Best bang for the buck 4 stroke?

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JacktheRiffer

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Jan 23, 2014
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Oklahoma
Looking to build something styled like a cafe racer down the road and know that I want to go 4 stroke with a shift kit. What is my best bet for an engine that is good but will keep cost down?
 

Sidewinder Jerry

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Dec 19, 2011
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The Huasheng 49 cc 142 is a chinese clone of the Honda GXH 50. It is about a third of the price of the Honda. The Huasheng 142 is a good engine to use if you're trying to stay under 50 cc. Many places require you to be under 50 cc in order to be legal. Some have laws about manually shifting engine gears as well.

That being said it depends on where you live and how responsible of a rider you are as to whether the law bothers you or not.
 
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JacktheRiffer

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Jan 23, 2014
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Oklahoma
Where i live the max is 80cc (they dont check) and although the law says no shifting gears manually as long as its with the bicycles gears its okay.
 

Sidewinder Jerry

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Dec 19, 2011
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Check out some of KC's builds. He likes using a Grubee 3G drive jack shafting them to a SBP shift kit and using a 3 speed internal geared hub.
 

tinnes2

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Apr 25, 2014
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Wood Dale IL.
This looks like a really cool build Make sure you post pictures all the way through

My question is if you have no legal restrictions why would you go with A smaller engine Bigger is better even if you don't use the extra power all the time it's nice to have in your back pocket


I ride for fun I ride for freedom
 

JacktheRiffer

New Member
Jan 23, 2014
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Oklahoma
This looks like a really cool build Make sure you post pictures all the way through

My question is if you have no legal restrictions why would you go with A smaller engine Bigger is better even if you don't use the extra power all the time it's nice to have in your back pocket


I ride for fun I ride for freedom
The problem with bigger is that there are legal restrictions agaisnt them. I was merely stating that if you dont drive like a moron they wont pull you over and check. I wouldnt want to risk getting my bike impounded.
 

gaffo

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May 10, 2014
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Norman
Where i live the max is 80cc (they dont check) and although the law says no shifting gears manually as long as its with the bicycles gears its okay.
not to be pedantic - but just to clarify: I'm from OK also and looked into our traffic code Title 47.

amended to legalize "gopeds" in 2004 but also same section clarifies the legal status of motorized bicycles (which are now "one step up" from "gopeds" - MB can drive on 35 MPH roads and less (gopeds on 25 mph roads and less). MB can have up to 2-horspower engines and not over 50cc. gopeds must have 35cc or less sized engines.

maximum allow designed speed of MB must not exceed 30 mph on level ground, goped design speed must not exceed 25 mph.

both gopeds and MB must have:

1. seat
2. mirrors
3. headlamp visible to 300 ft
4. tailight visible to 300 ft
5. windshield (if rider is not wearing goggles)
6. fenders over both wheels
7. speedometer (this one is my City Code req - not under our State code)

Title 47 section 1-133.3(3) a). and b). (Goped section)_ this is the 2004 amended section

Title 47 section 1-104 (for MB section)_this section predates the 1980's_most of it I think dates to the 60's-amended in parts in the 80's.

http://law.justia.com/codes/oklahoma/2006/os47.html
 

gaffo

Member
May 10, 2014
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Norman
forget to add - just because State Law legalizes MB, does not mean your City affirms their legality. City Ordinances have sovereignty of State Law.

Just 8 miles north of me its my understanding that Gopeds are illegal on public streets (Moore) - while here in Norman our City's Website lists both the State and City Ordinance legalizing the same said vehicles.

also note this rule applies all over the Nation. ex: Phoenix has made gopeds (not sure about MB - but if they can do it to gopeds they can do so with MB if the City Council wants to ) illegal, even though State Law allows them and is quite liberal.
 

Sidewinder Jerry

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Dec 19, 2011
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Oklahoma Statutes Citationized
**Title 47. Motor Vehicles
****Chapter 1- Definitions of Words and Phrases
********Section*1-104 - Bicycle, Electric-Assisted Bicycle, and Motorized Bicycle
Cite as: O.S. §, __ __



A. A bicycle is a device upon which any person or persons may ride, propelled solely by human power through a belt, chain, or gears, and having two or more wheels, excluding mopeds.

B. An electric-assisted bicycle is any bicycle with:

1. Two or three wheels; and

2. Fully operative pedals for human propulsion and equipped with an electric motor:

a. with a power output not to exceed one thousand (1,000) watts,

b. incapable of propelling the device at a speed of more than thirty (30) miles per hour on level ground, and

c. incapable of further increasing the speed of the device when human power alone is used to propel the device at a speed of thirty (30) miles per hour or more.

An electric-assisted bicycle shall meet the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards as set forth in federal regulations and shall operate in such a manner that the electric motor disengages or ceases to function when the brakes are applied.

C. A motorized bicycle is any bicycle having:

1. Fully operative pedals for propulsion by human power;

2. A power drive system that functions directly or automatically without clutching or shifting by the operator after the drive system is engaged; and

3. A combustion engine with a piston or rotor displacement of eighty (80 cu cm) cubic centimeters or less, regardless of the number of chambers in the engine, which is capable of propelling the bicycle at a maximum design speed of not more than thirty-five (35) miles per hour on level ground.

D. As used in this title, the term "bicycle" shall include tricycles, quadcycles, or similar human-powered devices, electric-assisted bicycles, and motorized bicycles unless otherwise specifically indicated.

There's the Oklahoma law. You are allowed up to 80 cc. You can't manually clutch or manually shift engine driven gears. A shift kit turns your bicycle gears into engine driven gears. The law doesn't say engine driven gears can't be shifted automatically. A legal loophole.
 

Sidewinder Jerry

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Dec 19, 2011
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Yes it was the intent of the laws in many states to limit such vehicles to a single engine driven gear ratio. Then semiautomatics came out. So they wrote in the part about the operator shifting engine driven gears. Like you said due to wording of these laws a system which shifts gears fully and completly automatically is legal.
 

gaffo

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May 10, 2014
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Norman
I'll be damned! I checked the "superceded by" links at bottom of page (link provided- above), and it looks like Traffic Laws of my State were amended in 2012 from 50cc to 80cc!!!!!!

?? that never happens - less law over time?

I still can't believe it.

BTW it looks like 80cc quadicycles are ok too! ;-), time to get out that gokart!
 

JacktheRiffer

New Member
Jan 23, 2014
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Oklahoma
Wht would be the best idea for autoshift gears? Not to saound like an a**hat but I feel like as long as I stick to the speed limits and dont drive like a fool I shouldnt be pulled over and I can build my bike how I please...The only two parts I see an issue with for the build Im thinking of are : max speed and manual gears.
 

Sidewinder Jerry

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Dec 19, 2011
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Well you could do a CVT build. I use a LandRider derailleur to shift my gears automatically. You can look up Motorized LandRider to see my videos. I figured out a way to use the LandRider derailleur to shift an internal geared hub also. There is a few other auto shifters out there as well.
 

The_Aleman

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Jul 31, 2008
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CVT are really lousy on anything having to do with bicycles. CVT are fine on go-karts and motor scooters, but good luck trying to ever pedal anything with a CVT.
Might as well not even have a bicycle at all with what that drivetrain offers.

IMHO, the best bang for buck 4-stroke is a 4G kit with Huasheng or a Q-Matic kit with a Harbor Freight motor.

If you want to have shifting capability, then a B-E 4G kit with SBP shift kit is the way to go.