cost [ bikes - engines - pricerange ]

  • Thread starter Thread starter japat100
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I'm so worried about my spokes shreading that I'm having custom F/R 26" rims machined out of titanium(custom spoked), drum brakes built in F/R, engine driven sprocket flange built in, room for a 5-speed cassette and high speed balanced to 80mph with double bearing races thrown in for good measure.


They should be done in a few weeks and only cost $2600 each.






Of course I'm kidding but a decent set of rims/tires are a good investment for these bikes.
 
High end work

Perfect! and after you get a bunch o money spent on wheels. a certified Rocket Scientist to design and cryogenicly weld the brackets to re-inforce your $79.00 Wal-Mart special, put a 163.00 eBay kit on it, and you can Rock N Roll. You will have the hottest bike in town!!!

Hmmmmmmm?

Mike
 
What started as a thread about engines u-turned into the cost of bikes, so I'll lob the ball back over the net with some estimates and approximations...

I think the minimum cost of a decent bike and reliable engine would be $500...

Sure, a tinkerer and idea-type could shave up to 20-30% off that $500 base cost, but then again it doesn't take long to spend another 100 bucks on gizmos and do-dads.

I base my guessing on initial research back in 2004-05, then the third newspaper I interviewed with wanted an different angle for a story.

I proposed a comparison with the only other motorized bike I could find in the area (40 miles away), and the other bike with the Chinese engine got the headline...

100 miles per gallon These bikes beat the Saudis, oil companies

http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/051112/bikes.shtml

Anyway, learning as I went along, seeing the variety of prices of bikes I settled on my preferential choice for $250, which has two important features I think enhances the ride - curved handlebars and gel saddles. It costs me $50 in materials if I want to convert a used mountain bike and add these two items, plus my minimum wage labor. (Straight handlebars irritate my right elbow area after about 10-20 miles).

So, even with Joey's Chinese setup in the Decatur Daily article, he had $500 in the dealio, and I was offering my New Sun/GEBE setup for $850.

That would give any person a price range, from low to mediumhigh, with Whizzers in a seperate pricing category.

Anybody thinking they can put an e-bay bargain on a back of the barn bike, for $200 or so, is going to get their moneys worth, and not be on the road very long. I'm talking about the average person, not an experienced bike enthusiast or tinkerer.
But if a person wants to ride in reliable fashion, $500 is a good target to shoot for, and "out of the box" like GEBE and Staton type kits, are going to take $50-75 in bike upgrades to work the way they are intended, no matter which bike frame you use.
 
Well actually the cost of the engine isnt the most important factor as far as I'm concerned, while it is a factor the bike it goes on is more important (IMO) since I feel a good bike will be around much longer than most of these engines a good solid bike is safer and more durable.

There are lots of things I'd like to see in a kit and there are already a decent amount of different kits but I still would like to see some changes in the kits but for me just beginning I'll settle on the 70cc kit for now.I agree on the handle bars and the seat, I'm finding the handle bars on my old mountain bike a bit harsh and I would like to have front suspension.

I'm really leaning to the felt VI-400 with a 4-stroke on it for next summer so I'm looking at around $950-1100 with it the way I want it and the engine cost is far less than the bike cost.
 
If I told her I was spending 22K on a bike for her she'd want to know what color her Harley is.

She likes her little 200cc motorcycle but I'm going to see if I can get her hooked on the motoredbikes since I think they are just a blast.

That bicycle is extreme, I like that color scheme also but the carbon fiber just doesnt do it for me, although I guess it is better than most every steel/alloy/aluminum out there.
The only real down side to that bike is the glued tires oh yeah and the price- :D .
 
In regards to cost, I was very pleased with the total package provided by spookytooth.

For less than $500 you get a nice looking bike with heavy duty parts. Of course, you have to pay shipping (but if you live outside of AZ, you save on tax so it's a wash.) Finally, and just as importantly, roland's customer service was top notch.

To be fair, I only had my bike about a week before it was stolen, so I can not comment on long term durability. But I've been looking to buy a new motorbike. I reckoned that $$$ could be saved by buying a bike off of craigslist and the motor separately. Now, it doesn't seem as if I could save more than a few tens of $$, and then I'd have to put a lot more time into making the thing work. Time should be factored into the equation, and so far has not been mentioned in this thread.
 

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