Bike motors?
 

I've been wanting to get a single speed beach cruiser, and mount a motor on it. Does anyone have any experience in this department? Is there a reliable site anyone knows where to buy a kit online? Think this would be an awesome idea.
Thanks

http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdispl...Electric-Bikes

IMO, you are the best motor there is.

I have seen them.... Thats cheating. I love to spank those fools >=)

From the reviews that I've read, this system is the best one going.

http://www.bionx.ca/en/products/technology/

Not that I'm condoning it, mind you. :p

If you're thinking this will somehow lesson your environmental impact, think again please! These little 2-strokes actually pollute more than a full sized truck.

I've built several 2-stroke cruisers for people, and they are a massive pain to keep tuned and running. They're messy, noisy, finicky, and everything on the bike gets vibrated loose over time, including your hands. If you can afford it, I'd go with an electric kit. The 2-strokes are very cheap, but they have to be adjusted frequently.

I bought the kits from kingsmotorbikes.com

Eat a big lunch. Makes my motor run better.

Ditto. The two-strokes are ridiculous, finicky, messy and loud. An e-bike would be better, easier to use and maintain, quiet, cheap to fuel and a lot more reliable. Just be forewarned: Even the lightest e-bike kit will add approximately 16lbs (ie. Bionx P250 SLHT) or more and cost upwards of $1300.00 (Bionx kits are closing in on $2000 now).
Check out: www.ebikes.ca
Bike Forums Ebike forum: http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdispl...Electric-Bikes
V is for Voltage: http://visforvoltage.org/
Endless Sphere: http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/

And if you do go the e-bike route keep in mind that regardless of how you conduct yourself there will always be some narrow minded, linear thinking, self-righteous, elitist ****** bag(s) who will roll up to you at intersections to volunteer their prejudiced, often horribly uninformed and generally worthless opinions regarding e-bikes/e-bike riders, regardless of whether you solicited that information or not. It sucks but it happens.

Good luck and happy riding.

Just Buy a Moped or a Vespa. their Brakes will match the motor power,
the brakes on a bicycle will be weak.

they're weak on some of the electric bikes on the floor at the shop, here, IMHO.
Needs a beefy fork for 210, 8"+ disc brake, at least.

And, if it runs on while you are not pedaling,
It becomes a Motor Vehicle, so you are now subject to the DMV in your state.

Head on over to the electric bike section, if you really mean "motor"

If you mean "engine" (as in, something that burns gasoline) then please think again, those things are horrendous polluters.

Ditto to all the folks telling you to check out the electric bikes subforum.

I played with the idea of getting a two stroke engine for my X. I had heard that they weren't that good for a commuter, as far as realibility goes.

I don't even see what the point of putting a gas engine on a bicycle would be. It's the worst of both worlds. You're still a noisy, polluting stinkbox, you don't get any exercise, you can't listen to either natural sounds or your own music/audio, and you can't go fast. You might as well drive.

Ebikes at least make SOME sense, though I wouldn't own one since I'm in it largely for the exercise.

I'm a few months shy of 60 years old and have been commuting by bike (25 miles r/t) for 13 years. Mostly I've used inexpensive hybrids like the Trek 7100 that has been my main bike for 8 years or so. But age does catch up and hills, headwinds, and large bridges become less a challenge and more a pain in the ass (or in my case, knees). So last year I bought a Trek Valencia+, and that + means that it comes with a Bionx system installed. No throttle, just pedal assist when I want it. I put 4000 miles on it already. I bike more than I did before because I no longer care if there are strong winds. I get plenty of cardio since I still do a lot of pedaling, but when it gets annoying, I tell the little computer to add 25% or 50% assist, and I climb the hill without inventing new curse words.

If you're 25-30 and in great shape and enjoy hammering up hills, great, I did that once too. But if you're 60 and find that you're biking less because it's just too much work and too much time, then maybe some pedal assist will keep you biking. Now, I'm not talking a 1000 watt 48 volt system that is meant to go 30 mph for 30 miles without pedaling. That isn't biking, although it is a viable transportation alternative to using a car.

That's my take on it. No, it isn't cheating to use an ebike because I'm not racing anyone. I'm just going to work and back.

Post #14! +1

IMO a pedal assisted electric bike or an electric assisted pedal bike will be the innovation (when perfected) that catapults the bicycle into the realm of practical transportation alternative. Not every commuter (regardless of age) can manage a 20mi commute, put in a full day at work, do the 20mi return and repeat. 5x for the week. Unfortunately, despite decades of development, electric motor systems are still at the 'early adopter' phase or more accurately there has been a some further progress beyond what was available 10 years ago but it remains priced at early adopter levels.

H

Thanks, that's certainly valid. I'm currently pushing 50, and I'm still getting stronger every time I ride, but if I ever come to need it I'll be interested to see what's available in this realm.

Actually, motors are quite advanced and efficient. It's batteries that are the problem for all electric vehicles, not just bikes. If you have the scratch, LiFePo cells are really good, but few want to lay out $2000 for a battery pack. And they still don't hold the power that a gallon of gas does.