Kit Longevity Updates...

GoldenMotor.com

577-Jersey

New Member
Mar 23, 2013
293
1
0
central western nj
Thought it would be a good idea to start a thread about how long you guys have been running your kits,,how many miles do you have on your motorized bicycle,,and how much did you have to repair during the period.Can we see a 10k mile motorized bicycle possibly,,that would be fantastic,,especially on the same engine!

Thanks guys!

Tom .wee.
 

2door

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 15, 2008
16,302
175
63
Littleton, Colorado
http://www.google.com/cse?cx=partne...j15#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=How many miles&gsc.page=1

It's an often asked question and you'll get some replys. It never hurts to ask questions again because newer members might not have seen these older threads dealing with the same subject. The 10k figure has been posted here several times by some of our members.

I'll chime in first. All of my current bikes except for one I just built over the winter have over or near 1K. One has over 2 thousand miles. Maybe I've been lucky. I've only experienced minor problems and have never had a major issue with an engine. I don't abuse my engines but they do get ridden hard occasionally, and put away wet :)

Tom
 

Sidewinder Jerry

Well-Known Member
Dec 19, 2011
1,996
928
113
61
Rockwood, TN
Been riding for two years now and have around 4000 miles. The Robin Subaru EHO 35 still works great. Change oil every 50 hours and clean air filter every 10 hours, they'll last forever. About the only thing you'll have to replace is the sparkplug.

With these bikes breakdowns do occur. As you learn more about your bike better ways of doing things become clear. I consider this a good thing in that it challenges you to always want to improve your bike. Meaning you don't become bored and lose interest.

The bike also puts me into a family of other fellow bikers here on the forum. I enjoy sharing my love of motorized biking with others who have the same passion. In my public life people are always wanting to talk with me about my bike. So for whatever it takes in repairs and upgrades it gives back so much more.
 
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577-Jersey

New Member
Mar 23, 2013
293
1
0
central western nj
Super,,
Glad to hear the replies,,Im really looking forward to doing some riding shortly,,I will let you all know how my first build goes.Im glad to be a part of this forum,,seems like a wealth of knowledge here for sure!
Thanks
Tom
 

maniac57

Old, Fat, and still faster than you
Oct 8, 2011
4,484
22
0
memphis Tn
I've completely lost track of how many miles my Pig has on it. Still runs great! No failures of any kind. I did have to drain the tank once due to water in the fuel but other than that, it has been bulletproof. I have not had anything loosen up or need adjustment in months. I'm on my fourth set of brake pads, my 7th back tire, and my 3rd front tire. The HD#40 roller chain was the best $20 bucks I ever spent.

I also replaced the stock plugwire with one I got while at a local pull-a-part yard. I only needed one end so it was free. (Best kind of upgrade!)
 

577-Jersey

New Member
Mar 23, 2013
293
1
0
central western nj
Sweet bro,,
I will definetly take you up on those upgrades.Just got the cruiser today,,took the fenders off and packed the wheel bearings full of good high temp red grease.My motor kit should be here by the end of next week,,ordered a 67 cc. kit from ebay,,it looks like a slant head,,cant wait!!!First thing Im gonna do is check all hardware and grease a few things,,are the stock head nuts and bolts ok to use or should I upgrade those to grade 8,,also will that after market plug wire just screw right into the coil?,,BTW,Sweet job on the bike,,LOOKS GREAT!!!
Thanks again guys!!

Tom :)
 

maniac57

Old, Fat, and still faster than you
Oct 8, 2011
4,484
22
0
memphis Tn
I just unscrewed the stock wire and replaced it. I hear some kits are glued and you have to dig it out, but it is still a great mod even if it's glued.
The HD chain is the first mod any motorized bike needs.
Makes it so much more reliable, less drag and noise as well (depending on your particular tensioner setup)
 

maniac57

Old, Fat, and still faster than you
Oct 8, 2011
4,484
22
0
memphis Tn
Here's my solution to an oval tube mount. Long bolts screwed into the mount with coupling nuts to tighten. No cutting required (although it would be easy to grind the heads off the boltsfor a more sanitary look)



Here's a better view of the latest pipe

Has a nice sound and good torque, with a nice sweet spot right at my normal cruising speed. I also run a 41 tooth sprocket to drop rpm's a bit.
 

BarelyAWake

New Member
Jul 21, 2009
7,194
21
0
Maine
...Can we see a 10k mile motorized bicycle possibly,,that would be fantastic,,especially on the same engine!
My Schwinn AluminumComp Mountain Bike with a generic 66cc in-frame kit lasted me well over 10,000 miles as an all season daily driver/commuter - but I'll not deny that longevity had far more to do with random chance then anything in particular that I did or the type/brand of motor & it had it's fair share of issues, mostly gasket related;



I think the motor will last longer than the bicycle.
Funny you should say that lol, while the frame is still in great condition - the bike was retired from service shortly after that last pic was taken. While it still ran great, the compression was a bit low & the chrome cylinder liner was beginning to flake a bit (bottom of cyl) - it was really just about everything else other than the frame & motor that was done for, beaten, corroded & just plain tired I realized that the cost of repairing all of the bikes woes, pretty much everything other than the frame & motor would cost more than just building a new one, even including an engine.

Primary cause of destruction? The salt & calcium chloride they put on the roads around here in the snowy season and my indifference - it was a $400 beater built specifically for that abuse ;)
 

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
6,537
264
63
living the dream in southern california
my first engine, a grubee starfire gt4 lasted well over 10k. i rode as my primary means of travel almost everyday for 3 years, raced it twice, and beat the heck out of it

the only problems were 3 busted chains and one cdi failure.

one of the busted chains cracked the case so i had to replace one side, but that wasn't the motor's fault.

there's almost no chrome left on the cylinder walls, but it still ran great.

i actually still have that motor, but i grinded away on the motor mounts to fit it into my little red racer so i can't put it into another bike without welding some mounting tabs on the frame.

the motor i replaced it with when i rebuilt the cruiser has a couple thousand on it with no major problems.

but, i also have a junkpile of broken motors that i raced with. some of them lasted a few hundred track miles, one lasted 10 street miles, and another new one that i spent a week on to make it go fast made it almost to the liquor store 5 blocks away before the stock crank bearing (the only thing i didn't replace because they didn't have them in stock at my bearing place) disintegrated, destroying the rest of my hard work.
 

577-Jersey

New Member
Mar 23, 2013
293
1
0
central western nj
Very cool exhaust,,and the longer mount bolts idea is sweet.Very impressed,and glad to see a 10K bike and motor here.Was the chain and sprocket replaced or upgraded on the 10K bike?
 

577-Jersey

New Member
Mar 23, 2013
293
1
0
central western nj
Thanks for the upgrade info,,Im gonna look into a better quality chain/sprocket in the near future,,as for a tensioner i believe I could fab a spring loaded device somehow with my welder :)
 

Allen_Wrench

Resident Mad Scientist
Feb 6, 2010
2,784
26
36
Indianapolis
My first engine is on its second bike. The original "Tempus" - a Micargi Huntington - was in a bad wreck with an F150. Frame was bent and cracked. The float bowl of the carb got cracked also. But I went over the rest of the engine with everything short of a microscope. It was fine. New carb did the trick.
It is now bolted to the JC Higgins in my avatar. I haven't had a speedo hooked up to it in more than a couple years so I don't have a clue how many miles. But the engine's been running fine since early 2010, so at least three years of running like new.
 

TheOtherChris

Member
Apr 1, 2012
47
0
6
SE Idaho
First bike is a China Girl and made it about half a mile.
Took a month to get it replaced. That engine lasted about 300 miles and then ground out the crank bearings. I will likely replace the engine when the snow is gone.
Second bike is another China Girl and ran great for another 300 miles and then broke a front motor mount stud. It is still running good; just not rideable. I will replace the mount studs when the snow is gone and keep at it.
Third bike is a 212cc Predator build that I am just starting.
 

577-Jersey

New Member
Mar 23, 2013
293
1
0
central western nj
Here's my solution to an oval tube mount. Long bolts screwed into the mount with coupling nuts to tighten. No cutting required (although it would be easy to grind the heads off the boltsfor a more sanitary look)



Here's a better view of the latest pipe

Has a nice sound and good torque, with a nice sweet spot right at my normal cruising speed. I also run a 41 tooth sprocket to drop rpm's a bit.
Maniac,,i just noticed the Cranbrook custom exhaust shield,, that's really cool bro!!
I picked up an older huffy 26"mountain bike for $10 bucks,,its got front suspension and the paint is really nice,,Im gonna build my own motorized bicycle from it,,just need a couple good wheels for it,,if i do a custom pipe I will use ur idea!
 
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577-Jersey

New Member
Mar 23, 2013
293
1
0
central western nj
My Schwinn AluminumComp Mountain Bike with a generic 66cc in-frame kit lasted me well over 10,000 miles as an all season daily driver/commuter - but I'll not deny that longevity had far more to do with random chance then anything in particular that I did or the type/brand of motor & it had it's fair share of issues, mostly gasket related;





Funny you should say that lol, while the frame is still in great condition - the bike was retired from service shortly after that last pic was taken. While it still ran great, the compression was a bit low & the chrome cylinder liner was beginning to flake a bit (bottom of cyl) - it was really just about everything else other than the frame & motor that was done for, beaten, corroded & just plain tired I realized that the cost of repairing all of the bikes woes, pretty much everything other than the frame & motor would cost more than just building a new one, even including an engine.

Primary cause of destruction? The salt & calcium chloride they put on the roads around here in the snowy season and my indifference - it was a $400 beater built specifically for that abuse ;)
That my friend,,
Is pure awesomeness!!!