rollers give you lower gearing and better climbing. I generally use one that keeps my top speed
under the legal limit of 30 mph but still gives me good climbing ability. With the 700C wheels and
the largest roller, it would easily go well over the legal limit for California. Even with the same
roller, the gear ratio will gradually get lower as the roller wears. The big disadvantage of wood
rollers is that they slip when wet and can't really be used in the rain. I have a Carborundum roller
for rain use but never had occasion to use it.

With any roller drive system, you have to be careful on start up to get moveing at a reasonable
speed before engaging the roller, else you might burn a hole in the tire. I've ruined a tire that
way, engaging a rapidly spinning roller on to a stationery tire. Not a nice smell.

If I was designing a power assist bike from scratch, having the motor drive a jack shaft would be
the way to go, although that may cause legal issues. But roller drives are easy to retrofit to
existing bikes and can be removed with no problem.

Lorenzo L. Love http://home.thegrid.net/~lllove

"We recognize, however dimly, that greater efficiency, ease, and security may come at a substantial
price in freedom, that law and order can be a doublethink version of oppression, that individual
liberties surrendered for whatever good reason are freedom lost." Walter Cronkite, in the preface to
the 1984 edition of 1984

 

So you went with the Wooden Rollers eh....don't suppose you'll be sending me a royality check for
that suggestion eh? I still have a few OAK Rollers from years ago.

Did you ever try the Drive wheel from a MX-5...it moves well in the rain. Just pack metal washers
inside the hollow roller so the PET fits tight.

I gave up on using my Mitsubishi from Robert Felt 2 years ago and have been loyal to E-Motors
since...but I do sometimes miss the raw power of a ICE on my bent.

Next time I go with an ICE it will be a GSX31...would love to slap on a 5 HP. Honda 4 stroker
someday and get bugs in my teeth at 50 mph. "Lorenzo L. Love" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> DrRecumbnt wrote:
> > Lorenzo, Cool website. How much life/miles do you get out of a roller/rear tire? Anything else
> > we should know about the engine kit? Thanks Bob
>
> I use wood rollers so they wear out, not the tires. Apparently no more tire wear then normal. The
> rollers are easy to replace and don't cost much. They look like they are wearing a lot at first,
> but once they wear into the profile of the tire, the wear slows down considerably. Couldn't tell
> you how many miles I get, I swapped around rollers to get different gear ratios and haven't worn
> one out completely. The bigger the roller, the higher the gearing and the higher the top speed,
> smaller rollers give you lower gearing and better climbing. I generally use one that keeps my top
> speed under the legal limit of 30 mph but still gives me good climbing ability. With the 700C
> wheels and the largest roller, it would easily go well over the legal limit for California. Even
> with the same roller, the gear ratio will gradually get lower as the roller wears. The big
> disadvantage of wood rollers is that they slip when wet and can't really be used in the rain. I
> have a Carborundum roller for rain use but never had occasion to use it.
>
> With any roller drive system, you have to be careful on start up to get moveing at a reasonable
> speed before engaging the roller, else you might burn a hole in the tire. I've ruined a tire that
> way, engaging a rapidly spinning roller on to a stationery tire. Not a nice smell.
>
> If I was designing a power assist bike from scratch, having the motor drive a jack shaft would be
> the way to go, although that may cause legal issues. But roller drives are easy to retrofit to
> existing bikes and can be removed with no problem.
>
> Lorenzo L. Love http://home.thegrid.net/~lllove
>
> "We recognize, however dimly, that greater efficiency, ease, and security may come at a
> substantial price in freedom, that law and order can be a doublethink version of oppression, that
> individual liberties surrendered for whatever good reason are freedom lost." Walter Cronkite, in
> the preface to the 1984 edition of 1984

 

Joshua Goldberg wrote:
> So you went with the Wooden Rollers eh....don't suppose you'll be sending me a royality check for
> that suggestion eh? I still have a few OAK Rollers from years ago.
>
> Did you ever try the Drive wheel from a MX-5...it moves well in the rain. Just pack metal washers
> inside the hollow roller so the PET fits tight.
>
> I gave up on using my Mitsubishi from Robert Felt 2 years ago and have been loyal to E-Motors
> since...but I do sometimes miss the raw power of a ICE on my bent.
>
> Next time I go with an ICE it will be a GSX31...would love to slap on a 5 HP. Honda 4 stroker
> someday and get bugs in my teeth at 50 mph.

E-bikes don't have the range. I don't use my power assist a lot but when I do, it's more miles in a
day then batteries can hack. The rollers are from Felt. I think he said they were aspen. Some soft
wood anyway. Oak would wear less but be harder on the tires. Everything is a compromise.

Lorenzo L. Love http://home.thegrid.net/~lllove

"We recognize, however dimly, that greater efficiency, ease, and security may come at a substantial
price in freedom, that law and order can be a doublethink version of oppression, that individual
liberties surrendered for whatever good reason are freedom lost." Walter Cronkite, in the preface to
the 1984 edition of 1984

 

I've been doing a little R&D on the Heinzman Hub for the last year on Lightfoot trikes with
excellent results. I am a dealer for Heinzman in Canada. In 2000, Transport Canada changed the
Canada Motor Vehicle Act to remove e-assist bicycles from sm motorcycle catagory and place them in
bicycle category thus eliminating regs, insurance etc. (up to 500w) It's now up to each province to
change vehicle code. Up till now, only BC is almost there. These new regs do not apply to ICE.
Regards, Barry Davidson

--Cyclotec HPV--Recumbent Bikes Trikes and Quads 'Canadian dealer for Lightfoot Cycles'
www.lightfootcycles.com 548 Albert St. Peterborough ON CA K9J 4N7 Ph.705 749 2859 [email protected]

"af919" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> anyone with information concerning motorized recumbant bicycles.
>
> I saw some about two years ago. A Montreal recumbant tour group had two cycles that had been
> modified with gas "grass trimmer" engines on the back for cruise assist.
>
> if you have plans or pics please let me know
>
> Patrick Sarsfield (af919)

 

<<Everything is a compromise.

Lorenzo L. Love>>

Well said. Bob Bryant

 

The Terra Trike wizwheels page has a link to the motorized bike site.

af919 wrote:
>
> anyone with information concerning motorized recumbant bicycles.
>
> I saw some about two years ago. A Montreal recumbant tour group had two cycles that had been
> modified with gas "grass trimmer" engines on the back for cruise assist.
>
> if you have plans or pics please let me know
>
> Patrick Sarsfield (af919)

 

>why not go with an E-Motor on your Front wheel? ICE Motors tend to be 2 cycle and noisey/polluting
>and you gotta pre-mix Outboard Marine oil with Gasoline.
>
>If you must do it, use a GSX31cc Honda 4 stroke. Email me off this NG if you really want to go
>with an ICE.
>---------------------------------------
Saw a Leitra at the Spezi (special bike show in Germany) that had one of those mounted in the back.
No luggage space left tough. I'm no great fan of two-strokes BTW: the newer ones may be better (but
as good as a 4-stroke of like vintage and power??), but there's plenty of older ones around.
Two-strokes on watercraft dump more oil in the water each year than spilled from the Exxon Valdez.

Mark van Gorkom.

 

af919 wrote:
>
> anyone with information concerning motorized recumbant bicycles.
>
> I saw some about two years ago. A Montreal recumbant tour group had two cycles that had been
> modified with gas "grass trimmer" engines on the back for cruise assist.
>
> if you have plans or pics please let me know
>
> Patrick Sarsfield (af919)

Here:

<http://www.visionbikes.com/BikesJet.html>

--
J'm

To Reply Direct, Remove Clothes. ...-.-

 

A Corporate Jet isn't exactly what the chap in Montreal had in mind...although it would be a real
hoot to take that puppy down the Interstate.
------------------------
"J'm Sm'th" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> af919 wrote:
> >
> > anyone with information concerning motorized recumbant bicycles.
> >
> > I saw some about two years ago. A Montreal recumbant tour group had two cycles that had been
> > modified with gas "grass trimmer" engines on the back for cruise assist.
> >
> > if you have plans or pics please let me know
> >
> > Patrick Sarsfield (af919)
>
> Here:
>
> <http://www.visionbikes.com/BikesJet.html>
>
> --
> J'm
>
>
> To Reply Direct, Remove Clothes. ...-.-

 

"Joshua Goldberg" skrev...
> A Corporate Jet isn't exactly what the chap in Montreal had in mind...although it would be a real
> hoot to take that puppy down the Interstate.

Called the "Vision Darwin" isn't it? With the nickname Wil E Coyote I wouldn't tempt fate. ;-)

M.

 

Bri <"Share,D,Computer"@boeing.com> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> The Terra Trike wizwheels page has a link to the motorized bike site.
>
> af919 wrote:
> >
> > anyone with information concerning motorized recumbant bicycles.
> >
> > I saw some about two years ago. A Montreal recumbant tour group had two cycles that had been
> > modified with gas "grass trimmer" engines on the back for cruise assist.
> >
> > if you have plans or pics please let me know
> >
> > Patrick Sarsfield (af919)

TerraTrike is _the_ way to go, in my opinion. My e-motorized TT (Currie) is allowing much more
comfort, distance, acceleration, and convenience for me (especially in this hot weather at this
time). There is something to be said about an overhead fairing with a reflective shade cruising
along with a small portable fan as an air conditioner while adjusting my stereo (Walkman/Radio Shack
speakers) at stop signs- balancing my lemonade with the other hand.

Just an assist; it goes a long way with no use, but a short blast of power used sparingly has not
failed. A 2 wheel E-Bike did fail last year by losing charge. I found out yesterday that riding a
wide open trike under my own power was not cool. Today I choose my TT- hands down !!

Chris Jordan Santa Cruz, CA.

 

On 24 Jun 2003 14:03:49 -0700, [email protected] (af919) wrote:

>anyone with information concerning motorized recumbant bicycles.

Suggest you visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/power-assist which focuses on adding power to bikes.
--
Nobody but a fool goes into a federal counterrorism operation without duct tape - Richard Preston,
THE COBRA EVENT.

 

yeah and there are an awful lot of bent folk using the Power-Assist Forum. Another Yahoo group is EV
Amateur..more scooter orientated but some of us there are bent. Combine both groups and you get
around 1,000 members. Current thread on power-assist = Motorizing BikeEs.
--------------------------------
"John Bartley K7AAY (ex-KGH2126)" <6212hgk{invert}@newsguy.com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On 24 Jun 2003 14:03:49 -0700, [email protected] (af919) wrote:
>
> >anyone with information concerning motorized recumbant bicycles.
>
> Suggest you visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/power-assist which focuses on adding power
> to bikes.
> --
> Nobody but a fool goes into a federal counterrorism operation without duct
tape - Richard Preston, THE COBRA EVENT.

 

I used a friction drive Dimension Edge 2 cycle on an early Rans Rocket. The engine was a 2 hp. More than enough power. It is unbelievably addictive to sit comfortably in the Rans seat and cruise effortlessly up and down hills. Two thirds of a typical ride would be with the engine off, with the last third of the ride, engine on, cruising home (30 miles total).

I am looking for my next engine now. Of concern; how loud is the motor (biking should be quiet), the ability of the engine to freewheel, and an automatic clutch. I am not interested in much power. A small engine providing power assist will be fine. Most bicycles and riders are not safe cruising at 30 mph. If I want speed, I will get another motorcycle. A low center of gravity with the engine on the bike is also a plus (Sachs is a possibility).

 

boy are you ever in the wrong News Group! Try subscribing to Yahoo Groups re: "power-assist" and
your questions will be answered by recumbent riders into power-assists and if we do not know the
answer we will make up the answers...(sorry could not resist). Current topic is exactly what you are
asking about re: using a "speed drive" with a mid-drive motor. We are mostly into E-Motors, but some
of us are into ICEs as well. I even swung both ways (no not that way rorschant) having a 38cc ICE
and a 750 watt Bosch on the same bike. Y'all come visit us real soon.....ummm Fresh Brains
-----------------------------------
***************************
"Arthur Yeates" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Af919 wrote:
> > anyone with information concerning motorized recumbant bicycles. I saw some about two years
> > ago. A Montreal recumbant tour group had
two
> > cycles that had been modified with gas "grass trimmer" engines on the back for cruise assist.
> > if you have plans or pics please let me know Patrick Sarsfield (af919)
>
>
>
> I used a friction drive Dimension Edge 2 cycle on an early Rans Rocket. The engine was a 2 hp.
> More than enough power. It is unbelievably addictive to sit comfortably in the Rans seat and
> cruise effortlessly up and down hills. Two thirds of a typical ride would be with the engine off,
> with the last third of the ride, engine on, cruising home (30 miles total).
>
> I am looking for my next engine now. Of concern; how loud is the motor (biking should be quiet),
> the ability of the engine to freewheel, and an automatic clutch. I am not interested in much
> power. A small engine providing power assist will be fine. Most bicycles and riders are not safe
> cruising at 30 mph. If I want speed, I will get another motorcycle. A low center of gravity with
> the engine on the bike is also a plus (Sachs is a possibility).
>
>
>
> --
> >--------------------------<
> Posted via cyclingforums.com http://www.cyclingforums.com