First Build, have a few questions

Wrinkley

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Hey guys, I’ve been interested in building a bike for awhile, and I think I’m finally going to bite the bullet and start this project, but I do have a few questions. For reference I’m looking at building a 2-stroke kit on the bike that is pictured.

Firstly, I’ve been looking at a lot of different websites/companies and I’m a little unclear. It looks like a lot of these companies are selling what are essentially a china girl motor with their own sticker on it. Is this pretty accurate? Is there any benefit in terms of quality to buying something from Helio Bikes, or Bikeberry versus a lesser known brand such as this? I’m leaning towards an Amazon order just so I have a little more protection in terms of a reputable dealer(possibly faster shipping as well). But I am willing to venture outside of Amazon if the quality or customer service would be substantially better.

I consider myself to be pretty handy, and after looking at how the motor is put together, I see people take apart the top end which houses the piston/cylinder and cleaning/lubing, whereas I don’t see a lot of people taking the bottom end apart. Is there no real reason to take the bottom end apart? It just doesn’t seem like there’s a lot to interact with in the bottom end. Also, I know that there are troubleshooting megathreads, but is there any documentation you would recommend reading for a 2 stroke engine amateur? Also, are the engines “mil-spec” in that replacement parts don’t need to be from the same manufacturer? Or is it more proprietary?

I’ve read some people have experienced receiving an upside down piston, is this pretty common? Something to look for?

I’ve also read that the spark plugs that come with the kits are not the best quality, any recommended spark plugs?

I see 80cc kits and 100cc engine kits, realistically what's the power difference? I'm about 175 pounds, major difference in acceleration/top speed?

Lastly, any recommendations for a first time builder?

Thank you!

20220707_145819.jpg
 
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Hey guys, I’ve been interested in building a bike for awhile, and I think I’m finally going to bite the bullet and start this project, but I do have a few questions. For reference I’m looking at building a 2-stroke kit on the bike that is pictured.

Firstly, I’ve been looking at a lot of different websites/companies and I’m a little unclear. It looks like a lot of these companies are selling what are essentially a china girl motor with their own sticker on it. Is this pretty accurate? Is there any benefit in terms of quality to buying something from Helio Bikes, or Bikeberry versus a lesser known brand such as this? I’m leaning towards an Amazon order just so I have a little more protection in terms of a reputable dealer(possibly faster shipping as well). But I am willing to venture outside of Amazon if the quality or customer service would be substantially better.

I consider myself to be pretty handy, and after looking at how the motor is put together, I see people take apart the top end which houses the piston/cylinder and cleaning/lubing, whereas I don’t see a lot of people taking the bottom end apart. Is there no real reason to take the bottom end apart? It just doesn’t seem like there’s a lot to interact with in the bottom end. Also, I know that there are troubleshooting megathreads, but is there any documentation you would recommend reading for a 2 stroke engine amateur? Also, are the engines “mil-spec” in that replacement parts don’t need to be from the same manufacturer? Or is it more proprietary?

I’ve read some people have experienced receiving an upside down piston, is this pretty common? Something to look for? A

I’ve also read that the spark plugs that come with the kits are not the best quality, any recommended spark plugs? B

I see 80cc kits and 100cc engine kits, realistically what's the power difference? I'm about 175 pounds, major difference in acceleration/top speed? C

Lastly, any recommendations for a first time builder? D

Thank you!

View attachment 177292
I love the bike you picked, a common 5,6, or 7 speed with rim brakes, the most economical.

I lettered your questions;
A: mass produced so some are on backward, the pins for the rings go to the intake side, ignore any arrows or letters.
B: The most recommended plug is a NGK B6HS or Champ equivalent.
C: 80cc type kit will be fine and the most common to get parts for.
D: Have fun and take your time, if you run into any snafus, come back for issue solving.

Bikeberry is the least recommended, on this site anyway.

Check "Dealer Reviews" before purchasing.
 
Links to Amazon may include affiliate code. If you click on an Amazon link and make a purchase, this forum may earn a small commission.
I love the bike you picked, a common 5,6, or 7 speed with rim brakes, the most economical.

I lettered your questions;
A: mass produced so some are on backward, the pins for the rings go to the intake side, ignore any arrows or letters.
B: The most recommended plug is a NGK B6HS or Champ equivalent.
C: 80cc type kit will be fine and the most common to get parts for.
D: Have fun and take your time, if you run into any snafus, come back for issue solving.

Bikeberry is the least recommended, on this site anyway.

Check "Dealer Reviews" before purchasing.
Awesome, thank you for your response. It's actually my dad's old bike and as soon as he offered it up I knew what I was going to do with(to) it. I know you referenced they're mass-produced, wouldn't that suggest that all the quality of the engines would typically be about the same? The only difference being the customer service of the seller? Just trying to decide if paying an extra $60-$80 for something like this is worth it versus buying a china girl off of ebay/amazon.
 
Awesome, thank you for your response. It's actually my dad's old bike and as soon as he offered it up I knew what I was going to do with(to) it. I know you referenced they're mass-produced, wouldn't that suggest that all the quality of the engines would typically be about the same? The only difference being the customer service of the seller? Just trying to decide if paying an extra $60-$80 for something like this is worth it versus buying a china girl off of ebay/amazon.
Pretty much the same money.
 
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Links to eBay may include affiliate code. If you click on an eBay link and make a purchase, this forum may earn a small commission.
So, the main driver for me to go 2 stroke versus 4 stroke is the barrier to entry. I love the look of that engine that you posted, but I can't necessarily justify spending ~$1,000. As of right now, I'm looking at this engine kit. I've seen positive reviews from the seller, and seems to have a little more top-end than the PK80.

I did have another question in regards to vibration. That seems to be a common theme when troubleshooting, something vibrated loose. In this video(at 6:08 if timestamp didn't work). They use some JNM Vibration Motor mounts. It doesn't seem like that would be necessary, but is that something that I could install to cut down on vibration? If so, I might want to put them on during my initial install, versus trying to add them down the line.
 
So, the main driver for me to go 2 stroke versus 4 stroke is the barrier to entry. I love the look of that engine that you posted, but I can't necessarily justify spending ~$1,000. As of right now, I'm looking at this engine kit. I've seen positive reviews from the seller, and seems to have a little more top-end than the PK80.

I did have another question in regards to vibration. That seems to be a common theme when troubleshooting, something vibrated loose. In this video(at 6:08 if timestamp didn't work). They use some JNM Vibration Motor mounts. It doesn't seem like that would be necessary, but is that something that I could install to cut down on vibration? If so, I might want to put them on during my initial install, versus trying to add them down the line.
Most of the vibrations come from the crank, if the crank is balanced there won't be much vibrations. The CDH and Zeda PK80s have a some what balanced crank, not perfect, but not the cheapie bay or amazon kit.
I've never used the YD100, and not many on here to be able to make an assessment of the trueness of the crank, that's why I say 80. It's better to be rolling down the road than the walk of shame.

The 80s can attain 40mph with ease and if you want more than that, get a motorcycle.
 
Most of the vibrations come from the crank, if the crank is balanced there won't be much vibrations. The CDH and Zeda PK80s have a some what balanced crank, not perfect, but not the cheapie bay or amazon kit.
I've never used the YD100, and not many on here to be able to make an assessment of the trueness of the crank, that's why I say 80. It's better to be rolling down the road than the walk of shame.

The 80s can attain 40mph with ease and if you want more than that, get a motorcycle.

I'm still juggling my options between the YD100 and PK80 and I have that exact same mindset regarding the speed but just thought the YD100 ran a little stronger. I am primarily looking for reliability, is the PK80 known to be substantially more reliable? Also, I've seen some people discuss ceramic lined cylinders(specifically looking at the Zeda 80's), but I never see that in the description/specifications, pretty much just referenced on a forum post.

Lastly, you previously recommended this and it has Super in the title, but looking at CDHPowers website, they have a very similar build to that but without Super in the title. After scouring the forums I can't get a real definitive answer, and many people would just chalk it up to marketing gimmicks. Any insight on that? I wouldn't mind paying $15 more for a little more performance/reliability, but I also like the idea of purchasing directly from CDHPower's website.
 
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Hello Wrinkley...

I am new at this like you. I am chiming in only because you mentioned specifically the kit I used... from hel•io bikes.

I've been very happy with the engine thus far and have zero complaints with their kit.

There is one upgrade that was simply a requirement (for me) before I put my butt in the seat. I simply was not happy with either the 2-bolt ... or even the upgraded 4-bolt chain tensioner options that come with these kits. In my head I can see them getting loose and dropping right in to my spokes killing my rim (and potentially me along with it).

Not gunna happen.

My brother has used the spring tensioner that attaches to the engine... and he's also locked up his chain inside the sprocket area not ONCE, not TWICE, but THREE TIMES using that same tensioner (you'd think you'd learn, huh?)... again... not me.

I went with this tensioner and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it...


61x0709qdFL._AC_SL1300_.jpg



(All the listings on Amazon appear to be the same part. This one happens to include two wheels instead of one ... same price ... why not?)

:D

EDIT: Can anyone tell me why the IMG Width=xxx tag isn't working on this forum? This is an Xenforo forum, right? I know that width extension works on another Xenforo forum I frequent. I figured it was part of the stock software... maybe a mod? (EDIT #2: It seems it's a custom BBC code. One worthy of adding IMHO. The other forum actually simply replaced the stock IMG tag with it it seems as IMG WIDTH=200 works ...(for example). It really cleans up a site that has lots of embedded images. -soapbox
 
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