Questions For First Motorized Bicycle..

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SubieGuy

New Member
Sep 3, 2012
39
0
0
Canada
Hi all thanks for looking!
I've seen a couple of people riding motorized bikes around town, and have decide I want to make one.

Cliffnotes : Located in Canada. Budget ~$500. Best engine? What to look for in a bike?

I've decided to take my chances on a Chinese engine kit. I've done some searching and haven't found a definitive answer on whether or not one is better than the other. Is there? Here's the one I'm thinking of getting :

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/SkyHawk-GT2A...509?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item3a77242865

Since motorized bikes are illegal here (Canada) my theory is I'd get in less trouble for having an engine under 50cc vs one that's over. Or does it matter?

Now most importantly, which bike? I've looked through some threads and it seems like a lot of people recommend cruiser bikes. I don't think that would work very well around here (hills, roads aren't rough roads) so I'd like to use a mountain bike. Here is what seems to me to be the most 'appropriate' bike I've found so far :

http://www.usedvictoria.com/classified-ad/Kona-Mountain-Bike_18047171

Here's why I think this bike would be ideal :

- Doesn't cost a whole lot (my budget for this whole thing is about $500)
- Has suspension
- Looks to have thin tubes - easier for mounting the engine? (vs newer bikes with oversized tubes)
- Not single speed
- Good brakes

Am I going in the right direction? Any input is appreciated!
 

Bronze

New Member
Aug 12, 2012
51
0
0
New Brunswick
Re: Questions For First MB...

front suspension is nice, sur.. I have mine on a older cantilever brakes TREK. Rigid frame. Gotten me to work for a month.. mind you a lot of work goes into it to tune this and that. Im on the east coast.. bit more lax with the laws here as long as im riding responsibly.

I ordered my china girl engine from zoombicycles.com. They are in port coquitlam ( spelling?) Paid 198 with shipping and tax.

Whatever engine you decide, get some loctite at canadian tire. Blue 242 is removable. once Everything is the way you like it apply that stuff to the threads, and let it sit for 24hours.

I actually had a hard time finding a mountain bike that had a standard tube frame. But most, the zoombikes kit anyway comes with a fat tube post adapter... the first bike i tried ahd that frame, and the carb wouldnt fit, i didnt want to modify the carb to fit.. so i returned the 300$ bike, and found this next to new trek for 60$ on kijiji!!

was 500-600 dollar bike 5 to 6 years ago, buddy rode it for a summer, barely, and had a kid.. no more time for that.. :D

Cruiser bikes are great for asphalt etc.. i need the mountain bike, because im in the country, the side of the road it dirt and rocks etc.. before I get to town.
 

SubieGuy

New Member
Sep 3, 2012
39
0
0
Canada
Re: Questions For First MB...

Hey thanks for the reply. Just a couple more questions to clarify...

Loctite is a great idea.

I looked on that zoombicycles site, and in their e-store everything is listed 'out of stock'. Do you have to call them to order?

Is Chinagirl just what you call a chinese engine?

Is the bike from my link considered a 'standard tube' frame?

I'd much rather order from zoombicycles than ebay, knowing that it comes with that tube adapter should I need it, and they are also much closer to me.

Also forgot to mention that if something needs to be modified/tinkered with that I'm an automotive mechanic, have some experience welding/machining and have a welder available to me!
 

CommunityBike

New Member
Sep 5, 2012
3
0
0
Columbia, SC 29201
Re: Questions For First MB...

Hello! I am a newbie here, (apologies if this isn't a good place to post, please direct where might be!) and need some guidance on which engine/kit to buy as well. Many have recommended kits from "boygofast" on eBay and I am looking at two kits he recommended to me. The first one is here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=180927911278

The second kit has a motor with wider intake and "boygofast" emailed me saying, "the z80 runs good more power. the wider intake may have high compression ( u may need add one more head gasket) it runs smooth."
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=180923837720

Which engine is better? are the kits the same? Is the larger intake engine also new and improved (one is listed as "EPA certified needle bearing engine and EPA 66cc engine", I wonder iof the wider intake is also? I am guessing the larger intake goes faster, but is it as good an engine, will it last as long, does it have problems because of large intake?
Which do you recommend for me? I am an experienced bike rider, in fact I do not have a car. I also regularly used an electric bike for commuting.
Thank you for your time, knowledge and expertise! I intend to purchase this week.
 

SubieGuy

New Member
Sep 3, 2012
39
0
0
Canada
Re: Questions For First MB...

I haven't bought one yet. Still trying to find a shift kit. If i can find a shift kit then I can look for a bike with disc brakes, then I'll probably order that boygofast motor or something similar to it!
 

CommunityBike

New Member
Sep 5, 2012
3
0
0
Columbia, SC 29201
Re: Questions For First MB...

Cool. You mean of the the boygofast kits I list above? Which one? I'm interested in the wider intake, more power, but I don't know if there are trade-offs/problems etc. Maybe gas mileage not as good too. I'm not sure if he meant add an additional head gasket right away, or that it would blow a head gasket due to higher compression? - What is a shift kit? I have a bunch of bikes (manual) already, but none with disc brakes. I might add discs later.
 

CTripps

Active Member
Aug 22, 2011
1,310
1
38
Vancouver, B.C.
Re: Questions For First MB...

Hi SubieGuy.. whereabouts are you? I've heard of retailers in a few provinces, but so far have only worked with ZoomBicycles. I'm close enough to them to be able to pick-up instead of getting things shipped (when I can get the time off to do that... thier business hours and my work hours are about the same, and they aren't open on weekends.)

When I had problems, they were good about exchanging parts and advice to help me out (the first kit I got, then engine simply would not start, the throttle handle was junk, all replaced no problem).
I've had one problem with Zoom so far in the several times I've done business with them, and that was when my Visa bill came in and I saw my purchase (5 motors, exp. chamber, NT carb), follwed by another charge for 5 motors.. a few phone calls got it sorted out before I had to invoke the powers of Visa.
 

JonnyR

New Member
May 13, 2012
1,203
1
0
37
ronkonkoma, new york
Re: Questions For First MB...

hey guys im a semi veteran of bike building and a fabricator heres my opinions
just going to lay it out there try to avoid Grubee engines (skyhawk) they aren't what they used to be the boy go fast kit looks like it uses the downgraded flying horse kit. its a great kit from what i have heard but i would try to get my hands on a flying horse 49cc or 66cc im running the 66cc with the NT carb. the NT or the NT speed are the two carbs that work well the one marked EPA is the CNS and comes with grubees now and its a nightmare to try to tune with because its pre set (usually wrong) from the factory. i made the mistake of buying the grubee sky-hawk 66cc for my first motor and have had almost every problem you can besides total piston or rod failure its worth the little extra to buy a good kit.

a lot of us have had some kind of hart ach at some point with our bikes but so far i love my latest kit (flying horse 66cc) just make sure you order a good chain i use a KMC and they come in colors


i use bikeberry.com don't know about shipping to Canada but they are great people
 

fishyfish777

New Member
Sep 2, 2010
42
0
0
Ann Arbor, MI
Re: Questions For First MB...

Subie, I'm in a similar situation as you with a similar budget and all and I decided to get a Z80 (arriving tuesday) because I've had okay experiences with boygofast (one failed CDI but nothing really else).

One should probably not worry too much about the differences in kits, though. Chances are you're eventually going to end up customizing a good amount of things on them anyway, like better hardware, mounting, exhaust, intake - so on, so differences in the kits aside from things like crank bearings and the carburetor they come with don't seem to add up to much.
 

JonnyR

New Member
May 13, 2012
1,203
1
0
37
ronkonkoma, new york
Re: Questions For First MB...

i have ordered a skyhawk 66cc kit it was tossed in a box with little to know pading the hardware is ridiculously crappy
the "high performance" CNS carb was a joke almost UN-tuneable only jet changes and a semi idle mix screw the tank had some of the worst welds under it.
the offset intake also was horrible inside
the plug boot was broken
the chain was worse than flimsy
the engine cut out button on the throttle lasted 1 and a half weeks
then i started having quality control issues idler baring started to come apart the carb wouldn't stay on or seal (blue rvs silicone fixed mostly) then the CDI followed by the magneto

so to say the least i got fed up with it and its my paper weight on my work bench to remind me not to try to save a few dollars and to do my research on what is currently the one no one is having a problem with.

since i bought my black "flying horse" 66cc kit not a problem and was packed really nicely should have gotten the bigger tank but that's not there fault and having the u bolt mount is a great option i would never drill a frame to attach a motor it will crack on you.
so in short there is a difference in the kits and some luck has a part
 
Last edited:

SubieGuy

New Member
Sep 3, 2012
39
0
0
Canada
Re: Questions For First MB...

Thanks for all the input guys!

Ctripps, I'm on Vancouver Island. I did notice zoombicycles is pretty close to me. But when I go on their site, everything is listed as 'out of stock'. Do you have to call them to order?

Are the engines zoombicycles sell, Skyhawks?

And yes, it seems more than half the people that have the grubee engines have problems with them.