Compare 2 stroke brands?

[upshifter]

I'm new to this forum, so my topic has probably been covered before.

I know that there are several brands of Chinese 2 cycle motor kits. Each dealer on the internet proclaims the virtues of his kit over the competition, and even says that some kits other than his are "Junk".

I don't have anyone to talk to about it except you guys; and I don't even know anyone who owns a motored bike other than myself. I live in a rural region, and there isn't a dealer for probably a hundred miles or more from here.

How does one compare those kits for quality and price other than reading dealer hype which may or may not be true?

Thank you.

 

[bluegoatwoods]

I think there's a thread around here somewhere that's titled "rate your vendor" or something like that.

If you read and read and read some more, then you'll surely get a feel for who has a good reputation and who does not.

An added benefit is that you will also come across all sorts of bicycle ideas and info that is certain to be usefull to you.

Myself, I bought two 50 cc two strokes from Thatsdax and I have not been sorry. He also clearly has a good reputation among others here.

 

[srdavo]

here's the vendor reviews for you to read. no comments or questions allowed. these are actual buyer's reviews.

http://www.motoredbikes.com/forumdisplay.php?f=109

here's the vendor area, where they promote their wares. Here, you can ask vendors question.
http://www.motoredbikes.com/forumdisplay.php?f=102

 

[Mountainman]

hi upshifter -------------------- welcome

I see from the above posts -- you should be on your way for information needed
there's a lot been said regarding many VENDORS here on site
take a little time -- should be pretty easy to find the right one or ones

have fun as you ride that MB THING

 

[upshifter]

Yes, I'm getting some good information on this forum; and I'm winging it now because of those excellent sources. Thank you to all.

Having experience with other things made in China, I noticed that quality control is often lacking in cheaper things. Two items coming from the same factory may show differences in fit and finish. If you look at several items, you can often pick one that's assembled better. This is true with the 4 Chinese motorcycles I bought new and rode. For instance, my friend and I ordered a couple of 200cc, full size, dual sport bikes from the internet. For the price, about $800.00 each with shipping, they were great. (Japanese brands were over $3,000.00) But, mine was not as good as his; cables were routed wrong, bits and pieces were assembled wrong, and it looked like the hardware and other parts were slung together. His bike was fine. I went over mine carefully, and fixed all the stuff and mine was fine too.

A couple years later, I bought two Chinese 90cc dirt bikes, two years apart. The first one had a faulty carburetor, and that was the only problem I had with it. The second one seemed fine, but after it had a few hours on it, the tires started going flat; because when it was assembled they did not inflate the tires, and then deflate them to get the wrinkles out of the tubes. They aired them up once, and the wrinkles in the tubes made the tubes fail. I replaced both tubes.

But, every Chinese engine that I've dealt with so far, including a power generator, has been excellent and reliable. In fact, those 90cc bikes that I own are tough as nails. None of them shift quite as nice as a Honda, but other than that no problem.

 

[Skyliner70cc]

The quality and variance in quality are pretty much the same among all HT engines. Some vendors do a better job in actually opening the box before shipping and ensuring nothing major (such as the guaranteed bent head fins on a BGF engine) is apparent. The more reputable vendors have better customer service and warranties if something is wrong with your engine.

Bikeberry seems to have the best warranty with Dax a runner up. You can't go wrong with either.

 

[fazratz]

i myself have looked at many different companys checked out their products the only thing i have against any of them is nobody is sure of exactly what the motor size is i bought 2 kits from kings motorbikes ive been really happy with the 1 i ride i was told that it was an 80cc engine then there are others who say i was sold a 48cc as an 80cc all i can tell u is i dont care it has all the power i need on a bike frame have a good day

 

[arceeguy]

All of the kits you see on eBay are pretty much the same quality. Some are painted silver to cover up the rough cast finish, some come with ball bearing chain tensioners. All of them seem to have the "new" style clutch lever and kill switch integrated in the twist throttle. They all seem to have needle bearing top ends too.

The difference is the customer service and warranty. The more you pay, the better the warranty. This is not because the engines are any better, it is because the distributor is taking the extra money to pay for parts. (which in many cases are just complete engines disassembled and parted out) The ones that charge more an simply afford to send out parts, where the lowest cost distributors don't have that margin and will just replace out of box failures or defects.

The exception here may be the Grubee Skyhawk and Starfire kits, but they are as rare as hen's teeth. I would love to buy Starfire Gen II kits with cast iron sleeved cylinder and "updated" carbs!

 

[ocscully]

The exception here may be the Grubee Skyhawk and Starfire kits, but they are as rare as hen's teeth. I would love to buy a Starfire Gen II kits with cast iron sleeved cylinder and "updated" carbs![/QUOTE]

Isn't the 2-stroke kit currently being sold by bicycle-engines.com the kit you are speaking of? http://www.bicycle-engines.com/complete-48cc-powered-engine-p-1.html

ocscully

 

[arceeguy]

Those are the "Gen IIa" kits, which have chrome plated cylinders and the familiar NT carbs. The "Gen II" kits have a cast iron cylinder liner and a better carburetor. I don't know of anyone selling them here in the US, and they are EPA compliant.