Few newbie questions

All i have to say about engines is some are better then others but u can never.know till you try to start
them. I have also found thats older treks and schwinns are the bees knees to motorize

Welcome! I'm new as well, recently came into a 4-stroke beach cruiser. After reading everything I can find, if I were to start from scratch, I would buy parts from multiple sources. This or that engine is better for this or that... which carb is better for the this or that you'll be doing wth your engine? Drive system? Hub? Seat? Cable lengths? Tires? Bearings? Frame? Brakes? Where are you going to put your gas tank? It goes on and on. Be patient and plan, and you'll get what you want. Start with you. Your height and weight. The terrain, weather and altitude. What are you going to do with your gasbike? Then research and ask questions about suiting your needs. Start ordering parts. Assemble. Ride. Good luck!

What Trey said. I would add if you build what you really want the first time you may only build a couple. One of your friends will want you to build them one.
My first build was an easy cruiser build. Now I am building just what I wanted in the first place. Should have built it first.

I just order the cheapest kit I could find on ebay. I have had a blast with it. I am sure some of the nicer performance kits are nice, but you may find that a properly installed kit works just fine, if not half the fun of these things is reinventing the wheel.

When looking for a mountain bike to motorize, look for bikes with normal round tubing. Any sort of oversized tubing or non-round tubing will give you trouble. Here's the frame I'm using, to give you an idea : http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_173009_-1___202337

Also, when buying an engine kit, make sure wherever you're buying it from carries replacement parts. Different sites/vendors carry different kinds of motors that have small differences from one another. If you stick with the same place you bought your engine from, chances are there won't be a problem.

oldpot- I'm brand new to this whole thing. I recently got a used cruiser with the engine you're asking about. So far it seems to run well, and is much quieter than I had expected. It's got a stage3 gearbox and I believe the centrifugal clutch pads are worn out, so I don't have a mile on it yet. I'm also new to the Intra-Web so I'm learning how to keep track of different conversations here (in case I lose you). I'm getting info here, so if you get the SkyHawk and have questions, someone may have already answered it to me. Good luck! Please keep us informed.

All I have to say is the frame is the most important part. A good, strong frame like a Felt cruiser frame will be the canvas for your paintings for the years to come. Even if this is the only one you plan to build, the bike its self will make all the difference. Secondly, slap a 4 stroke kit in there. Versatility and reliability.

Peace
-Chris

On the 2-stroke motors, my opinion is it's a crap shoot regardless of where you buy. It may run great out of the box, it may be reliable, or it might need lots of tinkering to get running right or may die on you prematurely. A crap shoot....

Some of the biggest problems would be random debris found in the motor due to the conditions in the "factories" where the motors are manufactured or assembled. Or poor casting/finishing that leaves behind metal shards that can eventually break loose and take out your cylinder. And poor or frozen bearings, that may be greased up with stuff that doesn't really resemble grease! Also, the hardware (studs, nuts etc) are usually poor quality and destined to strip or break sooner than later.

Most of this stuff can be straightened out pretty easily if you're willing to do a little work, if your not willing to do the work then maybe you are not cut out for this hobby! LOL It's pretty easy to pull the top end off the motor (head and cylinder). Once the top end is off you can inspect for debris and clean her out, inspect for any flaws in the casting and finishing work that may cause problems if not cleaned up, and make sure everything is greased up or oiled well before you run the motor. Then build her back up with upgraded studs and you have turned the odds of the crap shoot solidly in your favor. The bottom end is much harder to crack, so I wouldn't recommend that you attempt that.

And here in lies the major difference in the various kits... There are slight differences in the various parts. Some have smaller head studs, others larger, or their spacing may be slightly different, which makes the cylinders and heads different. Or the pin on the piston may be higher or lower. In other words, not all replacement parts will fit on all motors. So one advantage of having say a Flying Horse or Grubee kit is you know exactly what you got and most of the vender's will be able to get you the right parts that fit, otherwise there may be guesswork and/or disappointment when ordering parts.

BTW, someone else mentioned the $40 off 2-stroke kits deal that Gasbike is running right now. Not sure if they posted the coupon code or not...

NEWYEAR13 should work to get you $40 off the price of a kit from them, which should pretty much cover the shipping as the other poster pointed out...

Good luck to you whatever you decide to do....


BTW, first thing you should do when you get a kit is clean out the fuel tank, they're usually loaded with crap that will either clog your fuel filter or gunk up your carb right away, and that's no fun! I recommend you run an in-line fuel filter as well. Trust me, it's a good feeling when you see crap floating inside the filter and your motor is still running!

oldpot- Yes sir, that is what I mean. As your engines' rpm increases, the clutch pads extend outward engaging the housing. The guy I got mine from wasn't using the peddles and wore the pads out getting going, I assume. Waiting on info here before I buy a replacement. I had the gearbox open to clean and inspect it, but having never seen one of these contraptions before, I could'nt tell if the pads were worn or not. Honestly they looked ok, but I don't know what I'm talking about. And I apologize if I'm boring you with things you already know- I believe you said it was your first gasbike too. This is a fun hobby, nice to know there are others. And they answer questions!

oldpot said:

i been looking at bikes and seen a good vibration huffy at best buy online free shipping $89 minus 25 gift card, i got $65 +tax i very keen on that bike at the price what you think??(cheapest one i seen before that was $133 kmart.
trey you said engine running ok but you said ##It's got a stage3 gearbox and I believe the centrifugal clutch pads are worn out## you mean its broke?
minecraft its my first build i learning i don't want to spend a lot at this time hope in future i will, this is a big learning step with a cheap bike and kit to tinker about with and hope ride a few times and work things out on the way .

Click to expand...

Ah I gotcha. Just make sure to get a good bike. Especially with the 2 strokes, and they can vibrate ALOT which puts a lot of stress on the frame.

Stay safe
-Chris

Ok! I got a bunch of answers from GearNut on the "cant find an answer then ask here someone may be able to help" thread. Turns out, I should use ATF in my gearbox instead of 10w40. Might be causing slippage, and I may not need a clutch at all. I do the same note-taking as you. Almost have a manual by the time I DO anything. I know nothing about 2-stroke gasbikes, but I have some experience with lawn equiptment, and was wondering why you chose 2 over 4? And I've seen the weather reports from your area. Down right cold. We're having a heat wave here- it's been sunny and around 40* (Big Sky Montana) but it's coming!

I have very little to add, I have two bikes both have 48cc engines. What N /C said is common pratice, if you clean the engine you may be ok. I have a grubee 2010 with over 1000 miles on it, the other is a bgf with probably 400 on it. I dissassembled and checked the bgf when building that bike, the grubee I built before I found this forum and did nothing to it but look in the ports and down the spark plug hole for debris. I have learner a lot since the first build, I will always breakdown every engine to make sure of what I have.

Yes remove the head and cylinder and wash the crankcase out, you can use mixed fuel as cleaner. Remove the piston to check the rist pin beearing also. Just pour fuel mix in on the crankshaft and slosh it around then pour it out on a shop towel. You will be surprised at what comes out of some engines.s

I clean up the ports with my die grinder also, but if you have never used one you can mess up real quick. Since everything I have built has been 48cc every little bit helps.

please disregard