About ready to give up on the motor bike idea.

I started down the road this morning and hadn't even went 1/10 mile when it died. Continued to ride it around for about 1/2 mile trying to get it to start again with no luck. Now I'm late for work and I have to drive the truck again.

I knew from reading that the HT's were going to take some work, but I didn't actually expect it to be broken down more times than not. I don't mind tinkering with things. I doesn't bother me to have to check everything before riding or replace gaskets and bolts and keep the nuts and cables tight. But I'm only wanting to ride it a few miles a day and so far it hasn't been worth the trouble. If this problem is not something simple and cheap, I'm seriously thinking about trashing this thing.

And yes, I know there are more reliable engines, but if I'm going to pay $500-$600 I would rather buy a small scooter or motorcycle. At least I would have more range that way. (with a motorcycle anyways)

 

Life's rough when things line up against you, plans go down the drain, nothings right. On more than one occasion I've threatened to take a hammer to something and on a couple of occasions I did. That being said, lets examine your circumstance.

I don't know what HT you've got but many on this forum have worked with theirs and are getting a reliable ride. Several report many thousands of miles before a overhaul. The point being, if others have done it, why not you. Take a break, research your issue, pull out the tools and get this thing back on the road. Giving up = defeat and that has a bad taste.

 

I agree with Kerf. Define "died" further and we can get you going again. My HT engine is very reliable, and I ride it pretty hard and fast (but I seem to want to calm down)....

Most fixes are easy and most can be as permanent as the engine itself.

 

Frustrating at times? Yes, worth giving up on - no way!

 

hang in there
seen others on this site with similar problems as yours
many here helped them -- to get up and riding -- now enjoying MB much

Happy Riding from - Mountainman

 

It will certainly take some sorting- and people here will help you out with that.

I would consider test riding several times in increasing distances before relying on it to get somewhere at a certain time. Having it quit on a pleasure (test) ride is not nearly as frustration as having it quit when you need to be at work.

 

Thanks for the support. I am wishing that I had just saved some more and bought a more reliable engine. Or at least spent a little more and bought it from a more reliable vendor with a short warranty period. I guess that I will be troubleshooting when I get home this afternoon, again. You really do get what you pay for.

I do like the GEBE kits, but the price really puts that out of my reach right now. Rossfree did have some good points about the advantages of a MB over a scooter. I think I am going to start saving for something more reliable. I just don't know whether it will be a GEBE or a scooter though.

 

All of my HT builds have been reliable but only after I took the time to follow many of the tips on this website. I posted a compilation of these tips to help improve the reliablity of your ride. Many of these tips were learned the hard way.

My last 3 HTs were so reliable that I took them on solo bike rides into the Colorado mountain wilderness for hours and hours at a time. The mountain rides were hard on the engine with constant full throttle to pull me up the steep hills.

With our forum member's help, you'll get back on the road and have a reliable build.

 

I don't think there is such a thing as a "generic" HT engine, they are similar looking,but that means little qualitywise.And rating US vendors will show up the bad appples only if they keep the same suppliers.Sad to say you don't get what you won't pay for.

 

Hay don't give up you dont have to spend a lot of money on a motor.
you need to rework your motor.

I did not spend a lot of money 172.00 out the door thats it
but i have spent a lot of time on reworking my motors
Just tweak the bike and ride it

 

I think there was one or two guys with bikes that wouldn't run at the PNW meet. Neither were HT engines.

 

Funny how this thread has went from four pages to two, with all of my posts and many others deleted from existence. No flames, just discussion. Amazing.

 

I want to thank everyone for their input and offers to help. I didn't know that the thread got up to four pages. I did get the bike going, rather easily, because it turned out to be something simple. I feel really stupid, but it does get frustrating with all the little problems that seem to keep you from riding.

First, I will explain the problem I had. I started going yesterday morning, engaged the clutch and it fired up. About a 1/10 mile later it just quits, as in stops firing. I've already had the CDI go out on it and this is the same thing that happened then. I adjusted the choke, checked the electrical connections, and made sure it was getting fuel. Continued to ride it around for about 1/2 mile and it wouldn't even attempt to fire. So I'm thinking something has gone bad again and I'm ready to trash this thing.

Well, I get home yesterday and try to start it again and it cranks. ???

I'm getting low on gas so I go buy more gas and oil and put it in the tank. What do you know, that seems to have fixed the rough riding I've had lately. I don't have to use the choke to start it now and it seems to be running smoother than ever. Apparently the gas was getting old. I'm really embarrassed now but I am thankful for all of the support and input. I'm still going to start saving for something more dependable though. I think I'm going to have to adjust the throttle cable when I get home today.

 

Great, while your saving, keep riding that thing and search the board for tips to make it better. You'll become more knowledgeable in the process and have a lot of fun "creating" a better machine.

 

If you are not using your gas very quickly and it is sitting around for a while, get some Stabil gas additive. It will help keep your gas from going bad so quickly. I think that's how it is spelled.

Jim

 

Stange&disturbing,there must be a selective IBH (info black hole)lurking in CyberSpace

 

Yes, that happens quite a bit around here. I'm not quite sure why we're not allowed to discuss on a discussion board, but there are too many mods and too many mod privileges. Posts are deleted... threads are locked or closed for no reason.

No post should be deleted if it isn't spam or flame-bait.
No thread should be locked or closed for any reason. If it's an unnecessary thread, delete it. But quit locking threads because the discussion does get a little heated! There's no reason to do so. If the mods don't want to partake in our discussions, that's their choice, and they should go read something else. Just quit screwing with our forum, dammit!!

 

Hmmm, to be fair I wonder if that is the case?

Any mods care to make a comment?

 

"From the clash of opinions,the truth may emerge".(translated from the French).My mild but pointed reaction to the deletion of exchanges that showed differences of opinion, but were otherwise entirely civil was also suppressed.

 

Apparently the world has to be all warm and fuzzy.
If thats the case they better delete the "Nightmare with Golden Eagle (GeBe)"
and a hundred others.