List of the best top quality long lasting rugged engines

Hi everyone.i am new to motorized bicycling and I would very much appreciate your advice....

I am currently working in a job i am not too happy with and in the spring of 2009 i'm going to be leaving.... taking a road trip around the country....and riding a motorized bike everywhere and anywhere. my plan is to mount it on the back of my jeep and take it wherever I go.... I want to be able to take it off and ride around small towns and cities and see the country. since i will be needing this engine to work every day and may find myself stuck in a place i don't want to be, i'm beginning my motor kit search on this forum by requesting a list of your top three motor kits which you believe will be my best chance at having something I can correctly and easily install with clear instructions.....will go at a decent speed but with excellent gas mileage, but most of all....I need it to be rugged and long lasting with minimal problems. Since this motor will mean a lot to me price is not my biggest problem. of course the cheaper the better, but having something I can rely on means more to me right now.

I need a very rugged engine with long life and a relatively minimal amount of maintenance and repairs needed.(one that is known to not have mantenance/repair issues) The good news is all i have right now is a 15 year old mongoose mountain bike and a little extra cash in the bank. So I am completely starting from scratch....I need a bike and a motor kit.... but it seems most motor kits are fairly universal with normal v frame bikes with smaller rounded bar frames....

please send me a short list of your choice for a most reliable and high quality bike motor kit...I really do appreciate the help.

Thank you!

James

My most reliable build was a Staton-Inc motorized bicycles, bike kits & gear drive kits. inside drive kit using a Robin Subaru EHO35 1.6 hp 4 cycle. I think it is as reliable as any thing both the motor and the rest of the kit. I now have a Whizzer that is not a kit. It does look like a dependable bike, but weighs 100 lbs. I have done about 3 China bike motors from various dealers and would not call them really dependable but I am learning and may be able to make one more dependable than I have done so far. The cost is less than half the Staton or Gebe. I would like to try a DAX as they seem to get rave reviews from owners.

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LennyHarp of Lenny's Bikes & Things
http://lennyharp.net
The true value of a man is not judged by what he has, but rather by what he can do without.
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an action, but a habit." -- Aristotle

thatsdax Titan.....

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If it ain't broke, and you mess with it long enough, it will be.

If you're looking for a 2 cycle motor, my choice would have to be the Morini. It's more expensive but worth the money because of the power and reliablity.

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Link to the Pipelyne tuned pipes
http://motorbicycling.com/f23/new-sc...-sale-189.html

my idea would be a 4 stroke because of gas availability. and motors by honda or robin subaru. this is based on noise. there may be places on a trip when sounding like a weedeater might not fit in.

what ever you get: make shure you have a lot of spare parts, and know how to install them. its always good to think that reliablity is in the owners hands.

The short version is this.

Anything built by a recognised manufacturer - ie honda, tanaka, robin and so on will be reliable and more or less fit or forget - inasmuch as your engine is not likely to give you problems although the drive system might.

Industrial two strokes such as the Tanaka benefit from a tuned pipe and adjustable carburettor as do the CIF engines but the manufacturer engines are more likely to be reliable and long lasting than the CIF 2-strokes (Chinese In Frame). There is also the advantage that the manufacturer engines are low emissions and high performance.. for example my 32cc Tanaka with pipe will top out at 35mph on flat roads as compared with the CIF's 50/60/'80' for roughly the same performance but using more fuel and at a higher oil mixture.

To be honest I would go with a two stroke manufacturer engine on either a Golden Eagle or a Staton kit. Flexible, reliable and eminently tunable - 2 strokes are simply the right tool for the job. GE & Staton are the best of the mounts - belt and chain respectively, although the Dax Titan is also good but fairly noticable.

Jemma xx

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Jemma- the one exception being if we ran these chinese bike engines like you do your Tanaka, they would only last a few hours!

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If it ain't broke, and you mess with it long enough, it will be.

If you mean the NM fuel - I havent used that for a while - seems the low end is better without it.

I might start using it again since its really hard to start in the cold at the moment and it seemed to improve starting..

In the UK the best way of staying safe is keep to the traffic speeds and take the lane. Most people will sit behind you at 30-35mph but they wont at lower speeds so you have to run around that speed or risk getting some idiot try and take you out. The UK doesnt have 20mph speed limits.

Its also better to be faster in the dark since the faster you are the shorter time you are available as a target to the drunks and corsa-chavs.. although this should not be done on unknown roads.

Jemma xx

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First I want to say thank you to everyone replying....I really do appreciate the advice!! I will go with a 2 cycle name brand engine. I will also go with a name brand.

After I posted this I had a conversation with my father about the project and I have a few more questions now.

1. He mentioned that he didn't think that motorized bicycles had the ability to be basically placed in to neutral so that you could choose weather you wanted to use the engine or just pedal the bicycle like a standard bike with no engine... I did not realize that... I just assumed I'd be able to use the bike for exercise and then when i was tired or got stuck somewhere I could just kick the engine on and be on my way... is this not the case?

2. I see there seems to be two major types of motor styles. there are some which are mounted on the center frame and attach by gear to a rear wheel sprocket. Then there is another type which rolls on the tire and attaches above the rear tire.... what are the advantages/disadvantages of these types? with respect to my trip across the country and desire to be able to pedal and use the engine seperately....is there a better choice?

3, I am also going to be buying a new bike... I want something that is excellent on the road, but also can handle a few hard bumps and minor offroading... anny suggestions on which type of bike? my price range for the bike itself is under $700 and I will probably be looking on ebay for the bike... but i'm thinking if i can't pedal it..... then i might as well just get a cheap road bike from walmart and mount it..... i'm leaning towards a middle of the road ...road bike.... with straight handle bars and thin tires but with aggressive tread...anny ideas?

I think after these questions i'll pretty much know what i'm looking for and i'll keep you guys informed how the project goes if you're interested to hear about it.... have a great night!!

Jamey