Need Advice on engines

An important consideration is wether or not you need good hill climbing ability.If you do the Honda certainly has something going for it,but in any case gearing down lower will limit your top speed, unless you spring for the NuVinci rear hub (heavy and expensive).There is a supplier that piggybacks the engine drive on a regular deraileur bike, via one of the front sprockets giving 7 gears!.Quite enticing, but this is for use with frame mount engines only.Reliable engines for that type of application are hard to come by.
 
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Not to many hills around here

iT'S FLAT , i SHOULD PROB. JUST GET THE MITSU. ENGINE, tRYING NOW TO FIND A bIKE, i THOUGHT THE ENGINE/DRIVE SELECTION WAS A PAIN, NOW iAM NOT SURE ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS???

i KNOW i WANT AT LEAST A FRONT SUSPENTION OF SOME KIND.
and no coster brake... Must be 2 hand brakes
Still stuck on tires nobby or street, I dont plan on riding on dirt, but you never know!!!
Then there is the shifter thing!!! Looks like a lot of the bikes have those twist grip shifters ... is that going to be a issue.. I really hated those things...:confused:

I saw a schwinn cruiser called point beach or somthing like that...
Looked simple and cool, had hand brakes and was only around $ 150-179
Can these chinese made schwinns handle a engine kit without falling apart.

It seems from looking at a lot of post some people are really into the engine kit and not what you are going to ride " The Bike "
I guess I just have to find one that is comfortable !!!
 
You mean the front deraileur shifter?.The Shimano indexed one I have works quite well,the cheapy ones are not so great,you will have no rear one with the Staton gearbox& rear axle.People living on the flats are also pretty happy with the Staton roller drive.Loquin has this setup and likes it.I have a knobby on the rear and a smooth one up front.I know nothing about Schwinn cruisers.If you intend to do any pedaling yourself it's nice to have a front &rear derailleur,also having good cantilever brakes is very important.
 
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Still stuck on tires nobby or street, I dont plan on riding on dirt, but you never know!!!
Street tires are best for the street, and knobby tires are best for off-road. It's about traction and all.

Then there is the shifter thing!!! Looks like a lot of the bikes have those twist grip shifters ... is that going to be a issue.. I really hated those things...:confused:
I hated the twist grip shifters also. Never actually rode on a bike with one of good quality, but they're prolly a lil' better now. But I'm not particularly fond of derailers at all... so I stick with BMXes. If I cared to shift gear ratios, I'd buy a NuVinci hub, because they never jerk or slip... and they combine both pedaling and engine input into the input side of the "gearing". Amazing technology... but it's prolly a waste for flatlanders like ourselves.

It seems from looking at a lot of post some people are really into the engine kit and not what you are going to ride " The Bike "
I guess I just have to find one that is comfortable !!!
I personally think it's best to pick the frame out first, as it's prolly the most personal aspect about your build. You see more mountain bikes & cruisers on here because that's what manufacturers build and consumers buy. I am an extremist... so my collection has started off with a folding 20" bike, which has gotten me into biking more so I'm gonna get a fixed-gear bike (has no freewheel), and then I'll build a motorized recumbent [trike] once I hit the jackpot. A mountain bike is least appealing to me because of my extremist nature I guess.

Personally, I think getting a rack-mount kit is a given. I also think 2-strokes are best for your first build. As for drive systems, they're all good. I have chain, but it does slip off every once in awhile, and my fingers get all greasy. Since I'm on flat land, I wish I woulda started out with a TLE43 friction drive kit from Staton, honestly. It's the cheapest and easiest way to get started, and it should work on virtually any bike you can think of.

G'luck on your journey!
 
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Thank for the assistance, What do you think about a single speed bike, Hard to find one with a rear hand brake.. Would the stanton chain drive work ok on a single speed bike..I dont see where it really matters, all the ones i found have a coster brake on the rear, from what i have read you really want a hand brake for that extra stopping power..
is this a correct observation???
 
The friction drive should work well with a coaster brake so long as you also have a front brake. Remember, about 80% of your stopping ability comes from the front wheel due to weight transfer. If you go chain drive, you will need cable brakes on both wheels.
 
I'm too st00pit to ride on a bike with a coaster brake, and I would prolly kill myself if I rode on something with brakes like that. That's all there is to it for me.
 
Sparky, I don't know what you're talking about. I grew up with coaster brakes, true, they cost a couple of broken bones and half a dozen stitches but other than that...........

By the way, shouldn't you be on your way north?
 
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