roughrider
Member
I do not wish to re-ignite the old debate…
Well, er, maybe I do.
The fact is, I decided to go with a 2 stroke for my first build, and that is despite my first impulse—a four stroke. So I'm a four stroke guy who's converted.
Here's why: 1, I just can't STAND the idea of how wide 4 stroke builds come out. I'm coming from a bicyclist's background, so width and weight are REALLY IMPORTANT! 2, contrary to the buzz, reliability is a function of the mechanic and the rider, not the engine. The deep study I have made of these Chinese 2 strokes has convinced me I can handle anything that goes wrong with them; more, I can make considerable improvements. I do not have that confidence with any of the 4 strokes. 3, the 2 stroke China Girls look really cool. The 4 strokes look… well, OK in the better builds, but only that. They don't just TOTALLY suck in the looks department. 4, CC for CC, two strokes just make more power with less weight. It's that simple. Facts talk, and BS walks.
But one selling point for the Chinese two strokes is that they are cheaper. That does not fly. By the time I was done ordering the mods and accessories, I'd spent just as much money as a basic four stroke kit.
But I ended up with a QUALITY 2 stroke kit rather than a cheapo 4 stroke build. First, I ordered a "Flaming Horse" from enginesonline.com. I wanted the kind that had the straight up and down spark plug, not the "slant." This accords with my understanding of the place the spark needs to be to get the proper fire. I got a 415 chain. I bought a spare muffler so I can experiment with an extension and various mods; plus, I've noticed that a lot of people have exhaust failures from engine vibrations. I also ordered a Jaguar CDI kit (which includes a hotter coil) and the NGK iridium plug. On top of that, I got a Sick Bike Parts engine hardware kit. The enginesonline stuff, with tax and shipping came out to just under $250.00. The Jag CDI kit was ~$75.00. Another ten (with shipping) for the plug, and fifteen for the SBP stuff brought the total up to $350.00. ALL that was with tax and shipping, of course. Real costs, not just advertised prices. Not cheap! Even so, I'm got the DELUXE 2 stroke kit (black, no less, with Allen head hardware, and quite a few spare parts) for the price of the CHEAPEST 4 stroke kit. But who knows what my additional costs will be?
I'm looking to do a Jaguar inspired series of tests for more bottom end torque. I don't really care about top speed. I need a torquey beast for pulling a trailer with camping gear in the mountains. Unladen, in the flats, I'd prefer a stoplight jumper. I'm gonna do intake and exhaust extensions for starters, starting with bone stock, followed by a series of cheap mods and tests. I won't even fire the engine up until I've broken it down and inspected every detail. (The enginesonline specs say that their motors already have good bearings and wrist pins. We'll see.)
So that's my first build design theory. This is all going onto a Schwinn bomber style frame, the only stock item being the frame. In another post, I'll put up the pix of the build. In the meantime I wait, impatiently.
With respect,
Rick
Well, er, maybe I do.
The fact is, I decided to go with a 2 stroke for my first build, and that is despite my first impulse—a four stroke. So I'm a four stroke guy who's converted.
Here's why: 1, I just can't STAND the idea of how wide 4 stroke builds come out. I'm coming from a bicyclist's background, so width and weight are REALLY IMPORTANT! 2, contrary to the buzz, reliability is a function of the mechanic and the rider, not the engine. The deep study I have made of these Chinese 2 strokes has convinced me I can handle anything that goes wrong with them; more, I can make considerable improvements. I do not have that confidence with any of the 4 strokes. 3, the 2 stroke China Girls look really cool. The 4 strokes look… well, OK in the better builds, but only that. They don't just TOTALLY suck in the looks department. 4, CC for CC, two strokes just make more power with less weight. It's that simple. Facts talk, and BS walks.
But one selling point for the Chinese two strokes is that they are cheaper. That does not fly. By the time I was done ordering the mods and accessories, I'd spent just as much money as a basic four stroke kit.
But I ended up with a QUALITY 2 stroke kit rather than a cheapo 4 stroke build. First, I ordered a "Flaming Horse" from enginesonline.com. I wanted the kind that had the straight up and down spark plug, not the "slant." This accords with my understanding of the place the spark needs to be to get the proper fire. I got a 415 chain. I bought a spare muffler so I can experiment with an extension and various mods; plus, I've noticed that a lot of people have exhaust failures from engine vibrations. I also ordered a Jaguar CDI kit (which includes a hotter coil) and the NGK iridium plug. On top of that, I got a Sick Bike Parts engine hardware kit. The enginesonline stuff, with tax and shipping came out to just under $250.00. The Jag CDI kit was ~$75.00. Another ten (with shipping) for the plug, and fifteen for the SBP stuff brought the total up to $350.00. ALL that was with tax and shipping, of course. Real costs, not just advertised prices. Not cheap! Even so, I'm got the DELUXE 2 stroke kit (black, no less, with Allen head hardware, and quite a few spare parts) for the price of the CHEAPEST 4 stroke kit. But who knows what my additional costs will be?
I'm looking to do a Jaguar inspired series of tests for more bottom end torque. I don't really care about top speed. I need a torquey beast for pulling a trailer with camping gear in the mountains. Unladen, in the flats, I'd prefer a stoplight jumper. I'm gonna do intake and exhaust extensions for starters, starting with bone stock, followed by a series of cheap mods and tests. I won't even fire the engine up until I've broken it down and inspected every detail. (The enginesonline specs say that their motors already have good bearings and wrist pins. We'll see.)
So that's my first build design theory. This is all going onto a Schwinn bomber style frame, the only stock item being the frame. In another post, I'll put up the pix of the build. In the meantime I wait, impatiently.
With respect,
Rick
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I'm not really interested in the same old debate either! I have noticed that there is some real innovation happening in high tech two strokes in the world though. One suspects a comeback is under way.
