need some help on choosing a kit!

GoldenMotor.com

jasemcjasen

New Member
Feb 17, 2014
8
0
0
california
hey guys, this is my second post here. i am getting ready to set up a motorized bicycle and have a few questions about engines and different kits.

1) i am hoping to be able to commute down PCH on my bike to college (50 mile round trip twice a week), are motorized bikes capable of making such trips?

2) should i be looking at 4-strokes for reliability and the ease of just putting gas in the tank or should i use a 2-stroke? i prefer a lighter engine cause i will be putting the bike in my van for making short trips, but its not as important as having the right engine for my commute

3) should i purchase a kit from kingsmotorbikes.com or thatsdax.com? or are pretty much all kits the same chinese motors?

4) i heard stuff about the C.A.R.B. law, do any so cal members here face any issues with cops riding a 2-stroke?
 

MotorBicycleRacing

Well-Known Member
Jul 28, 2010
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SoCal Baby!!!
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The kits are not all the same and having local knowledgeable support and parts is the way to go. :D

A properly set up and sorted 2 stroke is capable of making your commute and you could buy 2 stroke kits for the price of one 4 stroke kit right now.

Socal police do not enforce or give a damn about whether you have a CARB approved 2 stroke or 4 stroke. :)
 
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Will122391

New Member
May 31, 2013
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Texas
25 Mile stints on the regular sounds a little long for the engines, but they can do it. Your main concern should be speed. It is really unsafe when you cannot keep up with traffic. Stock bikes go about 30 at wot, maybe 40 with a smaller sprocket. Invest in a big, suspension saddle and some riding gloves to deal with any vibration issues. Go for the 2 stroke. If you get a good one it can last thousands of miles and when it finally blows they're less than $100 to replace.
 

MotorBicycleRacing

Well-Known Member
Jul 28, 2010
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SoCal Baby!!!
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25 Mile stints on the regular sounds a little long for the engines, but they can do it. Your main concern should be speed. It is really unsafe when you cannot keep up with traffic. Stock bikes go about 30 at wot, maybe 40 with a smaller sprocket.
Socal Guy here and he said he was commuting down PCH as in Pacific Coast Highway which has a really wide bike lane with an ocean view for a lot of the ride.

The main concerns would be pissy spandexers and being CA legal if you are going through HB and Newport Beach. :)

25 miles on a well sorted 2 stroke is no big deal even at WOT.
 
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maniac57

Old, Fat, and still faster than you
Oct 8, 2011
4,484
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memphis Tn
I routinely ride over 75-100 miles a day in the summer on my HT powered Pig with no problems at all. These engines can easily run all day if you ride them like they were designed. 40mph in traffic is NOT what they were designed for.
Take it easy and they will run forever. Above 7k rpm, things get....interesting.
 

jasemcjasen

New Member
Feb 17, 2014
8
0
0
california
im glad to know that they are capable of such trips! i would be probably running close to max speed the entire way cause the PCH lights are spaced far enough to time the green plus i have expirience from driving my 73 dodge van( the reason im getting a motorized bike). would having a smaller sprocket put too many RPM's on the motor?
 
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maniac57

Old, Fat, and still faster than you
Oct 8, 2011
4,484
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memphis Tn
I've bought well over 20 kits from rose326a/zminglu/mingsinternational (all same people)
Good quality kits at a good price. I've always had great customer service with them and they are my only choice in stock china kits.
 

TwistedAlloy68

New Member
Jul 28, 2013
16
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0
Bellingham WA
I agree, the eBay vendor rose 326 has the pk80 and this thing rips. I'm constantly at 7k cruising. I've had the bike for a year and a half and it has well over 150 hrs of ride time, all the kits seem pretty gutless but once you remove the baffling in the exhaust and clean up the slag in the transfer ports you can easily pull 8500 rpms. I just built one that did 38mph with a 44 tooth sprocket. Or you could buy a bottom end from dax then get your cylinder and head from Cr machine and have a better balanced motor. I would do the pk though longer stroke and more torque.
 

the chief

New Member
Dec 9, 2012
24
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chicago
a kit is only as reliable as its installation allows it to be.
that being said, if you came into my shop, I would recommend the four (I use the 4g trans which I convert from bushing to bearing, as well as shortening the clutch springs), they are just higher quality engines which is reflected in the price. its not really fair to even compare the two given one is 150 and the other closer to four hundred. you will also appreciate less vibration on a trip that long. when given the opportunity to ride both, all but one person has preferred the four, though not everyone has been able to afford one.
 

scotto-

Custom 4-Stroke Bike Builder
Jun 3, 2010
6,505
24
38
Ridin' inSane Diego, CA.
Only cuz I'm partial to 4-strokes these days, I will suggest getting a 4-stroke kit. And the fact that everyone so far is promoting the 2-stroke so far. (except for "the chief")

So, as much as I love 2-strokes....always have and always will....the 4-stroke is a good alternative for just the reasons you specified in you first post in this thread. With the four stroke if maintained properly like any internal combustion engine, you will probably get more longevity from the engine than the average kit two stroke. Then the is the ease of pulling up to gas pumps and just being able to fill up without the slight inconvenience of premixing the gas and oil, or even thinking about it. Sorry....it is what it is.

I don't care what anyone says to this but the 4 can be made considerably quieter, especially if we're talking stock that the china 2-stroke. I'm talking about a stock Honda or Huasheng exhaust can compared to any kind of muffler on the 2-stroke.

Now for performance, a 2-stroke china kit engine (66cc) should be a bit faster than a stock Honda or HS 49cc with similar gearing and the 2-stroke should out climb the little 4-stroke as well. But if you make a few modifications the the 49cc 4-stroke, they are really close in all aspects.

Some differences between the two would normally be pull starting the 4-stroke and bump starting the 2-stroke. The 4-stroke being a centrifugal clutch and the 2-stroke a manually engaged clutch. Either way is no big deal for the most part, ya gotta start the engine somehow.

Either way you go is a great way to start riding a bicycle that is much more fun than you realize until you do! As much as I've always loved racing and riding motorcycles, I have more fun some how on the contraptions I have built myself......I'm not joking!









 
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