Mark
in Virginia
February 13th, 2003
Golden Eagle,
I have gotten very good
use out of your product.
I do recreational riding
on a lightweight
road bike, but also have
a 20 mile daily
commute. Traffic here is
congested beyond
belief and monthly parking
downtown is over
$250 a month. The bus system
is slow and
unreliable, biking solves
that problem but
there was always the time
element. The engine
has made a real difference
in my daily commute
and lets me keep up with
the traffic in some
stretches. I live in Alexandra,
VA but commute
to work in Washington D.
C. central. My commute
is like a tourist route,
I bike within a
dozen yards of the Pentagon,
the Lincoln
memorial, the Washington
monument, the Jefferson
monument and work two blocks
from the White
House.
I am sending you a picture
and just a few
things of note for urban
commuting your customers
may be interested in. #1)
I reversed a rear
rack and put it on the
front of the bike
to carry my briefcase,
it makes the steering
sluggish but distributes
the weight more
evenly. I used a rear rack
because it was
sturdier than the commercial
front racks
I have seen which are designed
primarily
for front panniers and
don't have a horizontal
bed. |
| #2) I put a twin halogen headlight on the
edge of the rack instead of the handlebars
so light is not obstructed by cargo on the
front rack. Being closer to the ground and
projected forward it better illuminates the
road surface (at 35MPH at night I don't like
mistaking black ice for oil stains). #3)
You may notice the fender under the engine,
I found if you attach the engine U shaped
brace to the bike frame dropouts, then remove
the rear wheel, it gives you stable access
to the underside of the engine mounting plate.
I removed the mud flap that came with the
kit, drilled two holes in the fender and
was able to screw the two mounting bolts
through the fender into the U frame and then
into the mounting plate - that stabilizes
the rear fender and gives better splash protection. |
 |
| #4) Vaude makes a great rear rack bag that
you can mount on a seat post rack above the
engine. The bag comes with (green bag) --
a rain cover (meant for the bag) with an
elastic band to pull in tight. The perfect
size to cover the engine if bike is left
in the rain, it also contains any gas fumes
when the bike is brought indoors, helps prevent
any complaints from co-workers.(I bring mine
inside the office and park it next to my
cubicle). |
|
| #5) I put an old road bike crank on the mountain
bike frame and put an 11 tooth cog on my
rear cluster to let me pedal at the 30 -
35 MPH range. Mountain bike gearing can't
keep up with the higher speeds. |
|
 |
 |
| #6) I kept the quick release hubs but replaced
the skewer with a long threaded rod. I couldn't
find a skewer that was rear axel --- long
enough to accommodate the extra width of
the engine mounting brace and have enough
thread inside the skewer nut. I also drilled
and tapped a bolt into the dropout to reinforce
the mounting brace. It makes changing a flat
so much easier when the support of the engine
remains fixed when I drop the rear wheel. |
|
Anyway, this is a great product and I would
be interested in upgrading to the 31cc engine
when you come out with it. Also, if you could
sell me some RedMax oil, it is not available
locally and as long as I have to order it
shipped from somewhere I would prefer to
do business with you.
Thanks for the help,
Mark |
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