How much pedaling do you do?

[butre]

again, keep in mind who usually buys China girls. it's mostly kids, people with a DUI who didn't want to be stuck with a Chinese scooter, or nut jobs who hold wide open throttle for 30 miles and forget to put oil in the gas. people like me, small engine mechanics that want a fun way to and from work, are relatively rare in this hobby.

a GEBE is light, sure, but a sturdy homebuilt rack and a medium-small 4 stroke can easily be 45 pounds, especially if you're not using a kit.

besides that, I don't do racks because I need that room to swing my Mexican legs over the bike

 

[KCvale]

I don't even dink with 2-strokers anymore unless it's a special custom shifter job or something, but that's just me.

I'm hooked on mid mount ~50cc 4-stroke shifter's now but that has nothing to with the OP's questions.

 

[Nanonevol]

Cool, lots of good feedback here. I guess everyone gets into this hobby for different reasons. I don't need the "best" for commuting, or the most reliable or the most versatile. I just like to tinker and blast around on two wheels and I don't want to spend a lot to do it.
So I found a guy on Craigslist with lots of bikes and not asking a lot for them. He had a couple cruisers and one was buried so deep in the pile, it wasn't worth it! But then I did see a blue Huffy Cranbrook in pretty good shape but no seat. We picked a seat with spring out of his collection, and $40, I was on my way. I now see these are new at WalMart for $80. Whatever. I knew these were popular to motorize so would work out and I liked it. I like the wide handlebars especially and the wheels and tires look pretty sturdy. Whitewalls!
Got it home and started the assembly noticing the front tube would need adapting to mount the motor and low and behold, the kit had the parts included. I had to experiment a bit to find out how to do it as there are no instructions of course.
No photo at this point as you've all seen Cranbrooks with Chinese 2 strokes but maybe later if I do something original with it. As I say, I enjoy the tinkering around with bikes as much as riding them, same with cars - it's my therapy.
And again, thanks for the forum here in advancing this fun hubby I know nothing about a month ago!

 

[Nanonevol]

That's nice! @$600 nice, though. Totally worth it I'm sure but I'm not ready to invest that yet.

 

[2old2learn]

$600.00 is a very reasonable cost. Without a lot of effort you can drop double to triple that.

 

[troyg]

$600.00 is a very reasonable cost. Without a lot of effort you can drop double to triple that.

+1.
When I speak of "quality" engine, one in mind is the "Robin Subaru EH035", the engine alone goes for $500, that's engine by itself.

 

[butterbean]

Not every frame mount is as bad on reliability as a cg. I say all the time that a bike is only as good as its mechanic. Build it right from the start with quality parts, tune it properly and don't expect more out of it than what it wants to give, and you won't have to make many adjustments. If you get a lemon, you get a lemon, but if you get a good engine to start with and you build it properly and take care of it, it will last. This applies to any motorized bicycle. I'm sure a few people have installed gebes wrong and had problems. It doesn't make them unreliable. I'm in the process of building a frame mount 79cc predator, and I fully expect to not have to do anything more than change the oil, put air in the tires, fill the tank and make only necessary adjustments that come with motorizing any bicycle.

 

[troyg]

Not every frame mount is as bad on reliability as a cg. I say all the time that a bike is only as good as its mechanic. Build it right from the start with quality parts, tune it properly and don't expect more out of it than what it wants to give, and you won't have to make many adjustments. If you get a lemon, you get a lemon, but if you get a good engine to start with and you build it properly and take care of it, it will last. This applies to any motorized bicycle. I'm sure a few people have installed gebes wrong and had problems. It doesn't make them unreliable. I'm in the process of building a frame mount 79cc predator, and I fully expect to not have to do anything more than change the oil, put air in the tires, fill the tank and make only necessary adjustments that come with motorizing any bicycle.

I suppose you don't realize the difference between HF QC and Tanaka/Mitsubishi/Robin-Subaru Japanese high-standard QC.Sure some people may have installed FD's and GEBE's and had problems, but can assure, NONE of the problems were with the engines.HF anything is a crap shoot, Japanese stuff, with high QC standards, bad ones don't leave the factory, they are all run before being sent out.

 

[butre]

99.99% of problems with china girls are user error as well

 

[troyg]

99.99% of problems with china girls are user error as well

Nonsense, CG's are made of recycled cast AL full of impurities, Japanese quality engines are made from new, pure AL, that's speaks volumes.Go to the 2 stroke section, look at all the problems with the engines, vibration, CDI, carb problems, and straight up internal destruction because of flash left in the case.How many stories about having to mill an gasket a head on a BRAND NEW CG!!?I bought a used Tanaka off this site, it was on a kids goped, ragged out, I slapped it on my bike and it's run for thousands of miles, no adjustments.

Show me one story of a Tanaka Mitsubish or Robin Subaru, needing any work or adjustment for under 1000 hrs use, show me just one.