Chris
in Ft. Meade, Maryland
May 25th, 2004
GEBE,
I haven't had the motor a week and I'm ready
to write a review for you to post on your
website. Let's start at the beginning: Your
website is put together quite well. It's
very informative, helpful, and easy to navigate.
Also, the bit about Bonneville is great,
including the NPR broadcast (talk about bragging
rights...). Also, the ordering was easy and
the shipping was fast.
Installation was a breeze, or should have
been, had I planned ahead. I didn't think
to measure my rear wheel clearance, so the
drive ring was rubbing on the frame. That
was an easy fix, along with a few minor bugs
I found later. By the way, pre-measured oil
is a great idea.
It started up on the third pull, and after
warming up, was able to fling me down the
road at previously impossible speeds. My
commute to work is only 1.5 miles each way,
and I can make it in less time on my bike
that in my car. I'm able to cut across parking
lots, trigger crosswalks (and therefore green
lights), and the bike rack is closer to the
door than any parking spot. And since it
takes most of the pedaling out of biking,
I'm no longer sweaty and stinky at work.
Another problem with driving is that when
it's this hot out, the AC takes a while to
get cold. I have AC built in, and it'd take
a record high to make a 30 mph wind feel
warm. All in all, a surprisingly good motor.
I included a few pics for your enjoyment.
The bike is a generic "Schwinn quality"
bike from Wal*Mart. Nothing special, but
yes, I could use full suspension.
And then there's the pic of my doorstop.
I won't say it was a bad engine, it was just
the victim of trying to re-invent the wheel,
while cutting corners to lower the price.
The throttle was cheap plastic, the clutch
(looked like a break lever) had play in directions
it shouldn't, the choke even had Chinese
characters on it. Also, it's nearly impossible
to fit the 5 bolts of the main gear evenly
between 18 spokes. In the picture, you can
see that it was supposed to fit inside the
frame like a motorcycle. Sure, it looked
cool, but all the parts showed signs of poor
design and shoddy construction. One of these
bolts is not like the others, can you tell
which? (that was from only 9 ft-lbs) Nice
spiffy exhaust and a sexy fuel tank, eh?
The last pic is of the mounting clamp designed
for a 1" tube. What has a 1" tube
these days? Anyways, I've absorbed the loss
and moved on. Your motor will easily save
me enough in gas to cover it, and maybe a
new bike.
Again, thank you for what will likely be
years of enjoyment. I look forward to providing
a one year (and two year, and three year...)
follow-up.
Chris |
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