Any suggestions for a motor kit?

[TheNewbie]

I've been looking into a motorized bike for a little while now but I really have no idea where to start or which engines/kits to look at.

I plan to ride it about 13 miles round trip per day. 6.5 miles to work and then back again in the evening.

1) Are there any kits that you guys would recommend for me?

2) Are the kits in the $160 price range OK?

3) What do I get from spending more?

4) Is tehre anything that I should look for that one kit offers and another doesn't?

 

[bluegoatwoods]

Welcome aboard. My commute is just about identical to yours and I consider the MB to be the perfect vehicle for the job.

The $160 kits are okay. They're not high quality, by any means. But they're lovable. Maybe they're not for everybody; you gotta have commitment. But they're good.

All the same I'd be reluctant to actually recommend any particular motor and drive train. It really is an individual thing.

My advice would be to just keep on reading these threads. Click on any headline that looks interesting and read until you finish or lose interest. Then click on another one.

In very little time you'll feel that you're getting to know the options available and you'll start to form your own ideas of just what bike and motor that you actually want.

So read, read and read. You'll enjoy it.

 

[HeadSmess]

the 2 stroke HT kit. around 160 dollars, size dependent.

capacity? who cares. im a 48cc man, others like the 66.

easy to mount, easy to use, requires mixing oil and some degree of mechanical aptitude to install properly and keep running properly. but still basic knowledge. paying more just usually means that someone has a bigger profit margin. then again, being really tight can lead to buying a lemon which is a bad economy.

the skyhawks are a good engine, regardless. the black engines. they just seem better built all round.


2 strokes like ryobi/brushcutter affairs. usually restricted to friction drives, which do not work in the wet! this includes the odd patch of dew in the early mornings. one has to mount them somehow. tricky.

4 strokes? cost more. none are specifically built for bicycles, so are awkward. mounted between the pedals, they are wide and personally i cant stand them. on a rack mount, they are perfect, if maybe a bit top heavy. options? the gebe drive or a homemade rack. spending more in this regard means you have a reliable gearbox and setup that wont fail you and wont need a weeks labour to get operating correctly! steer clear of the cheap fourstroke kits unless its the only way to buy a cheap spare engine...

but, the fourstrokes require minimal attention/maintenance, run nice and quietly, are smooth with plenty of torque... dont smoke or spray unburnt oil everywhere. other than road grit, they stay fairly clean.

 

[TheNewbie]

capacity? who cares. im a 48cc man, others like the 66.

I'm assuming the larger displacement will have a little more power/higher top speed... What’s the practical difference?

the skyhawks are a good engine, regardless. the black engines. they just seem better built all round.

Thanks!

 

[HeadSmess]

the 48cc is just what i prefer. ports are usually ok as is, etc etc.

from what ive seen of the 66, and what everyone says, theres a bit of disparity between exhaust port and piston... it never completely opens, things like that. it doesnt mean its bad, it just has more room to work with they need porting to realise the potential of the extra capacity?

but out of the box they should be more grunty, yes. mine wasnt therefore i stay with 48cc

and on that note, the 66 was meant to be a 50cc when i odered it. the false economy route. got the cheapest engine i could find on ebay. it didnt last a week.

the only concern with the skyhawk motor, if you start collecting these and playing with them, is that the piston looks to be different to whats fitted to all the other 48s from other suppliers. this may mean a different "deck height". i havent had a reason to take the skyhawk apart yet to find out. i swear ive seen it mentioned somewhere here though...

 

[TheNewbie]

My plan was to ride it stock for the rest of the summer and then this winter tear it open to tinker and do some porting, deck the heads, etc...

With that in mind it sounds like the 66cc might be the way to go for now.