Zenoah G43 Friction Drive Walkaround

Quick off the cuff video showing one of the bikes in the fleet.
It's my current favorite errand and commuting 2 wheeler and i put more miles on it than my car,scooter or motorcycle. Bike only cost $60 and Staton kit with motor was a little over $300. Longest ride in a day i've taken is about 75 miles.

[@justinfreesoul6366]

Good job. Your bike looks great! There's nothing like riding a motorized bicycle. I ve built 3 of them all 4 stroke 2 with 35 one with 50 cc Chinese Honda copies. They all ride great. I'm getting over a 100kms on a liter average with little pedal assist during hard accelerations only. That's about 250 miles to a gallon ;)

[@joeycottontail943]

That’s great fuel consumption. I just finished another build with a Zenoah g43. It’s getting 140 miles to the gallon and that’s cruising mostly around 30 mph/50kph with some cruising at 35+. Not sure why this engine is faster and using less fuel but I like it👍. I still have my Chinese clone 50cc and was using it while building the Zenoah. It’s a solid reliable heavy slow beast. I like it still and it’s never let me down. The Honda GX50 is too expensive and I suspect they’re let down by the carb jetting being too lean. Mine quit running and I still need to tear it down to check it out. The new Zenoah has hit 47.6 mph on a downhill!! Ride safe.

[@Jarrod_D]

Thanks for showing off the bike . 👍🚴‍♂️💨💨

[@tedcater9624]

Hey good video I have a solo 54cc friction drive kit from staton inc. Put over 200 miles on it and cruises around 35mph had it around 41mph.

[@joeycottontail943]

i have a Solo 54 also but have never been able to get it to run consistently. Very hard to start and when it does it's erratic. Staton won't take it back unless i pay freight both ways for them to "fix' it. Doing quick video soon about my feelings about the Solo and Staton's response. Good to hear you got a good one! Sounds like a tire shredder if your not careful getting up to speed.

[@hipengr7111]

sweet windshield - what did it come off of? only motorized bike I've seen with one thus far - thats probably quite nice to ride.

[@joeycottontail943]

it's just a cheap ebay amazon motorcycle fairing. It does nicely to keep sun off my phone but unsure if it does much aerodynamically. My next build is going to run something a little sturdier that uses mounts from the mirrors.

[@basilcarpenterjr1592]

Sick bicycle love it

[@harryjoe860]

im currently building my own fron bike berry. the clutch seems to engage at idle, any ideas to fix it?

[@MonstroLab]

"Take THAT neighbors" lol ....but noise doesn't seem THAT bad really but ive only seen zenoah's in videos.... So im wondering how much MORE torque/powa this will have over my old 25cc suby 4-smoke(staton Friction drive ) i the best feature of the lil suby is low noise level and mpg but im always wondering how a high performance 2-smoke would feel/sound on my 61' Raleigh Twenty neighbors be damned lol

[@joeycottontail943]

Suby is a keeper for sure to cruise and chill on but if you want to get there fast and you got hills then the Zenoah is faster. Cruises at 30mph and it really isn't hi performance. i would say it's a perfect compromise between performance and reliability on a friction drive. Too much more zip and you're going to eat tires unless you're really careful. If you like immediate neighbors then pedal off to start the bike down the street in front of the kid's house with the wannabe Porsche shitbox without a muffler. That'll teach 'em...maybe.

[@MonstroLab]

@@joeycottontail943 thanks for sharing your experience. Good point, Since I always lightly feather throttle off the line and sometimes even with pedal assisting, i been wondering if my gentle technique would allow me to increase HP & torque without shredding tires...ya know? Imean gradually increasing throttle / never ubruptly mashing throttle? ...the only way to find out is to spend$$ or ask helpful experienced riders online like yourself . im planning on buying g430rc AND GX50 this lil suby has high miles now anyways. Thx again yeah my noisy neighbors got it comin!

[@tommyau4244]

Like the video

[@joeycottontail943]

Glad you liked it. Thanks for watching.

[@diatonicdoug6525]

Can one be installed on 20 inch bike?

[@joeycottontail943]

It probably could but may require a little more work like re-drilling holes in the “U” bracket and shortening the strut pieces to accommodate the smaller wheel. May also have to find way to attach the struts to frame because 20” frames probably don’t have the holes to do it. Even with 26” and 29” frames it can be iffy whether you can or should use a friction drive on them.

[@diatonicdoug6525]

Will it work on a single speed bike?

[@joeycottontail943]

It could but a smaller drive roller would be advisable so you can get up to speed and handle hills better. I only use 2 gears on my bike. Occasionally a 3rd. Best would be to get rid of the rear cassette and just use a front derailleur.

[@diatonicdoug6525]

@@joeycottontail943 single speed no cassette but only gear is near frame that interferes with something according to your and other videos

[@reginaldhenderson8948]

Do u use regular gas and 2 stroke oil

[@joeycottontail943]

Yes. I try to use only ethanol free gas then mix with Belray brand 2 stroke oil. I keep a couple gallons premixed in garage. I use between 3.5 to 4 ounces of oil to a gallon.

[@rossgalvin5594]

Good

[@basilcarpenterjr1592]

What sizes os ur tires 26 27.5 or 29 thanks

[@joeycottontail943]

26 but hoping to move over to a 29 after burning through all the free 26" slicks i acquired. Not sure if it's possible. They've been lasting much longer than anticipated.

[@basilcarpenterjr1592]

@@joeycottontail943 I got 27.5 not even put the bike together yet and I got Honda fx50 from staton and the kit to put on my bike after I put it together I bought the extension support rods because I don't know it the others one are long enough because of 27 5 tires what u think u think k they will work thanks my question was u think it going work without the extension rods probbky confusing u lol

[@joeycottontail943]

@@basilcarpenterjr1592 You wont need those extensions. I have a Honda GX50 on a 29" and it's fine without them. I've found this kit much easier to install on 26" bikes. You may find the quick release for the roller isn't long enough and will have to source one elsewhere. I found only vendor that had one and it was relatively expensive. That GX50 is sweet motor. Changing oil on it is a bit of a hassle. Been busy or i would have made a video on it by now. I'll try to get one up this week on some tips to install because they're is a couple mistakes that are easy to make and will make bike less efficient or even dangerous.

[@basilcarpenterjr1592]

@@joeycottontail943 whats the vendor ur talking abt I don't care abt expensive thanks

[@basilcarpenterjr1592]

@@joeycottontail943 that video ur talking abt putting up I sure appreciate that buddy thanks iam not they greatest at doing this stuff

[@reginaldhenderson8948]

Bro u know the name of the item to tighten the big roller on the kit

[@joeycottontail943]

Don't know exact name but if you check out this link here below. They got everything and will get it to you fast. www.staton-inc.com/store/index.php?p=catalog&parent=34&pg=1

[@serenitysuccubus9231]

i have a key killswitch on mine, and a 50cc 4stroke

[@joeycottontail943]

'Sweet. i may do that. I want to relocate the killswitch on my Zenoah to the handlebars. It's on the motor and near impossible to push when riding.