How to make a China 2-stroke 48cc / 66cc last forever???

What is the point in having an engine last forever? When you can replace it so cheaply.
 
the point

the point is when you are in the middle of something or a long way from home and your engine quits.In my case I got to the place I wanted to go and then when I got back to the bike it froze up. I had to take the drive chain off and pedal it back home. I was not a happy camper.

I would give up some of my horsepower if it was a lot more reliable.

I usually have a spare engine "just in case" but I don't have one now.

Mike
 
(1) Make sure that you use blue loc-tite on all the nuts/bolts.
(2) Use rubber/leather (old belt?) mounts.
(3) Plastic intake manifolds are a NO NO!
(4) Make sure you have a few ignition modules/coils that actually work. My original fell apart, and I tried splicing the wires but couldn't ever find the ground wire?? Got a replacement motor, now that wire is rusted/corroded. I'm trying to replace the ignition coil without a new motor and I just can't find one that works (beyond just light sparking). I ordered 2 from a shop and neither of them worked, while the corroded one at least fired right up. Then somebody recommended I get a weedeater from WalMart that was in X to Z price range. I got the two in that price range and both of them have 54mm clutch drums and the fricking ignition module has different bolt holes!! BOTH OF THEM! They both took a torque screwdriver which took a good while with my awkward multi-tool. I even drove to another Walmart that had the "better" 33cc one in, because it simply wasn't an option at the first two stores. Both had the 54mm clutch drum and different mounting holes and area on the flywheel.


Long story short....

Use blue loctite on everything and make sure you can get replacement ignition modules READILY and EASILY. I've been looking for two fricking weeks!!! Three whole days, it seems, dedicated to adjusting non-functioning CDIs and/or disassembling and re-assembling weedeaters that just won't fit. I officially "turned" crazy today.
 
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(1) Make sure that you use blue loc-tite on all the nuts/bolts.
(2) Use rubber/leather (old belt?) mounts.
(3) Plastic intake manifolds are a NO NO!
(4) Make sure you have a few ignition modules/coils that actually work.

Long story short....

Use blue loctite on everything and make sure you can get replacement ignition modules READILY and EASILY. I've been looking for two fricking weeks!!! Three whole days, it seems, dedicated to adjusting non-functioning CDIs and/or disassembling and re-assembling weedeaters that just won't fit. I officially "turned" crazy today.

Now that is a hobby. Good luck getting it all to work. For me it is sounding like I should just get a used motorcycle. Yes more expensive at three times the cost for something good. Then need to read ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE.

Replacement engine is $200 to $300, then have to install it. If I paid someone (not a hobby) then it is $500 all said and done. Most hobbies cost at least $1000 to get started, then $500 every six months to maintain that hobby.
 
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My best advice is to trash the two stroke garbage from China, a 4 stroke even from China is far superior.
 
Now that is a hobby. Good luck getting it all to work. For me it is sounding like I should just get a used motorcycle. Yes more expensive at three times the cost for something good. Then need to read ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE.

Replacement engine is $200 to $300, then have to install it. If I paid someone (not a hobby) then it is $500 all said and done. Most hobbies cost at least $1000 to get started, then $500 every six months to maintain that hobby.

I don't have a Chinese 48cc or 66cc motor, so I can't comment on those, since those are what most people will be purchasing.

My 33cc motor came on my bike and I had a replacement motor/gearbox sent to me.

My only TRUE problem is the ignition coil, because it's "non-standard" on other 33cc motors of its size. The bolt holes on my coil ignition module are in a line parallel to the flywheel, whereas all the ignition modules I'm seeing have bolt holes that are at a right angle to each other. And... since it's from China, the replacement parts are just as likely to be shoddy.

Since the motors asked about in the OP actually have a more "advanced" CDI by member Jaguar here, I wouldn't be too concerned about this issue. It's really just my own problem, it seems. But it's h-e-l-l trying to figure out a solution. And when I do, I'll order 3 spares so I won't have to solve it again.
 
More important to me, than lasting forever, is that it be cost effective.
Since they are cheep enough, I wouldn't care if I needed to plug in a new motor each year, and recycle the old one.
rc
 
I guess at least there have been quite a few suggestions on increasing reliability. It's good to have them all in one thread I suppose. Thanks to all the suggestions!

For me, I had intended on doing a 4-stroke grubee on one bike and a 2-stroke china on the other. I kind of wanted to see how they both performed, myself. However, after all the research on these; I just can't bring myself to buy something, expecting it to be doomed within 600 miles. I know there are some "good ones" and all these changes mentioned here can also help. I suppose, the lower cost doesn't justify it's lower reliability to me.

@retromike3 I feel, hope, that most people would be willing to trade a lil' HP for reliability. I feel the same here.

@dougsr.874 from your earlier post about cheap replacement; I see one main drawback from the "just replace it...it's cheap" Idea. Mainly, if everyone replaces them, the china Mfg and importers just think "wow these are selling great, we don't have to change anything". I bet one chicken egg that if sales on the 2-stroke dried up, they would have a better quality engine imported quickly.
From your last reply, I totally agree. It seems (from reading) that the 4-stroke is the way to go. I suppose it would probably be cheaper, when looked at after a year or so.

A note too from grubee's website. I'm not sure now where I saw it; but I did find a warranty importing page on "china gas" (the company mfg'ing for grubee). On that page it stated that the company offered 2 versions; a official "labeled" engine that met US standard AND carried a warranty. The other version shipped blank and was OEM and did NOT meet with US standards for engines and therefore carried no warranty.
We are getting the OEM engines imported from Grubee so technically there is no warranty unless the seller eats the cost, I suppose. UGH!


@sparky
I'm not sure what engine you have, but I assume the 66cc? I believe most of the stores selling kits also sells the coils too. Here's one I found, are these what you need?

http://www.gasbike.net/product_97_detailed.html
http://www.gasbike.net/cdi-coil-super-rat.html


so I guess ultimately it will cost more (4-stroke or some other 2-stroke) to get one going reliably. For me I'm comparing the functionality of these to scooters (e.g. no license, street legalish). Even with the added cost, it seems, comparable to the China scooters; a worthwhile option. At least with the 4-strokes....

Thanks
 
How reliable does need to be?

I had a crash on my bike on Sunday (major road rash, dinged rib) I needed to get to the hospital on monday. I have a really hard time just walking around lately.(think stabbing pain in front left ribs). So I hopped on my motorbicycle and road it up to the hospital. I road though the suburbs and up some major steep hills and made it to the emergency room on my own. There was no way I could have got there on the light rail or bus and I don't have the funds to pay for a ambulance.

So now I have about three weeks minimum that I can't ride my road bikes and if I want to be some place then I have to take my motor bicycle. For right now it is reliable enough. I am just going to baby it for now and keep just putting to and from were I need to go. I have in the past gone mostly W.O.T. But I will see how it goes now just above idle.

mike
 
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