Which is better? The electric motor or gas motor?

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helenmax112233

New Member
Jun 22, 2009
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california
Hello everyone! I am Helen and I am new to the world of bicycle motors. I know two kinds of motors, the electric bicycle motor and the gas bicycle motor. But which is more energy efficient? Which is more economical? Which can reach a higher speed, such as 40 miles per hour? And which is easier to assemble?
 

Cabinfever1977

New Member
Mar 23, 2009
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Upstate,NY
welcome to the forum. they both are good.
the gas engine is more energy efficient and more economical and can reach higher speeds. a electric motor kit is probally easier to assemble.

dont just take my word thou, im sure some others will have some advise too.
 

azbill

Active Member
May 18, 2008
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Fountain Hills, Arizona
welcome Helen
I have built numerous of each type
gas is cheaper, more powerful and requires more upkeep
electric is basically maintenance free once setup properly, but battery technology is the drawback (cheep batts have low range and good batts...such as life-po are, very dear)
 

Finfan

New Member
Aug 29, 2008
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Tucson, AZ USA
Just my take on it but the electric bikes are probably cheaper per mile to run in direct cost but you do periodically have to replace the batteries. They are more expensive initially and have a limited range. They are also probably more reliable overall than a gas bike.

As far as gas bikes go the 4-cycle engines are more expensive initially, have less power for the displacement, but get better mileage than the 2-cycles. The 2-cycles are cheaper and "peppier". Both are subject to more breakdowns due to that legendary Chinese quality control.

There are plenty of threads that discuss these differences. I would recommend that you search them out and weigh the differences against your personal needs and bank balance. There is no one solution that is right for everybody. If there were we would all be riding the same thing and that would be boring!
 

gian

New Member
Jun 30, 2009
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vancouver
hi helen , welcome to the forum. both of them are good, but each of them has advantages and disadvantages. i owned an 80cc aka 68.5cc silver slant head. for me gas is more powerful and 1 tank of fuel last long. gas powered is really good for a handy man. e-bikes cannot beat gas powered when it comes to long distance travel although some modified e-bikes can match the speed of gas powered it still cannot go long distance in a fully charge. battery life span is pretty short and expensive. all batteries have a self discharge once you didnt use it for a couple of months and it also have a cycle period like the nimh 1000 cycles if you use it always after 6months you will notice that your battery doesnt last long in fully charge. Battery weighs more than the engine if SLA battery. gas is better than a battery. if you want to go higher speed using e-bike look for a brushless motor e-bike is easier to assemble than gas powered that you'll need some power tools. thanksbrnotbrnot
 

Bikeguy Joe

Godfather of Motorized Bicycles
Jan 8, 2008
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up north now
What ever you decide, get yourself a motorized bicycle, and go ride!

Welcome to the largest and best motorized bicycle forum in the universe.
 

wheelbender6

Well-Known Member
Sep 4, 2008
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TX
Electric bikes are quieter and greener.
My commute is 25 miles one way. It would have been very expensive
to puchase and electric bike that could maintain 20mph over that distance.

The best type of bike motor depends on how you are going to use it.
 

helenmax112233

New Member
Jun 22, 2009
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california
Thank you for all of your advice guys! I'm now thinking about if I could try the gas motor. I came across a 49cc Dual Brake Motorized Gas Bicycle Motor Kit from TheLAShop.com. They say the motor has a speed at 25-30 mph, and one gallon oil can run about 200-250 miles. The price is $139.95 without shipping. My budget is $200, but I wonder if this item worth the price?
 

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helenmax112233

New Member
Jun 22, 2009
21
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california
Thank you for all of your advice guys! I'm now thinking about if I could try the gas motor. I came across a 49cc Dual Brake Motorized Gas Bicycle Motor Kit from TheLAShop.com. They say the motor has a speed at 25-30 mph, and one gallon oil can run about 200-250 miles. The price is $139.95 without shipping. My budget is $200, but I wonder if this item worth the price?
They said the item would be available in one week.
 

Bikeguy Joe

Godfather of Motorized Bicycles
Jan 8, 2008
11,837
252
63
up north now
You can get them cheaper, and they are all about the same. Take the gas mileage with a LARGE grain of salt...figure 100-150 mpg.
 

weekend-fun

New Member
Jun 21, 2009
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San Carlos CA
If you can afford to pay 5 to 10 dollars a week withount trouble, than gas is for you, if you cant do that, but can pay 150-200 dollars for a kit and 30-40 dollars every few months get eletric
I like gas
 

wheelbender6

Well-Known Member
Sep 4, 2008
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TX
Running errands at 15 mph or so, I can get around 150 mpg. Commuting to work at 20-25mph, it drops to around 100 mpg.
 

Cabinfever1977

New Member
Mar 23, 2009
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Upstate,NY
i had a electric bike a mongoose from walmart for $180 and it went up to 15mph for around 5 miles and the batteries need to be replaced after 75 recharges. but if it was any wind at all,my mileage and speed would be cut in half. plus the electric bike wouldnt go up any hills. the only good thing was the bike didnt make any noise when riding and it was free for me to recharge since my electric is included with my rent. if you go with electric make sure to order some extra batteries.

so i got rid of that bike and went with a gas engine kit. i got my gas engine kit from gasbike for $186 total plus $99 for a scwhinn delmar cruiser from walmart. now i can cruise around 25-30mph up to 35mph @ 200mpg. it will go up any hill and the wind doesnt even slow me down at all.
if you go with the gas make sure to have a box of spare parts and some tools.
 
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helenmax112233

New Member
Jun 22, 2009
21
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california
so i got rid of that bike and went with a gas engine kit. i got my gas engine kit from gasbike for $186 total plus $99 for a scwhinn delmar cruiser from walmart. now i can cruise around 25-30mph up to 35mph @ 200mpg. it will go up any hill and the wind doesnt even slow me down at all.
if you go with the gas make sure to have a box of spare parts and some tools.
Hi Cabin. So you think that 49cc Dual Brake Motorized Gas Bicycle Motor Kit from TheLAShop.com. is okay? I sent email to them asking about the tools and spare parts. They replied they got all the necessary accessories for assembling, and they have a 90 days warranty on the parts.

I have a bike like this (the attachment picture). I'm now wondering if that kit can be mounted on my bike?
 

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Cabinfever1977

New Member
Mar 23, 2009
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Upstate,NY
i ordered my kit from gasbike.net so i dont know anything about thelashop but it looks like a good kit and price. all kits come with the needed parts to install on a bike but you will still need basic tools from a toolbox to install it. these kits will not fit on that bike in your picture(not enough room in the v-frame middle part of that bike).
these kits will make a bike go any where between 20-30mph @ around a average 100-150mpg.for bicycles you will need a mens mountainbike or cruiser bike.