I hurts me every time I see something like this.
I got this repair in last night, the customer, a big guy over 200 lbs, bought it off Criag's List earlier in the week.
It looks cool doesn't it?
It has a 2011 66cc Skyhawk motor, the builder got the left side chain on without needing a tensioner and just used it to take the slack out of the pedal side as I recommend and everything so it should be a solid build right?
The repair is is to fix it constantly throwing the drive chain.
Anyone care to guess why?
Here's a clue, it's a Huffy bike and the builder went by the manual and used the kits mounting parts.
The Huffy back hub is already toast, I can hold the frame and move the back wheel back and forth a good 1".
A frigg'n cheap bike even with 12g spokes won't carry a 200+ pound guy far just pedaling with their crap hubs let alone throwing motor power at it.
To make matters worse the builder installed that fine Skyhawk motor with that garbage cast back mount bracket and not the steel one, and then drilled the front downtube and secured the front mount with the kits long bolt through the already weak crappy frame.
I can move the motor back and forth an 1" with no effort!
Throwing chain? No ****! Your lucky you aren't laying on the roadway somewhere especially considering all it has is the crappy coaster brake to stop.
My point with this topic is simple.
No matter how cool a bike looks and good the kit you buy is or how great it looks for a picture, it is a motorized BICYCLE, if the bicycle is a $100 piece of **** to start with it is doomed, and even the best motor kits can be installed poorly.
Just my advice for you new builders and I can probably make this bike rideable and safe for someone of smaller stature but the frame is compromised and it will end up costing more than just starting with a good bike to start with, and you won't find a good solid bicycle in a department store for less than a better bike at a bike store for the same money.
I got this repair in last night, the customer, a big guy over 200 lbs, bought it off Criag's List earlier in the week.
It looks cool doesn't it?
It has a 2011 66cc Skyhawk motor, the builder got the left side chain on without needing a tensioner and just used it to take the slack out of the pedal side as I recommend and everything so it should be a solid build right?
The repair is is to fix it constantly throwing the drive chain.
Anyone care to guess why?
Here's a clue, it's a Huffy bike and the builder went by the manual and used the kits mounting parts.
The Huffy back hub is already toast, I can hold the frame and move the back wheel back and forth a good 1".
A frigg'n cheap bike even with 12g spokes won't carry a 200+ pound guy far just pedaling with their crap hubs let alone throwing motor power at it.
To make matters worse the builder installed that fine Skyhawk motor with that garbage cast back mount bracket and not the steel one, and then drilled the front downtube and secured the front mount with the kits long bolt through the already weak crappy frame.
I can move the motor back and forth an 1" with no effort!
Throwing chain? No ****! Your lucky you aren't laying on the roadway somewhere especially considering all it has is the crappy coaster brake to stop.
My point with this topic is simple.
No matter how cool a bike looks and good the kit you buy is or how great it looks for a picture, it is a motorized BICYCLE, if the bicycle is a $100 piece of **** to start with it is doomed, and even the best motor kits can be installed poorly.
Just my advice for you new builders and I can probably make this bike rideable and safe for someone of smaller stature but the frame is compromised and it will end up costing more than just starting with a good bike to start with, and you won't find a good solid bicycle in a department store for less than a better bike at a bike store for the same money.