Best Upgrades for $600 and Tips for Performance?

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navifty

New Member
Oct 22, 2011
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world
I'm just now putting together my first China 2-stroke and am interested in what I can do with about $600. I'd like a shift kit (will these work on a frame-mounted 2-stroke?) and improved engine reliability. If I'm not going to be able to rely much on a China 2-stroke, I'd like to upgrade the engine as well. But if I can get away with the current engine, that'd be awesome.

Also, can anyone point me toward specific improvements I can make that will improve reliability/performance? I've been reading the forum but any extra tips are appreciated. I'm not mechanical but I'm willing to learn. And if anyone's in the Midwest and wants to teach in person...

One last thing: what's the cheapest braking solution? Currently I have no brakes.
 

The_Aleman

Active Member
Jul 31, 2008
2,653
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el People's Republik de Kalifornistan
Yeah, if you have $600 to spend, you can easily buy a 4-stroke kit and have something that will last long with not much work.
You can blow it all on the chinagirl, but you might find she's a bad lay and/or has horrible bedside manners.

Chinagirl = copy of 1930's Soviet engine technology

4-stroke = copy of modern Japanese engine technology
 

The_Aleman

Active Member
Jul 31, 2008
2,653
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el People's Republik de Kalifornistan
Silent Drive is long out of production, far as I know. If you can find one, it'll probably be used, and the Q-matic replaced it.

Q-matic is the ticket if you want something simple and reliable, IMHO. HS or GXH50 paired with one will make a solid and dependable ride.
 

biknut

Well-Known Member
Sep 28, 2010
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Dallas
If you're really not mechanical my advise is buy a moped if you need dependability. If you do decide to stick it out with a motor bicycle, by the time you find dependability you'll be a good mechanic.
 

The_Aleman

Active Member
Jul 31, 2008
2,653
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38
el People's Republik de Kalifornistan
I dunno Biknut, have you spent any time with Q-matics? Paired with a 4-stroke, you'd have a pretty dang reliable MaB. All you have to worry about is keeping gas in the tank and don't overrev the engine.

I've been running my Huasheng since September 2010, it needs less work in a year than the average HT in a month. The engines are solid, it's just that gearboxes for the 4-strokes like the Hoot and "5G" are junk, boxes like the Grubee Stage III are borderline junk, and boxes like the Grubee 4G need a few mods to be reliable.
 

DaveC

Member
Jul 14, 2010
969
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18
Boise, ID
Mid-west means fairly flat land so really the right gear ratio for a top speed of maybe 35 MPH. Most state laws say no more than 30 MPH but like a car it's nice to have a power reserve. The Chinee motors have problem's with construction that can cause them to fail for many reasons.

One of the first things I'd do is get a better ignition system. Buy a spare magneto coil. The after market coils are better made that the stock unit. That holds true for almost every part on the motor. Some here would advise a complete rebuild with the better bearings and seals that member's here have found. The new reed valve setup shows promise. Better clutch parts can be made or found. Treatland for a Puch 70cc Hi Compression head for $30 + shipping. Of course a sick bike parts expansion chamber. Boy Go Fast on eBay for a CNS version 1 carburator. Properly adjusted it's the best carb without spending a bunch for a Dellorto or Mukuni carb. The right carb has low and hi speed adjustment and a choke cable that goes up to the handle bar so you don't have to bend over to adjust it. The right carb has a tapered fabric filter.

Better bolts from sick bike parts, too. Case bolts set and head bolt set. You need the head bolt set to use the Puch head anyway. There are reasons for that. Even without the head the stud set is a good idea. The stock capnuts are trash. Even if all you do is replace then on the stock studs it needs to be done. When torqueing them down they can give false readings and usually that causes a head gasket leak and the black oily goo that leaks all over a motor. Plus if left it can cause torching, that's where hot gassesd actually burn a tunnel, ruining a head or cylinder top.

I'm skimming the surface here. In reality I ditched the HT motors infavor of Morini's. It takes more fabricating skills to build with them but all that money you just spent on the China motor brought you close to the lowest powered Morini, like I have. 3.5 HP S5 N for around 1990. Air cooled to 9.5 or water cooled to over 11 HP. A mid-ranged good used motor can be found fairly cheap. Thing about a used Morini is they are made to be rebuilt, iron bores means oversized pistons are avalible. Another good thing about Morini is durability. Many mopeds with Morini motors go 10,000 miles and more with no more problems than any 4 stroke. I'm not sure what's avalible right now, a damn good replacement motor is the new Dax motor. At 9 HP it smokes anything you can do to a HT for any price

With these small motors a two stroke makes more sense if you worry about the power to move you around. 50cc is about 2 cubic inches, not much to work with. There are chainsaws and weedeaters with bigger displacememt ;)