n00b here! I was wondering.....

[Mindkeyper]

Hello everybody I just registered for this site, I live in St. Louis, and really the main reason I registered is because I just ordered the Black Jet 66cc engine kit at PistonBikes, and I am wondering how everyone's experience has been with them. I have read a few bad experiences, and also very good experiences, but those were all transactions from a while ago.

So, what does everybody think of PistonBikes?!
Please share your experience.

 

[Anton]

G'day mate and welcome to the forum!

You can see a review for them here: https://motoredbikes.com/threads/piston-bikes-reviews.31082/

 

[Tyler6357]

Mod China Girls

You might consider moding your engine before you install it to get the most out of it. Check this out

 

[Sidewinder Jerry]

Here are important questions to consider when building for yourself or others:

1) What is the predominant riding terrain?
2) What type of physique does the primary rider have?
3) What will the rider's local laws allow them to have?
(Lookup and personally read these laws.)
4) What kind of bike is being motorized?
5) What is the bike to be used for?
6) How much of a budget is to be used for the build?

Seek the answers to these questions in order to get the most out of the bike you're building. We're here to help with any questions you may have. Good luck with your build.

 

[Mindkeyper]

Awesome thanks everybody!!
After calling the 800 number countless times with them giving me the run-around and After waiting 4 days for the engine to ship they finally sent it today! :sweat drop: [thats a relief] and I cannot wait until it gets here!
Tyler I am very intrigued by that tutorial, and I feel like that will be a HUGE help.
This will be my first time installing an engine on a bike and feel like this forum will be a lifesaver
THANK YOU HUMANITY FOR INTERNET!!

Thank you everybody for the advice!

 

[Tyler6357]

Awesome thanks everybody!!
After calling the 800 number countless times with them giving me the run-around and After waiting 4 days for the engine to ship they finally sent it today! :sweat drop: [thats a relief] and I cannot wait until it gets here!
Tyler I am very intrigued by that tutorial, and I feel like that will be a HUGE help.
This will be my first time installing an engine on a bike and feel like this forum will be a lifesaver
THANK YOU HUMANITY FOR INTERNET!!

Thank you everybody for the advice!

China Girls are made of cheap poor quality parts. Quality control standards are very poor. Some engines might be built perfectly to spec while the next one on the line might be way off. It's really a **** shoot. Hardware like screws and bolts often times are so poorly made that they arrive stripped, it is best to replace this stuff with solid hardware. These bikes vibrate quite a bit and it is good to tighten things up before long trips (carry a few small tools with you on the road). Also, to reduce vibration I used some rubber for everything that mounts to the bike frame. This will protect the paint and reduce vibration. I used an old inter-tube and just cut pieces to mount the engine and other stuff. Good Luck!

 

[Cavi Mike]

Lots of info on these engines here - the 48, 49 and 66cc version. We call them "chinas" or "china girls" so if you come across that term in your searches, that's what we're talking about. The 66cc version doesn't like to rev but it will and typically blows itself up. They're not well balanced. Keep the revs down and you should be alright but don't be fooled, these are very cheap engines all around. Cheaply made with half-assed engineering, nothing special by any means but parts are cheap and abundant and so is the wealth of knowledge and experience with them.

 

[motorpsycho]

here we go again with the question "how good is an engine from xxx"?
i'm telling you, the vendors who sell these china engines are just drop shippers.
they do not build or manufacture the engines.
sure some may claim that they tear down and re-build them with better parts (which i do not think is a lie in some cases) but MOST vendors use that as a marketing campaign to get your business.
you'll pay $249.00 (or more) for the same engine kit from a "Named" vender, vs. buying the same engine from a no name vendor for about 1/2 the price.
yes, customer service and warranty also come into play here and some no name vendors don't offer either one of those.
BUT, In my opinion, I think that the warranties and customer service is just a run around 1/2 the time in some cases.
This is just my opinion, and I feel that you will get the same engine kit cheaper from an e-bay vendor than you will get from a named vendor.
why spend double the money when you are buying the same thing?
yes, a lot of people will say "because of the warranty and because of the customer service that's offered."
I have personally bought 4 engine kits from no name vendors, and these engines that i have are exactly the same. ALL 4 of them perform flawlessly, all of the parts were in the kits and nothing was broken. I've had good luck buying kits off e-bay, but it's still a **** shoot no matter who you buy from.
there are good china engines and there are bad china engines, there's no way around it.