Eho35

[Old Bob]

The oil pick up is a rubber tube with a brass weight on the end. The hoses crack and break off at the nipple and the engine doesn't not get oil.

They advertise as having an iron liner or some adverts claim the bore is chromed, it is neither, it is plain aluminum.

The flywheel is mounted far away from the bearing and will get harmonic vibrations at certain rpm. It is also not very safe at the rpm the Honda can run safely. Honda can run 10,000 I would not trust the flywheel to stay on the crankshaft on the EHO engines if it wasn't partially supported by the clutch bell used in some applications.

The overall look and finish of engine parts such as the piston could use improvements such as deburring after machining.The lack of deburring only leads to metal particles in the crankcase.

The oil system of check balls is prone to failure from brinelling of the ball seats and are known to get stuck from sludge/carbon deposits and stops oiling.
I think thats enough reason to stay away from them, the Honda has none of these issues.

 

[Wheres my dog]

The oil pick up is a rubber tube with a brass weight on the end. The hoses crack and break off at the nipple and the engine doesn't not get oil.

They advertise as having an iron liner or some adverts claim the bore is chromed, it is neither, it is plain aluminum.

The flywheel is mounted far away from the bearing and will get harmonic vibrations at certain rpm. It is also not very safe at the rpm the Honda can run safely. Honda can run 10,000 I would not trust the flywheel to stay on the crankshaft on the EHO engines if it wasn't partially supported by the clutch bell used in some applications.

The overall look and finish of engine parts such as the piston could use improvements such as deburring after machining.The lack of deburring only leads to metal particles in the crankcase.

The oil system of check balls is prone to failure from brinelling of the ball seats and are known to get stuck from sludge/carbon deposits and stops oiling.
I think thats enough reason to stay away from them, the Honda has none of these issues.

Old Bob,

Let me say I have over 600 MILES on my EHO35 without a single issue what so ever!

That little puppy is powerful and hums along at cruising speed!

 

[Old Bob]

I've worked on both the Honda and Robin since they were introduced. I maintained hand held power equipment for a rental outlet and serviced customer equipment. I've seen a lot "high mileage" equipment roll (dragged)through the maintenence dept.

You would have to ride 6000 miles to see about the amount of hours an rental machine gets in 3-4 years.

 

[Happy Valley]

Well, speaking about Robin engines I'll chime in. I have one engine with over 400 hours logged on the hr/tach. I figure a conservative mileage estimate would be 7000 miles put on a couple different bikes with it over several seasons. I tend to be meticulous with maintenance and frequent oil changes but it's still running all original parts and running well.

There's several long distance MBers that have passed through these pages using Robins.

Hall of Fame MBer and long ride enthusiast Bamabikeguy (RIP) traveled from Alabama to Colorado and back on an MB, a 5000 mile summer with no engine issues. On another occasion "Bama put 1100 miles on a Robin powered MB in one shot over a couple weeks traveling around the southeast US. Those trips are renown and in the archives.

Also Slackbiker with a Robin powered FD has recorded some incredible trips here, traveling the inter-mountain western US from his base in New Mexico up through the mountains to Idaho among other destinations. Maybe he'll chime in but his travels are well documented in these pages also. They are a great read with lots of pics.

 

[Old Bob]

I tend to be meticulous with maintenance and frequent oil changes but it's still running all original parts and running well.

Thats a key part of getting good service life out of any unit.I would still tear it down and replace that rubber tube.Check the crank bearings especially the pto end bearing and seal.

 

[lowracer]

I have a Robin EH035 & run the **** out of it. Never had an issue & starts on the 1st pull everytime. I change the oil regularly & thats it.
I've had it hooked up to V-Belt drive & got 36 mph & now hooked up to a friction drive @ 32 mph.
I highly recommend this Japanese engine!
-Lowracer-