salfter
New Member
I think I first heard about putting an engine on a bike a couple or three years ago. I thought at the time it might be fun, but $3+/gallon gas is leading me to think it might be a way to shave some money off my commuting costs. I have a 6-speed cruiser (steel frame, bought it at Wal-Mart about 10 years ago when you could still get an American-made bike without spending insane amounts of money) that would be the most likely platform. (I also have a newer 21-speed comfort bike, but as I understand it, the full suspension and aluminum frame make it less suitable.)
Over the past few days, I've scoured this forum, various resellers' websites, and eBay for info, prices, etc. I think what I want is an engine that mounts inside the frame; it would keep the bike's center of gravity lower than an engine mounted over a wheel. The kits that put the engine inside the frame also look like they come with larger fuel tanks, which would be more convenient. I'm also leaning toward a 4-stroke, as it'd be nice to be able to just pull into a gas station and fill up without having to fart around with mixing oil into the fuel. If I were to get a 2-stroke instead, how do you have to go about mixing fuel and oil? Is it sufficient to put some oil in the tank and then add gas from the pump (with the incoming flow agitating the liquid in the tank to mix it), or does it need to be mixed in a jerrycan (or whatever) and dispensed from that into the tank?
In particular, the kit in eBay item #************ looks interesting. It looks like it comes with a replacement three-piece crankshaft for the bike, though, and I'm not sure how universally applicable that would be. There doesn't appear to be enough information out there for me to determine if I'd really need to install it or if the bike's stock one-piece crank would clear the engine. The 2-stroke kits, from what I've seen, don't come with a replacement crank.
Over the past few days, I've scoured this forum, various resellers' websites, and eBay for info, prices, etc. I think what I want is an engine that mounts inside the frame; it would keep the bike's center of gravity lower than an engine mounted over a wheel. The kits that put the engine inside the frame also look like they come with larger fuel tanks, which would be more convenient. I'm also leaning toward a 4-stroke, as it'd be nice to be able to just pull into a gas station and fill up without having to fart around with mixing oil into the fuel. If I were to get a 2-stroke instead, how do you have to go about mixing fuel and oil? Is it sufficient to put some oil in the tank and then add gas from the pump (with the incoming flow agitating the liquid in the tank to mix it), or does it need to be mixed in a jerrycan (or whatever) and dispensed from that into the tank?
In particular, the kit in eBay item #************ looks interesting. It looks like it comes with a replacement three-piece crankshaft for the bike, though, and I'm not sure how universally applicable that would be. There doesn't appear to be enough information out there for me to determine if I'd really need to install it or if the bike's stock one-piece crank would clear the engine. The 2-stroke kits, from what I've seen, don't come with a replacement crank.