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PurduePete

New Member
Jan 19, 2011
8
0
0
Indiana
Hello all,

I am new to this forum and had a few questions. The first is how in the heck do you start the ones that don't have a pull start? Also how does the shifter work? I have seen that it is handlebar mounted in most cases. I haven't really seen this addressed in the details of different engines. Now for the million dollar question that everyone asks. What kits do you guys recommend. I have searched the forums here and found several that I like and by like I mean they are cheap. There are a couple of 80cc engines on ebay (which as I have read are not 80cc but 69cc or so) that run about 135 after shipping and are slant head. Is the slant head going to be any different than say a 2 stroke wizard bike engine or a mega motors silver?

Here are links to both of those in order:
Wizard Bike Engine, Skyhawk Bicycle Engines, Spitfire Bike Motor, Howell Motors, Kings Bikes
Mega Motors Silver 48cc Bicycle Engine Kit BikeBerry.com
and the comparison engine:
BLACK SLANT 80CC MOPED BICYCLE MOTOR ENGINE KIT BIKE - eBay (item 400157864696 end time Jan-23-11 08:44:07 PST)
I realize now that I am going to receive a little bit of punishment for asking these questions but I honestly could not find anything when I did my own research on this forum and on others.

I know a little bit about dirt bikes as I have one that is street legal, though it was legalized during the winter so has not been on the road yet. I have read that mounting hardware needs to be replaced which is fine, the spark plug cap needs to be replaced as well with some parts from autozone which is also fine, wiring needs to be fixed up with some new connectors which I have some left over from dual sporting so that too is fine, but is there anything else that I one should know when doing a build like this. I do plan on commuting about 4 miles with this each week day to classes and such.

Finally I am really just considering 2 strokes at this point as four strokes are heavy, a little tougher to work on, cheaper, and just not quite as much fun as a smoker :D Besides the dirt bike is a thumper so don't need another one. As for saving the environment, one of these little things at its worst does not do as much damage as my SUV and its 17 mpg.

I hope that you guys are able to help me out and if anyone has questions about dual sporting a dirt bike let me know and I will give you the info that I can though do it in a private message so as not to clog the forums here with information not pertaining to the subject. Thanks everyone.
 

PurduePete

New Member
Jan 19, 2011
8
0
0
Indiana
I will certainly be taking my time. Haven't even bought the kit yet, still looking at different kits and thinking of it all. The cheap one from ebay is a slant head, which after doing a little bit of research seems to be harder to get performance parts for and even extra parts. As of now I am leaning for the Wizard as it will cost a little bit less. And frankly I like the way that it is presented a little bit more. Mounting the engine is really the only thing I am still trying to figure out. Do these kits work on bikes with more than just the rear gears? Like a 21 speed or something? I suppose that it would be plausible to just disable that portion of the bike wouldn't it?

I understand that the quality on these kits is not going to be great but that's ok. I can fix most of it anyway and plan to over time. It'll be a good project for me to add my little fixes and whatnot on it.

I'll fix the electrical before it ever goes on the bike. Plan on tearing it down immediately and cleaning it up real nice and lubing what needs it and everything else to make sure that it last just a little bit longer. I'll tear down that itty bitty carb as well and make all the adjustments to it right off the bat, I like my 2 strokes running a tad rich to make sure that everything is nice and lubed up. Most people don't know that you actually get better compression with more oil, which increases power.

I figured that it was bump starting when I couldn't think of another way to do it. Never had to start my dirt bike that way but have known a few other guys that broke off the kick lever and have to every time, haha.

Have you got any other tips for me before I embark on this journey :D Or links that I need to check out?
 

biknut

Well-Known Member
Sep 28, 2010
6,631
409
83
Dallas
My plan was simple. Buy the cheapest engine kit I could find, get it in my hands, and then figure out what I needed to make it fit.

I junked most of the stock hardware and made my own. You have to start the install before you can tell what you need.

I made the front motor mount from a hockey puck

 

2door

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 15, 2008
16,302
175
63
Littleton, Colorado
Pete,
You're in good hands with Nougat's advice. Heed it and you'll be golden. What he told you about cheap e-bay sellers is all important. Don't let a few dollars dictate your choice of a kit supplier. Check into the reputation and warranties of the varoius sellers. After sale support is all important.

Also don't jump into this with visions of high performance right off the bat. Keep in mind that they're bicycles, not motorcycles and with your past experience with bikes you might feel that the performance is not what you expected. 25 mph on a bicycle is pretty darn fast for most folks, 30 can be scary. You're not going to pass traffic and in most cases you won't even keep up with it. Keep telling yourself...it's a bicycle, with brakes, bearings, wheels and tires of a bicycle designed and meant for speeds less than traffic.

Just keep listening to Nougat's advice and keep us informed of your progress.
As for gears...most of us never use them unless you have a shift kit. You pedal to start then forget about the pedals except for somewhere to put your feet.

Oh, and welcome to the forum. If you have questions we suggest you use the search feature at the top of the page. I guarantee you'll find enough reading material to keep you up nights while you wait for your kit to be delivered. have fun, ride safe.
Tom
 

biknut

Well-Known Member
Sep 28, 2010
6,631
409
83
Dallas
Also don't jump into this with visions of high performance right off the bat. Keep in mind that they're bicycles, not motorcycles and with your past experience with bikes you might feel that the performance is not what you expected. 25 mph on a bicycle is pretty darn fast for most folks, 30 can be scary. You're not going to pass traffic and in most cases you won't even keep up with it. Keep telling yourself...it's a bicycle, with brakes, bearings, wheels and tires of a bicycle designed and meant for speeds less than traffic.
Tom
Word! I couldn't agree with this more. My 48cc will go faster than it should. I try to keep it throttled down to 30 mph. Thats about twice as fast as it was designed to go. This coming from a life long motorcycle speed freak.
 

PurduePete

New Member
Jan 19, 2011
8
0
0
Indiana
And by the way that is awesome the front engine mount that you made, I really like that idea. Haha. A hockey puck really is thinking outside the box.
 

PurduePete

New Member
Jan 19, 2011
8
0
0
Indiana
No worries guys, I don't plan on putting a lot of money in parts on this thing but in the future I do want some options. Just for the future. Main thing is mounting it sounds like and sprocket alignment. Going to do a bit of reading about how others have mounted to get my own ideas. Thanks guys. I appreciate it.

I also know that it is going to go way to fast for a bike and I'm not worried about speed so much as reliability. I just want something that isn't going to tear itself up while my girlfriend rides it.
 

Allen_Wrench

Resident Mad Scientist
Feb 6, 2010
2,784
26
36
Indianapolis
Once upon a time, I felt very alone here in Indy. But I'm starting to see Hoosiers join up one by one. Welcome aboard Pete. Sometime when I'm back on the road I may seek permission to ride out and say hi. Till then, listen to the sage advice provided by these fine people who helped me get started too. There's good, working knowledge here that'll get you on the road, and keep you on it.
 

PurduePete

New Member
Jan 19, 2011
8
0
0
Indiana
Got my bike. Got two Murry's from CL for 20 bucks. Both are in rough shape so I gotta work on them a little bit and make sure they will be good bikes before I throw a motor on it. No sense in putting an engine on something that I wouldn't trust to just ride.