I did have some challenges. All bicycles are not created equal.
Since I got the bigger engine, 35cc, I had to swap my gears over from the old rear wheel to the new rear wheel with steel spokes. This was fine until I got to the final lock nut. I called Golden Eagle and got Julia and Dennis on a roadcall. Dennis told me to use a plumbers wrench to turn the locknut. Because the bearing turns loosely when going counter clockwise, I used, everyone duck..., nails from the backside to wedge the gears to the spokes. (Remember, going clockwise locks the gears for pedaling)
Shuddder. Nails holding gears. | Tapping to unlock the spindle nut. Counter Clockwise. |
The gears line up with different size slots inside. They can only slip over the spindle one way. |
At last I was successful. The gears slip off easily. I then placed them on the new spindle and... uh oh... the new spindle is longer. Therefore there ended up being a near quarter inch play. Hmmm.
Spindle is too long for 7 gears. Its made for 9. | Spacer placed between gear 6 and 7. #7 being lower onto spindle before locking. |
Local bike shops were closed so I picked one towards the west coast and he immediately told me the spindle is for Nine (9) gears. I only have Seven (7). Hmmm2... I called Dennis. Eventhough it was after hours, He answered! We conferred and my choices were washers of some sort, or add the extra gears.
I tried a couple ways of doing it. Because the last gear is indented to only cap the spindle and not slide freely down it, I tried something a bit odd. I put a washer between the outer two gears - between 6 and 7. Things tightened nicely. We'll see how it holds ...
Gears locked down. | USA Steel Spoke Wheel |
I switched the tire over and the new wheel was now ready, though modified. I put it loosely on the bike.
Wheel put on loosely. | Motor rack with thin side of axle bracket facing forward. |
I had a problem getting the seat-to-motor bracket support to go over the motor mounting bolts. I had to ream them out a little using a phillips screwdriver.
Problem getting bolt through holes on support. | Reaming out the holes. |
Only first and second hole could be used ~ after reaming. | I put the SEAT-to-motor support on three times. hmmm. I did as the manual pictured and used the second hole. However, the support was too long for my bike. Therefore, I tried the third hole. It interferred with the AXLE-to-motor support. So back to hole #2 and major support bending. |
Bending on the seat (left) end. | I might have to come up with a better support bar. This one needs some more holes on the seat side. I did some aggressive bending to make it fit and keep motor upright center. |
My next 'opportunity' was that the kevlar belt was rubbing the back brake mechanism. (see below images)
Problem: belt rubbing brake. | Rubs when motor perfectly above the wheel's center. |
My only solution was to tilt the motor backwards from center.
The next adjustment was that my rear brake cable was rubbing the side of the seat-to-motor support bracket. This is because my Trek's brakes pull from center. All I knew to do was bend the support to the left a little. |
I hooked the 'kill switch' (turns motor off) on the left handlebar, and the thumb throttle on the right. (Hard to see in photo). The Kill Switch barely fit. It took lots of effort to get the bolt holes to align. Maybe my bar is fatter. |
There she, he, or it is!
It was getting dark, started to rain, and I didn't have any motor oil for the Subaru Robin 35cc Engine. So I decided to clean up and BLOOOOG. Oh yes, I did adjust my brakes to the new rear wheel.
SUMMARY:
Overall, this is an excellent bicycle engine kit. Most of my work was swapping rear wheels which is only because of the bigger engine. This is a first in my life of experiences so I took my time, pondering, calling, looking for potential parts. Since my bike had QUICK-release mechanisms, they had to be replaced by a long bolt/bearing pack or this new pre-fitted wheel.
So, a Bicycle Shoppe may be needed for this kit if:
1. You have quick release wheels
2. You get a new rear wheel.
As for installing the kit, ~ great and easy.
All parts are Good quality.
The weak link, for Me and my bike, is the SEAT-to-motor support bracket. It may need a couple extra 'holes-options' on the seat end. Golden Eagle does warn about bending at the holes so as to not weaken the bracket strength. I'll ponder this more. I may just cut it and drill a new hole. Also, I may have to trim the edge so the brake cable won't rub at all.
I prefer my engine to be centered above the wheel or slightly forward. However, my bicycle design will force a slightly tilted backwards motor. I have not had a brain meeting with GEBE on this yet.
All that's left now is a n t i c i p a t i o n. ...