Which is better - to construct or buy whole bike with engine?

[John-Forrest]

I live in Amherst MA where there are a lot of bikes, bike lanes, and bike paths. I've been riding my regular bicycle a lot. I've had a Chinese motorcycle, a Tank Vision, which has turned out to be a real lemon, just sitting in the shop without parts.

I'm debating whether to purchase an engine and put it on bike - to just get whole thing put together. I'm not very good with tools and mechanics, so I'd have to get help to put engine and sprocket on. It'd probably be less expensive, since I can get bike local and ship engine in. Also, anoter advantage, is I'd know engine inside and out, so I could do my own repairs/diagnosis. Parts are probably easier to get that way, since these places provide parts.

Has anyone had experience with Zoombicycles. The engines are reasonably priced and he seems to provide all the parts. It's a place in British Columbia.

I've seen some very nice bikes on ebay that are already put together. One place I saw was was from a company called "Wonderful Creations"; another place is "WildFire Bicycles". I'd like to know if anyone knows about those or has had personal experience with them. Schiwnn has some bikes all put together. Some of those bikes look too good to be true; I certainly don't want to get another lemon with no support.

Well, if anyone has suggestions or personal experience with the companies I mentioned - let me know.

With rising gas prices, I have a feeling this is going to be a growing trend. They've already crossed that bridge in Europe and Asia - now it's America's turn!

John-Forrest Bamberger

 

[augidog]

I've had a Chinese motorcycle, a Tank Vision, which has turned out to be a real lemon

enuff sed...and you said it, not me.

do your homework...read and ask...read some more and ask some more...

welcome aboard

 

[Marktur]

Build it yourself - it's not that hard. Just invest in a good set of tools. Maybe one of the senior guys can point you to a list of tools you will need. For the install, you really only need a few simple tools - 10mm, 15mm wrenches, and a good phillips, and some needle-nose pliers as a minimum...but my personal list has grown as I find some tools work better than others. Over the years I've learned one really important lesson: No job is a hard job, if you have the right tools.

Once you buy or have built your bike, maintenance will be a piece of cake, and you will never be a "victim" (of a mechanic or bike shop) again. The sense of satisfaction of building your own bike is overwhelmingly good, too. For me, wrenching just takes the stress of the day away - I'm a computer guy during the day, backyard mechanic (for my motorized bike) in the evenings...seems I find something to tinker with just about every day - and I like that.

 

[CheazyRider]

Hey, Mark, I sure appreciate your enthusiasm and passion for MB-ing. You have a refreshingly positive outlook, and I get a vicarious kick out of how you're always trying out new gear.

John, I'm also new to this deal. I'm waiting for all the parts to arrive, so I can get on the road. I'm chomping at the bit. It's a great adventure, and "putting it all together" seems like at least half the fun.

 

[John-Forrest]

If I build the bike, I will probably need at least some assistance for drilling the holes or putting the sprocket on. I'm pretty inept mechanically, today I spent about a hour trying to attach a basket back to the frame. I do know someone in a scooter shop who would be interested in trying this out. However, I would like to put some of the components together and observe how it is done. Next year, we're probably going to see lots of thes bikes; I notice the engine shops are sold out lately.

One thing to think about is what kind of bike to get. I figure the brakes should be coasters or discs to handle the extra speed and weight. I don't know about gears, but it seems it'd work better if sprockets are where pedals are. Of course the frame should be big enough. There are those engines that fit on back luggage rack; for some reason, those don't look very well balanced to me.

 

[Esteban]

Since you have been " STUNG " once, by a Chinese import,, I think you would be better off getting better quality this time. The rear mount friction drive with a quality motor,[ Robin-Subaru, Honda, Mitsubishi, Tanaka, etc., ] is pretty well balanced & will give good service for miles. Much easier to mount than any other type kit, & easy to remove rear wheel to repair flats, etc.

 

[wmassregulators]

John, I can give you a hand with anything that is over your head. I will give you a call and we can set something up
Alan

 

[KilroyCD]

Welcome aboard John-Forrest. It sounds like you're still unsure if you want to build one or get a pre-built bike. Not knowing your budget, the Whizzer NE5 is a great option in a pre-built bike if it's something you can afford. New ones sell for around $1600, but you might be able to find a used one on eBay for a good bit less.
I've built two bikes with GruBee 48cc frame mount engines. There is a great amount of satisfaction in building your own, plus knowing the bike intimately like that does allow you to troubleshoot things a bit more easily. I've been quite lucky as mine have been etremely reliable over the past four years. I've never built a bike with a rack mount engine, but I understand they are available with more reliable angines than the little "China-fire" or "Happy-Time" engines.

 

[John-Forrest]

Thanks a lot for your support, folks. I've kind of narrowed down on getting this Wildfire Bicycle with 49cc engine built on (just got on auction for $400, not bad). It has a lot of important accessories such as lights, disc brake, splash guards, good kick stand, horn, etc. Engine is a bit slow but I think I have to watch my step with the state troopers in MA. I figure if engine doesn't work out, I can also repace with 80 cc in the future.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...o=CRX&its=S%2BI%2BSS&itu=ISS%2BUCI%2BSI&otn=4

I'd be curious if anyone has any direct experience with this company.

Thanks,
John

 

[sparky]

I bought a pre-assembled bike only because it was a folding motored bike with a dual freewheel, and shipping was cheap. $500 total, and I've had 90 days of support that I desperately needed. The box I got was ripped, and the throttle was broken. I got that, then my gearbox crudded out because I didn't realize it was dry. I didn't even realize I had a gearbox at first, and there was definitely nothing in the owner's manual about it (it was also supposed to come filled with gear oil). The block also cracked once right after I got the gearbox back, which I still can't figure out... but hopefully all should be well when I get the engine back. At least I only had to pay shipping one-way twice.

Anyway, thankfully I had a warranty, and my vendor wasn't flaky like some eBay vendors. It's one thing to ask for a pre-built folding motored bike to your door for $500 with a dual freewheeled hub and a handle on the engine case/mount to easily carry it away even if the engine's hot, and when mounted... it provides a nice handle for the back of the bike to carry up a flight of stairs. I can only imagine how awkward it is to pick a rack-mounted motored bike up. This one is cake. It comes with a dual-sided kickstand that balances on the back tire when the front one is off, and also balances on the front tire when the back one is off. It's amazing how that equilibrium state works out.

I feel like I got my money's worth, but I definitely have had plenty of work to do either way. I didn't like the stock crank flywheel for pedaling, so I changed that to a 44t since I don't have any hills to climb. Even when I got my replacement throttle, it also broke and the killswitch didn't work either. I also replaced the seat to something without the "horn". The only real complaint I've got with the bike is that it leaks gas from the tank. I hate that, but my friend had a scooter with a matching gas tank that he wasn't using. So, I'm using that, but I find it hard to believe somebody else would be as lucky as me in finding a plastic tank like this that seals properly and has a one-way valve. My point is that even with a pre-assembled bike, you're prolly gonna have minor issues with some components of the bike. You might want a "bench seat" or some different grips / throttle. I hated the twist-throttle, so I got an old brake lever, cut it almost in half, and now use it as a thumb throttle, like on a 4-wheeler. And as for the gas tank, I think that any Chinese engine you get will come with a leaky gas cap (this was most important for me since I have a folding bike that I'm trying to put in other people's cars/trucks).

I think what I bought suited me perfectly, but I don't know if everyone else will be as forgiving about the leaky gas tank. I also love how I bought another spare motor for $135, and a Robin/Subaru for $250... and they'll bolt right up. I love how I didn't have to drill/cut/fabricate anything for my first time. It was just up and running. Even tho, I've had a few problems... I've learned quite a bit and don't believe I'll be running into these same problems any time soon. Altogether, I paid about $1,000 for a folding bike that I didn't have to do too much to it, and two extra engines, one identical 2-stroke & one Robin/Subaru 4-stroke that bolt right up. Seems pretty good to me.

However, when I burn thru these engines... I'll be getting a Staton NuVinci kit for my first build, which should go a lot better for me since I've learned a tremendous amount from viewing this forum and learning general engine tips. Already having the motored bike experience & ability to make repairs to a motored bike should make building one a bit easier, IMO. I have quite an upgrade path to try all of these first hand before I die: 2-stroke -> 4-stroke -> NuVinci CVP hub -> GEBE -> E-bike... but with all the chain-driven applications, I couldn't much consider abandoning the dual freewheeled system found on my bike, also found on the NuVinci CVP. But others like the cheap $200 chengine kit as a good start... I'd rather jump over that and go straight to the NuVinci kit if I were gonna build a totally custom bike. Everybody's journey is different, just try to pick a good spot to jump in, then learn, acquire your motored bike tastes, and then pick another spot you want/need to jump to. There will be jumping... once you start, you just can't stop.