About ready to give up on the motor bike idea.

[jmccrury]

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)

 

[kerf]

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.

 

[Pablo]

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.

 

[Rain City]

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

 

[Mountainman]

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

 

[HoughMade]

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.

 

[jmccrury]

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.

 

[Skyliner70cc]

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.

 

[duivendyk]

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.

 

[Civalunrest]

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