"Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo" (akioohtori)
07/12/2018 at 09:53 • Filed to: tooty scooty
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"Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo" (akioohtori)
07/12/2018 at 09:53 • Filed to: tooty scooty | 4
| 8 |
I’ve been, somewhat obsessively, researching motorized bicycle laws, engine kits, builds, bikes, and the varied options available for something like this. Come Sunday, it was actually starting to bother me how much time I was spending on this. I finally realized there was only one way to stop the madness.
I poured myself a large glass of whiskey...
...sat down on the couch....
...and ordered everything .
Disclaimers: This build is for entertainment and learning purposes only. I do not expect to get any practical use out of the end product. I understand this is the worst choice of 2-wheel motorized transport.
Engine
The bulk of my research when into engine kits. There are a variety of them available from the low $100s up into the $500 and $600 range. As far as I can tell the only difference between them is performance upgrades and... what stickers they have on them?
No really, as far as I can tell there are really only 1 or 2 manufacturers of these things, all in China, and a bunch of US resellers that vary the markup on them.
I did a fair amount of research into who makes “the best” kit, but online bias being what it is, most reviews were either complete horror stories or people saying they’d crossed the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! on one tank of fuel without any issues. Not a lot of helpful information in the middle.
The most reasonable reviews, summarized, said pretty much all 2-strokes are crap and that is part of the charm. They’re going to be as reliable as a step-dad at Christmas and the quality control is non-existent. Either roll the dice or buy a 4-stroke.
To that end, I did look heavily into 4-strokes. They’re more reliable and I think they sound better, but the 2-strokes are more powerful, more charming, and less expensive.
2-stroke it is.
Vendor and Kit
I was originally omitted to buying from BikeBerry.com as they’ve released a fair number of semi-helpful videos, though they do scrub their online reviews. I feel like if I buy one of their kits, maybe they’d have some money to buy decent fucking tools to use in their videos ! But I digress. BikeBerry was running a 4th of July Weekend “sale” (announced on July 5th because nothing matters) and by the time I’d comitted to buying things to make the madness stop, they’d “sold out” of most of their kits.
I put “sale” in quotes, because checking back now all of their prices are the same as they were when the sale was on.
I put “sold out” in quotes because now, three days later, almost everything is back in stock.
There is a lot to unpack there, but I think the TL;DR is they might not be a great company.
BikeBerry no longer being a viable option to make the voices stop, I found a kit on Amazon that shipped with prime and bought it. In this case it is Seekutek branded, but as previously mentioned I don’t think that means anything. It also comes with a speedometer, but reviews of those mostly indicate they’re garbage.
Plus, you know... POINTS!
Bike
For this one I considered a bunch of options. My first thought was beach cruiser with added brakes. That said, cheap beach cruisers aren’t known for being well made... or very good at being bikes.
A mountain bike was an alternative, but I really didn’t want to have a bunch of extra junk (IE shifters) on the handlebars. While gears sound like a good idea, I don’t expect they’d get used much. I could do a fixed gear conversion, but that sounds like additional complication.
Used vs new was settled quickly by a browse by Craigslist. Everything was either scrap, extremely expensive, obviously stolen, or a combination of all three.
Ultimately I decided my first idea was the best. A cheap beach cruiser would be an excellent proof of concept to build off of. If I end up loving this thing and driving it all the time, I can upgrade to a more expensive frame when this one breaks. If, as I suspect, I ride it a few times and then let it collect dust in the back of the garage, I’m out less money overall. This fits with my idea of this being a cheap laugh.
I ended up with a Huffy Nel Lusso single speed. It sure is... an bike. I think it looks cool, but the cup holder and front basket are a bit much and will not remain.
I’m interested to see if it will arrive broken, or if I’ll get the honor of doing that myself.
Upgrades
I didn’t want to go overboard here before I actually had the thing built, but two thing struck me as needed: brakes and chain tensioner.
The first is a no-brainer. The bike comes with coaster brakes by default and that seems like a pretty bad idea. Caliper brakes should be a quick adder to enable this thing to actually... you know... stop.
The chain tensioner came from reading a lot of reviews and watching a few videos. The chain guide/ tensioner that comes with most kits is a fixed piece of metal with a roller on it. They’re know for needing constant adjustment, unreliability, and generally being shitty.
A cheap upgrade to those is to get a spring loaded tensioner that mounts to the engine. This should keep the chain from slapping around and generally make for a better ride.
I did, however, only just now realize this may not work with the chain guard provided and I am really pissed for not thinking about that before just now...
This is likely some decent foreshadowing. Oh well...
Total spend so far
Before all the parts have come in, lets see what my initial spend has been on this “cheap and cheerful” project. All prices include sales tax.
Engine Kit - $160
Bike - $140
Tensioner - $26
Caliper Brake Kit - $33
Single Brake Lever - $10
2-Stroke Oil - $14
Chain Oil - $9
Chain breaker - $9
Total: $400
Not too bad, considering my budget was... $400.
Still to buy
The only think I know I need to buy are a lock, helmet, and lights. I am holding off on these until the bike is built because I don’t trust myself to finish this project. Estimated spend on all of that is about another $100. I might also spring for a “computer” for speed and distance purposes, which will be about another $40.
When is this going down?
All parts are due in tomorrow, with the exception of the tensioner. I expect to get to build it this weekend and then fall of my face shortly thereafter.
Wish me luck!
Cé hé sin
> Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
07/12/2018 at 10:04 |
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Good luck.....
Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
> Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
07/12/2018 at 10:05 |
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Hm. Personally I would have gone with a mountain bike with a 7-speed rear cassette. That little thing needs all the help it can get to get up to speed and toying with front sprocket sizes could result in a pretty usable commuter. Curious to see how this goes.
BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
> Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
07/12/2018 at 10:11 |
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I have no doubt that your engine choice is well chosen.
I keep wishing that the LiquidPiston rotary engine would become available for projects like this, and all sorts of others.
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
The X Mini is based on LiquidPiston’s patented thermodynamic cycle and engine architecture. To date, the X Mini prototype has demonstrated 3.5 horsepower (net indicated) at 10,000 RPM and the ability to run steady state with air-cooling.
When mature, the engine is expected to weigh 3 pounds, produce over 5 horsepower at up to 15,000 RPM, and be over 30 percent smaller and lighter than comparable four-stroke piston engines.
The X Mini prototype demonstrates that LiquidPiston’s innovative engine technology can scale down in size – prior prototypes focused on 40 and 70 HP designs – and is multi-fuel capable – able to run on gasoline (spark ignition), in addition to previously demonstrated diesel and JP-8 (compression ignition).
The X Mini will enable many small engine applications to be smaller, lighter, and quieter, including hand-held power equipment, lawn and garden equipment, portable generators, mopeds, unmanned aerial vehicles, robotics, marine power, range extenders, and auxiliary power units for boats, aviation and other vehicles. The engine’s improved noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) characteristics will also increase product performance, enhance operator comfort and prolong application life.
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
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Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
> BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
07/12/2018 at 10:37 |
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That would be very, very cool.
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BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
> Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
07/12/2018 at 10:47 |
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Next generation up-market options
Norman Hossack bicycle front suspension. Norman Hossack - Mountain Bike Project
Tubeless fat-tire carbon wheels https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Fat-bike-Tri-spoke-Carbon-Wheels-90mm-width-front-space-135-150-15mm-rear-space190-197/32604780446.html
Or, with spoked wheels (maybe carbon fiber clincher rims), you could go with a dynamo/generator hub for electrical generation for charging a small electrical system for lighting. Front and rear disk brakes, of course, also.
to power something like this: https://revolights.com
plus maybe a fixed-focus long-throw headlight mounted to the frame somewhere , to go with that dynamo hub.
Stephenson Valve Gear
> Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
07/12/2018 at 21:41 |
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I eagerly await your next post on the subject!
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Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
> BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
07/13/2018 at 12:30 |
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I would like to know more about these. Standard vaporware, or is this a thing we actually think will come out eventually?
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BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
> Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
07/13/2018 at 13:44 |
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I keep going to their website every few months... they have a couple of news releases, and they have a couple of test cases... and the preliminary engineering seems to be in place... but it seems like the testing has been ongoing for a while with not much news... and production for resale isn’t really being advertised yet.
But I have not contacted the company or anything, I am just an interested spectator.
I really hope it does proceed to that point.
From what I understand about it, is that it is different than a Wankel Rotary... because it is basically a wankel rotary conceptually turned inside out.
The chamber is organized into 3 compression chambers in a triangular arrangement , where a wankel has a 3-apex lobed rotor with compression apex seals at three triangular points.
The liquid piston “rotor” is ovoid, with two non-concentric semi-circular lobes, where the wankel has that shape as the inside chamber area.
The liquid piston rotor flows intake fuel-air mixture through a port in the rotor, and exhausts through another port in the rotor and a circular concentric exhaust port in the housing that surrounds the eccentric shaft bearings.
Instead of the compression and ignition happening at one point in the rotor housing as each of the three rotor lobes passes the intake port, then the spark plugs, then the exhaust port... one rotor lobe has the intake port, where it enters one of the three combustion chambers, that each has a spark plug, and as the rotor mass fills the chamber, the mixture is compressed and ignited, pushing the passing lobe away, as the exhaust port on the other side of the rotor comes into play and allows the exhaust to expand out of the port, and out of the engine, after imparting most of it’s energy on the rotor’s angular rotation.
The LiquidPiston compression and ignition events happen in various places in the chamber, against the recurring areas on the lobes of the rotor, rather than with Wankel, where compression and ignition happens at the same place in the chamber, against various lobe faces of the rotor.