Cheap Friction Drive.

[Cannonball3]

The GX50 made it finally. After sitting in Japan awhile it cycled thru Anchorage Ak. And finally
made it. Its badged as a Honda. I have my doubts? As long as its a good little engine I wont
question its pedigree. Will mount and run tomorrow.

 

[Cavity]

Looks like a GX50....does it have a serial # next to the air filter cover?
Enjoy.

 

[Cannonball3]

No, Im pretty sure its a clone. I pulled the cover to install the tach wire and didnt see one, it is a nice looking engine though. I went ahead and mounted it, started it, and let it fast idle for a half hour then took it on a short ride. It runs very
well, with good power. I would say similar to my HS engine, maybe a bit more. I had to adjust the mixture after the ride. Im running a 1.375 roller which it has no issue with. Next time its off will switch to a 1.50.

Here it is with the GX31 clone, both are about the same size and weight. The 31 is going on the Staton with a 1.25 roller. It has been running the 1.375 no problems, but I believe will be better suited to the 1.25. The little 31 is getting close to 100mi and has been perfect so far. Hope the new engine is as good.

 

[darwin]

I'll bet Huasheng makes your clone, it's too good, almost perfect. It'll last and be a good motor. How much was the clone plus shipping if you don't mind?

 

[Cannonball3]

It was $155 shipped. I found one on Alibaba for $65+ 45 shipping. I only bought this one because Amazon listed the
shipping time as 5 days meaning it should have been in the US. Thats the reason I paid a bit more. As it turns out it was in China and took 17days. This one seems good quality from what my initial impressions are, time will tell as they say. You have to wonder why its so blatantly counterfeited. I never expected oem but got briefly excited when I opened the box! The company specializes in a lot of hand held equipment.

Hope to get some time on it tomorrow.

 

[darwin]

Damn, less than half of the real one. You won't be disappointed. If carb issues crop up it isn't the motor, Honda's are the same.

 

[Chainlube]

The GX50 made it finally. After sitting in Japan awhile it cycled thru Anchorage Ak. And finally
made it. Its badged as a Honda. I have my doubts? As long as its a good little engine I wont
question its pedigree. Will mount and run tomorrow.

All the Honda utility type engines are made in Thailand now.

 

[Cannonball3]

Got about 10mi on the engine today. Makes good power. The OE Honda is listed at 2hp, dont know about the clone.
Its super smooth. Mixture and idle adjusted for 2550, very consistent idle. Not fond of engines with erratic idles.
Checked valve clearances and they were spot on. Cam and valve train is all metal. Very friendly engine to work on.

Aftermarket parts are hard to find. Wanted an extra oem Honda plug, dont trust Chinese plugs, been left walking before. Found one plug on ebay. It uses a compact plug. I had an extra for the GX31, but its too tall as the 50s plug is under the shroud.

 

[Cannonball3]

So far so good on both clone engines. I really like the 31cc, its a bit quieter than the 50 but not as powerful.
I bought a low time oem Honda Gx31 to put on the shelf as back up.
I made an oak roller for the 50cc. Its 1.30. Folks dont believe what a good roller oak makes. Have run them for years. They are smooth and quiet, and last a long time even when run on dirt.

This one is laminated from 5 pieces then pinned to the lock collars which lock it to the shaft.

Question to you folks running these style engines. How does the engine intake cooling air? The fan is on the clutch side, and I assume pulls air thru the clutch area? It blows air out the vents on the recoil side (crossflow). Shouldnt there
be vents like the housing in the pic? Bolted to a gearbox or a friction drive it looks like the air flow would be greatly reduced.

 

[Chainlube]

The fan is on the starter side, if you ever had the pull start off, then that is the fan you see behind the starter. It blows air up and across the head.