Getting ready

This is all person preferences, so take with a large spoonful of salt. Read the forums and find the pro's and con's of each decision.


Personally I have dealt with 3 different "brands" of motors so far. A gasbike silver slant, a BGF ebay motor and a Grubee gt5.

Of the 3, all have runs within my expectations. I would recommend a Grubee as a beginner motor, and they start around 169.99 minus shipping I believe. Shop around.

Check state laws and make sure of the engine size, most only allow the 48cc engine. Some states require licenses, insurance etc, look into it now so you don't get surprised later.

The bike can either be gotten locally or online, new or used. bikebuyers.com is supposed to be decent, but I have no personal experience with them. I went with a 7 speed cruiser bike from walmart.com on my second and third build. Much more comfortable than a mountain bike on long rides.

Mountain bike, cruiser, multi speed, coaster brake. They all have pro's and con's. I personally don't like the idea of modifying a coaster brake, so I recommend a multi speed bike with 2 brakes, front and back.

Save some money to do the recommended upgrades of the bolts, spark plugs, spark plug wire, and locktite. I recommend upgraded puncture resistant tubes with the slime of your choice, I prefer stans no flats myself.

As far as carbs go, I like the nt style over the cns v2. Nt is easiest to tune. All the other accessories are up to you.

in the end, make sure you don't spend all of your money buying just the bike and motor. There are alot of other things to buy as well. Headlights, helmet, speedometer, spare parts, just to name a few.

Make a shopping list of everything you "might" possible need and see how much you can drop in each category. You'll find out the motor will probably be the cheapest part lol.

I bought my bike on line and paid alot for shipping. Read these forums you will learn alot. I liked the beach bike with fat tires which caused alot of alignment headaches. The motor (Grubee GT5) had to be shifted outward so the chain would not rub on the tire. I also purchased the MM sprocket instead of the supplied rag sprocket. I suggest getting the motor then make sure it is compatible with the bike. Good luck and read the forums.

Read as much as you can on this forum. It has solved many problems on my installs. I have had good luck getting bikes at pawn shops and flea markets. They may require some clean-up but they work. Cruiser bikes are better in my opinion. The frames are larger which absorbs more engine vibration than the smaller mountain bike frames. Some people say avoid aluminum frames because they are so rigid they break. I haven't had to deal with an aluminum frame but you now have the same warning I was given. Make sure the open-vee of the frame is large enough to clear the engine, carburator, spark plug and clearance to be able to remove the spark plug boot when changing plugs. Front disc brakes are fine. Rear disc brakes don't work with the rag joint. With the MM part they might. The chain(#410 or #415) that comes with the kit can cause a lot of headaches as it's not very forgiving in chain alignment. Using a #41 chain solved this problem for me. I personally have had great success with the CNS v2 carbs. Remove the tube from the bowl to the air filter and presto, it works. My NT's leak because the nipple for the fuel is seated too close to the carb body to give clearance for a clamp on the hose. The result is constant minor fuel leakage. Get a double brake lever. It makes using the clutch much easier.