How Many Miles Did You Get On Happy Time before the times became unhappy ?

Mountainman

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went into the search area -- didn't see anything

question -- estimate of miles ridden on your Happy Time before breakdown

type of breakdown -- rebuild or bought another ? cost to repair or replace ?

I have ONLY ridden 3 different MBs with Happy Times now

I find them interesting to say the very least

for me they sure do not seem to be consistent in the way they run

it seems kind of hard -- nailing it down -- how long do they usually run for ?

I have heard of everything from 0 miles to 5 thousand miles before repairs needed

how about you Happy Time riders -- care to share the HT experience ???

not wishing to put down the HT engines
let's face it -- for low cost of investment -- HTs = only MB engine just over 100 dollars
for one's who like to tinker either a little or a lot -- HTs seem to be there for them also
but -- it would be nice for new one's getting into MB riding
to at least have an average of miles expected from these little 2-strokes ???


ride the motor bike
 
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Mine broke many times. Some of that was due to not using locktite.... some of it was because the engine vibrated so much.

I had...
muffler baffle blow out..
most of the bolts shear off... (if you count each one this problem equaled many breakdowns)
clutch lever break...

I can't even remember all of the things that broke... some of them could have been avoided.

If I built another I would throw away all stock nuts, bolts, studs and buy strong Grade 8 hardware.

I would use locktite on everything from the start.

These two steps are really a MUST for anyone building one of these kits. There are other MUSTS, but these cannot be overlooked... unless you want to break down.
 
I totally agree with all that Macarollo has written above.
My Grubee 55cc Starfire - 1000kms engine holding studs sheared then they kept shearing until I learnt to make my own, at about 2000 kms the piston rings needed replacing and a total rebuild. At 3000 kms it seized when the con rod pulled the shaft out of the piston (gudgeon pin). That was a write off and I went over the handlebars and could have easily been killed. The next was a ZBox 70cc and it lasted about 1800 kms before the rings went and the con rod bearings. Then another 70cc which had ring problems and sounded rough as guts before it had done 500 kms. Then another 70cc ZBox that has always sounded rough as guts. Some had needle bearings and some just had the standard bush - both types were just as bad. Then I had a good sounding 70cc Zbox that I was so impressed with I put it away in a cupboard where it won't come to any harm. I have rebuilt 2 of the 70cc motors and I think they work but haven't used them. There are good ones and bad ones and I've built so many I know that it's just chance luck getting a good one. They are all badly engineered inside the cylinder but the really bad ones will never be any good. I still use them for simple trips but I can never rely on them and that is why I have the 4-stroke. It is so easy to keep running and it doesn't let me down. The 2-stroke is a beautiful little design but very poorly engineered and a dirty polluting little motor that needs to be improved in the combustion chamber. It would be an unbeatable motor if someone got the design ripped it off in India with some improvements (such as 8mm mounting studs - not 6mm) where the engineering skills are so much better. Alternatvely if Franco Morini or Tecumseh made an engine specially for bikes I would buy it regardless of cost. The HT is actually a very expensive engine when you factor in all the fixing and unreliability. Buying one is penny wise and pound foolish or whatever the dollar equivalent of that expression is. I still buy them for customers but I try and talk every person into buying the 4-stroke because I can't offer any warranty on the 2-stroke whereas I can safely warranty the 4-strokes for 12 months. Every so often there is a really good HT that goes on and on and I know that this is true about maybe 5% of them but 95% of them are total rubbish no matter who supplies them.
Some of Grubees early Starfires were pretty good but then they were attacked by quality fade. I'm told the batch now in stock in Sydney are really good and I'm tempted to get some because George, the supplier, will warranty them for me. He's a braver man than I am and I admire his confidence.
 
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just seems those shopping should be aware

at about 2000 kms the piston rings needed replacing and a total rebuild.

At 3000 kms it seized when the con rod pulled the shaft out of the piston (gudgeon pin). I went over the handlebars and could have easily been killed.

The next was a ZBox 70cc and it lasted about 1800 kms before the rings

Then another 70cc which had ring problems and sounded rough as guts before it had done 500 kms.

Then another 70cc ZBox that has always sounded rough as guts.

Some had needle bearings and some just had the standard bush - both types were just as bad.

Then I had a good sounding 70cc Zbox that I was so impressed with I put it away in a cupboard where it won't come to any harm.

I've built so many I know that it's just chance luck getting a good one.

They are all badly engineered inside the cylinder but the really bad ones will never be any good.

I still use them for simple trips but I can never rely on them and that is why I have the 4-stroke.

Alternatvely if Franco Morini or Tecumseh made an engine specially for bikes I would buy it regardless of cost.

The HT is actually a very expensive engine when you factor in all the fixing and unreliability.

Every so often there is a really good HT that goes on and on and I know that this is true about maybe 5% of them but 95% of them are total rubbish no matter who supplies them.

well Irish John -- you have laid out a lot of your HT experiences here
thank you from up top the mountain
and I think many who are looking to buy a motor for a bicycle
will thank you also -- after reading your comments

my concern is that ones buying these little 2-strokes
don't get there expatiations too high
and I think it should also be known to interested possible buyers of HT's
they may have to tinker a whole lot to keep running

I have a couple of friends that have them now
guy down the mountain sells them
I haven't seen two that run the same yet -- don't care for that
of 5 HT's -- shouldn't 3 at least run similar ?

one friend with less than 50 miles put a new carb on the other day
his bike is running so so now -- maybe at 70 to 80 %

ride the motor bike
 
Mine went a bit over 3 thousand miles before a bearing went out but that was entirely my fault. I was carrying a 2 ounce container for 2 stroke oil and poured it in every time I would show everyone up at the 4 dollar gas pumps. Not only was the 2 oz bottle too little for the nearly 1/2 a gallon tank but later after many tanks doing it like this I had discovered that my 2 oz container was actually 1 and 1.2 oz.
I'm rebuilding MOOP 2 and this time I'm gonna mix my 6 oz to a gallon at home and carry a spare already mixed bottle with me. No more gas station trips for MOOP 2.
There;s just something right addicting with this HT man. I love my Titan 4 strokes but MOOP 2 is special.
There's just something about this HT.
 
little outline -- if you don't mind

a bearing went out but that was entirely my fault.

There;s just something right addicting with this HT man.

I love my Titan 4 strokes but MOOP 2 is special.

There's just something about this HT.

problem -- mixed oil wrong

noted -- HT when running good is addicting -- something special


question -- how many miles on your HT now Large ?

ride the motor bike
 
I really shouldn't be posting an answer, since I can't give even a wild guess about average lifetimes.

But I agree that there's something special about the happy time engine.

Maybe they're not for everyone, but I'm pleased as punch with mine.
 
hmmmm

mine still going strong after 6700 k.m. and only did one re build on it after blowing a head gasket and that was only after 4800 k.m. , but at the time iwas riding through a snow storm and driving in 3/4 inches deep of snow. So at the time I was i was pushing my engine pretty hard at the time. but got it fixed 1 week later and it's still going strong right now. :cool:
 
well Irish John -- you have laid out a lot of your HT experiences here
thank you from up top the mountain
and I think many who are looking to buy a motor for a bicycle
will thank you also -- after reading your comments

my concern is that ones buying these little 2-strokes
don't get there expatiations too high
and I think it should also be known to interested possible buyers of HT's
they may have to tinker a whole lot to keep running

I have a couple of friends that have them now
guy down the mountain sells them
I haven't seen two that run the same yet -- don't care for that
of 5 HT's -- shouldn't 3 at least run similar ?

one friend with less than 50 miles put a new carb on the other day
his bike is running so so now -- maybe at 70 to 80 %

ride the motor bike

One problem with the information on this Forum is that is heavily weighted with excited and adulatory postings about the HT when the engines just aren't worthy of that level of praise. Even this thread is beginning to read like it has been infiltrated by Chinese govt spies trying to desperately shore up the price of HT shares.
Large's engine is a good one and I have no doubt about that and so is the other motor mentioned above but they are exceptions to the rule. The new guy trying to find out whether to get one for himself could be forgiven for thinking that this little engine is an engineering masterpiece after browsing through this Forum. The reality is very different to the picture painted on so many of these threads and I feel sorry for the casual browser whose expectations are falsely boosted by the adulatory HT postings he sees on MBc.
When it comes to the HT expectations are really only just resentments under construction - and the construction period is pretty short!
Yes there are good ones but it's a lottery and your chances of winning are certainly not high. It should also be said that prolonged fast riding at high revs, not W.O.T, will destroy these motors very quickly. That means that if you live in open country and do 20 mile runs frequently don't get an HT. You should stop to let the motor cool down every 15 mins - good excuse to take up smoking! These motors are built to run short bursts between traffic lights.
I would love these motors myself if only they were reliable but the certainly ain't that.
 
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looking like this may become a good thread for ones to read before buying a HT
at least letting them know what to expect -- approx odds ? approx milage ? approx ??

seems like the industy is lacking in the middle ground bicycle motor sales
thinking that a motor with some good quality for around 200 - 250 dollars
guaranteed to run for 5,000 miles
would be a big hit
that would be something to talk about in a different thread I guess

ride the motor bike
 
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