How Much Does An MB Really Cost?

[SimpleSimon]

I should have my trike on the road shortly, at a finished price of about $150 - but offset by the fact that I've sold the original MB the second brand new engine came with for 150% of what I paid, and kept the piles of spare parts (including a complete 2nd HT kit, and three complete hi-dollar spare wheels) for myself.

So, in cash terms, I've made money on building it, so far.

I do intend to spend about $100 more on two custom rear wheel hubs with integral disc brake rotors, though. Local machinist is going to make them for me. I have the disc brakes already - they were part of the box of spares I got with the MB.

 

[AussieSteve]

Mountain Bike - $300AU
Engine kit - $290AU
RSE billet head - $95AU
SBP low profile air filter - $16AU
Alloy inlet tube - $20AU
SBP shift Kit - $280AU
Shimano MegaRange Super-Low gear cluster - $61AU
6-speed grip shift - $20AU
3L Tank - $71AU
Velo Plush Recreational seat - $70AU
Cateye headlight - $42AU
Taillight - $12AU
Centrestand - $42AU
Cateye speedo - $41AU
Mountain Mirrycle rear-view mirror - $25AU
Studs, bolts, odds and ends - $100AU

Total: $1485AU (About $1300US)

There are probably some bits that I've forgotten, but that's basically it.
(And there's still more to come - different sprockets from SBP.)

... Steve

 

[Huntington]

I have over $1,000 parts on order for the latest build. Stuff should start rolling in this week and Im sure more to come.

ElectricScooterParts.com:
2x 2" 12V Chrome Scooter Headlight
Terminal Block and wire connections.
$58.04

BatterySpace.com:
In-line Cord Fuse
Wire 16 AWG, 12 Ft
Connector/Adaptor:Trail-Tech Male Coaxis Lockable Connector with 4' Coil Cord
Connector/Adaptor: 1 Male to 2 in Parallel Female Trailtech coaxis plug "Y" cable
LiFePO4 Belt Bag Bike Battery: 12.8V 6.6Ah (84Wh, 14A rate) + Fast Smart Charger
$183.93 USD

jemcycleinc ebay:
CHROME FUEL GAS INLINE FILTER
$6.75

nolimitsmotorsports ebay
Fuel Line Hose 1/4 X 4 Stainless Steel Braid
2x Magna Clamp Fuel Hose Line Fittings 1/4 - 5/16 - CHROME
$36.80

ebay
Nashbar Tail & Brake Light.. (just wanted the brake light switch)
$9.95

ebay
Chain Tensioner Motorized (livefast spring tensioner)
$29.99 USD

Spooky Tooth Cycles:
NGK Spark Plug Boot
Chrome Engine Covers
Grey Gasket Sealer
Scooter Pro Synthetic Two Stroke Oil
Motorcycle Grips for Motorized Bicycles
KBC Nomad Cruising Helmet
$171.00

Sick Bike Parts:
Muffler for SBP Expansion Chamber
Fuel Valve
Plug Wire - High Performance
NGK BP6HS Spark Plug
Expansion Chamber - BLACK - Exhaust Pipe
Clutch Cable - Teflon Coated
Clutch Cover for standard Chinese 2 Stroke engine
Carburetor O-ring
Air Filter - Heavy Duty - High Performance
Engine Hardware Kit
$139.80

USABikemotors.com:
GT2 Bicycle
$595.83 USD

Total: About $1232.09 and I still need to pay for the motor and get some Kevlar tires, switches, and a few odds and ends.

 

[Member 5549]

Wal-Mart Schwinn Point Beach on sale $ 165.00
GEBE Tanaka 32cc kit $ 589.00
new brakes and tires and tubes $ 150.00
New GEBE 105g rear wheel $ 120.00
misc. stuff $ 100.00
grand total $ 1124.00

 

[Flapdoodle]

Mine started as an about $200 machine. Back problems, just old age and the awful roads here in the sticks ended with my going the fat tire route, a $380 electric motor kit for starting and redundancy if the gas engine quits. Interestingly, the gas engine never quit after adding the electric motor. An inverse of Murphy's Law?

I consider a heavy chain a necessity (#41). I love the bike, so other things were added like fenders, high power tail light, and wide comfy seat.

In my opinion, your health, roads conditions, weather and driving habits will dictate what the final cost will be.

 

[Al.Fisherman]

I'm one of the $200.00 and under, on my first build. Most costly of 5 builds cost my friend $300.00 plus gas from Mississippi to Alabama. He just sold it for $650.00 and we're going to build another one for him this spring. The profit will be split. My first build, I had a bike but the frame cracked, so I bought a cruiser from Alabama Thrift Store for $20.00..the engine (HT) $109.00..new tires $40.00...double brake handle $15.00 (we put brakes off a mountain bike on it). Have made clutch and boost bottle mods but as far as cash...no..just labor. Now if I count the labor you can bet I'd charge a paying customer about $200.00 to $300.00.
I see that the majority of those that voted have at least if not more then $750.00 in their bike.....me NO WAY, as it is just a toy to sputter around on. I don't take more then 20 mile trips, 10 each way, at least I didn't last year, this year you might never know.

 

[Fabian]

Adding up all the amounts i've spent, including purchase cost of the bike and sorting out problems to to give good reliability, plus cost of replacement parts and upgrades in the name of saftey, the dollar figure comes to just a bit under $3,500.

I haven't even started on the projects that are to be part of the upgrades, namely, an electric start and generator and electric motor combo.

By the time it's all said and done, i'll factoring in a figure of $5,000

Fabian

 

[Esteban]

I have always been one to believe you " get what you pay for !" I know many who have bought the Chinese kits, [ I don't used those ] installed on a cheap bike , & have had too many problems. Time all is over, they have had 2, 3, or even 4 builds versus my one. I would hate to know the hours some have spent on their bikes, just to keep them going. Most of mine have totalled anywhere from $350-$750, using good quality older bikes.

 

[5-7HEAVEN]

I also believe that you get what you pay for.

My learning curve has been steep and expensive. However, the pleasure building MB's has been priceless to me. Besides, it is well within my family budget because it replaced one of our vehicles, which saves over $8,000 every year.

With that in mind, I wasn't about to start with a cheap Walmart bike and invest thousands into it.

My first three projects were two new Raleigh cruisers and a Dahon folder. These were replaced with used 21/24-speed medium-priced Giants and Diamondback mountain bikes. Engines and drive kits of all configurations were tested. Speed and power increased dramatically but reliability suffered greatly.

My latest project is a used $125 Diamondback Response mountain bike with dual disc brakes. It fits my goals of a 6-mile commute to work perfectly. I'll be trying a $250 Scooterguy drive system and one of my $250 TLE43 2.2hp Mitsubishi engines from my Staton kit.

This should be my cheapest build and the most reliable setup. I am searching for a more powerful engine, but am not willing to sacrifice reliability this time.

My most expensive build was "The Dragon Lady", a girlie Raleigh cruiser. It had twin 2.2hp Mitsubishi engines and front and rear Staton friction drives. I installed a ROCKSHOX front fork, which made the ride very enjoyable. Even though front and rear caliper brakes were added, it was not enough to be dependable at high speed. The bike also weighed 100lbs. and was very difficult to carry up two flights of stairs.

If it wasn't for the extremely expensive shipping costs, I'd buy the $2k+ GT bike with Morini engine already installed.

Update: The GT "Boxer" bike is $2699 plus $100 shipping. Shipping to Hawaii MIGHT cost $400.

Forget it. I'll just keep building MB's, knowing that I'm not off MY deep end of the pool.

 

[5-7HEAVEN]

Adding up all the amounts i've spent, including purchase cost of the bike and sorting out problems to to give good reliability, plus cost of replacement parts and upgrades in the name of saftey, the dollar figure comes to just a bit under $3,500.

I haven't even started on the projects that are to be part of the upgrades, namely, an electric start and generator and electric motor combo.

By the time it's all said and done, i'll factoring in a figure of $5,000

Fabian

What bike and setup do you have?