Warning to All! - Everyone look at this!

WOW this is a long thread!
I'll add my two cents...
I've built almost thirty bikes now, and have never had a problem with the studs.
I've never had a problem with drilling through the frame.
I DID have the bolt that goes through the frame break once & the engine did what Bruces did. (my fault, I used a cheap bolt)
I didn't have the catastrophic failure that he did because I noticed it immediately when I heard some noise & noticed the pedal was touching the side of the engine.
I was able to ride all the way home with it like that, (I just let the engine rest against the pedal the whole way home.)

These engines are not designed to be used without the pedals.
Removing the pedals puts even more stress on the engine.

I truely think this happened because of builder/ rider error... i.e. mounting the engine that way + over torquing the bolts, removing the pedals, & riding the bike too hard without paying constant attention to the machine while riding.

I'm really glad he wasn't hurt, & I hope he fixes his bike & gets right back on it. (because they are really fun!)

I think we all need to take personal responsibility for the way we build, ride & maintain these cheesy little engine kits. (because they ARE cheesy, & can be dangerous!)

Get back on it Bruce!!

__________________
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Well, Well, we have finally got down to it, very interesting our various philosophies on life and risk taking. how many persons get behind the wheel after more than (3), . . . how many die and are maimed on the roads,the answer, . . . more than any war has killed, and that is probably combined wars have killed.

Are the folks who own Bars blamed for killing all those persons who have more than three, are the persons who drive punished to the point they don't do it again, are the legislators blamed ? Is it legal to sell Alchohol, the numero uno ?

Still it doesn't make anything right to give comparisons and examples, but, . .

Those who come to this forum and have an interest in reading would know that there are strong recommendations to change those bolts, from the onset, all of mine aren't changed, and I chompped of one or two in the building process, my mount bolts haven't been changed yet, either.

In a world like we live in I think that it is up to the U.S. to have standards and stress specs and to know what they are allowing to be imported into the US, if they or we don't, who do you expect to do this ?? The moral world public!

Those bolts that you have purchased don't shear in every case, I agree that it can be dangerous, but now that we know about it, what are you, we, the, Motor Bike Buffs of the world, gonna do ?

Manufacture an engine kit that everyone thinks is a fantastic price in the US ? Get a grip, that is what foreigners learn about capitalism ! They learn that is what we want, . . . when the smelters of metal use slag, for there metal it is because this is what is passed through the marketing system to them, specs and importation belong to the capitalist !

But thanks for the Realism of it all you have warned us, . . I thank you, . . but until we find out that all those Asian Consumers who ride these bikes are riding with better bolts that we have, we should give some considerations to how this is happening.

Thanks for the heads up. It doesn't change my mind about strappin' a motor to my bike but it's good to know. We should all be aware of the inherant risks of our activities and of life in general. I've ridden M/Cs since 88 or so, bicycles since 76. I've wadded a chain (< 200 mi. on it) into my crankcase at 60-70 mph. I threw a rod at 70 mph on Ducati 350 single (southbound Alaskan way Viaduct for those familiar to Seattle). Neither time did I wreck, but I could have. Had stuff fall off, lockup, get stuck, caught, etc on bicycles. Sometimes I wrecked other times not. I've been in countless bicycle accidents. At age 7 I ran a stop sign and t-boned a car and landed in the bushes across the street. I hopped a curb one time and my front wheel came off. We didn't even have helmets when I was little [maybe an occasional wobbly football Helmet(for big stunts)]. In Seattle riding a bicycle is dangerous. If your gonna ride, you better know what your doing (AKA expert rider). The same would apply to strapping a motor to it. An expert rider knows how to stop from 30+ mph, in a rear wheel skid, or not. If you don't or you think you might not know how to stop from 30+ mph then you probably should not have a motor in your bicycle. To me it's a calculated risk; To you it may not be.