Is Chrome a good upgrade?

Tyler6357 · Mar 23, 2012

Hey everyone. I'm still shopping for a new China Girl and was wondering how much of an upgrade Chrome is. I saw this Chrome one from BGF on ebay and thought it seemed like a good deal. It says needle bearing engine only ( no other parts). Does this mean that it doesn't have 203 Crank bearings or are those pretty much standard on most China Girls today? Anyway, my main question: is Chrome good to have? is it better than black? I saw this black one from BGF also. Do these seem too cheap to be real?

Bikeguy Joe · Mar 23, 2012

Well, Google Chrome is an excellent update, but as far as n engine goes, it's just a shiny covering that's going to get coated in oil. The choice is yours.

fonzie · Mar 23, 2012

The chrome is one thing....your choice, but the chrome engine I got from BGF would fit the larger frames without any adaptors and that is a plus if you need it. Does not have the 203 bearings.

Dave31 · Mar 23, 2012

My experience with the chrome engines is they run too hot, overheat and seize. The vendor i worked for a short time stopped selling them for this reason. Every single chrome engine we sold seized.

Al.Fisherman · Mar 23, 2012

No chrome..... as mentioned
No Black, the paint is c**p, and gas mixture will cause the paint to run. My experience on my first and last, and a mistake from buying from then.

Buy, silver, if you want it black, paint it yourself with a GOOD quality paint, not the $1.00 paint they sell. There is threads about re-painting a engine...

If this is your first build look at this....
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GcesQihc7-mm3hJGf7UPiqOaRXZ8ekUT99QUZq2qXXE/edit

2door · Mar 23, 2012

Dave31 said:
My experience with the chrome engines is they run too hot, overheat and seize. The vendor i worked for a short time stopped selling them for this reason. Every single chrome engine we sold seized.

Chrome holds in heat. It acts as an insulator, reflecting heat back into the metal it is applied to. Take a look at most serious race car engines and you'll see the block is always painted flat black. That's to help dissipate heat.

Like was suggected, paint the engine yourself. I've painted several and didn't even use high temp paint but DupliColor automotive rattle can. You can probably find a color that will match your frame, if that's a look you'd like. Eventually, if you have any gasoline leaks, the paint can be damaged but a clear coat will protect it. No Chrome!
Tom

F_Rod81 · Mar 23, 2012

Your auto store should carry what your considering. They'll have chrome paint, anodized looking paint, and engine enamel. If you want it done right the first time so you don't have to take the engine off again to repaint then I suggest getting an Engine enamel of your choice and apply 2 coats and some clear and call it good. If your going for performance then I highly recommend you stay away from chrome. Like Tom mentioned it acts like an insulator and holds the heat rather then dissipate it. If you do paint it chrome then you might want to consider changing your spark plug to a different temp. range.

rustycase · Mar 23, 2012

Bikeguy Joe said:
Well, Google Chrome is an excellent update, but as far as n engine goes, it's just a shiny covering that's going to get coated in oil. The choice is yours.

I agree with BJG AND D31.

However, if u want to build a chinagirl showbike (LOL LOL LOL ROFL !!!) it might be a nice touch, to win that bike show Grand Prize!

we just paid $9 for a rattle can of hi-heat black... whew!
(it wasn't MY choice!)

and I got a 66 slant here that looks like the factory DUNKED it in a vat of silver paint! Yuk!!!

Good luck!
rc

wayne z · Mar 23, 2012

So far, I have bought 8 HT engines from BGF in the last 2 years. 4 of them were chrome, for my all chromed Macargi springer builds, that I sold in New Orleans. I also built 4 others with plain aluminum and black engines added to peolpe's bikes.

Have had no serious trouble at all with any of the chromed ones, except one that had a rather loose rod bearing right out the box. At high rpm it knocked badly, but it still runs great because this guy dont ever rev it much in the French Qtr.
They are all driven regularly. One has about 1000 miles.

Had trouble and short life with the two black ones , rod bearing on one, wristpin on the other.

No bad probs with any of the plain finished ones.

Tyler6357 · Mar 24, 2012

Thanks for all the replies!! If heat is a problem with chrome, I certainly won't get a chrome one. I live in Southern CA and it is sunny and warm most of the year. In the summer it can get over 100 degrees in my town. Heat is a huge concern for me, I want an engine that runs as cool as possible! I guess chrome is out of the question and I don't think I will get the black one either because black traps heat and if they don't run any better than a standard silver one, why get it? Also I really don't care that much about what my engine looks like. I am most concerned about getting decent crank bearings, needle bearings, NOT bushings, quality piston rings, etc. I don't mind spending a little more for these things but who can you trust? nobody!

I saw this one from BGF on ebay. It looks like the same BGF engine as the chrome and black ones but just in standard silver. I asked the guy at ebay if the chrome one came with 203 bearings and he wrote back in broken english "202". I suspect the 203 ones are bigger and better?? I am kinda leaning toward this one mostly because it clearly says "203 crank bearings, needle bearings." There is a guy at Motovelo.com who claims his are "high performance," "The best bike engines money can buy!" and wants $165, no tax, free shipping. I'm considering possibly getting one from him also.

I don't mind saying that I am pretty disappointed in the way these engines are sold. Most places offer no engine specs at all for what they are selling and several places don't sell the engines except only when you buy the entire kit. Just showing a picture isn't much to go on. It's no wonder so many members here claim "they are all the same" or "it's a shot in the dark" when you buy these things. I wish I had come here before I originally got my kit, my engine might still be running if I had. Okay, sorry, didn't mean to whine.

Thanks again to everyone for all the help I have gotten on these MB forums. I'm still a total rookie but I'm learning. In spite of the frustrations it's a really cool hobby and I love to ride! This was my first build and I'm totally hooked now. After I replace this engine I'm considering building 4 stroke MB.

Bikeguy Joe · Mar 24, 2012

I'll stir the pot here....bushing engines are not a bad thing. The needle bearing engines I've had did not last. Could have been an early problem, but I'll let those who have had newer ones chime in here.

I have a bushing engine here I bought from thatsdax when this all first started and it has untold miles on it now, no problems.

Spaz_Static · Mar 25, 2012

@ Tyler:

Black does not trap heat, it helps dissipate it. A black surface feels hotter than a lighter surface, lets say grey or white, because it is releasing the heat. However, darker surfaces like black do absorb light energy and release it as heat much more readily than a light surface due to the fact that a light surface will reflect the light. The act of reflecting sunlight is why a white t-shirt will make you feel cooler than a black one if you're outside on a sunny day. Conversely, if you then go inside out of the sun, a black shirt will help you cool off faster than that white one.

Simply put, a white engine won't get hot due to the sun, but won't dissipate the heat from combustion as quickly. A black engine will get hot due to the sun, but will dissipate that heat and the heat from combustion much more quickly.

If there are any physics or engineering majors out there who know otherwise, please correct me. I would hate to be giving incorrect information, though I'm pretty confident that I have it spot on.

Venice Motor Bikes · Mar 26, 2012

One thing that I learned long ago from VW gurus is that the VW engineers paint the engine cylinders & cooling tins flat black because that color actually helps the metal shed the heat into the air (& make the engine run cooler). They also told me that chrome will cause the engine to hold in the heat & not cool as well.

oylavabeer · Mar 26, 2012

I installed a Chrome engine december last year and have done over 1700km since some in 40c+ heat. It has been the most relible engine ive owned

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Is Chrome a good upgrade?

Tyler6357

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Bikeguy Joe

Godfather of Motorized Bicycles

fonzie

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Dave31

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Al.Fisherman

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2door

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F_Rod81

Dealer

rustycase

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wayne z

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Tyler6357

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Bikeguy Joe

Godfather of Motorized Bicycles

Spaz_Static

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Venice Motor Bikes

Custom Builder / Dealer/Los Angeles

oylavabeer

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