What engine to use?

I remember a thread on here with Russian bicycle motors which, while they were quite probably the inspiration for the China Girls, looked way better. If you could find out the source, and the shipping cost wasn't too horrible, I would try one of those.

Hey Sam,
What frame would you use? If it is a Worksman or Husky (very similar design & dimension, I believe), then a 2 stroke china girl fits best, unless you have deep pockets and are going to have the bottom loop sectioned in. Personally I'd like to see somebody use the Husky frame which I believe costs less than the Worksman frame but is of much the same quality. I'm in the middle of a Worksman build right now, but not technically a board tracker. The engine I'm using is a PK-80 and I'm ordering a pull start kit for it. (Like I said, I'm not going for a strictly board track look, but more in the spirit of an early motorcycle.) If you could find a Schwinn straightbar frame as found on the Panthers, that has a frame design very much in keeping with board trackers, but has a much bigger in frame area for an engine. Even a four stroke can fit, but snugly. That frame would give more options and in my opinion is every bit as well made as the Worksman. So, you need to be asking yourself two questions... what engine and what frame? Also you need to ask yourself what kind of money you will be able to spend. Board trackers can be beautiful and ring all your bells, but they can also be a money pit...
SB

weekend-fun said:

I have a rollfast frame actully
I was looking at a harbor freight 79cc an some engines listed in BarelyAWake's "alternitive four stroke" thread. I wanted to mix things up and do somethig besides a china girl.
Sam

Click to expand...

OK, then one question is already answered. You have the frame. Is it a straight bar or cantilever (I'm assuming it is a mens frame). My guess is a straight bar along the lines of BarelyAWake's. Posting a photo of the frame would be a good idea along with dimensions of the opening. Since you mention the harbor freight 79cc I'm also guessing you are looking to save some money so that a high dollar 2 stroke is out. Four stroke then. Find out what the dimensions are for the motors in your budget and see what will fit and what won't. Then you will have narrowed it down further and some decisions will have been made for you. Then you'll need to decide how it will be setup... the mounting and transmission of power from engine to rear wheel... With your preferred engine choice will there be off the shelf parts you can get or will you have to fabricate... have things welded and that sort of thing. If you're thinking of something already set up with a mount and "transmission" (whatever it is that transfers power to the rear wheel) then your choices are further narrowed down. I'm a little familiar with the EZMotors setup and Firebelly's. I understand Grube has something and now SBP has a four stroke shift kit you could look in to. It can get both complicated and expensive, so you want to know ahead of time what's up and what to expect. A project half done and abandoned due to lack of sufficient funds or technical road blocks is a big frustration. In the end you want to be able to ride it and my guess is you don't want for it to take a real long time to build. I know that making these decisions can be confusing, so start narrowing down and then choose between what is ideal and what is real. Good luck, bud.
SB