Amen, Amen & Amen
I like 2's & 4's each have there +'s & -'s, each can be reliable and each can be a pain in the neck at times, I believe the 4's are a good choice for the less hooby oriented builder, as an enjoyable hobby the 2 smokers win in my book, they seem like a huge challenge to the less mechanicaly inclined, but for those of us who enjoy a challenge and actually enjoy the tinkering they can be frustrating & fun all at the same time because the fun of the frustration is the challenge to get it right and win the war.....!
Sometimes I think some people who get the 2 smoker kits think they're getting a plug & play set up, this can kinda be the case as long as they unplug all the junk from the kit and plug in some quality fasteners, gaskets and understand how to tune them into the mix of things.
I have built a very strong modified 6.5hp clone which is a good engine as long as a person treats it like you would one of these HT engines and loctite things good and upgrade some of the hardware, the carbs. need to be retuned on them if you put a straight pipe on it and a better flowing air filter just like the 2 smokers, if not they will also run to lean.
many of the issues incountered on the small engines are from lack of knowledge, that is why this forum is the greatest thing since sliced bread for the newbie to the 2 smokers and the rest, I see info. given on here sometime that makes me laugh and think "what the heck" but 99% of what I see here is excellent info. that helps people including myself many times, there is still a lot we can all learn, I always hope I can help someone avoid a mistake I've made because many on here have done the same for me.
These are very simple engines but then again 2+2=4 is only simple after a person inderstand why.......!
The Good Book says " my people perish for lack of knowledge " and so with these engines many problems are created, or not "nipped in the bud" for lack of knowledge.
Hard core Honda guys say all the same negative stuff about the 4stroke China Clones, heard a bunch of it when I started my clone build year before last.
Peace
amen, mapbike.
all the main things to watch out for have been addressed already, and since this thread turned into the old 4stroke vs. 2stroke debate, i figure i'd add something here.
i went to the deathrace with a bag of tools and no spare parts, and a modified 2 stroke HT engine with 8-10,000 miles on it.
the only time i got my tools out was to remove the supertrapp tip from my exhaust to make it wide open, and to get a screwdriver to pop the visor off my helmet.
beat the living daylights outta that motor, and it still runs great.
these are the simplest motors to learn on, to maintain, and to tinker with. once you figure it out, and replace the crap that was designed to fail, you really can't beat it.
i'm not saying 2's rule and 4's suck, i just don't think they deserve the bad rep some people give them.