s_beaudry
Member
The Bicycle
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4990073
Yes, I know it is a Walmart bike and all, but that darn seat is comfortable as all heak to me and it rides very well, and the added bonus of the very flat cruiser tires was nice.
The Friction Kit
http://www.bikemotorparts.com/kit.html
My second kit I have bought from him in about a year now. Customer service is excellent and he ships very fast. He threw in a free throttle and kill switch for the return business.
The Engine
http://www.thatsdax.com/4STROKE_ENGINES_AND_PARTS.html
After about a week's research on what would be best for me, I decided this was the engine. It is powerful, extremely quiet, and has a full 1 litre fuel tank for the longer rides. Engine starts on the first or second pull every time!
The Build
I came home with the bicycle and knew I wanted to go over all nuts and bolts and retighten them. And very glad I did as the front wheel axle nuts was hand snug on the forks! I knew the rear fender would have to come off so I removed the rear wheel and the coasted brake and took out the two screws that held it on. The bicycle frame itself did not have the (2) 5mm holes in it to support the bars, and I knew this buying it, but there was plenty of room to drill out a 5/16" hole on each side to bolt on the side posts for the kit. Out came the drill and the string to line up the two holes correctly, easily done.
Throwing the friction kit on was very easy as everyone knows. The kit itself came with the 1.25" one way bearing and shaft installed on it already! And I have a spare 1" roller as well.
The engine came very well packed in bubble wrap and packed in a ton of foam peanuts in a oversized box. Very nice work on packing Duane! Threw in about 11 ounces of oil and a bit of gas and on the second pull she came to life quietly purring away.
The 1.25" one way roller seems to wor very well. Even with the engine at an idle (clutch disengaged) and stopping on a slight hill with the roller depressed into the tire, the bicycle will actually roll freely down the hill by itself. Cruising at speed and letting the throttle go, I honestly can not feel any slowdown on the bisysle from the roller. Seems to work very well for me.
I am thinking as a future upgrade to this project to remove the 1 litre fuel tank from the engine and install a larger, maybe ~1 gallon or so tank onto the top of the friction channel for all day riding with no worries. If I do this, I am thinking at this time I will have to strengthen the front U bracket of the kit for the added 8 pounds or so. But, for now, I am averaging about 35 miles per one litre of fuel, which is plenty of me.
Now for the TO DO list...
Must fab up a stronger L bracket for the front fender as it was vibrating already while riding.
Must install a front brake for safety reasons as the coaster brake has less then stellar performance.
Must reroute the throttle cable for a cleaner look and trim it down to size a little better.
The down tube is kind of egg shaped so I need to find a way to carry a fuel/water bottle.
Seriously thinking of looking into adding mirrors on the bike for safety. I was so enjoying my first ride, I did not even know a car was following me down a small sidestreet for a good 1/4 miles or so.
With having a few installs under my belt of the HT setups, push trailer setups, and friction drive setups... the friction drive setup is pretty well the easiest and most full proof way to go in my opinion. It rides very smooth for me and very very little in the way of vibrations.
Attached pictures show more details and the 5/16" holes I had to add to the frame...
Regards,
Steve
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4990073
Yes, I know it is a Walmart bike and all, but that darn seat is comfortable as all heak to me and it rides very well, and the added bonus of the very flat cruiser tires was nice.
The Friction Kit
http://www.bikemotorparts.com/kit.html
My second kit I have bought from him in about a year now. Customer service is excellent and he ships very fast. He threw in a free throttle and kill switch for the return business.
The Engine
http://www.thatsdax.com/4STROKE_ENGINES_AND_PARTS.html
After about a week's research on what would be best for me, I decided this was the engine. It is powerful, extremely quiet, and has a full 1 litre fuel tank for the longer rides. Engine starts on the first or second pull every time!
The Build
I came home with the bicycle and knew I wanted to go over all nuts and bolts and retighten them. And very glad I did as the front wheel axle nuts was hand snug on the forks! I knew the rear fender would have to come off so I removed the rear wheel and the coasted brake and took out the two screws that held it on. The bicycle frame itself did not have the (2) 5mm holes in it to support the bars, and I knew this buying it, but there was plenty of room to drill out a 5/16" hole on each side to bolt on the side posts for the kit. Out came the drill and the string to line up the two holes correctly, easily done.
Throwing the friction kit on was very easy as everyone knows. The kit itself came with the 1.25" one way bearing and shaft installed on it already! And I have a spare 1" roller as well.
The engine came very well packed in bubble wrap and packed in a ton of foam peanuts in a oversized box. Very nice work on packing Duane! Threw in about 11 ounces of oil and a bit of gas and on the second pull she came to life quietly purring away.
The 1.25" one way roller seems to wor very well. Even with the engine at an idle (clutch disengaged) and stopping on a slight hill with the roller depressed into the tire, the bicycle will actually roll freely down the hill by itself. Cruising at speed and letting the throttle go, I honestly can not feel any slowdown on the bisysle from the roller. Seems to work very well for me.
I am thinking as a future upgrade to this project to remove the 1 litre fuel tank from the engine and install a larger, maybe ~1 gallon or so tank onto the top of the friction channel for all day riding with no worries. If I do this, I am thinking at this time I will have to strengthen the front U bracket of the kit for the added 8 pounds or so. But, for now, I am averaging about 35 miles per one litre of fuel, which is plenty of me.
Now for the TO DO list...
Must fab up a stronger L bracket for the front fender as it was vibrating already while riding.
Must install a front brake for safety reasons as the coaster brake has less then stellar performance.
Must reroute the throttle cable for a cleaner look and trim it down to size a little better.
The down tube is kind of egg shaped so I need to find a way to carry a fuel/water bottle.
Seriously thinking of looking into adding mirrors on the bike for safety. I was so enjoying my first ride, I did not even know a car was following me down a small sidestreet for a good 1/4 miles or so.
With having a few installs under my belt of the HT setups, push trailer setups, and friction drive setups... the friction drive setup is pretty well the easiest and most full proof way to go in my opinion. It rides very smooth for me and very very little in the way of vibrations.
Attached pictures show more details and the 5/16" holes I had to add to the frame...
Regards,
Steve