Good pre-assembled 4-stroke options?

[its_JT]

Was looking at ebikes for a long time but given my situation, I think a motorized bike might make more sense. Basically because I live in Minneapolis and the cold winters here would really reduce battery life and thus range, or so I've heard. I would be riding ~26 miles a day, 5 days a week to get to/from work.

The thing is, I don't have much mechanical experience beyond simple basic stuff and things I can learn via Youtube. So, something that comes already put together would be awesome. The main options seem to be Phatmoto and Helio Bikes. Are there others? Phatmoto seems to have major reliability issues though.

Budget <$3,000.

 

[Wrench]

If you got $3K to spend You should get a moped or scooter for reliable transportation to work

For $2 -3K you can get a nice used Honda Rebel or Yamaha Star (Virago) 250cc M/C

But in Minneapolis in the winter I would not want to be on a M/B or M/C I would want to be driving a $3K car with a heater

 

[Sidewinder Jerry]

Think about how cold it gets there. Now add in a 30-45 mph wind; need I explain more?

 

[Frogslayer]

Think about how cold it gets there. Now add in a 30-45 mph wind; need I explain more?

We're still out snowmobiling and ice fishing anyway. A helmet goes a long long way to keep you warm. There are people that live in Minnesota that bike year round as well. Is it 26 miles 1 way or round trip? And it's dark like all the time in the winter so you'll need good lighting as well. If you do need to ride it in the winter you'll probably really really want a fat tire bike with studs and a shifter kit. Going slow with a centrifugal clutch probably won't work well at all without gears.

 

[JerryAssburger]

I'd still stick with electric if you have to go the bike route over motorcycles. You can go pretty ham on a setup and still stay 'way under $1500 if you piece it together yourself. My ebike is about $500 tops, and it'll do about 16 decent miles on a charge. If you get a better battery pack than the $250 no-name cheapo that I got, I'd think you'd be in great shape. E-bikes are FUN to put together, by the way- I think you'd enjoy it.
The hub kits are about $250 now, and they'll fit most cheapo (no rear suspension) mountain-bikes. Then go large on the battery pack.

 

[Frogslayer]

I'd still stick with electric if you have to go the bike route over motorcycles. You can go pretty ham on a setup and still stay 'way under $1500 if you piece it together yourself. My ebike is about $500 tops, and it'll do about 16 decent miles on a charge. If you get a better battery pack than the $250 no-name cheapo that I got, I'd think you'd be in great shape. E-bikes are FUN to put together, by the way- I think you'd enjoy it.
The hub kits are about $250 now, and they'll fit most cheapo (no rear suspension) mountain-bikes. Then go large on the battery pack.

The only only thing is your "16 decent miles" turn into 8 to 10 miles when the temperatures get below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Negative 10 degrees F isn't uncommon for Minneapolis. Anywhere south of Iowa I would totally recommend electric but if you need to winter ride you'll pretty much need a pedal bike of some kind cause the dumb ass politicians outlawed traction devices (chains, studs) on motor vehicles on roads. I'm thinking a motorized bicycle with studs would be permitted like a regular bicycle with studs. 4 strokes are not ideal winter power machines either. Ideally a well built 2 stroke with shifter kit on a fat tire bike is what I would put together. Well, lol, I guess I'd either drive my car, truck, snowmobile or motorcycle that far but you know what I'm trying to say right?

 

[JerryAssburger]

The only only thing is your "16 decent miles" turn into 8 to 10 miles when the temperatures get below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Negative 10 degrees F isn't uncommon for Minneapolis. Anywhere south of Iowa I would totally recommend electric but if you need to winter ride you'll pretty much need a pedal bike of some kind cause the dumb ass politicians outlawed traction devices (chains, studs) on motor vehicles on roads. I'm thinking a motorized bicycle with studs would be permitted like a regular bicycle with studs. 4 strokes are not ideal winter power machines either. Ideally a well built 2 stroke with shifter kit on a fat tire bike is what I would put together. Well, lol, I guess I'd either drive my car, truck, snowmobile or motorcycle that far but you know what I'm trying to say right?

YUP! All bets are off when it comes to getting around in Winter. I used to have a little blue minibike that I rode to high school about a mile each way. In Spokane's sub-zero temps, you could warm up your hands by putting them on the engine- it barely got very warm at all, even after a mile! With the e-bike, it seems like the $$$ need to go into the battery pack. ...that's why I recommended going ham on the battery pack. I'm getting 16 decent (non-sluggish) miles from my no-name-who-knows-what-the-watt/hrs-really-are battery pack that I bought for $225. O.P. said he had a higher spending limit, so if he invested in a quality battery pack, I'd think his/her requirements could be met, temperatures be damned. But who knows? I live in Oregon now, and they almost never get snow.