New 2 all this and need advice please

i_am_jesse · #1 (**permalink**) 10-21-2009, 06:18 AM

Hi there, my name is Jesse and I am new to all this, but I am interested in doing a build of my own, I am a single dad of two girls, and I don't have a lot of money.... so I am wondering, what is the best and cheapest place to buy an 80 cc engine kit? (duel start? is that a good idea, or no?) and I have not gotten a bike to put the engine on yet either, I like the look of the beach cruisers, but I can't afford to spend a lot of $ on one.... I will be using this the bike as my main transportation cause I can't afford the daily costs of a conventional vehicle anymore, so then I ask, would it be best to spend the extra $ and getting like maybe a 7 speed? or is the motor enough with just a single speed bike? also how safe is it to use a pull behind passenger trailer with a motorized bicycle? where is the cheapest place to get the bike? and where is the cheapest place to get a good passenger trailer???? sorry for the 20 questions, I just don't know what to do, or where to go....

**BarelyAWake** · #2 (**permalink**) 10-21-2009, 06:39 AM

ThatsDax: bicycle engine kit, bike engine, bicycle engine, bicycle motor is one of the best for customer service I've ever heard of! I'd get my motor kit from him if I were you

Spooky Tooth: Spooky Tooth Cycles and BikeBerry: Wholesale Beach Cruisers, Chopper, Mountain, Road, Tandem, BMX FreeStle and Bicycle Engine Kits - BikeBerry.com are favorites of mine, they've treated me very well. Dual start is... somewhat problematic as your pedals might not clear, but that can be fixed if ya need to. You can get a Walmart beach cruiser for about $80, quite a few on this forum have done so successfully.

There's this one for $84 that many have built and liked;

Walmart.com: Huffy 26" Men's Huffy Cranbrook Fashion Cruiser: Bikes, Scooters & Skates

but were I to get a cruiser, I'd be a bit more tempted by this one for $129;

Walmart.com: Schwinn Men's 26'' Delmar Cruiser: Bikes, Scooters & Skates

These engine kits do really well as just a single speed, the stock 44 tooth sprocket will do about 30mph once the engine is broken in and tuned, yet still has enough pull for a trailer. There's no real need to get a multispeed bike, you won't be pedaling except to start the engine and to be nice to your clutch on take-offs from a dead stop.

There's a great jackshaft kit from Sick Bike Parts LLC - Performance Parts for Your Motorized Bicycle to have your engine utilize the bicycle's gearing - but it's somewhat expensive, don't really need it, and although it's great - it's mostly a performance mod/upgrade. I would however very much recommend Jim's sprocket adapter from MANIC Mechanic Parts.htm as it's inexpensive and solves the biggest problem with these kits - the rubber mounted rear sprocket.

2-wheeled passenger trailers are so common used (and cheap) it's nuts, I'd try Craigslist craigslist: new york city classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events or your local equivalent (classifieds), prolly can get one for less than $50. There's quite a few people with trailers for their bikes around here, bet a few haul kids w/em - I'd just not have the cover/roof on it on the remote chance exhaust fumes could build up.

You should be able to get all of the above (except the 7speed/gears) for about $300 or so, including a used trailer - less if you're resourceful.

Welcome to the forum BTW

i_am_jesse · #3 (**permalink**) 10-21-2009, 06:50 AM

Hey thanks man! a lot of my questions anweared! and I am sure the links are going to come in handy! I am so excited to get started on this! whgat would you suggest I buy first, the bike, or the motor?

**BarelyAWake** · #4 (**permalink**) 10-21-2009, 06:55 AM

The motor - so you can have it right on hand to measure clearances if you need to (cruisers are an easy mount/build though).

Yer gonna love this lol

i_am_jesse · #5 (**permalink**) 10-21-2009, 06:57 AM

cool man! thanks!!! any other advice you can give me would be much appriciated

**BarelyAWake** · #6 (**permalink**) 10-21-2009, 07:18 AM

Yeah - a lil "heads up" that I wish I had known lol

The motor will most likely run like **** for the first 100-200 miles, other than gently torquing all fasteners and making sure you don't have any air leaks - don't worry about it, the rings haven't seated yet - it'll be a completely different engine once it's broken in.

Also - the "instructions" (such as they are lol) recommend 16:1 - 20:1 mix for your break in. This is excessive and is prolly because of the cheap 2stroke oil/motor oils they use in China - I'd recommend anywhere from 24:1 - 32:1 (depending on courage/engine response) with a quality (but nonsynthetic) 2stroke oil, then once it's broken in (may take up to 300mi) you can switch to a synthetic if ya want

I suppose the biggest thing is get Jim's sprocket adapter - that is by far the biggest problem w/these bikes. The second biggest is the tensoner, advice can be found here;
Chain tensioner "suggestions"

i_am_jesse · #7 (**permalink**) 10-21-2009, 07:54 AM

awsome! do compression chambers really "boost" speed all that much? and what are your views on bicycle saddle bags?

**BarelyAWake** · #8 (**permalink**) 10-21-2009, 09:06 AM

o_O "compression chambers/boost"? If you mean 'Boost Bottles': Boost Bottle Industries most say they're a waste of money, some say they smooth out the idle a bit, no-one saz you get any "boost" from them at all lol

If you mean "Expansion Chambers" ie, tuned exhaust - I use the Sick Bike Parts expansion chamber: Sick Bike Parts and I'm extremely pleased with it's effect as are quite a number of other members.

If you mean a compression boosting 'Slant Head' for your engine: bicycle Motorized GAS ENGINE - 50cc slant head - eBay (item 150371910232 end time Nov-08-09 16:07:10 PST) (I can't vouch for this seller/dunno) many here have them and report good things, but I haven't gotten around to this mod yet lol but apparently there's sometimes problems with piston/spark plug impacts, needing to space the head with another gasket etc.

Saddlebags? Gawd - I dunno what I'd do without 'em lol I commute with my bike and do grocery runs, heck - it's all I drive

My main transportation because I hate the daily costs of a conventional vehicle (those schwinn bags are garbage tho, need better ones);