Hey, anyone ahd luck with these motors for MTB's? It seems the only place I can find them is on ebay, and i'm super sketchy about it. I was reading the feedback on the two biggest sellers, the negatives are pretty bad. I'm really interested in these for the days when i'm tired, or just lazy Anyone bought one? And for the record, I want one of the motrs that mount inside the front triangle, with the gas tank on the top tube.

That's kind of an odd question coming from a guy with "0 emissions" for his screen name.

I know a few people over the years who have tried some of these kits, if they work they don't last that long and parts can be tough to find since most of the dealers are fly-by-nights who don't have a long term interest in the product. For lazy days you are better off with a moped. With a little patience you can find good used mopeds under $500.

I have recently set-up a couple of friends bikes with a StokeMonkey motor attached to an XtraCycle.
They report awesome results so far!
Google XtraCycle & CleverChimp for more info.
The motor is electric so you can continue using your current 0 emission handle!

I've never had an electric, and I do not have the type of kit you're considering.
Concerning the gasoline-powered bike engines--
The only widely-held opinion I heard was that the friction-drive units do not work very well.

Other than the friction-drives, there's a few different chain-drive units (all Chinese-made and rather similar) and one belt-drive unit with various imported engine options and other parts made in the USA. The chain and belt drives both have their advantages and drawbacks. The belt-drives are more reliable but more expensive and not easily possible to modify at all; the chain-drives cost less and can withstand more power and allow different gearing and transmission options, but they have lots of reliability issues that the belt drive won't have.

I have tried one of the belt-drive Golden Eagle units. I have only run it for a couple hours time so far, and it appeared to work okay but (for reasons unrelated to the engine setup itself) I don't have it on a bike right now.
This is a series of pages I did on it:
https://www.norcom2000.com/users/dcim...d_bicycle.html
...I will most likely obtain a cheap MTB sometime in the future and put the engine onto that.
--------
The following is a forum that deals with motorized bicycles, mostly gas-powered, and mostly the Chinese chain-drive kits: https://www.motor-bicycles.com/
~

Ive done one Zero. I dislike these threads because the bike purists tend to
beat you up. I have about 2000 miles on this one. Its a 25cc 4 cycle Subaru
(Robin) 1hp. Its a golden eagle. They are great folks to deal with.
I did this because I was recovering from broken collar bone. Take some pressure
of my shoulder. Its a super grocery getter.

Note I pedal this more than motor it now. As a rule I dont run it in town
and certainly not the MUP! And by all means dont disturb the serenity of
quiet neighborhoods in the evening. Its called RESPECT
Weighs 12 lbs (motor 6lb). 47 lb total w/bike.
It would be difficult pedaling a 100lb Moped! Rear rack is self made. Ive put
over 85lbs on this rack. With 70 lb load It will still do 27mph. 32 if you pedal.
Ive passed up some stunned roadies.

This little robin is work of art. Its clean as a whistle even after all the miles.
Easy starting with decompression. Torque curve on this motor is pretty much
a straight line. Meaning same tork at 4k rpm as 7500rpm. For a bike it perfect.
Its barely audible at idle. At speed its mopedish sound.. 240 mpg avg.
260mpg just putting along. As it sits with 17oz tank and 30oz bottle range is 85 miles.
Little over a penny a mile.

At any rate I like this setup. Efficiency is important for range and gas weighs 6 lbs gal.

FWIW Why would you want a hot motor between your ankles?

I can expound some more info but Im really not up to waxing philosophical of why
one shouldnt do this.

There are a couple places that have been selling the Chinese kits for a long time. Some of the parts don't last long, but then, replacement parts don't cost a lot either.
A lot of this is on my web pages, but just to hit a few high points:
--BEFORE you spend money for one of these kits, you should really find out the legal status of them in your locale (state). Different states have different laws on what is required to use them on the street, or if they can even legally be used on the street at all. And bicycle path use is another whole separate question as well.

--Another point I make on my site is that a bicycle used at ~30 mph all the time will get pounded a LOT. I normally cruise at ~15 mph and many roads that were reasonably smooth at that speed were pretty jarring at twice as fast. Most people who ride motorized bicycles a lot use suspended MTB's or beach-cruisers, so they can run huge balloon tires for shock absorption. You could put one of these kits on your 700c x 23mm road bike, but unless you're track riding, you're gonna be fixing a LOT of pinch-flats. If you expect to use a motorized bike a lot at full-speed, then you really want a bike that can run the fattest tires you can find.

A lot of people buy the electric drives for their ease of use (pushbutton power) and their silent operation (running "stealthy" and not bothering with any sorts of licensing or use-restriction issues) but the electrics can be deceiving in three ways:

---The first & second ways are that electric motors have a lot of torque from a standstill, but their batteries run out of power relatively quickly when pushed hard for longer periods. When someone test-rides one up and down the street in front of the bike shop, they get to feel the awesome low-speed torque, but they don't ride it far enough to see how quickly the batteries will discharge under hard use. If you look at electric-bike online forums, by far the main question asked is how to get more endurance out of these setups. It doesn't matter if people buy the cheap setups or the expensive ones; they ALL end up wishing the batteries would last longer.

---The third way is that many people just assume that electrics are cheaper to operate, and that they are "better for the environment" because they don't have a stinky exhaust pipe--but if you use an electric bicycle/vehicle a lot, their cost-per-mile can actually be several times higher than what a comparable 4-cycle gasoline engine would cost after you factor in regular battery replacement, and it is very debateable if their ecological impact is lower than a 4-cycle gasoline engine overall. One of the pages I have up goes into this in detail.

If you want an electric setup then lay your money down and get one--but don't buy one because you think you're saving the planet. After all is considered, compared to a gasoline setup, you may not be doing Gaia any favors.
~

Ha ha, I'm still (mostly) a no emissions vehicle I just wanted to try something new
We got it mounted and it seems to have good compression. Me likes! The only thing is the chain tension is a B**ch to set up and keep right. Still, it'll be fun for those summer cruiser rides. I just need to find a set of good ape-hangers now

Well, the clutch sucks. It's made of such poor quality, i'll probably have to make a better one out of a lever myself. Other than that, rock on! We had this thing burning down the street! I'll post a pic when I can

Best engine right now is from Bikeengines.com

Walmart sells one ready to ride except for bicycle assembly. $279.46 plus shipping
https://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=5391437

Quote from the website:
Real transportation for pennies per charge! This Comfort Series electric bicycle has a unisex low-standover-height design with suspension fork and removable battery box. It reaches a top speed of 15 MPH with a range of 18 to 25 miles with normal pedaling. For young adult to adult up to 240 lbs.

* 450W of power from a DC earth magnet Motor
* Plug and Play battery box design with easy-access charger port
* UL-listed Currie Smart Charger with 1-color LED status display
* Top speed: 15 mph (rider weight and terrain contingent)
* Range: up to 25 miles with normal pedaling
* Alloy linear pull brakes
* 26-inch alloy rims
* High-rise handlebars with adjustable rise stem and Krayton grips
*
* Shimano 7-speed gearing with twist throttle
* Comfort design saddle with alloy Post
* Aluminum comfort frame, unisex
* Alloy cotterless crankset and custom chainring with dual sided pedals
* Total weight: 90 lbs

Interesting, water is 8lbs/gal.

Re original post. Motorized bikes don't make any sense. Either you want a slow ride with other cyclist or you want a vehicle that will keep up with traffic. It's too dangerous being the odd vehicle that drivers don't have experience with and will be more likely to either right hook or left hook you. FYI: a 500cc motorcycle is too small for safe riding with traffic. 750cc is minimum, but I wouldn't be comfortable on anything less than 1000cc.

I must admit that I was interested a motorized bicycle for a while. But then I noticed that none of them go very fast. 15 mph top speed? I can go that fast sans motor, without too much effort. What's the point?

OP: If you're going to do this, go all the way and buy a motorcycle/dirtbike (or a Vespa). Honda motorcyles, brand new, go for under $3k and for under $2k you could buy one of their scooters or dirt bikes. And you can easily find a used motorcycle for $5-600.

-That's the electrics, no the gasoline-engine setups.

Do math much?
If the point is to save money, then buying a motorcycle can be a really silly thing to do.
Most people who buy motorcycles (and even scooters) probably NEVER use them enough to recover their purchase price:
https://www.norcom2000.com/users/dcim...pisode003.html

In most US states, motorized bicycles (and mopeds) are required to be operated the same as bicycles; the chances of getting hit are not any greater.

As for the bit about "needing a 1000cc motorcycle", I'm not going to even comment on that beyond this->
~

That was unnecessary.

This website is correct if you already own a car and are thinking of augmenting your transportation with a more fuel efficient vehicle to save money. However, I got the impression that the OP is not a car owner (based on his/her screen name). Buying a motorcycle is certainly not more expensive than a car, and is much cheaper to operate. Therefore, in 0_emissions case, it might not be silly to buy a motorcycle to save money.

A used motor scooter can be had for as much it would cost to outfit a gasoline powered mountain bike, and would probably last longer.