salfter
New Member
Long time, no post...life got in the way. Back in 2007, I picked up a 4-stroke kit from someone who was selling them on eBay. Pre-install pix of the bike that received it and some post-install closeups are over in this thread. It's a 49cc Huasheng 4-stroke with what I think has come to be known as a Hoot gearbox.
The original gearbox used straight-cut teeth on the gears. It lasted maybe 200-250 miles before it ground itself into junk. After a few months sitting idle, I found a bolt-up replacement for it from another eBay seller, this time with helical-cut gears. On the first ride, it did seem quieter...sounds good, right? On the other hand, the small gear on the clutch was welded on with three tack welds. On a trip across town, the welds broke.
I left it with friends until I could get a truck over to haul it home.
It then sat in my garage for the next few years as life got in the way: started dating, found a girl, married her, learned that she had stage 4 cancer, helped out as best as I could through surgery, chemo, and other related nastiness...but it was too much for her and she passed a few months ago.
Now I have no excuse for not getting this thing running again. It needs a new gas tank as I had left it with fuel in the tank, and the 10% ethanol in it went to town on it...no problem, I've found several sources for a replacement. I've yanked the carburetor and cleaned it out, so that should be good to go. I also found someone at work who has a welder, so I figured I'd let him try welding the gear back onto the clutch. If it works, great; if not, I would've been in the market for yet another gearbox anyway.
The gearbox is put back together, and I think it'll work...for a while, at least. From what I've read of the posts that have been made in my extended absence, it would appear that what I have is the bottom of the barrel. A couple of belt-drive transmissions have turned up in the meantime, one from Grubee and another from EZ Motorbikes. If I end up replacing the gearbox I have now, which of these is least likely to cause trouble in the future? Which one would be the easiest to bolt up? Has anyone done this changeover, and if so, how did it go and where did you get your parts?
The original gearbox used straight-cut teeth on the gears. It lasted maybe 200-250 miles before it ground itself into junk. After a few months sitting idle, I found a bolt-up replacement for it from another eBay seller, this time with helical-cut gears. On the first ride, it did seem quieter...sounds good, right? On the other hand, the small gear on the clutch was welded on with three tack welds. On a trip across town, the welds broke.
I left it with friends until I could get a truck over to haul it home. It then sat in my garage for the next few years as life got in the way: started dating, found a girl, married her, learned that she had stage 4 cancer, helped out as best as I could through surgery, chemo, and other related nastiness...but it was too much for her and she passed a few months ago.
Now I have no excuse for not getting this thing running again. It needs a new gas tank as I had left it with fuel in the tank, and the 10% ethanol in it went to town on it...no problem, I've found several sources for a replacement. I've yanked the carburetor and cleaned it out, so that should be good to go. I also found someone at work who has a welder, so I figured I'd let him try welding the gear back onto the clutch. If it works, great; if not, I would've been in the market for yet another gearbox anyway.
The gearbox is put back together, and I think it'll work...for a while, at least. From what I've read of the posts that have been made in my extended absence, it would appear that what I have is the bottom of the barrel. A couple of belt-drive transmissions have turned up in the meantime, one from Grubee and another from EZ Motorbikes. If I end up replacing the gearbox I have now, which of these is least likely to cause trouble in the future? Which one would be the easiest to bolt up? Has anyone done this changeover, and if so, how did it go and where did you get your parts?
