The term pot metal refers to the method of casting.
China likes to melt there metal, aluminum, with other mystery metals, Then they poor that into a sand mold. It cures and you have your part. That is what pot metal is and yes the HT kits are pot metal. They are not cnc metal.
It's a quick and cheep way to mass produce parts. If they used better metals it would not be so much an issue. Your cylinder and other internals are forged or cnc.
whoa, whoa, whoa. lets not give the chines too much credit now.. these engines are all pot metal. i wish i could get a head in aluminum. wont happen........
The ignorance is amazing, simply amazing.
The term "pot metal" is not method of casting.
"other mystery metals" - care to back up the statement with some facts?
These bicycle engines are not all pot metal, so stop spreading the bullshyte. I need to remember to put on my hip boots before I visit this forum.
While the HT engines are poorly finished on the outside, the main parts like the piston, bore finish, bearings, seals and gears seem to be of decent quality. I have a BoyGoFast engine disassembled on my workbench and while the cylinder has bent fins and a rough cast finish, the bore is nicely chrome plated, the port edges are chamfered and there is a nice crosshatch pattern from finish honing. The drive gears are steel, and the teeth are nicely machined. Any engine needs a certain amount of precision machining just to even run. The difference between new and worn out parts are mere thousands of an inch. The way some people talk about them, you would think they are put together with rocks and stone chisels.
Chances are, everyone here has some "high tech" piece of equipment that was built in China. (My IBM ThinkPad was made there) Companies there are capable of producing very high quality products, so don't paint all the products and people with the same broad brush. I own a Lifan motorcycle (made in China) and it is good quality with a very affordable price tag. I plan on buying one of their other models!