S
SirJakesus
Guest
The cagers must think you're even crazier now. Enough people are staring when you have a single engine attached to your bike never mind two of them. Glad you're enjoying it though!
5
5-7HEAVEN
Guest
Yeah, especially when I'm driving behind them or accelerating, riding uphill.
They can't really tell by the engine noise, because it's reasonably quiet. What tips them off is my motorcycle helmet. Why would a bicyclist be wearing a motorcycle helmet, leather gloves, steel-toe boots and shinpads? Then the observant ones see the red&black rear engine and curly chrome expansion chamber. Passersby comment on the rear engine, no one mentions the all-black Mitsubishi engine up front. It's like no one expects to see an extra set of testicles hanging under a pitbull's dog collar.
After work on Fridays, I bike to the supermarket to buy my steak and Alaskan King crab legs. The bike always draws a small crowd where I park near the grocery carts.
They can't really tell by the engine noise, because it's reasonably quiet. What tips them off is my motorcycle helmet. Why would a bicyclist be wearing a motorcycle helmet, leather gloves, steel-toe boots and shinpads? Then the observant ones see the red&black rear engine and curly chrome expansion chamber. Passersby comment on the rear engine, no one mentions the all-black Mitsubishi engine up front. It's like no one expects to see an extra set of testicles hanging under a pitbull's dog collar.
After work on Fridays, I bike to the supermarket to buy my steak and Alaskan King crab legs. The bike always draws a small crowd where I park near the grocery carts.
5
5-7HEAVEN
Guest
Status Quo
Well, it's been almost almost seven months. "The Dragon Lady", my dual-engined creation has come a long way and is stilling running strong. I ride it to work every day, except if I have night school.
Commuting to work is now a 17-minute adventure and amusement ride!
The first twin-engined bike, "The Iron Dragon" was created because the Staton front friction assembly would not bolt onto any bikes with suspension forks. Since the girlie cruiser had a ROCKSHOX fork, I bought a new Raleigh 7-speed male cruiser bike and swapped both friction drive assemblies onto the new bike.
A Happy Time reserve tank and siphon bulb was installed to feed both engines' tanks. That saved me from running the bike up a tree to fill more fuel. Front wheel up the tree to fill the front tank, then rear wheel up the tree to fill the rear tank (This happened after every 12-mile trip.).
The 2-liter reserve tank automatically refills both engines' 24-ounce tanks. Siphon bulb is needed for priming after either tank has to be emptied for any reason.
The rear friction drive on "The Iron Dragon" was replaced with Staton chain drive w/18.75:1 gearing. Everything worked perfectly except the non-suspension front fork. The heavy bike and I took a licking on holes, bumps and curbs. I had to find a way to mount the Staton front drive onto suspension forks.
And I did.
I bought a $40 front pannier rack specifically designed for bikes w/suspension forks. After mounting the rack on my girlie cruiser, the front struts on the drive assembly then bolted onto the pannier rack. The entire engine/drive assembly installed neatly onto the bike's ROCKSHOX fork!
The Staton chain drive hub was too wide to mount the rear assembly onto the girlie cruiser, so rear friction drive was installed onto "The Dragon Lady". The reserve tank and plumbing transferred onto the "Lady". Another set of rear side-pull caliper brakes complimented the rear coaster and front vee-brakes.
The transformation was complete. Friction rollers of 1.25", 1.375" AND 1.5" were experimented with these past months. The rear drive was always 1.5" spindle. Acceleration was excellent w/1.25", very good w/1.375" and okay w/dual 1.5" rollers. The front engine always SCREAMED bloody murder with the smaller rollers on the high end. Top speed has increased to 39mph. There might've been a 5mph increase with the second 1.5" roller ANND a second ADA expansion pipe.
Both engines are now singing happily at high speed.
Performance has improved, as well as traveling times to work. With single engine performance and riding on bikepaths, sidewalks and sidestreets, it took 27 minutes to reach work.
With dual engines and riding on bikepaths and sidestreets, it took 25 minutes to reach work.
With twin engines and riding in 35mph traffic on the highway and main boulevard, it takes 17 minutes to get to work without running lights or jumping to the front of the lanes...
the exact same time it takes to drive my car to work.
As expected it's a dog to pedal or ride at walking speed.
Anything faster than that is pure joy.
Pictures?
http://rides.webshots.com/slideshow/570535344HAzIbC
Well, it's been almost almost seven months. "The Dragon Lady", my dual-engined creation has come a long way and is stilling running strong. I ride it to work every day, except if I have night school.
Commuting to work is now a 17-minute adventure and amusement ride!
The first twin-engined bike, "The Iron Dragon" was created because the Staton front friction assembly would not bolt onto any bikes with suspension forks. Since the girlie cruiser had a ROCKSHOX fork, I bought a new Raleigh 7-speed male cruiser bike and swapped both friction drive assemblies onto the new bike.
A Happy Time reserve tank and siphon bulb was installed to feed both engines' tanks. That saved me from running the bike up a tree to fill more fuel. Front wheel up the tree to fill the front tank, then rear wheel up the tree to fill the rear tank (This happened after every 12-mile trip.).
The 2-liter reserve tank automatically refills both engines' 24-ounce tanks. Siphon bulb is needed for priming after either tank has to be emptied for any reason.
The rear friction drive on "The Iron Dragon" was replaced with Staton chain drive w/18.75:1 gearing. Everything worked perfectly except the non-suspension front fork. The heavy bike and I took a licking on holes, bumps and curbs. I had to find a way to mount the Staton front drive onto suspension forks.
And I did.
I bought a $40 front pannier rack specifically designed for bikes w/suspension forks. After mounting the rack on my girlie cruiser, the front struts on the drive assembly then bolted onto the pannier rack. The entire engine/drive assembly installed neatly onto the bike's ROCKSHOX fork!
The Staton chain drive hub was too wide to mount the rear assembly onto the girlie cruiser, so rear friction drive was installed onto "The Dragon Lady". The reserve tank and plumbing transferred onto the "Lady". Another set of rear side-pull caliper brakes complimented the rear coaster and front vee-brakes.
The transformation was complete. Friction rollers of 1.25", 1.375" AND 1.5" were experimented with these past months. The rear drive was always 1.5" spindle. Acceleration was excellent w/1.25", very good w/1.375" and okay w/dual 1.5" rollers. The front engine always SCREAMED bloody murder with the smaller rollers on the high end. Top speed has increased to 39mph. There might've been a 5mph increase with the second 1.5" roller ANND a second ADA expansion pipe.
Both engines are now singing happily at high speed.
Performance has improved, as well as traveling times to work. With single engine performance and riding on bikepaths, sidewalks and sidestreets, it took 27 minutes to reach work.
With dual engines and riding on bikepaths and sidestreets, it took 25 minutes to reach work.
With twin engines and riding in 35mph traffic on the highway and main boulevard, it takes 17 minutes to get to work without running lights or jumping to the front of the lanes...
the exact same time it takes to drive my car to work.
As expected it's a dog to pedal or ride at walking speed.
Anything faster than that is pure joy.
Pictures?
http://rides.webshots.com/slideshow/570535344HAzIbC
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