gp460?

GoldenMotor.com

cole2013

New Member
Nov 27, 2011
8
0
0
Jacksonville Florida
Hello everyone, this is my first post on this site and would greatly appreciate some advice or help. I am new to this hobby but interested because I will be moving to a town that is much more biker friendly(with respect to the roadways) and would love to commute to school and work on a MB. I have done much research over the past few weeks and come to the conclusion I will need something reliable and 49cc or smaller(state law). I would a prefer a 2 stroke because they interest me more. I have seen that the china kits can cause problems down the road and arent very reliable. So, I found that engines such as the subaru, tanaka, honda, and DDM's gp460 are reliable motors around 49cc. I noticed that the gp460 was well within my price range and provided an exceptional amount of power. Has anyone had any experience with mounting these motors within the frame, not friction drive? I saw a reference to buying a mounting plate for a 4 stroke and mounting the engine onto that. However, I like the look of a beach cruiser and the mounting kit I found was for a "V" style frame. Any help on building a beach cruiser with gp460 motor would be GREATLY appreciated:).
 

5-7HEAVEN

Well-Known Member
Aug 2, 2008
2,661
240
63
LOL, so you're the freshman(newbie) who wants to dance with the senior prom queen(GP460),huh?

So that you know from the beginning, the GP460 engine is NOT to be listed along with reliable engines like Tanakas, Mitsubishis and Subarus. Its major weakness is its cylinder plating and its 8,000rpm clutch engagement springs. Custom springs are available at reasonable cost, but they tend to break or fall off, then jam between the clutch drum and shoes. Oh, and the area around the motor mount is thin and weak, and will break away if overtorqued.

Ask me how I know all this, lol.

The 460 is a VERY powerful and LOUD engine. Thank goodness the manufacturer knurled the air cleaner mounting, because the earlier cleaners were falling off the engine.

I've used 460 engines with limited success. This engine eats tires QUICKLY. Also, its hp and torque is in a limited high rpm band. Torque is @ 8,000rpm; hp maxes out @ 11,000rpm. When on a steep hill or strong headwind, if the engine drops well below its range, the 460 becomes a dog. The best drive system for this engine is a shift kit w/multi-speeds. Then you can downshift to try to keep it in its power band.

I have used the 460 w/8-speed shift kit and great success. The loud muffler can be replaced with a loud engine-specific Dominator. It can also be bolted to an SBP Happy Time expansion pipe. The SBP pipe is grossly misaligned at the exhaust port. I had expected to LOSE hp. However, quite a bit of hp was gained ANNND the 460 became EXTREMELY quiet.

Good luck on setting your sights on the prom queen. Once you tame her, speeds of 45mph+ and awesome torque is attainable.xct2
 

cole2013

New Member
Nov 27, 2011
8
0
0
Jacksonville Florida
Thanks for the help! However where Im riding there are no hills...I am thinking about mounting it with a friction drive now...but what engine would give me good speed with reliability?
 

5-7HEAVEN

Well-Known Member
Aug 2, 2008
2,661
240
63
I use a 2.8hp Tanaka 47R engine w/shift kit. Even with 8 speeds, it lose its power when climbing hills. On the flats, it would fly.xct2

Unsure how my engine would run on friction drive.
 

gera229

New Member
Sep 4, 2011
465
0
0
USA
Or get an inframe mounting Franco Morini motor. They give FAR more power than the Gp460 and are FAR more reliable based on what I have read.
 

Tohri

New Member
Aug 28, 2010
159
0
0
People's Republik of Massachusetts
I should probably start up a service where people ship me a motor, I ship them a cleaned up, reworked motor.
The chineese motor kits are okay once they've been reworked. It doesn't take long but you need a few special tools and supplies, and need to know exactly what you're looking for.

the main reason I'd suggest a china kit is that they're more usable over a broader range than most rack mount motors, and you can install them with a minimum of tooling.

That, and they're cheap to replace.
 

Tohri

New Member
Aug 28, 2010
159
0
0
People's Republik of Massachusetts
The morinis are a get what you pay for deal. In the end, fully expect this hobby to be habit forming and at least swollow up more than a thousand dollars of your hard earned money.

Buying a morini outright just makes things easier in the long run. You have to make mounts, but that's easier than trying to shove a Real cylinder down on top of a chinagirl bottom end.
 

rustycase

Gutter Rider
May 26, 2011
2,746
5
0
Left coast
I've never seen a Morini, but it seems like they are night & day different from our chinagirls.
...engineering
rc

still a fan of the Ducati Cucciolo!