how reliable are motorized bikes just got a new kit and now it wont start

[KCvale]

(Off Topic) KC are you going to build another black "Dream Machine"? How much do you charge? Would like to purchase one in the near future.
http://kcsbikes.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=927

Color choice is yours.

I built these 2 this month.

The green one has an SA 5-speed internal shifter and springer fork, the blue one is a 7-speed derailleur and stock triple trees.

They take a couple weeks to build and ~$1500 depending on what you want on it but I only have enough 10G parts to do 5 more this year and keeping it local, sorry.

 

[Randall]

Color choice is yours.

I built these 2 this month.

Ohhhhh, okay thanks. Maybe I can build one on my own.

The green one has an SA 5-speed internal shifter and springer fork, the blue one is a 7-speed derailleur and stock triple trees.

They take a couple weeks to build and ~$1500 depending on what you want on it but I only have enough 10G parts to do 5 more this year and keeping it local, sorry.

 

[Steve Best]

Are you powering anything with the white wire? These engines are not like a real engine they break all the time , I think that's the reason we like them so much haha

Ha! It's not like most of us are real mechanics putting these things together you know!
I managed to get over a thousand miles out of mine, flogging it to speeds and power over half again what they are designed for.

So how would I have done if I had gone 4-stroke?
Well, I wouldn't have been able to double the power without buying a lot of expensive parts. I might gain 10% but not likely any more.

All the stripped, loose and broken bolt problem that happen to the 2 stroke would happen to the 4 stroke also because the root cause is operator inexperience with a wrench and hardware. Harsh? It is, but understand the reality. What about 2 stroke oil failures? If you cannot mix (or change) oil and buy the cheapest oil going, you will eventually have the same luck with a 4 stroke.

Your failures are not "bad luck" or bad design. They are the result of poor assembly and care.
If you get KC Vale to put a 4 stroke bike together and follow his advice, it WILL last longer.
Build it yourself and care for it as you do, and you will have the same "luck" you are having with a 2 stroke.

I guess my advice, similar to KC Vale, is to learn to do things right and look after your machine.
If you do, your "luck" will improve greatly.

Steve

 

[zippinaround]

I a

Ha! It's not like most of us are real mechanics putting these things together you know!
I managed to get over a thousand miles out of mine, flogging it to speeds and power over half again what they are designed for.

So how would I have done if I had gone 4-stroke?
Well, I wouldn't have been able to double the power without buying a lot of expensive parts. I might gain 10% but not likely any more.

All the stripped, loose and broken bolt problem that happen to the 2 stroke would happen to the 4 stroke also because the root cause is operator inexperience with a wrench and hardware. Harsh? It is, but understand the reality. What about 2 stroke oil failures? If you cannot mix (or change) oil and buy the cheapest oil going, you will eventually have the same luck with a 4 stroke.

Your failures are not "bad luck" or bad design. They are the result of poor assembly and care.
If you get KC Vale to put a 4 stroke bike together and follow his advice, it WILL last longer.
Build it yourself and care for it as you do, and you will have the same "luck" you are having with a 2 stroke.

I guess my advice, similar to KC Vale, is to learn to do things right and look after your machine.
If you do, your "luck" will improve greatly.

Steve

I agree care and attention saves the day! I'm not a mechanic but I am always diagnosing problems in passing traffic , a good ear helps a lot .

 

[KCvale]

Ha! It's not like most of us are real mechanics putting these things together you know!
I managed to get over a thousand miles out of mine, flogging it to speeds and power over half again what they are designed for.

So how would I have done if I had gone 4-stroke?
Well, I wouldn't have been able to double the power without buying a lot of expensive parts. I might gain 10% but not likely any more.

Nope, not many performance enhancements for small 4-stroke engines, but gears more than make up for that, my 4-stroke shifter all do over 40mph.

All the stripped, loose and broken bolt problem that happen to the 2 stroke would happen to the 4 stroke also because the root cause is operator inexperience with a wrench and hardware. Harsh? It is, but understand the reality.

Inexperience with mechanical things is certainly a major factor, but the tools on hand is just as important.
A non-mechanical guy won't have a good tool set to start with.
Its hard to do anything without the right good tool for the job, heck, I have ~$1500 invested in good tools so I always have the right one for the job at hand and that's the rub for DIYers, you just can't build anything right with just a cresent wrench and pliers.