Soon to be Stingray owner

OH Yea, lots of fun exploring on my bike while RVing. Pic is from 2006 when everything was brand new.
Still got the RV and still got my M/B they both still look brand new. But no RVing this year cause the Virus.

Nice setup. And I guess I never looked too closely at your M/B before. That looong exhaust along with the white walls... :love: Only thing I'd want different if I had that exact bike would be a fire engine red paint, but the blue is awesome too! :D

About 7 years ago with a Class B motorhome I had, I carried 2 (non-motorized) bikes: an old 80s Schwinn road bike and a cheap Chinese mountain bike I paid $50 for new at a pawn shop. Which bike I used depended on the riding situation. I used the road bike a lot in Benson AZ on city streets/sidewalks for a couple months to go get groceries. I used the mountain bike in Quartzsite, AZ and around Slab City since I needed the off-road traction in sand. I had rear racks on both bikes and used these huge pannier bike bags for hauling stuff.

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That's why I'm thinking that I want both the Stingray (maybe just for pedaling) and a dedicated 4 stroke cruiser. The idea of messing with the clutch is a pain, as well as having to carry a separate 1 gallon gas can for premixing 2 stroke fuel, given my limited cargo space. I already carry gas for my small generator, so sharing it with a 4 sroke bike is no big deal. Oil changes are less of a hassle than fuel/oil mixing.

I addition, I'm not real fond of the idea of a coaster brake on a motorized bike as the Stingray has, and the clutch switch mostly prevents you from having a rear brake lever, though I did see an aftermarket dual brake/clutch lever out there.

I don't care about modding the engine as some people do with the 2 stroke kit. I just want something that will run and get me around. So, I think the 4 stroke kit might be better suited for my wants and needs. Yeah it costs twice as much, but it has twice the convenience: no clutch lever, no pre-mixing fuel, pull start, etc. Plus the bike it will go on won't need added front brakes, a special brake/clutch lever, an extra fuel can, which all eats into the "savings" of 2 stroke vs 4 stroke.

I typically walk my dog a lot when I go places, but I also sometimes want to go somewhere by myself (ie store or post office) without walking or driving the motorhome. The last two summers in a tiny SD town where I stayed, it was only about 1-1.5mi to the grocery store so I mostly walked it, but a bike would have been SOOO much nicer for hauling back 20lbs of groceries. Once or twice a month I would have to go drive to the store because I needed so much all at once that it would have taken 2-3 walking trips. It was 0.4 mile to the post office, but a ~20 minute walk round trip to check a potentially empty PO box stinks.

I have found both a lighter weight bolt-on tube, as well as a heavier duty one. Naturally, the lighter one is cheaper (China made) and the heavier one is more expensive (USA made). I'm leaning towards the more expensive one below since it has more surface area height wise, even when compared to the first one I found and posted about before. That is where all the support needs to be for more evenly distributed weight/pressure to minimize the chance of bending the bumper when hitting hard bumps.

No hurry on buying it though, since I don't need it until September or October.

If this wasn't my long term lifestyle, I wouldn't bother with any bike. I mean, I've gotten by for 3+ years without one, but I have basically wanted at least a pedal bike this entire time. Will I get enough use out of 'em to justify the cost? Maybe not. Do I want them anyway? Definitely. :LOL:

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You know.... I think I will just buy the $100 2 cycle engine for the Stingray and be done with it. I don't need it as my primary form of transportation, it's just something to supplement my motorhome now and then.... and for fun.

Since the ladder carrier isn't going to work at all, doing the front bumper bike carrier setup is needed, regardless of a bike engine. Maybe the cheap $27 receiver tube and the cheapest platform bike carrier I can find would work since it's not THAT big of a load on the steel bumper. Thick fender washers on the back side of the bumper would give it some reinforcement.

2 stroke engine kit: $110
Bolt-on receiver: ~$30
2 bike hitch carrier: $55
1 gallon gas can: $12
Grade 5 hardware: $5
Total: $212 (prices w/ tax)

That would cost less than JUST a 4 stroke engine kit... so yeah.

If I don't like it, I can always get a second bike and a 4 stroke kit later, since I'll be able to carry 2 bikes. I might need to upgrade the receiver tub to something heavier duty is all.
 
2 stroke kits are terribly overpriced right now (they were selling for under $100 1.5 months ago) but I bought one anyway for $117. It's a cheap kit with the crap 2 bolt tensioner, so I also ordered the 'arch' tensioner for an extra $20. That's cheaper than a replacement coaster brake wheel and medical bills from the crap tensioner going into the spokes. Plus it can also be used on a 4 stroke kit, if I ever kit out a 26" bike with one. I have seen where some people drill through the tensioner and into the frame to install sheet metal screws to keep it from moving, but I'd rather not do that to the thin metal they use on cheap bikes today. I went with an 80cc kit but I won't ever be going more than 25-30mph, so I'll basically treat it like a 50cc.. . and call it that if ever questioned by the cops.

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It looks like I might need to get a long, funky offset intake manifold, based on this Stingray knockoff someone kitted:


The offset is only around $7 though, so not a huge cost: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Motorized-...e-Manifold-for-32mm-Intake-Studs/302925633530

I'll wait until the Stingray is here before I buy anything else. I want to measure the rear hub and buy the hub adapter type of sprocket instead of messing with the rag joint setup. I can afford an extra $35-40 for it, and it's so much better all the way around to install and maintain. I need to measure the intake on the engine too, since it could be 32mm or 40mm, so I need to be sure I buy the right intake manifold. I need to be sure the engine can fit the bike's frame too. If it doesn't, I'll keep the kit and put it on a 26" bike later.

Based on shipping estimates, the arch tensioner is gonna get here first (already shipped), then maybe the engine, and lastly the bike.
 
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If you can, running without a tensioner would be the safest with the least amount if drag and lowest maintenance and longest chain life...
 
If you can, running without a tensioner would be the safest with the least amount if drag and lowest maintenance and longest chain life...

My plans are probably totally changed now.

I ordered the engine kit through Walmart "marketplace" (3rd party seller) and they were scammy... they shipped my "order" to a totally different address in a totally different city. USPS can see the address on the tracking on their end, even after delivery, and they said it was delivered properly, so it wasn't USPS misdelivering. The seller then lied repeatedly about issuing the refund. When I questioned them, they sent me some screenshot of a generic looking document that would take 3 minutes to type up in Wordpad. I called Walmart's number and they gave a legit refund after the overseas rep got authorization from his manager. (3-5 minute wait on hold) Plus he issued a promo code for $10 off $15+ from Walmart (not marketplace sellers) for the trouble, without me even asking for "compensation". I never do that, I just wanted a refund. I wasn't out anything but being really annoyed for a few days while I emailed the seller, before I gave up and called WM.

The seller is "Yosoo Sports" by the way. If you see the on site like Walmart, ebay or Amazon, avoid them!!

Then right when that was going on, I found a 1985 Honda Gyro S (TG50) for $100 locally that needs it's engine replaced/rebuilt, so now I guess I'm gonna go with fixing that instead of gas bike. It's all the way around better for riding in all states, even though it's gonna cost a lot to fix up.. and I will have to trailer it behind my motorhome, which I'm not super fond of. Hitch carriers drag way too much on steep slopes on the back of the motorhome, so that's not an option really. I'd prefer a small trailer with the Gyro and extra storage than a gas bike, when it comes right down to it.

Oh, and the Stingray STILL hasn't shipped. June 12 is the estimated delivery, but I dunno if that's gonna happen unless it ships from a very near warehouse. That was ordered direct from Walmart itself, so if they drop the ball on it, at least I know I'll get a refund promptly if they can't deliver on the order. If it actually gets delivered before the month is out, I might just put it on ebay still in the box, since they are selling for an INSANE amount of money right now. It would help fund the Gyro repairs, so it's win-win no matter what. Either I get my money back if Walmart can't deliver on the order, or I double my money through ebay.

Unless I keep it and use it as a bicycle for times I might not wanna ride the Gyro? Dunno... we'll see.

I also ordered the arch chain tensioner also from a Walmart Marketplace seller and it arrived without a problem. I can return that to Walmart in store with no return shipping costs to me. Only thing that doesn't make sense to return is a $5 bunch of jug and head gaskets I bought on ebay for the 2 stroke kit. Not worth paying $3+ shipping to return that. I'll just toss em in a box in case I ever end up with a 2 stroke kit after all.
 
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