you're favorite upgrade

GoldenMotor.com

thxcuz

Active Member
Jul 26, 2012
340
42
28
St.louis
Hi again folks.
I just finished my first HT engine kit and so far so good. However, being a person who won't leave well enough alone, I'm curious about upgrades. I'm not looking for speed really, just a bit more umph and slightly better quality components. I'm all stock except for a higher end chain idler bracket. So tell me, what is you're favorite upgrade?
Oh and I also replaced the stock 415 with a #41
 
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Davezilla

New Member
Mar 15, 2014
2,705
10
0
San Antonio Texas
The best 2 upgrades ive done are adding a Fred head for more compression and far better cooling, and an expension chamber pipe for more torque and a lot more top end Hp...
you can do both these upgrades to a stock engine and see a noticeable power gain. The head should be done first because it helps a lot for keeping your engine cool, then add a good pipe like the sbp or snake pipe, the pipe will give you the biggest single power improvement and can be tuned to make the power where you want it.
 

fatdaddy

New Member
May 4, 2011
1,516
4
0
San Jose, Ca.
My favorite upgrade didn't increase my speed at all, just added to the reliability of the drivetrain. a hub adapter to take the stress off the spokes and get a perfect alignment on the chain. I have a Howard adapter but there are a few good ones out there that also work just fine. The rag joint works OK if you take your time and get it right. an adapter bolts on straight and KEEPS everything straight. NO BROKEN SPOKES.
fatdaddy.usflg
 
Jan 21, 2015
610
25
18
Portland, Oregon
So far, building myself a new wheel after the motor ripped the spokes out of the old one, new one is built like a tank with 12 gauge spokes and the like, and I bolted on a new rear sprocket to a disc brake mount. A close second is replacing the piece of #*$! magneto and spark plug with good ones that didn't break every time you looked at them wrong.
 

xseler

Well-Known Member
Apr 14, 2013
2,886
151
63
OKC, OK
All of 'em!! They're kinda like children --- it's just wrong to say one is your favorite.....
 

YesImLDS

Member
Jun 29, 2013
960
12
18
Columbia, Missouri
My favorite mod I ever did when I first started was a lower geared sprocket. Stock is 44 and I went to a 36T and never looked back. Far better top speed and doesn't lack in the low end still. Triumphs over any big hills still and despite being decently modded now the whole range still kicks butt and starts like nothing.
 

xseler

Well-Known Member
Apr 14, 2013
2,886
151
63
OKC, OK
I've got more $$$$ in the upgrades than I have in the original bike and 66cc Skyhawk kit.

TurboBuick tensioner
front wheel
rear coaster wheel
(2) Continental CityRide tires
Mapbike roller
rear cargo rack
36t sprocket and hub adapter
chrome 415 chain
memory foam seat
front caliper brake
NT Speed carb
Dual pull brake lever
SBP expansion chamber
speedometer
upgraded kickstand
Iridium spark plug
upgraded plugwire
etc, etc


Heck, I guess I could've just bought the Felt Deep Six bike for what I've spent!! However, it wouldn't have been near as much fun!
 

Agreen

Member
Feb 10, 2013
792
11
18
Southeastern GA
The best upgrade I ever did was actually a "downgrade". After my 66cc bike got stolen, I built a Skyhawk frame with a 48cc engine. The 48cc is so much smoother than the 66cc. It also (weird, I know) feels like it has the same amount of power. Maybe because I ported the transfer ports before running the engine.

Anyways, I feel as if I had balanced the 66cc engine that I could have actually made more power. It just felt like the engine was ready to shake itself apart at high rpm. There's a how-to on this website, along with some other good tutorials.

http://juicemotoparts.com/high-performance.html
 

rogergendron1

New Member
Sep 18, 2013
882
2
0
42
woburn ma
I can tell you that by far the most absolutely effective, efficient, and most hp producing mod that you can do to these motors is to completely strip them down bare, and starting from a split bare case ............ grind down and de-bur everything, stuff the case halfs bearing bosses with jb weld and grind down for crank clearance, port match the jug to the case, reshim and stuff the crank balance holes, port the jug way wider (60% on the exhaust and as wide as you can on the intake) , corfect transfer port angle, DO NOT RAMP THE PISTON IT WILL MAKE YOUR SQUISH BAND INEFCECTIVE IN THE RAMPED SPOTS, deck jug to a near zero deck hight to allow for squish band clearance adjustment through head gasket thickness swaps,cut piston skirt for intake clearance and desired timing, deck the crap out of the stock head till its about 5.5cc then by hand grind a squish band into it and reshape the chamber to a conical dome, port match your intake amd extend it with a hose to 6 in length, rejet carb with drill bits and solder, port match exhaust and cut it open and tottaly gut it out and weld cap onto end, replace plug wire with nkg wire and nkg plug boot, install iridium plug, makes shure to debur slot in the clutch shaft and pack the clutch shaft and shaft hole with red bearing grease for ease of operation and tighten that damb clutch spring down tight cause you should be at 11:1 static compression now !!!!

if your feeling up to it weld up a custom exhaust spasificaly tunned to your new motors desired rpm power band or adapt a good wide band powerband x chamber like the stock ktm.


all of this can be done with nothing but a dremal tool and some bits, some jb weld stick, and a rubber hose and a soldering iron and drill bits with a bunch of sand paper ..... normal garage tools !!!

i garentie you that for only a few bucks and a whole lot of your time .... you can get more from this than any upgrade or aftermarket part there is in existance .
 
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Davezilla

New Member
Mar 15, 2014
2,705
10
0
San Antonio Texas
there is no mod that can match the power of a man with an intellegent mind and a dremal tool
Fully agreed.... the best single upgrade you can do is in the port work... then adding a pipe that's tuned to match the engines new power band and with the right outlet diameter as well as a carb that can let the engine breathe and take full advantage of all that port work will make these engines scream... the port work, the pipe, and the carb all need to be the right size and tuned to work together tho to get the most out of the engine... but there's a LOT of free power to be had just by doing the port work and opening up the exhaust so the engine can actually breathe.
 

Tyler6357

Well-Known Member
Mar 15, 2012
1,293
294
83
Santa Barbara, CA
My favorite upgrades in order:

(1) SBP Expansion Chamber---noticed a huge performance increase for low end torque and acceleration.
(2) Rear Wheel Sprocket Adapter---for the sake of the spokes and peace of mind
(3) Dellorto Clone (RT) Carburetor--- power increase
(4) Wipperman R8 BMX Chain--- super strong small chain that is less bulky and runs through my sprockets smoothly and clears my rear tire better.
(5) Dual Brake Lever--- for simple operation and faster stopping time (for me)
(6) Bottle Boost---waste of money, noticed no difference in performance at all :(
 
Dec 11, 2014
628
14
18
Tucson
A handle bar cell phone holder with my phone running as a GPS speedometer. It's way cooler looking than the tachometer and calculator the way I used to check speed lol.
 

Nashville Kat

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2009
1,501
55
48
Jacksonville, Florida
Like EVERYTHING I've done

First went from the beach tires to 1.75 width and rolled and pedaled so much better- then went to a 27 front wheel and finally to 700c wheels front and back both .

The billet intake and the Speed carb when it came along gave better steady power without bogging- though not exotic carb otherwise- love the extra shut off valve on the carb- and won't go backwards there.

Also love a front shock fork, because it keeps the bars in your hands better, when you don't see a bump coming, and a smoother ride otherwise. With a shock seatpost and cruiser saddle it's a comfy ride.

Loved going to a 36 sprocket not just for speed, but to keep the revs and vibrations down at cruising speed- eventually went to 34 alloy sprockets bolted directly to drilled smooth sided large flanged flip flop hubs and have had no troubles there, w/o a chain tensioner.