how far can you go on a 2stroke motorised bike

[Skyliner70cc]

Rough,
I purchase Sig degummed 1st press castor oil by the gallon. I then mix it with the cheapest 2 stroke oil I can find at Walmart. Sometimes its Yamalube, sometimes its Pennzoil, but most of the time its Supertech 2 stroke oil.

How much oil I use and what ratio of castor/non-castor oil I use depends on the upcoming ride. If I ride on bike trails in the city then I burn 50:1 and use 20% castor. If I intend to ride very slow up steep hills in the mountains then I'll burn 32:1 and may go 50% castor on these blends. if I intend to go on a long cross country ride on smooth dirt roads and asphalt then I'll burn 32:1 and run 20-25% castor.

I pay $23/gallon for pure castor and about $13/gallon for cheap 2 stroke oil.

Optilube isn't anything special except its marketing gimmicks about being attracted to heat and it being having a eutectic mumbo jumbo blend. Its a very viscous oil and has very little solvent carriers versus other oils. Less solvent carrier means more lubricating oil and less you have to mix with gas for desired effect. There isn't anything special about it.

If you are comforable with 20:1, go ahead and use what you want. I've neve run 20:1 even when my engine was new and never had any problems.

 

[roughrider]

Method? Science? Procedure?

OK. Skyliner and V35? I'm listening. I appreciate your input!

What I get is that you can't HURT your engine by running too rich. And by "rich" I mean your gas/oil ratio. At worst, you will just lose power.

Unfortunately, the term "rich" also means your air/fuel mix. It's too bad our terms are confusing, but there you go. Yet, I get that Maxima Castor 927 is great ****e. (At $70.00 a gallon, it better be!)

Backing off, getting more theoretical, if you are running a lot of oil in your gas mix, you are actually running a LEAN air/fuel mix, so you may need a bigger jet. I get that. I know. Not a lot of people do. That's what I have. At 20:1, I need a pretty large main jet for the engine to run smoothly at full throttle. This I know from many, many tests. I also know that running the extra oil keeps my engine a LOT cooler, but I lose top speed. I can feel the heat in the engine when I touch it, and I have a speedo. I'm OK with that. After all, it is better to finish last in a race than to not finish at all.

So my current situation is an engine that runs well and cool, but maybe lacks top power. I know I can increase the speed and acceleration by running less oil and a smaller main jet. I can HEAR, and, FEEL, the engine whining and straining even when my speedo says, "Oh Yeah!"

I guess what I'm asking is how to find out where the "sweet spot" is in a methodical way. I will not sacrifice reliability for speed. That must be accepted as given. Also, I'm needing to be persuaded that 32:1--or more--mix won't leave me stranded somewhere between Bakersfield and Los Angeles with an engine with a fried top end.

Right now, using a 927 mix with good oil and a slightly rich main jet, I can cruise for hours in the flats without my engine overheating, and my spark plug is a nice, tan color. It ain't broke! Maybe I don't need to fix it!

If anyone can recommend a nice, scientific way for a nerd like me to determine the correct oil/fuel mix, I'd love it.

Cheers,
Rick

 

[geebt48cc]

Rick, I would just try to play it safe. You said it all when you say, "It ain't broke! Maybe I don't need to fix it!" I've found that there are so many different combos of ratios????????????? The way I see it, as long as motor performs well, I would stick with the richer of the so many evils!!!~

I'm sure thats the reason that you get so many opinions is there are so many different locations,temps,etc. Uno, just as long as your doing castor with a reputable synthetic ratio, your good to go!~ Really, when it comes to ratios, is all just good common sense.

Double cheer,

Glen

 

[roughrider]

Chef vs Cook

Rick, I would just try to play it safe. You said it all when you say, "It ain't broke! Maybe I don't need to fix it!" I've found that there are so many different combos of ratios????????????? The way I see it, as long as motor performs well, I would stick with the richer of the so many evils!!!~

I'm sure thats the reason that you get so many opinions is there are so many different locations,temps,etc. Uno, just as long as your doing castor with a reputable synthetic ratio, your good to go!~ Really, when it comes to ratios, is all just good common sense.

I hear you loud and clear, Glen. It's just that--now--I have a mechanical itch I need to scratch.

I spent a few years of my life working as a cook in a lot of nice restaurants. Among the many fine cuisineers I worked worked with, I would only occasionally find the type who went beyond the "recipe." Why? Because he (or she) UNDERSTOOD the chemistry, the principles, the variations in ingredients and conditions... You get the idea. Such a one was a true chef, not just a cook.

How much oil I use and what ratio of castor/non-castor oil I use depends on the upcoming ride. If I ride on bike trails in the city then I burn 50:1 and use 20% castor. If I intend to ride very slow up steep hills in the mountains then I'll burn 32:1 and may go 50% castor on these blends. if I intend to go on a long cross country ride on smooth dirt roads and asphalt then I'll burn 32:1 and run 20-25% castor.

Now, see, this is a good example of that quality that gets beyond a cook. It shows understanding. I'm trying to dig that. That's all.

At this point, I'm really just trying to figure out a methodical way to test various mixes without frying my engine. I have a "cookbook recipe." It works. But I am SURE I can improve on it.

 

[roughrider]

Just a little follow up...

Thanks to the combined wisdom of the gurus here (Jaguar, Fabian, Geebt48cc,) I have managed to get the purrrrfect mix. My bike runs so cool now, I discovered that I had to run her really, really hard just to even get the motor hot. For a while, I was wondering why I seemed to be experiencing a loss in top speed and this odd fast then slow surge.

Answer: Warm her up.

Problem: She runs so dang cool!

Relevant: How long can you run a two-stroke? Forever. But you gotta get her tuned. This Saturday, I'm taking her on a 40 mile trip in the hills up as steep a grade as the US offers. We shall see!

 

[ant797]

good stuff thanks for the reply

 

[geebt48cc]

Rick,Rick, you go BIG GUY!!!!~ Sounds fun!~ Yeah, you'll do fine on trip. Key is, just to watch what everybody else does.

Listen, sense bike is newer, do the obvious pre-flight stuff with bike. Remember to torque that head right at 12, in a Z pattern, PSI in tires, and lube /tighten chain. Man, wish I was going.................

All the best!~

Glen


PS- You'll also need to look into getting some SLIME for your tubs. Uno, a little more insurance on flats, when your out.

 

[roughrider]

Rick,Rick, you go BIG GUY!!!!~ Sounds fun!~ Yeah, you'll do fine on trip.

Put a hundred twenty miles on her in two day's riding. Yep. Worked fine. Only glitch was the JBWeld sealing a gas tank leak gave out ever so slightly. I suspected my fix would not work, and it didn't. I've been rubbing bar soap around the stud where the leak is until I finish making the rear rack for my other tank. That bar soap trick WILL get you down the road. I learned that from my brother-in-law on this trip. Man, I just love folk wisdom!

I have a story I'll be posting about the trip. Took a lot of pictures. Got some pictures of a lightning storm!

Cheers,
Rick

 

[Mikenike]

How the hell are you pulling a trailer on a bike, even with a cheap motor? I call BS!