The guys on here have been helpful, so I thought I'd contribute.
I checked virtually every shop around (West Washington, USA) and found only ONE bike that is truly plug and play.
This bike is the Magna Great Divide, and I got it for $100 at Target.
It required no frame drilling, but you WILL want to buy a smaller sprocket so that the chain clears the back part of the frame (you'll want a smaller sprocket for speed anyway). I recommend a 32tooth sprocket from kings sales and service.
SPECIAL STEPS: (For building from a kit)
Take the brake levers and throw them away. They are the cheapest parts on the bike. The rest of the bike appears to be higher quality.
Take the front derailleur (by the pedals) and disconnect it from the shifter cable, then remove the shifter from the handle bar. You will be able to shift the front sprocket manually when you are stopped, but will likely not need to. The reason for this is that this bike uses grip shifts, and you need 1 handle open for the throttle.
Buy a fuel line from an auto parts store - it will only be about $2. The size is 3/16 inch. You can use the fuel line that comes with the kit, but it will wear out quicker and you will need to boil the ends in water to soften them up before attachment.
SPEED:
So far I am getting about 32mph on level ground, and I weigh 142 pounds. I suspect this speed will increase once I finish breaking in the engine and switch to a higher gas to oil ratio. I'm also adding a couple performance parts that should add a few more mph - my goal is to get my max speed to around 40.
QUESTIONS:
Just respond to this thread with any questions. I will receive an e-mail and respond here.
- Justin
I checked virtually every shop around (West Washington, USA) and found only ONE bike that is truly plug and play.
This bike is the Magna Great Divide, and I got it for $100 at Target.
It required no frame drilling, but you WILL want to buy a smaller sprocket so that the chain clears the back part of the frame (you'll want a smaller sprocket for speed anyway). I recommend a 32tooth sprocket from kings sales and service.
SPECIAL STEPS: (For building from a kit)
Take the brake levers and throw them away. They are the cheapest parts on the bike. The rest of the bike appears to be higher quality.
Take the front derailleur (by the pedals) and disconnect it from the shifter cable, then remove the shifter from the handle bar. You will be able to shift the front sprocket manually when you are stopped, but will likely not need to. The reason for this is that this bike uses grip shifts, and you need 1 handle open for the throttle.
Buy a fuel line from an auto parts store - it will only be about $2. The size is 3/16 inch. You can use the fuel line that comes with the kit, but it will wear out quicker and you will need to boil the ends in water to soften them up before attachment.
SPEED:
So far I am getting about 32mph on level ground, and I weigh 142 pounds. I suspect this speed will increase once I finish breaking in the engine and switch to a higher gas to oil ratio. I'm also adding a couple performance parts that should add a few more mph - my goal is to get my max speed to around 40.
QUESTIONS:
Just respond to this thread with any questions. I will receive an e-mail and respond here.
- Justin
