Engine Kit Recommendations

[guitarfanatic21]

Hello all,

I am new to the forums and I am looking to get my first bike engine kit. After the girlfriend and I got jobs, she has to drive over an hour away which leaves me with no car because we share one. I still have quite a bit of a distance to go but not as bad as her. I have no money to get another car right now probably for quite a while and I have no buses that are around me. I was looking to get an engine kit for my 26 inch bike and it has a lot of space within the frame for one.

I am looking to find something that can get me 18 miles one way and back. I live in Arizona where the high is currently 100 or over with these last few weeks being 110+ degrees. I am looking for something that goes over 20 mph and can withstand the heat of Arizona. I can also do aftermarket performance parts if that will help with cooling. Also, something that holds enough gas to go 36 miles. Thanks, I really appreciate it!

 

[bakaneko]

I think for folks to give you a good answer you will need to give us your price range so we can pick the engine kit and any non-common garage tools needed. Also, it would be good for you to post a picture of your bike as well. 18 miles one-way is a long distance and will require a good kit, imo. The flatness of AZ roads (I assume) will help you out a lot and there are a few MBers on this forum in AZ so if you can provide a city that might be helpful. Here are a few of my thoughts.

- 18 miles is a long ways and a 50cc moped might be better options. Prices in WI are (250-325 for used which is the price of a 4-stroke friction kit) but of course you need registration, insurance, and state fees
- For ease of setup and maintenance and with the flat AZ roads, I like a friction drive 4-stroke kit. And if the motor dies, you can simply disengage the motor from the tire and pedal home without engine resistance (this will suck in 100F+)
- Cheapest would be an ebay 49cc-66cc kit but will require a lot of maintenance and work and some luck to get a good engine mold
- IMO, if getting a 2-stroke kit you would want to keep RPMs in mid range and max 20 mph to prolong life of motor and reduce maintenance
- No one here would recommend an eBay 2-stroke kit but I had one for about 1200 miles before it died. Given what I know now I coulda easily gotten 2000+ miles on it no problem

 

[gary55]

Why Pedal Az. sells engines and kits. Google him and Dustin will get you fixed up.

 

[guitarfanatic21]

I think for folks to give you a good answer you will need to give us your price range so we can pick the engine kit and any non-common garage tools needed. Also, it would be good for you to post a picture of your bike as well. 18 miles one-way is a long distance and will require a good kit, imo. The flatness of AZ roads (I assume) will help you out a lot and there are a few MBers on this forum in AZ so if you can provide a city that might be helpful. Here are a few of my thoughts.

- 18 miles is a long ways and a 50cc moped might be better options. Prices in WI are (250-325 for used which is the price of a 4-stroke friction kit) but of course you need registration, insurance, and state fees
- For ease of setup and maintenance and with the flat AZ roads, I like a friction drive 4-stroke kit. And if the motor dies, you can simply disengage the motor from the tire and pedal home without engine resistance (this will suck in 100F+)
- Cheapest would be an ebay 49cc-66cc kit but will require a lot of maintenance and work and some luck to get a good engine mold
- IMO, if getting a 2-stroke kit you would want to keep RPMs in mid range and max 20 mph to prolong life of motor and reduce maintenance
- No one here would recommend an eBay 2-stroke kit but I had one for about 1200 miles before it died. Given what I know now I coulda easily gotten 2000+ miles on it no problem

The bike looks like this I got it from Amazon. It does have a lot of space. I'll spend up to $250-300 for a kit so I can get a better quality one. I was thinking of a 2-stroke maybe a 66cc or higher but I'm also torn between a 4-stroke too. Will a 2-stroke with higher cc's and quality 2-stroke oil last a long time if it isn't revved too high?

 

[gary55]

where are you at in az. ?

 

[guitarfanatic21]

where are you at in az. ?

I'm in south Phoenix.

 

[gary55]

Call this guy. He has good engines at a reasonable price. Dustin 480 338 6197.

 

[bakaneko]

First and foremost, take your relative time in deciding what kind of engine to get. There are advantages and disadvantages to different type of engines and setups. Some of the guys here are gear heads and love to tinker with engines while others (like yourself) might just want to have something reliable and can go 20 mph and 36 miles round trip. That being said here are my thoughts.

- Your bike will most likely not fit an in-frame 4-stroke engine
- So you can either go 2-stroke in-frame or 4-stroke friction kit
- If you have relatively flat terrain and rain is relatively rare, a 4-stroke friction kit might be a good fit
- 4-stroke engines require less maintenance and no fuel/oil mixing than 2 strokes
- Friction kits require no chain/chain tensioner and can disengage for use as an actual bike without engine resistance
- 4-stroke HuaSheng 49cc friction kits are common but kits come with plastic roller and low quality bearings
- Staton-inc makes a good quality friction drive (mount only; no engine or engine throttle connection) for $140~
- Staton-inc full kits (engine, mount, throttle, tank) are a bit pricey ($350+) but higher quality than HuaSheng kit
- Staton-inc has a Honda GX35 full friction drive kit for $375 (see link and video)
- Can't go wrong with a Honda (true for small motors and motorcycles)
- You can also buy a HuaSheng 49cc engine + throttle linkage, gas tank separately and then buy the friction drive mount but this might come close to the price of the Honda GX35 kit
- You can also buy the HuaSheng 49cc engine friction drive with the plastic roller for ~$275 but you might have to replace the roller frequently
- With any kit, always pedal out to 7-10 mph before engaging motor to take it easy on the small engines
- Call that Dustin guy too if he can provide a 2-stroke engine and is available for fixes that could be a good setup also
- I have an in-frame chain drive HuaSheng 4-stroke kit with like 1500 miles and it is still going strong (only oil change done)
- See what others here say

http://www.staton-inc.com/store/index.php?p=product&id=1346

 

[gary55]

What he is selling in the 2 stroke venue are the pk80's with the 8mm mounting studs and a squish band cast into the head. Good running engine. The reason I recommend him is he's honest, and he's in your area. He's starting to build his own frames and get into some custom s**t but he will show you the ropes and try to get you into something that fits your needs. All of the options given by bakeneko are considerations cause we all have different wants. that video is cool. that little 35 is gettin with it.