4-stroke bike project

[Irish John]

You might be right

Yes Cooltoy you could be right. I'll try it on the flat to see if it does it there too. Think I may need to use a 48 tooth sprocket & not the 44 tooth.
Could drill two more holes in the baffles which would give it a lot more grunt but I can't stand the noise - especially from a HT engine.

 

[Irish John]

Latest Cruiser Project

Hi Guys, Here is my Schwinn Cruiser with the 70cc HT mounted. The 4-stroke is on its way from Montana to Australia so this build will be short lived cos the bike is going to get the 4-stroke Honda as soon as it arrives.
I did a special paint job on the tank to match the frame.
The quality fade on this HT motor is frightening. Chain had links of varying lengths (as did last 3 chains), Carby piston is plastic instead of brass, throttle is nylon instad of alloy, no grommet supplied for cable hole in magnet casing, brass bolts now galv steel plus a host of other nasty little cut corners. Oh, yes, the drive sprocket is too badly machined to use but that happens 25% of the time these days. Time to give these nasty little motors the flick for something made properly.

 

[SirJakesus]

Ack, I would have hoped with all of the happytimes problems manufacturers would be doing something to improve them, not cut even more corners.

 

[fetor56]

Pity to hear the quality control standards are getting even worse and the kits are getting even more cheaply made.Geez how much cheaper can they get....fools are defeating their own purpose.
Your bike looks great though...infact one of the best i've ever seen.A friend is looking at puchasing the Alloy 7 and i might just join him.This 4-stroke kit from Montana...can u give ALL the details about it please?

 

[Irish John]

4-stroke kit

Pity to hear the quality control standards are getting even worse and the kits are getting even more cheaply made.Geez how much cheaper can they get....fools are defeating their own purpose.
Your bike looks great though...infact one of the best i've ever seen.A friend is looking at puchasing the Alloy 7 and i might just join him.This 4-stroke kit from Montana...can u give ALL the details about it please?

The kit is available from
http://www.bicycle-engines.com/4stroke-engine-kits-c-2.html?osCsid=9caa10729d028bec36cc39f8c8fbe5c2
They sell the Grubee kit but only have the Chinese Hua Sheng F142 49cc 4 stroke engine which is quite clearly a rip-off of the Honda GXH 50. The engine is so cheap I'm getting one anyway but I'm hoping it will stay in a cupboard and serve as a stand-by for emergencies should the Honda breeak down. Honda 50s have indeed been known to break or so John at Crescent Head Cycles has informed me: http://www.macleaycbd.com.au/cycles.html
but I think that they are bound to be much superior to the Chinese copies.
I expect to get a long life out of my Chinese 4-stroke by keeping it locked in a cupboard. I fully expect it to last a couple of years at least sitting in the dark and going nowhere.
bicycle-engines.com assure me that the tray in their kit will take a Honda GXH50 as well as the Chinese copy but I'll wait and see before believing. The chain tensioner is the usual crud we know so well from HT kits. All the fastening bolts are Chinese steel and will be consigned to the dustbin immediately upon arrival. I'll probably not use the tank if it's an ugly shape and stick with the custom-painted one in my picture above.
I'm hoping the drive sprockets and gears are machined better than the HT ones. I won't know until next week but I'll let you know what the quality is like. The HT engine reminds me of that Remington shaver advert where the guy says he was so impressed with his shaver that he bought the company.
I can see him saying he was so unimpressed with his HT motor that he bought the company, sacked everybody and shut it down!!

 

[fetor56]

The kit is available from
http://www.bicycle-engines.com/4stroke-engine-kits-c-2.html?osCsid=9caa10729d028bec36cc39f8c8fbe5c2
They sell the Grubee kit but only have the Chinese Hua Sheng F142 49cc 4 stroke engine which is quite clearly a rip-off of the Honda GXH 50. The engine is so cheap I'm getting one anyway but I'm hoping it will stay in a cupboard and serve as a stand-by for emergencies should the Honda breeak down. Honda 50s have indeed been known to break or so John at Crescent Head Cycles has informed me: http://www.macleaycbd.com.au/cycles.html
but I think that they are bound to be much superior to the Chinese copies.
I expect to get a long life out of my Chinese 4-stroke by keeping it locked in a cupboard. I fully expect it to last a couple of years at least sitting in the dark and going nowhere.
bicycle-engines.com assure me that the tray in their kit will take a Honda GXH50 as well as the Chinese copy but I'll wait and see before believing. The chain tensioner is the usual crud we know so well from HT kits. All the fastening bolts are Chinese steel and will be consigned to the dustbin immediately upon arrival. I'll probably not use the tank if it's an ugly shape and stick with the custom-painted one in my picture above.
I'm hoping the drive sprockets and gears are machined better than the HT ones. I won't know until next week but I'll let you know what the quality is like. The HT engine reminds me of that Remington shaver advert where the guy says he was so impressed with his shaver that he bought the company.
I can see him saying he was so unimpressed with his HT motor that he bought the company, sacked everybody and shut it down!!

I can't guarantee much in life but i do guarantee if u keep that Hua Sheng resting in the cupboard indefinately it'll last a lifetime..maybe even 2 lifetimes.
I've emailed bicycle-engines.com in the past about their kits and they've never responded(possibly email probs)
I'll try again and see what happens cos i wouldn't mind a mounting kit(no engine) price.Please,like u said,let me know the quality when yours arrives....thanks man.
BTW...Scottm just bought one of Dax's Titan motors so it would be interesting to see how they all compare....Honda/Hua Sheng/Titan drag through the hills.

 

[Irish John]

My 4-stroke has arrived

I got the kit from the boys on Bozeman, Montana the other day. Freight from US is ridiculous price compared to freight from Europe. The Grubee gearbox looks well enough made but they include a bolt to replace the one installed (wonder why they can't fix it at source). Got a full length exhaust because the standard one looks too much like the HT one I've grown to hate.
I took the gear wheels out and coated them with marine grease called MTP by Rock Oil UK. It's a thick, very tacky, white lithium grease for marine hubs etc and I've found it was really good on the HTs cog wheels - 100% better than other grease I tried which was thrown off when it got really hot. Been told it might not be heavy enough but I'll see. The wet gearbox idea doesnn't appeal to me because of having to seal the box casing and replace it when I need to lean out the gear box. Why can't Grubee make it leakproof?
I will try the twin brake lever thingy but am not expecting too much. The engager has to be held back to engage the final drive sprocket which also annoys the **** out of me. As for the chinese engine I'm yet to find out but the sight of it fills me with loathing because of my experience with chinese products. Spare parts are a problem with US freight charges. I've ordered a Honda engine which I'm told will fit the grubee gearbox without modifications.
The tank is an ugly duckling so I'll keep the HT tank which is better looking although smaller capacity.
I have thrown out all the horrid bolts and studs that came with the mounting tray and replaced them with steel that conforms to international standards (I'm angry that even think they can supply bolts like that let alone are allowed to risk life and limb by actually doing it). The chinese bolts that were attached to engine base were already bent when the kit arrived (Fed Ex don't pay baggage handlers very well).
So soon it will all be assembled and I will find out what speed it will cruise comfortably at. I got the 56 tooth sprocket with the kit but will use a 48 tooth I have from before. Could use a 44 tooth but not sure if it would be too much for the engine.
I can't see anything to help me hold the exhaust downpipe and muffler on to the frame but there is something in the kit which is probably meant for that purpose but that too is too pathetic to even consider. I'll make my own straps from stainless steel sheet. There are several reasons to shoot the manufacturers but I'm going to try and ignore them.
I'm told the main stadium at the Beijing Olympics is made from smelted down recycled HT engines and might not be very safe when its put under full loading later this year!
Any advice from those who've gone before me would be gratefully appreciated and especially about the grease I've used

 

[ocscully]

HoughMade tells how to reverse the action on the Grubee gearbox engager here: http://www.motoredbikes.com/showthread.php?t=9187

ocscully

 

[Irish John]

HoughMade tells how to reverse the action on the Grubee gearbox engager here: http://www.motoredbikes.com/showthread.php?t=9187

ocscully

Thanks Oscully, I've seen that already. Looks like the cable clips the leg every time the pedal is turned. There must be a better way and Grubee should have thought of it a long time ago. Using a noodle from a v-brake might work but it still sticks out too far. Can't see the z shaped thing that is referred to. Is that the bracket that is now screwed onto the gear casing?

 

[HoughMade]

It stickout until you put the cable in some metal tubing and bend it in about a 1 inch radius....but I'm sure there are better ways.