Are these okay? - 48cc bicycle motors

wrote:
I found an ad on ebay -
http://cgi.ebay.com/48cc-SCOOTER-KIT...QQcmdZViewItem
for a bicycle motor kit. I understand you have to pedal a couple times
from a stop, and then engage the clutch on the handle bar. (And start
it the same way, but while going faster.)

Do these work okay? Once going, will it take the bike up hill? (city
street)

There are a couple other places selling similiar kits under different
brand names.

Thanks for any comments or experiences.

Having only one speed and a manual clutch limit the practical use. Most
smaller scooters and some mopeds have torque converters which
drastically improves their performance. With out this continuously
variable transmission you have too decide if you want power or speed and
then choose the large or small sprocket to install on the rear wheel.
Depending on the engine size I think they are all the same, regardless
of the advertisers claims. Ebay buy now seems to be the least expensive
place to buy them.

Thanks, this is the point I was trying to make. You will spend so much time
and endure so much frustration trying to get this thing to work that you
will hate it. IF you are in to tinkering and machining and et al. then buy
the engine. In the long run it will cost you twice if not more just to get
the running properly.

These gadgets have been around for years. Read Popular Mechanics. The fact
is you get less tan what you pay for in grief and tinkering. What makes
these sellers successful is they play the odds. In an immense population
there are thousands of suckers.

You have to think if you are a sucker or a perpetual tinkerer. If you buy
the contraption, I would love to hear your report in a years time.


"tomcas" wrote in message
...
wrote:
I found an ad on ebay -
http://cgi.ebay.com/48cc-SCOOTER-KIT...QQcmdZViewItem
for a bicycle motor kit. I understand you have to pedal a couple times
from a stop, and then engage the clutch on the handle bar. (And start
it the same way, but while going faster.)

Do these work okay? Once going, will it take the bike up hill? (city
street)

There are a couple other places selling similiar kits under different
brand names.

Thanks for any comments or experiences.

Having only one speed and a manual clutch limit the practical use. Most
smaller scooters and some mopeds have torque converters which drastically
improves their performance. With out this continuously variable
transmission you have too decide if you want power or speed and then
choose the large or small sprocket to install on the rear wheel. Depending
on the engine size I think they are all the same, regardless of the
advertisers claims. Ebay buy now seems to be the least expensive place to
buy them.

tomcas wrote:
wrote:

I found an ad on ebay -
http://cgi.ebay.com/48cc-SCOOTER-KIT...QQcmdZViewItem

for a bicycle motor kit. I understand you have to pedal a couple times
from a stop, and then engage the clutch on the handle bar. (And start
it the same way, but while going faster.)

Do these work okay? Once going, will it take the bike up hill? (city
street)

There are a couple other places selling similiar kits under different
brand names.

Thanks for any comments or experiences.

Having only one speed and a manual clutch limit the practical use.

looks to me like it runs off a spare front chainring. if thats the case,
the rear cluster should be operable. if it doesnt work like that, it
should thatd rock- a geared, gas powered mtn bike!

SoCalMike wrote:
tomcas wrote:

wrote:

I found an ad on ebay -
http://cgi.ebay.com/48cc-SCOOTER-KIT...QQcmdZViewItem

for a bicycle motor kit. I understand you have to pedal a couple times
from a stop, and then engage the clutch on the handle bar. (And start
it the same way, but while going faster.)

Do these work okay? Once going, will it take the bike up hill? (city
street)

There are a couple other places selling similiar kits under different
brand names.

Thanks for any comments or experiences.

Having only one speed and a manual clutch limit the practical use.


looks to me like it runs off a spare front chainring. if thats the case,
the rear cluster should be operable. if it doesnt work like that, it
should thatd rock- a geared, gas powered mtn bike!

You are correct that it runs off a chainring (sprocket) and if it could
be connected to the derailleur (rear cluster) the result would gearing.
Unfortunately, in order to maintain the ability to still pedal the
bicycle, the sprocket is on the opposite side from most bike
derailleurs. Also the chain pitch is not the same and the smaller
sprockets on the engines don’t function well at the angles necessary for
derailleur function.

There are millions of these motors in use in China. A local motorcycle
enthusiast here in Ma. has built a number of bikes set up with the
motors. This guy works in the Chinese bicycle industry designing parts.
Also has replacement parts for old european motorcycles made there. The
bikes he built are very nice, a lot of custom parts he designed. He
also has a couple of stock chinese bikes with the motors, rather crude
but still functional. The motors are cheap enough that if they die most
people just replace them rather than rebuild them.

Dick Ryan

On 22 Aug 2005 04:35:42 -0700, "recumbent"
wrote:


There are millions of these motors in use in China. A local motorcycle
enthusiast here in Ma. has built a number of bikes set up with the
motors. This guy works in the Chinese bicycle industry designing parts.
Also has replacement parts for old european motorcycles made there. The
bikes he built are very nice, a lot of custom parts he designed. He
also has a couple of stock chinese bikes with the motors, rather crude
but still functional. The motors are cheap enough that if they die most
people just replace them rather than rebuild them.

Dick Ryan

- - - - - - - - -

Thanks for your sensible reply amidst all the speculative comment,
Dick. For the price one might have some cheap fun with something
remotely akin to an old Whizzer (without the belt).

If ya can't tinker don't dinker.

vivalavanguard.

Rollen

"dandrewk" wrote in message
...
One thing to consider - you need to be realy handy for the installation.
Don't expect too much help from the instructions. Most likely you will
get an exploded diagram and some broken english.

That said, why not go for it? If it works, you have something useful at a
fraction of the cost it would otherwise require.

And if it doesn't work you've got $150 worth of scrap metal.....

--
TravlinTim (who used to ride a moped) Hansen

did some googling:

Motorhead Bicycles, of Rockwell, Texas sold these. Their site is still up
at http://motorheadbicycles.com

There are some details the Ebay seller leaves out: The chain drive on the
MH kits seems to attach to a sprocket that is retrofitted to the rear wheel
(LH side). Some of the sites I have been looking at also detail that due to
MV laws, the motor MUST be under 50cc and cannot drive the bicycle more than
30mph. The motor must not interfere with the bicycles "human powered"
drivetrain; ie: it has to run the wheel(s) independent of the pedals and
bicycle chain. This is why most kits have a friction drive that engages the
rear tire; rather than a chain drive.

There is an interesting "warning disclaimer" on the MH site: "Warning: Avoid
riding over curbs. Watch for and avoid potholes, gratings (sic), and other
hazards. Walk your bicycle over railroad tracks, stairs, ditches or other
rough conditions. Failure to do so may result in tire failure, loss of
control, or other mechanical failures and may result in serious or fatal
accident."

Also, breaking or dislodging the motor's drive chain seems to be an issue;
if the bike is jarred or bumped hard.

A dealer of friction - drive motor kits can be found at www.bikemotor.com

There are some details the Ebay seller leaves out: The chain drive on the
MH kits seems to attach to a sprocket that is retrofitted to the rear wheel
(LH side). Some of the sites I have been looking at also detail that due to
MV laws, the motor MUST be under 50cc and cannot drive the bicycle more than
30mph. The motor must not interfere with the bicycles "human powered"
drivetrain; ie: it has to run the wheel(s) independent of the pedals and
bicycle chain. This is why most kits have a friction drive that engages the
rear tire; rather than a chain drive.

I have also found more stuff on this. You add an extra sprocket for the
motor's chain. (The bike will have two chains.) The bike's original
functionality is maintained. You peddle to get started, then engage
the motors clutch on the handle bar. You can run on just the motor,
peddle assist, or engage the clutch for full-peddle operation.