Hi there, looking to buy first motor bike kit.

ctriana921 · Sep 24, 2009

I recently got a new job that is very nice and only a couple miles away from my home so instead of driving a car I thought I'd look into a motorized bike. I like the idea of a 4 stroke and not having to mix oil and gas and just being able to pull up to a gas station.

My budget range is about 200-350$ for a 4 stroke kit, but if there is some mind blowingly awesome kit that is a bet more don't hesitate to show me.

Thanks in advanced for suggestions!

~Christian cvlt1

xlite · Sep 24, 2009

ctriana921 said:
I recently got a new job that is very nice and only a couple miles away from my home so instead of driving a car I thought I'd look into a motorized bike. I like the idea of a 4 stroke and not having to mix oil and gas and just being able to pull up to a gas station.

My budget range is about 200-350$ for a 4 stroke kit, but if there is some mind blowingly awesome kit that is a bet more don't hesitate to show me.

Thanks in advanced for suggestions!

~Christian

AFAIK there is no reliable 4 stroke kit in that price range. The Dax Titan is the only kit that is reliable and costs a bit more. It's rear mount.

You can get a couple 2 stroke kits for that price and, unlike low cost 4 strokes, they will go many thousands of miles. But you must endure the horror of oil in gas.

ctriana921 · Sep 24, 2009

Im really interested in either to be honest, mixing oil isn't so bad, you're right. So any links to reliable two or four stroke motor websites would be nice.

MotorbikeMike · Sep 24, 2009

Hello, the EZ Motorbike kit is reliable, but also not in the low-priced range, it turns out that when you use American parts, and Labor in the drive system, it does cost more than all-Chinese kits.

Mike

xlite · Sep 25, 2009

ctriana921 said:
Im really interested in either to be honest, mixing oil isn't so bad, you're right. So any links to reliable two or four stroke motor websites would be nice.

Dax would be best one-stop shopping because he has both and top notch cutomer service. Zoom is a bit cheaper for 2s and excellent service too. Links to both on this page. Boy-go-fast (Rick Shi) is cheapest of all but not as great on support. I've had good results with all of them.

Popular mythology holds 4 strokes as more reliable than 2 strokes which may be true of engines alone but the opposite seems to me the case for bike kits. I never hear of 4 stroke users with 5-10k miles but it's very common with the two strokes. I got 14k on one of my BGF bikes.

Cliff L · Sep 25, 2009

I too am new and would like the 4 stroke engine. I have been confused about the gearboxes and how reliable they are. Price is secondary if you end up saving on a box that breakes often rather than working for many miles.
What are the general thoughts on them?

Buddy · Sep 25, 2009

DAX is good and gives a one year warranty on his Titan kit. He'll stand up to his warranty, if anything goes wrong he'll replace the defective part, he won't try to weasel out of the warranty.

Staton makes a nice kit but it's considerably more expensive than the Titan.

azbill · Sep 26, 2009

give a little time on the mileage...I'm working on it, and fully expect to do 10k +

the EZM just came on the market (late april/early may), rome was not built in a day

Buddy · Sep 26, 2009

I don't buy that 2-strokes lasting longer. 4-strokes are far superior engines. There are many more times as many 2-strokes as there are 4-strokes due to price. With that many more engines out there there's a lot higher chance of people getting lucky and getting high miles out of their engines.

On the other side of the coin I don't see hardly any people complain about early engine failure on 4-strokes, I see it on 2-strokes all the time.

Cliff L · Sep 26, 2009

Remember that a two stroke is under compression and firing every time it arrives at top dead center (well a bit before) and a 4 stroke is not under compression for one stroke. With that in mind the 2 stroke engine has a very reliable life. (Usually 2/3s that of a 4 stroke if the piston, ring and cylinder are equal.) While I was hunting some sites the other day I did come across an expansion chamber for the small 2 strokes and THAT will lower the life of a 2 stroke fast. (The performance increase is usually worth it.) I used to race a Go Kart with a CR80 Honda engine. It used 3 or 4 pistons, rings wrist pins and bearings each season to be competitive. (More if I tuned it poorly!) That is part of the weight savings and increased horse power of a 2 stroke. Just a fact of life. I am looking for a 4 stroke and solid transmission from the durability viewpoint.

I have been having trouble finding any technical data or drawings on some of the US made gearboxes. I think I saw an article on one with a belt primary but I can’t find it again. Does anyone have a link to that ?

Thanks in advance!

Buddy · Sep 26, 2009

If you want a solid tranny look at Staton. They have a lifetime warranty on the gearbox.

Cliff L · Sep 26, 2009

Thanks I will.

xlite · Sep 27, 2009

Buddy said:
On the other side of the coin I don't see hardly any people complain about early engine failure on 4-strokes, I see it on 2-strokes all the time.

For some reason many seem to be missing the point. It ain't the engine, it's the GEARBOX. Turns out these bikes don't get very far without one.

Buddy · Sep 27, 2009

Staton has a lifetime warranty on their gearbox. And guess what? Their engines are 4-strokes, except one Mitsubishi.

xlite · Sep 28, 2009

Buddy said:
Staton has a lifetime warranty on their gearbox. And guess what? Their engines are 4-strokes, except one Mitsubishi.

BGF and most of the others also offer to replace burnt gearboxes. This don't always help when you are stranded 40 miles from home. Warranty papers are cheap, foot leather ain't.

Cliff L · Sep 28, 2009

Thanks for all your help. I will make some calls today.

Buddy · Sep 28, 2009

xlite said:
BGF and most of the others also offer to replace burnt gearboxes. This don't always help when you are stranded 40 miles from home. Warranty papers are cheap, foot leather ain't.

Until I see solid proof of 2-strokes lasting longer, I call bull on that one. 4-strokes are more reliable engines. Show me someone who has had a problem with a Staton gearbox on this or the other forum. The only thing I've EVER seen is one person who said his was noisy.

Look at all the problems in the 2-stroke forum and then look here at the few problems, nuff said. There's a lot more 2-strokers having problems.

Even if a gearbox does have problems, bikes have these things called pedals, it's not like they have to be pushed home. I'm a LOT more worried about tires/tubes than my engine/gearbox. I've had a LOT of flats, I've never had a gearbox problem.

xlite · Sep 30, 2009

Buddy said:
Until I see solid proof of 2-strokes lasting longer, I call bull on that one. 4-strokes are more reliable engines. Show me someone who has had a problem with a Staton gearbox on this or the other forum. The only thing I've EVER seen is one person who said his was noisy.

Look at all the problems in the 2-stroke forum and then look here at the few problems, nuff said. There's a lot more 2-strokers having problems.

Even if a gearbox does have problems, bikes have these things called pedals, it's not like they have to be pushed home. I'm a LOT more worried about tires/tubes than my engine/gearbox. I've had a LOT of flats, I've never had a gearbox problem.

Apparently some of us have more experience with these engines than others so understand the gearbox issue. And feel free to pedal 40 miles home, you have my permission. Or 300 miles as is the case with my last big trip between NY and New England.

PS fix flat on the road, easy. fix gearbox well....

bandito · Sep 30, 2009

Im at a loss here, how can a 50cc motor tear up a metal gearbox. Is it the quality of the metal the gears are made out of? Must be pot metal and not solid steel if thats the issue.

xlite · Sep 30, 2009

bandito said:
Im at a loss here, how can a 50cc motor tear up a metal gearbox. Is it the quality of the metal the gears are made out of? Must be pot metal and not solid steel if thats the issue.

Check out posts in the 4-stroke area going back a ways and you will understand. The "Hoot" type which probably accounts for 90% or more of kits sold has cantilevered clutch shaft which results in early failure of gears. Not so much poor material as incompetent structural design.

Vendors are going on-and-on about how the problem has been fixed but no details or independent reviews so....

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