Anyone familiar with Denardis Engines?

SoThatICanRIdeWithTraffic · Feb 6, 2013

http://www.denardisengines.com/125cc.html

I've been saving up for a motorcycle and I have about $4k saved up.

I think that will get me like a used 250 sportsbike, but I always wanted a chopper(which would cost me at least $10k), so I decided to spend it on building a chopper motorized bicycle with a OCC Stingray.

I guess my main question would be,

1. Has anyone used one of these? Because chinese motors exaggerate their specs so I'm wondering if these motors perform as they are advertised?

2. Are stingray bikes big enough to fit a 125cc?

3. All I've ever done was build with kits made for bicycles. Will the wirings be the same? For example can I peel the wires off the throttle and the killswitch that I already have and connect it to this engine?

4. I read that bicycle's rear wheel can't handle the torque of a 125cc motor. Can anyone recommend me a motorcycle wheel that will fit a bicycle but still thick enough (about 4 inches give or take) to look like a chopper wheel?

Thanks in advance

2door · Feb 6, 2013

Welcome to the forum.
You'll get more replys but let me be the first to tell you that he engine you linked to is water cooled. It will require a radiator.
Good luck with your project.

Tom

SoThatICanRIdeWithTraffic · Feb 6, 2013

2door said:
Welcome to the forum.
You'll get more replys but let me be the first to tell you that he engine you linked to is water cooled. It will require a radiator.
Good luck with your project.

Tom

Yeah, I saw that they were also selling the radiator separately. But there's a 50CC liquid cooled engine and the seller doesn't mention anything about a radiator. I think this is a KTM replacer engine. What is the difference?

http://www.denardisengines.com/50cc.html

2door · Feb 6, 2013

Don't know the difference but if it is "liquid cooled" it will require some kind of heat exchanger (radiator) and in some cases a water pump to move the coolant. I've seen these little engines with a pump integral to the crankcase but you'll still need some way to dissipate the heat and connecting hoses.

Tom

CTripps · Feb 9, 2013

The 50cc air-cooled at the bottom of that page boasts 9HP.. interesting.... I think the same size china girls are around 2HP aren't they?

Bikeguy Joe · Feb 9, 2013

I'm only seeing liquid cooled racing type engines. Not really suitable for a daily rider bike application.
3k will buy you a new chopper- check out http://www.clevelandcyclewerks.com/bikes/ for a cheap chopper!

SoThatICanRIdeWithTraffic · Feb 9, 2013

CTripps said:
The 50cc air-cooled at the bottom of that page boasts 9HP.. interesting.... I think the same size china girls are around 2HP aren't they?

These are what US morini motor distributers are selling now because morini stopped making motors. Morini 50cc ranged from 6 to 11 hp. These are ktm dirtbike/racing kart replacers so they must be comparable to the morinis

SoThatICanRIdeWithTraffic · Feb 9, 2013

Bikeguy Joe said:
I'm only seeing liquid cooled racing type engines. Not really suitable for a daily rider bike application.
3k will buy you a new chopper- check out http://www.clevelandcyclewerks.com/bikes/ for a cheap chopper!

I wanted to get a sense of achievement and own a unique bike that no one else has. What kind of problems would I face in daily commuting By using liquid cooled racing engines?

Bikeguy Joe · Feb 9, 2013

Well, have you ever driven a race car on the street? It can be done, but it's not always convenient or even fun.

SoThatICanRIdeWithTraffic · Feb 9, 2013

Bikeguy Joe said:
Well, have you ever driven a race car on the street? It can be done, but it's not always convenient or even fun.

I haven't

Can you enlighten me?

Bikeguy Joe · Feb 9, 2013

To oversimplify, a racing or high performance engine needs to be run hard (higher rpm) to get the best out of it. Sure you can run it slow, but most of the power is made in a narrow(er) powerband. They generally don't make good "street" engines. You may make 9hp, but are you going to use it if the bike needs to be run wide open at 14,000 rpm all the time?

Not trying to discourage you from building your dream bike, but I knew a guy who built his "dream car"- a Trans Am with a fully built 400 cubic inch engine, and he drove it on the street from the place that installed the engine to his house, and realized it was not road worthy....he sold it a few weeks later.

SoThatICanRIdeWithTraffic · Feb 9, 2013

Bikeguy Joe said:
To oversimplify, a racing or high performance engine needs to be run hard (higher rpm) to get the best out of it. Sure you can run it slow, but most of the power is made in a narrow(er) powerband. They generally don't make good "street" engines. You may make 9hp, but are you going to use it if the bike needs to be run wide open at 14,000 rpm all the time?

Not trying to discourage you from building your dream bike, but I knew a guy who built his "dream car"- a Trans Am with a fully built 400 cubic inch engine, and he drove it on the street from the place that installed the engine to his house, and realized it was not road worthy....he sold it a few weeks later.

Thanks for the information. It helped me understand your concern.
The reason why I want to build something like this is because where I live everythings far apart and there aren't many small streets or blocks of residential areas. the speed limit is just way to high for me to get around on a 35 mph motorized bicycle. I started to feel the need to go over 45 to 60. People are not very used to seeing MBs and driver's license is so easy to get that most people on cars don't know how to deal with low speed mopeds that sticks to the right side of the road. Most people try to go full speed on the far right lane when they're not supppsed to and some people try to pass me without going to the next left. lane so that's kind of scary. (even though I have the right of the way as a cyclist).

I guess the best solution for me is to get a car like everyone is telling me but I developed an obsession with two-wheelers.

So if I am riding at 45 to 55 most of the times would you say this isn't a bad idea?

Bikeguy Joe · Feb 9, 2013

On a bicycle? 45-55 is a bad idea. You would need to do a lot of work to make a bicycle even remotely safe at that speed for more than about 5 seconds.

Might want to re-consider that chopper...

SoThatICanRIdeWithTraffic · Feb 9, 2013

Of course I will be swapping out the wheels and bearings with motorcycle ones. I've been saving up for a motorcycle and that's kind of what I'm aiming to build. I think in the end I probably would end up spending 2k or so more on this project.

Bikeguy Joe · Feb 9, 2013

Strengthening the frame, forks, even the handlebars, plus re-doing everything on the bike until it's a small motorcycle...isn't that taking the long way around?

Bikeguy Joe · Feb 9, 2013

Better check on the legal aspects of it before you spend a fortune. Not sure of the laws there in AZ, but here it would be a very expensive, completely illegal small motorcycle.

SoThatICanRIdeWithTraffic · Feb 9, 2013

Yeah that's exactly what I'm doing. Taking the long way around

I think more than half the fun in this project would be building it.
Couple more questions though if you don't mind
1. How would I strengthen the frame?
2. Do you have any suggestions on how to redo handle bars and the fork?

SoThatICanRIdeWithTraffic · Feb 9, 2013

Bikeguy Joe said:
Better check on the legal aspects of it before you spend a fortune. Not sure of the laws there in AZ, but here it would be a very expensive, completely illegal small motorcycle.

I've seen people here on dirtbikes a lot of times. As long as its got a speedometer, headlight and a tail ligjt I should be able to register it as a motorcycle. My friends slapped street-legal-kits on their closed circuit dirtbikes and got it registered. Turn signals aren't required though.

Bikeguy Joe · Feb 9, 2013

Start with a good frame, maybe weld some gusseting into it, and of course some kind of suspension fork (not a springer). Might want to go with some motorcycle bars or at least some good cross braced mtb bars.

Go for it, but be safe.

SoThatICanRIdeWithTraffic · Feb 9, 2013

I didn't know there were suspension forks without springs O:
What company should I search for one?

Anyone familiar with Denardis Engines?

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