Hi guys ,well I'll start with my project quickly , a British star beach cruizer ,she is fitted with mud guards and I reciently had a comment regarding the safety of this , well I have replaced the regular screws with my lock nuts and placed thread lock on them " they are also reinforced with stainless rods so to put it bluntly " they ain't going nowhere ....
Anyway my main reason for this thread is to outline some of the issues with misinformed advertisers selling china girl builds at exuberant prices as well as misinforming the potential buyer
I reciently advertised my motorized bicycle build for sale on a sight and was dumbfounded by an advert where the seller advertised a 80 cc china girl build for $800 stating it was only 50cc and fitted with a geared 12speed system .
This would indicate that it is fitted with a jack shifter as well as a lot of accessories to aid the rider but.......
Upon looking at the bike it is clearly a china girl model on a cheap wallmart/kmart bike with little if any accessories , no jack shifter ( he refers to the gears of the bike as a shifter kit ) and looking at the pic the bike is only fitted with a front set of flimsy caliper brakes ( yep I said ONLY FRONT )
This is quite blatantly a death trap that some poor seller will kill themselves on unless they are well informed and educated on the correct safety precautions of this hobby , and this hobby can quite clearly be a killer if these precautions are taken lightly
Here is a few rules I have put together for a noob that would like to get into the hobby
1: before you purchase a prebuilt kit inspect the frame for stress fractures or possible weak points
2: ensure the cc of the motor is within the safety requirements of your local laws and abide by this when using public grounds
3: check the braking system is in good and working order and is capable of stopping the bicycle ,both front and rear should operate within similar tolerances as well as the clutch is in proper working order and not loose ( I have experienced this myself ,it isn't fun when the clutch won't engage)
4: ensure all bearings and hubs are in good working order and grease is applied to all surfaces and ensure the motor kill switch is in working order
5: check the chain for stress and or buckeling and ensure it is in no way worn or rusted through
6: if using mud guards ensure all fittings are locked tight and reinforced where nessisary
7: talk to the seller ,get his/her take on the performance of the motor including running times ,correct fuel mixtures and miles or km it has done ,when it was last serviced etc ( usually you can gauge a dodgy seller by their mannerisms in this scenario)
8: DO YOUR OWN HOMEWORK on the general maintenance and care of your bicycle don't rely on others to do this unless they are qualified or at least well educated themselves
9: ensure you have the correct standard of safety equipment before taking your first ride such as helmets , heat shielding , glasses or goggles , etc
10: plan your first trip ahead of time ,be careful on the road ,as stated to me years ago it is not you that drives the vehicle but the person in front or behind you ie try and stick to areas where you know are low on traffic or have bicycle lanes until you are confident of your motoring abilities
These are the rules I follow even when I have a new build and I would hope if at least one new person to the hobby reads this and it keeps them safe
If you have anything that I may have missed feel free to add it
Happy motoring my fellow members
Regards Henshooter
Anyway my main reason for this thread is to outline some of the issues with misinformed advertisers selling china girl builds at exuberant prices as well as misinforming the potential buyer
I reciently advertised my motorized bicycle build for sale on a sight and was dumbfounded by an advert where the seller advertised a 80 cc china girl build for $800 stating it was only 50cc and fitted with a geared 12speed system .
This would indicate that it is fitted with a jack shifter as well as a lot of accessories to aid the rider but.......
Upon looking at the bike it is clearly a china girl model on a cheap wallmart/kmart bike with little if any accessories , no jack shifter ( he refers to the gears of the bike as a shifter kit ) and looking at the pic the bike is only fitted with a front set of flimsy caliper brakes ( yep I said ONLY FRONT )
This is quite blatantly a death trap that some poor seller will kill themselves on unless they are well informed and educated on the correct safety precautions of this hobby , and this hobby can quite clearly be a killer if these precautions are taken lightly
Here is a few rules I have put together for a noob that would like to get into the hobby
1: before you purchase a prebuilt kit inspect the frame for stress fractures or possible weak points
2: ensure the cc of the motor is within the safety requirements of your local laws and abide by this when using public grounds
3: check the braking system is in good and working order and is capable of stopping the bicycle ,both front and rear should operate within similar tolerances as well as the clutch is in proper working order and not loose ( I have experienced this myself ,it isn't fun when the clutch won't engage)
4: ensure all bearings and hubs are in good working order and grease is applied to all surfaces and ensure the motor kill switch is in working order
5: check the chain for stress and or buckeling and ensure it is in no way worn or rusted through
6: if using mud guards ensure all fittings are locked tight and reinforced where nessisary
7: talk to the seller ,get his/her take on the performance of the motor including running times ,correct fuel mixtures and miles or km it has done ,when it was last serviced etc ( usually you can gauge a dodgy seller by their mannerisms in this scenario)
8: DO YOUR OWN HOMEWORK on the general maintenance and care of your bicycle don't rely on others to do this unless they are qualified or at least well educated themselves
9: ensure you have the correct standard of safety equipment before taking your first ride such as helmets , heat shielding , glasses or goggles , etc
10: plan your first trip ahead of time ,be careful on the road ,as stated to me years ago it is not you that drives the vehicle but the person in front or behind you ie try and stick to areas where you know are low on traffic or have bicycle lanes until you are confident of your motoring abilities
These are the rules I follow even when I have a new build and I would hope if at least one new person to the hobby reads this and it keeps them safe
If you have anything that I may have missed feel free to add it
Happy motoring my fellow members
Regards Henshooter
