How many problems did you have when building your bike?

LongboardMalinois · Aug 16, 2015

I have had every problem in the book, and it seems that i can never ride my bike for long without something going wrong. I have had problems with the clutch, carb, throttle handle, head gasket, wheel rims, spokes, bearings, and a few other things. So my question is does everyone else have a neverending stream of problems when building your first bike, or is it just me? Or is it because i was stupid and bought a craptacular ebay quality kit?

YesImLDS · Aug 16, 2015

On my first build I had no problems what-so-ever for the first two thousand miles that weren't self inflicted.

My current build I have tons of problems because I like to fiddle around too much. So I would say that 99.9% of all my china girl problems have been self inflicted. Actually I can't think of a time that the motors I have had have self destructed in anyways other than something I had recently touched.

The only real problems I have had were tearing spokes out of wheels with a loose tensioner as well as wheel bearings going out.

2door · Aug 16, 2015

There's a learning curve, Longboard.

Some folks have no trouble but they're usually the gear heads with a long history of machines and tools under their belts. Mechanical things just seem to come naturally to them. Some people are musically inclined and can play any instrument handed to them. Some are mechanically gifted. They see things that other people don't understand and can fix or get them to run or work with little to no effort.

The problem with motorizing a bicycle and having it come out trouble free for some, is that the ads for the engine kits make it sound so simple. The YouTube videos help but often they tend to 'gloss over' the difficult stuff and do not explain fully what needs to be done and how to do it.

Folks with little to no prior experience working with machines see the ads and the fun promised and are led to believe it is a simple bolt-on operation. They labor under the misconception that, "It's a bicycle. How difficult could it be?", when in fact it can present some real hurdles if the basics of mechanics aren't established, or followed.

That is the reason for this forum's existance. We want to see you get the most fun and enjoyment from this hobby and why we try so hard to steer people in the right direction when they need assistance.

Keep asking your questions and we'll do our darnest to help get you on the road with a reliable motorized bicycle. Sorry you've had the problems you mentioned but hopefully we can put those behind you.

Tom

bairdco · Aug 16, 2015

They're not really "problems."

It's just the normal routine everyone goes thru the first time (and the second, and the third...)

You're dealing with a poorly built motor, with thrown together parts, and trying to put it on a bike that was never intended to be motorized, and it's very rare that everything hooks right up and works.

As tom mentioned, it can depend on your skill levels, but I've met seasoned mechanics who throw up their hands in frustration over these bikes.

That's what we're here for. To patiently hold your hand and walk you through every little step-by-step process to get you on the road.

After your first one, you can join all the know it alls here.

Slogger · Aug 16, 2015

All the little bugs in my bike project would have been solved by choosing a suitable bike to motorize in the first place.
Small diameter steel frame tubes and 26", 36 spoke wheels would have saved me some time and money. I bought mounts from SBP and some other vendor, a sprocket adapter, bars and better tubes/tires all because of the oddball bike.
I originally bought the bike to pedal around then decided to motorize it later.
For an easy build, get a standard bike.

Greg58 · Aug 16, 2015

The major problem I had was the then new to motorbike kits cns2 carburetor and the plastic bushing. The five I bought were jetted so lean for a couple that they would barely run, after many hours of experimenting I found the answers. Like said above I've been a mechanic since my first job at the vw shop at 13, these things will test your patients.

leo · Aug 16, 2015

this was my first build so i made ALL the mistakes, starting with bike choice.
i choose this one because i saw it and liked it, rather than for a motor build.
all 4 rear forks were bowed in causing chain clearance problems, and the front bar was way too big, among other things.

i eventually made it all work, i just thought it was ironic that the very first choice i made "choice #1" was dead wrong.

***just got my 56t on last week*** WHOOHOO!!!
still waiting for my exhaust and gaskets to get here. whoohoo...

xseler · Aug 16, 2015

Guess I was lucky ---- lucky that I picked a good kit to start with. Lucky that there were no issues with the parts themselves. Lucky that I already knew my way around a shop. Lucky that I didn't have to rely on the bike for my only transportation. Lucky that I knew that 16:1 was too thick even before I found this forum. Lucky that I knew to align/bend the chain tensioner. Lucky that I could figure out how to center the chain sprocket on the rear wheel. Lucky that my bike already had 12ga spokes.

Lucky. Zero issues unless you count the CNS V3 carb that could be persnickity at times (but the engine started the first time with fewer than 2 full rotations of the pedal crank).

Tyler6357 · Aug 17, 2015

I think the worst thing about a stock 2 stroke kit is the rear sprocket attaching to the spokes. I'm sure this can work fine if you get the proper amount of torque on each of the 9 bolts to make it spin correctly and stay bolted properly with all the vibrations, but this was the first thing that I had a bad feeling about when I first got my kit. I know why they use this method and that is to standardize the kits so they will work with many different rims, spoke configurations and hubs but I really believe that spokes are not designed to have engine torque on them. Get a rear sprocket adapter to drive the hub, not the spokes, and save yourself some headaches and maintenance. When I first got my motorized bicycle 4yrs ago I had trouble with this and ended up having to get another hub when my spokes got all bent.
I also had trouble with the chain hitting the rear tire, I solved this by getting a smaller BMX chain to replace the 415 that came with the kit. Also, I had trouble with my engine. The needle bearing broke loose and ran through the cylinder in little pieces on my first engine and I spent a lot of time trying to fix a leaking head before my 2nd engine seized up one day. I had to get a new engine after only 500 miles and my 2nd engine didn't last much longer. But, China Girls have actually gotten better since then. I currently have 875 miles on my Dax F80 and it's still running awesome. I'm thinking of upgrading to a high compression head now.

I think everyone has some troubles when they first put a kit on a bike. Some people get frustrated and give up and some people find fixes to their problems. I have found that once I found solutions to my initial problems, and purchased a better engine and some upgrades, I didn't have much trouble anymore.

Tony01 · Aug 17, 2015

Yes I had every problem out there. I guess it was because I started building a DIY bike with no experience with motorized bikes whatsoever (but with shop and bicycle building experience). Even more than the hours spent fixing stuff and doing things differently, I spent hours researching compatibilities on the web.

And you know how the internet is. Garbage in, garbage out for the most part.

I guess most people build a CG to get their feet wet in motorized bikes. I want to build motorcycles, vintage style, brat type bikes.. and DIY motorbiking was how I got my feet wet.. The learning curve was steeper than 22nd st in SF.

Next project:
Brat/tracker style motorcycle (less steep learning curve I hope!!!)

LongboardMalinois · Aug 18, 2015

Thanks to everyone for all the encouragement and explanations! leo, that bike looks great! It has a kind of clean look to it, unlike my bike which is covered in oil.

LongboardMalinois · Aug 18, 2015

Tyler6357 said:
I think the worst thing about a stock 2 stroke kit is the rear sprocket attaching to the spokes. I'm sure this can work fine if you get the proper amount of torque on each of the 9 bolts to make it spin correctly and stay bolted properly with all the vibrations, but this was the first thing that I had a bad feeling about when I first got my kit. I know why they use this method and that is to standardize the kits so they will work with many different rims, spoke configurations and hubs but I really believe that spokes are not designed to have engine torque on them. Get a rear sprocket adapter to drive the hub, not the spokes, and save yourself some headaches and maintenance. When I first got my motorized bicycle 4yrs ago I had trouble with this and ended up having to get another hub when my spokes got all bent.
I also had trouble with the chain hitting the rear tire, I solved this by getting a smaller BMX chain to replace the 415 that came with the kit. Also, I had trouble with my engine. The needle bearing broke loose and ran through the cylinder in little pieces on my first engine and I spent a lot of time trying to fix a leaking head before my 2nd engine seized up one day. I had to get a new engine after only 500 miles and my 2nd engine didn't last much longer. But, China Girls have actually gotten better since then. I currently have 875 miles on my Dax F80 and it's still running awesome. I'm thinking of upgrading to a high compression head now.

I think everyone has some troubles when they first put a kit on a bike. Some people get frustrated and give up and some people find fixes to their problems. I have found that once I found solutions to my initial problems, and purchased a better engine and some upgrades, I didn't have much trouble anymore.

Yes, i think that i will get a hub mount sprocket adapter soon. And i am sorry that i totally forgot about your PM to me until now. My bike is mostly broken in, and it is fast! 40+mph at WOT on flat ground.
xct2

Mr.B. · Aug 18, 2015

1273...

'-D

-Kirk

Tyler6357 · Aug 18, 2015

LongboardMalinois said:
Yes, i think that i will get a hub mount sprocket adapter soon. And i am sorry that i totally forgot about your PM to me until now. My bike is mostly broken in, and it is fast! 40+mph at WOT on flat ground.

Ha, don't worry about it, I figured you were out riding all over this town, sorry to hear of your troubles though. Just to let you know, there is a guy who lives in a condo off of Rhoads Ave. in Goleta who has his entire garage filled with bicycle parts and will sell just about anything cheap. He advertises on Craigslist all the time. He has all kinds of rims and hubs and tons of frames and other parts. I just thought you might like to know about him.

I would still like to see a pic of your bike. About a week ago I was riding down by Cabrillo Blvd. and saw a guy on motorized bicycle pass me up, thought he could be you.
brnot

LongboardMalinois · Aug 18, 2015

Tyler6357 said:
Ha, don't worry about it, I figured you were out riding all over this town, sorry to hear of your troubles though. Just to let you know, there is a guy who lives in a condo off of Rhoads Ave. in Goleta who has his entire garage filled with bicycle parts and will sell just about anything cheap. He advertises on Craigslist all the time. He has all kinds of rims and hubs and tons of frames and other parts. I just thought you might like to know about him.

I would still like to see a pic of your bike. About a week ago I was riding down by Cabrillo Blvd. and saw a guy on motorized bicycle pass me up, thought he could be you.

Thank you very much for the info about the bike parts guy, i will check out his ads on craigslist! And i have been trying to put a picture of my bike on my profile on this site, but for some reason it will not upload. I am going to change my profile pic to one of my bike, because that is the only place that i can get it to upload to. Also, that wasn't me on Cabrillo, i haven't been down there.

leo · Aug 18, 2015

LongboardMalinois said:
Thanks to everyone for all the encouragement and explanations! leo, that bike looks great! It has a kind of clean look to it, unlike my bike which is covered in oil.

thank you.
i figure it's probably like a new car, you clean it religiously for a while.
then, it all goes south overnight, got a family of squirrels living in the glove box... and you don't even care... lol

LongboardMalinois · Aug 18, 2015

leo said:
thank you.
i figure it's probably like a new car, you clean it religiously for a while.
then, it all goes south overnight, got a family of squirrels living in the glove box... and you don't even care... lol

About the firing lasers from the headlight, I can help you with that! Would a 1W blue laser be enough? It will light matches, pop balloons, and fry your eye from a couple hundred feet.

leo · Aug 19, 2015

LongboardMalinois said:
About the firing lasers from the headlight, I can help you with that! Would a 1W blue laser be enough? It will light matches, pop balloons, and fry your eye from a couple hundred feet.

lol

i was going to put in my signature "... surface to air missiles and one of those invisibility cloaks from harry potter would be nice too" but it was too long.

LongboardMalinois · Aug 19, 2015

leo said:
lol

i was going to put in my signature "... surface to air missiles and one of those invisibility cloaks from harry potter would be nice too" but it was too long.

Well, i think your signature is my favorite that i have seen on this forum! Every time i look at the climb trees part i start laughing! Although tree climbing would be a nice addition to any bike!

leo · Aug 20, 2015

it will sort of climb trees, i am setting up the rear carrier to transport my tree climber for deer season next month...
does that count???
lol

How many problems did you have when building your bike?

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