Fastest/most reliable bike motor?

[tfhudson]

Hi guys,

I'm new to this site (from Arkansas), since my 70cc 2-stroke kicked the bucket tonight. I'm seriously considering selling my car and riding a motored bike everywhere, if I can find a setup that is (relatively) maintenance free.

Is there a general consensus among you regarding what is the most powerful/ most reliable (frame-mounted) set-up on the market?

On another note, (since I'm not totally opposed to motorcycle registration), is anyone out there mounting larger/more powerful motors (ie. >50cc 4-stroke or >70cc 2-stroke) on their frames with relatively little difficulty? In particular, do most pocketbike engines require a custom-fabbed mount (and are they reliable?) What about go-cart engines? Others?

Thanks a million!

Tom

 

[Alaskavan]

You might find registration tricky with no VIN#.

 

[JemmaUK]

Hi,

With the rackmount kits (such as GEBE) there is pretty much only a limit on single cylinder compatible with a 52 or 76mm clutch. So theoretically you could slap on the rotary engine listed somewhere on this site or the 14hp polini engine... true, you would probably end up wrapped round a chrysler in short order... but nothing is perfect. The GEBE system can be, with a little fiddling, frame mounted as well.

As far as reliablity goes its a function of the basic framing and wheelset used, the owners ability technically, and how well the machine is put together and looked after. You will find that the more extreme a build is, the more likely it will be to have problems.

On the maintainence question - to be honest if that is your over-riding issue I would go with the GEBE system as out of the box it is a whole lot easier to set up than the joys of flapping chains and sprockets...

hope that helped

Jemma xx

 

[beast775]

reliability vs power

these are bicycles first !anything over 30 miles an hr is quite a beast ie upkeep, reliability, brakes.if you want simple reliability get a gebe,if set up properly you can drive alot of miles no problem.i use a 43cc staton chain drive and spent alot of time on the install and would drive it 3000 miles,i just might 1 daythere is good kits out there just know what you want and buy it!

 

[5-7HEAVEN]

Tom, since you already have a frame-mount setup, check into the GRUBEE WHOPPER STOPPER setup. give careful consideration to use the venerable HONDA GX50 instead of the Chinese engine in the kit.

Also, read up on Dax's new engine setup, said to be powerful and reliable.

I would not consider a pocket bike engine for reliable transportation, because they have not YET been proven to be dependable on a bicycle. this engine is also very wide, because of its clutch and pull start mechanisms. It would probably work well on rack-mount installations, but not on the GEBE rack, because of excessive power.

there have been many frame-mounted bicycle engines throughout the century. Choosing the most powerful/most reliable is a loaded question, and bound to elicit many opinions. some might choose the WHIZZER engine, others the BRIGGS & STRATTON or the HONDA GX 100, or the newer LIFAN 50cc-110cc engines. All are heavyweights, some weighing over 40 lb.

The terms "most powerful" and "most reliable" are rarely used together. And as mentioned previously, with great power comes great responsibility in maintaining the machine.

the pocket bike engine is very wide, because of its clutch and pull start mechanisms. they'd probably work well on rack-mount installations.

I'm in the midst of installing an ebay 49cc pocket bike engine and a Polini 40cc Italian pocket bike engine on rack mounts for my cruiser bikes. these engines bolt onto the STATON friction and gear chain drive setups. this should be a good marriage of components.

Myron

 

[tfhudson]

Hi Jemma,

I set up my chain-drive 80(70?)cc with no real difficulties, and have had relatively little problems from the drivetrain.

Frame-mounting an engine that is not really intended for that purpose, or doing so with a kit that wasn't intended for that engine, is what intimidates me, as I have relatively little tech expertise and only a few tools.

But I DO have a Dremel! So anyone with some experience mounting big, fast, high-quality engines on the frame, I'd love to hear how it went!

 

[tfhudson]

Honda GXH50 vs Mitsubishi ENCORE vs Titan?? These all seem to be great engines.

People have frame-mounted Honda GX100's and Lifan 110cc engines? What mounts and drivetrains for these guys?

Oh, PS. It's not my motor that kicked the bucket last night after all. After I went to look at it, I saw it had SHEERED the vertical frame tube in half. Pictures in a few minutes.

 

[Alaskavan]

I'm working on a frame mount Lifan, but my frame in no way resembles yours. The engine's about 12" wide, so you would have to use some serious tools (and a good imagination) to put it on a conventional bike. And at 40+ lbs., rack mounting wouldn't work well either.

 

[Alaskavan]

TF, to answer your guestions posted elsewhere:
The Honda GX50 would seem to be the best combination of power and reliability. I run a Mitsu, and while it has handled all the abuse I have given it, if you are determined to climb steep hills and/or attain illegal speeds, 2.2 horse is probably not enough for you. The Titan - has anyone besides Dax tested it out?
My undertanding of the Staton Chain drive system is that it was developed initially for commercial/industrial use (powered wheelbarrows), hence it's reliability (it just happens to work well on Motored Bikes). Staton also sells rear wheels for use with the system (fewer spoke issues). And they sell a variety of gears, so you should be able to find the right combo of speed and power.
From what I've read, the chains that come with the Happy Time kits stretch. There are threads on the subject.

 

[dbigkahunna]

First what do you want to do? Go really fast and upset cops or travel long distances with a heavy load? Daves Motors has 2 strokes less than 49cc turning out 3-5 HP. How reliable are they? I know guys who can tear up a Ford Powerstroke in 80K miles. I have one I use that has over 300K. But I do not abuse it and maintain it. I do not drive 75 pulling 12K pounds. You can get the best engine in the world and abuse it and it will not last any time. You can take a cheap engine, treat it well and it can last a long time. I am partial to the Tecumch 49cc TC series. Tough, reliable and proven. Plus you can pick them up on Ebay for 50-60 bucks.