Proper canidate?

A picture of the bike will help get more responses. Put the bike next to something like a car that way we can tell how big the triangle is.

Frame on that bike looks a little tight to me and after doing an image search on Bing for your bike in motorized form...it yielded no images of that particular bike motorized. Not saying it can't or hasn't been done, but I just couldn't find an example. Of course there are other options other then in frame mounted engines like friction drive setups, electric hubs, etc. etc.

If you insist on a frame mounted engine then I can tell you that even with your small budget...a motorized bicycle is still within your reach. $88 Huffy Cranbrook at Walmart and $140 2 stroke "Happy Time" engine kit found at many retailers. That leaves you with a few bucks to spare to buy some upgraded innertubes and some extra reinforcement hardware needed if you intend to use fenders.

$250 will not buy the best motorized bike setup, but it will get you started in the hobby and put a fun ride under your buns for a minimal investment. You can always upgrade to a better bike and engine later as funds allow.

Reeko236 said:

Also, is there a brand of engine you would suggest?

Click to expand...

The 66cc "Happy Time " or "China girl" engine kits are basically the same. However some do have better casting finish then others and some claim to have upgraded Japaneese bearings and a few other improvements. Some specs may vary between them like port size, head design, perhaps sprocket size, style of clutch handle or grips, tank size, chain guard design, etc. etc. However they all are basically the same with most parts the same from model name to model name in latest model kits.

I would say the main thing to look for in a kit in my opinion would probably be the claimed bearing upgrade and also to buy from one of the reputable retailers found all over the web that specialize in these kits. Feedback and reviews are easy to find on most of the major retailers and the particular engine kits they sell. All the "China girl" engine kits can be a bit of a gamble, but I have yet to get a bad one out of the several I have bought. Do a little research here in the 2 cycle section of this website and I am sure you can come up with a kit that will serve you well.

Good luck and keep us informed of your new adventures in the hobby!

Many Specialized Hardrocks have been motorized. I prefer the older steel framed Hardrocks for motorizing but they can be tough to find.
Front disk brakes are great. Rear disk brakes can get in the way of mounting the engine sprocket. It can be done with a Tophat adaptor.
Adding a shift kit will also make it easier to keep the rear disk brake. The shift kit may not fit your budget.
If your disk brake equipped bicycle frame also has rim brake mounting posts on the rear, you could remove the disk and caliper and run a rim brake on the rear.
There are many ways to add a motor kit to a bike with rear disk brakes.

been a 'cycle mechanic almost 55 years now & first 4 or 5 of these left me talking to myself - was little info about these available back then (5 years ago) and it took a while to learn what was going to work and what wasn't

get the cheapest bike & kit you can for the first one

Howdy Reeko, welcome to the forum.

I couldn't remember what a hard rock looked like so searched em. http://www.google.com/cse?cx=partne...j1835455j7#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=hadrock&gsc.page=1

Thought it might be worth a look threw.

Welcome again and ride safe!

Now that I see a photo with an engine mounted in one....it looks good!

If you are like me, the kit won't be the end of the money you'll be spending. I'm waay over budget, mostly because of shipping parts from all over the country, and buying a bicycle with 48 spoke rims. Stick to a 26" that already has a front brake and 36 spoke rims and you'll save mucho bucks right there. The chain tensioner in my kit is trash. I can feel another shopping spree coming on already. The fuel valve is so stiff and cheapo I don't want to use it, either. I hate gas leaks.
Then there's paint. I spent about 42 bucks just for paint, plastidip and acetone. A bag of 100 11" black wire ties, $17. If I added it all up I'd probably go into motor bike rehab, or at least have a cat-scan.
This thing had better be fun, that's all I gotta say.

First go to one of the engine supplyers and there should be a picture of the engine size and you can make a card board pattern,forgot just witch one.

Second never mount with rubber it seams to just maltiply the vibs. Do the search at the top but there is a big descusion on it. They say the best is just a good wide solid mount...................Curt

Great pictures of the bike. Smart thinking using the tape measure.

use some pieces of PVC pipe rather than rubber - it will prevent vibes from cutting frame

My motorize MTB is a 2010 Specialized HardRock with a 19" frame. I think it's a great candidate for motorizing. I beat the snot out of it and any problem I have ever had I documented it on the forum.

Without going through my thread the only thing I can remember having a real problem with this bike is I had a brake problem with the calipers. The adjuster screw would sometimes back out on its own. I solved that problem with a little blue loctite.

The odd shapes to the down tube is gonna make this a challenge.

There's no way you can find an older, steel-cro-moly framed MTBwith about a 20" seat-tube length frame? Space between the top tube and downtube is going to be critical and that Specialized is a better bike for just pedal riding.

IMO...