Rosie8

Has anyone ever heard of these? Saw one at a yard sale today. The only problem was the seller was selling it for the father in law and didn't know much about it. Said he used it in his RV. It has a gas motor attached which I wouldn't want. Asking price $75. It looks like it has a III on it (3 speed internal hub?) Just curious since there is very little info when you try to google it. It looked fairly clean and the tires were okay. The attached motor looked very grimy though. Thanks for any info.

brakemeister

its probably an older version
check here
https://www.dahon.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=7685

I might be interested in the motor ( as long as it is running somewhat)

if it is running its probaly a good price. the bike alone sells on yardsales from 50 to 100 on craigslist around 100 offered but usually sold for less...

unless its a stainless version than the price is higher and I would trade you the thing if it is in good shape for a brandnew Boardwalk ...

generally they have awkward cranks.. the riding experience of newer Dahons is VASTLY nicer, although some hardcore folks really like the old ones as well

thor

Rosie8

Thanks for your reply. I might have to stop back in and see if it's still there. There were a lot of people stopping to look at the various items for sale. I was on my bike at the time, cruising around and happened by. Of course, I had no money on me. Again, thanks for your interest and quick reply.

Rosie8

Just a quick update and thanks again to brakemeister - it was sold before I could get back with cash. Had to go to the bank first. We have a lot of retired people in our community so I would guess someone snatched it up. The motor would be worth something for someone who didn't want the folder but wanted to try a motor out for fun.
Guess I will be alert for any other folders. This is the first time I have ever seen one for sale out here. I normally stop at any yard sale that has bikes just to see what they have.

brakemeister

Thats alright .. no problem
happy hunting ....

find me one of those stainless ones ...lol

RubeRad

zombie ARISE

I found a Dahon RV Mate III in the trash at my townhouse complex, don't know which of my neighbors threw it out, most likely the one that's had a budget moving truck at his garage for the last few days.

It's in decent shape, the rubber on the tires is cracking but the tubes held air no problem. The frame seems to unfold and lock securely, it rides without creaking, the chain doesn't even seem dry.

The big problem is the shifting. I oiled the little shifter chain and dropped a lot of oil into the hub, hoping it would get where it needs to go, but shifting is very slow; well it's fast enough to shift into the low gear (by pulling cable), but then releasing cable it takes a minute for it to go back into high.

And the shift lever doesn't hold its position at all. I don't see that the lever can be disassembled to get at the insides, would any 3-speed shift lever have the same cable pull? Or would I need to look for an old sachs?

Rick Imby

Sachs and Sturmey are not interchangeable. I have always avoided 3 speed hubs on full size bikes. I had a shop for 30+ years.

It sounds like the lube in the hub is old and has picked up dirt probably.

As I stated I am not a 3 speed expert but I would take the wheel off and set it over a tub. I would not dis assemble the hub as the chances of reassembling properly are 1-5000? I would run very light lube like wd-40 through it to try to loosen up the old lube inside.

I would try to get the lube to go through it by rotating things without pressure on them.

Then I would add the proper lube to it and let the heavier lube soak in.

There may be other people with other thoughts. The problem is you will spend more than the bike is probably worth to get someone to pull the 3 spd apart and clean it.

ttakata73

Good info. I would have been stupid and taken the hub apart just to end up buying a new drivetrain.

wahoonc

I would put some solvent like kerosene in the oil port and ride the bike a bit drain it out then add oil. Eventually you will need to add grease to the bearings to help keep the oil in. Which hub is it specifically? The old Sturmey-Archer 3 speed hubs aren't hard to work on (except for the current crop of so called mechanics). They are very reliable and will last for many thousands of miles with minimal maintenance. Some of the other brand of hubs can be repaired but parts are in short supply, or in some cases NLA.

Got any pictures of the bike? I currently have 2 Dahon III folders, both are from 1984, but apparently were built in different factories as there are noticeable differences between them.


Aaron