Motor Bikes Gurus! Lots of questions here!

[VTECturbo-Bike89]

EDIT ATTENTION PLEASE! Norm has brought it to my attention that not everyone is getting to the 10-11th page to see that me and Norm have resolved this issue, He ended up getting back to me a few days after this post and he ended up more then righting any wrong. the missed calls/text/ was not intentional but partly even my fault. Norm ended up taking care of any complaints that I had, and today I can say with ease that I HIGHLY recommend him to anyone that wants to have a great running bike. His hourly rate is very fair and he does great work. My bike is still holding together great except for a tiny little issues were working out. But VMB and Norm is a guy that stands behind his work and means what he says. His reputation means alot to him and he really does want every last customer happy. as I said, I spoke too soon about him and his shop, I should of just gave him the benefit of the doubt for him to get back to me before putting up this post, So that being said - Dear motorbicyclists- You would be a fool to not take your bike to someone with as much experience as Norm! Great guy! as I said we worked out every issues we had, so PLEASE disregard everything negative I have posted in this thread, You guys should rather see my resolution post of how he took care of everything. Cheers everyone!

 

[VTECturbo-Bike89]

Also is there any peeps near Santa Clarita CA, or San Fernando valley areas? 661/818 or shops that I might be able to hit up? speak up if your local im looking for other bike buddies as all my friends are looking at me funny for getting into bikes lol

 

[bluegoatwoods]

Welcome aboard. There's help to be found here.


"and paid 220 for a cheap 130 dollar kit from Venice Motor Bikes here in california, So now im pretty pissed at the guy because he took advantage" There's some sort of mis-understanding here. Venice Motor Bikes is not some sort of fly-by-night outfit who is just taking advantage of folks. They're the sort of shop, in fact, that you're hoping to find. Someone reliable. Don't burn your bridge with this guy. He can be a valuable ally in your motor biking.

Let's start by making sure that we're on the same page. You have an 80 cc two cycle engine and kit, is that right? And your bike is a typical diamond frame bike? Round tubes? No odd-ball shapes there?

Okay....

"1.Motor Mounting Position- Is there any specific way other than just making it work to line u p decently with you sprocket?" No. There's only one position for that motor. But that certainly should have the output sprocket lined up close enough to the rear sprocket. You do need to make sure that the motor stays exactly where you put it. No movement at all. If that motor leans over, or anything like that, then you'll throw your chain.

"3. My rear tire is really in need of a adjustment as far as side-to-side play, is there anyway to adjust it, Because the chain for the MOTOR is SUPER close to the frame, it actually bearly just touches." You can take a bare axle that you're not using (or a carriage bolt, something like that) and bolt it into your dropouts. In order to keep your dropouts from spreading. Then put a scissors jack between those chainstays and force them further out. Go easy. You don't want to go too far with this. But only a little bit of spreading will get the chain clearance you need.

"4. The old motor that I had, had EVERY problem from ignition, compression, no exhaust (muffler) all kinds of ****, and wouldnt pull up even a really small incline hill, Will this new 80cc (brand new motor) be able to do any type of hills?" It sounds as though that old engine was totally worn out or had some sort of internal injury. Because these engines certainly can pull you up a hill. Once you get your new engine installed well, this won't be a problem for you.

I'm afraid I don't have time right now to consider your other questions and to find my answers. But I'll be back when I can. And others'll come along with answers, many of them better than mine.

We can get you up and rolling. Good luck.

 

[VTECturbo-Bike89]

Thank you so much buddy these answers I find very valuable they help a ton!!!!!!!! I hope to hear from you later on!!

 

[VTECturbo-Bike89]

Also IF any other people have OTHER or different opinions im open to anything! I am certain that there is more than one right answer to all this

 

[HotRodRob]

FIRST time ever messing with bikes, LITERALLY first time, So im very noob. I bought a cheapo bike for 150 bucks that was pretty beat down, Ended up getting ****ed and paid 220 for a cheap 130 dollar kit from Venice Motor Bikes here in california, So now im pretty pissed at the guy because he took advantage of a noob and upped the price like 40%... anyways its my own fault for trusting him. (he claims his kit is something special, but when I compare to ebay its all the same chinese ****)

Lose the curse words please. This is a family friendly environment. This place is a treasure trove of great information. Trust me 99% of the problems you are having can be found by using the search bar. May need to brush up on your googlefu. I've had almost every problem to be had with these kits and found the answer from searching on this site.

I'm surprised anyone answered your questions at all. Not because that is how this place is. In fact its the opposite we love to help and there are tons of gurus on this forum. But you stating that you are a newb, asking for help from the GURUS , then bashing one of the gurus, seems counter productive.

Fisrt of all EVERY china girl/happy time/pk80/GT5 whatever you wanna call them ALL come from china. Yes most are rough and in some ways unfinished but the last few finishing touches are so easy that it makes more since to the factories to do little things to save money. Most things like cleaning up the ports and cylinder fins is super easy and worth doing yourself.

There are tons of reasons these seemingly same kits cost more or less. Mostly due to quality of parts and customer service. Also, try buying a kit from anywhere outside CA. No one ships 2-strokes there besides other cali people. You can go buy the cheapest kit you can find and you will get what you pay for. Its a total crap shoot. If you get a lemon from a cheap place good luck on any customer service.

The first motor I bought was a ebay cheapy and was a total lemon. When I received it, it looked to have been a refurbished motor. It had scratches in the paint that had been painted over. Also the rest of the parts in the kit where worthless. The plastic throttle broke like a penny toy. The chain stretched like hot cheese. The carb's slide pin wasn't push in and made the slide turn in the carb. The chain rubbed hard on the inside of the clutch cover. It had every problem possible. I learned a lot from that motor. It barely ran for a couple miles then blew the bottom end bearing for no reason.

In order to get a replacement I had to send it back which cost 40 bucks plus pay for return shipping which ended up being over $60 total. The new motor ran better but a piece of the mag cover broke off and got caught in the mag which locked up the motor and blew the wrist pin bearing.

You said you have a beat down bike. It is never a good idea to motorized a "beat down" bike. You're just asking for trouble. Start with a good strong steel frame, good set of wheels and front and rear brake.

When you buy cheap you usually get what you pay for. That being said this hobby can be enjoyed even with the tightest budget. But if you think that "It's all chinese crap" then maybe this isn't the hobby for you...Now that I think about it almost every hobby has stuff that comes from china...good luck with that.

 

[maniac57]

I tend to agree. Bashing a well respected and knowledgeable vendor is NOT a good way to get people interested in helping you out.
I absolutely guarantee If Norm sold you a kit, that kit was at LEAST as good as anything in it's class. He charges more than Ebay because he has a SHOP and OVERHEAD to pay.
Did you even call him with your concerns before you decided he "took advantage of a noob"?
Good luck getting any OTHER shop owners on your side after a post like this....
Just my two cents.

 

[Davezilla]

I tend to agree. Bashing a well respected and knowledgeable vendor is NOT a good way to get people interested in helping you out.
I absolutely guarantee If Norm sold you a kit, that kit was at LEAST as good as anything in it's class. He charges more than Ebay because he has a SHOP and OVERHEAD to pay.
Did you even call him with your concerns before you decided he "took advantage of a noob"?
Good luck getting any OTHER shop owners on your side after a post like this....
Just my two cents.

Fully Agreed...

 

[VTECturbo-Bike89]

I tend to agree. Bashing a well respected and knowledgeable vendor is NOT a good way to get people interested in helping you out.
I absolutely guarantee If Norm sold you a kit, that kit was at LEAST as good as anything in it's class. He charges more than Ebay because he has a SHOP and OVERHEAD to pay.
Did you even call him with your concerns before you decided he "took advantage of a noob"?
Good luck getting any OTHER shop owners on your side after a post like this....
Just my two cents.

Ok so before you guys say I'm bashing, get the facts, norm is NOT responding to calls or texts from. So the customer service is ****. Second Norm works out of his house... His "shop" is his house, so why the the **** is he charing me 220 for a 130 dollar ebay kit? I said NOTHING bad about VMB up until I realized he didn't want to answer a few questions I had. I don't mean to come off looking as an ass to anyone here im just a little frustrated that I got boned with the price of this kit, I'm sure you guys would be too, regardless I apologize if I came off wrong to anyone. I hope the fact that I don't like ONE VENDOR gives me a bad name. And to whom ever is concerned about my language, don't you have to be atleast 16 or 18 or something? Your making me feel like I joined a Church forum about Jesus christ... Jeez dude it's not like I said something CRAZY offensive like F you B eat a D you Fing s-head and stuff like that.... It's just how I talk I tend to say "crap" and "Boned" but using their counter-part words. Regardless I see that people here obviously support VMB so im assuming that he has never asked you guys to give him an additional 90 bucks on top of the going rate... That's good im glad to hear that he does not "bone" everyone. Relieved to see that it's only me that was dumb enough to go there and pay an additional 90 bucks. I should of realized when he kept dodging the question "which brand is this" He never told me the brand because the brand is a Ebay special. As I said earlier im just venting to getting screwed over by trusting people, but it's my own fault. Anyways I hope you all can look past the rough start/intro we all got off on?? and yes when asked nicely I CAN and will cool it with the language so apologies for that bud!

 

[VTECturbo-Bike89]

I tend to agree. Bashing a well respected and knowledgeable vendor is NOT a good way to get people interested in helping you out.
I absolutely guarantee If Norm sold you a kit, that kit was at LEAST as good as anything in it's class. He charges more than Ebay because he has a SHOP and OVERHEAD to pay.
Did you even call him with your concerns before you decided he "took advantage of a noob"?
Good luck getting any OTHER shop owners on your side after a post like this....
Just my two cents.

Um yeah just to really correct you on that. Venice Motor Bikes, (Norm) makes it SEEM like he has this shop/warehouse. He actually has a really sktchy looking shop (IN HIS GARAGE WHERE HE LIVES) so just to correct you on that, his HOUSE is his "overhead" so yeah,

 

[maniac57]

I know everything I need to know from watching him helping people here for several years and by his reputation as a honest, helpful vendor of high-end bikes.
Now I know something about you as well.

 

[2door]

Let's start over.
First let me welcome you to the forum. Yes, we did get off on the wrong foot but maybe I can help get things right. We're glad you've found us and joined and we're always here to help a new member get the most from his bike and to guide him or her through the initial problems that are common.

You have to understand that we are not a "church group" here but we are a family forum. We have women and youngsters who are regular and actice members and even some males who do not appreciate or expect to see profanity on our forum. That's our rules and we try to keep things clean.

We also have rules about a new member joining with the intent to bash a vendor. You must realize that we have no way of knowing if you're an actual enthusiast or possibly a competitor of the vendor you are bashing. In addition all vendor comments, questions or reviews must be posted in our 'Swap & Shop' section as per forum rules. However those same rules do not allow a new member, until he has become active to post in the 'Swap & Shop' section.

You'll be better off keeping your first few posts directed at fixing your problems as opposed to complaints about the seller/supplier/vendor who you have an issue with.

Your problems are all normal issues that many, maybe even most new builders run into. Our search feature will usually guide you to any subject related to motorized bicycles and how to address them. Simply type in a key word or words and you'll have plenty to read, I promise you.

One topic you mentioned was the chain tensioner being mounted on the top chain run. That is wrong. All of the chain tension is on the top chain when the engine is pulling the bike. A tensioner there doesn't do anything but get abused. Engine power allows the bottom chain run to go slack and that's where the tensioner needs to be. Again, type in 'chain tensioner' into the search and you'll have more reading about that one subject than you'll ever want.

I hope this will help and maybe get you on the right track with your problems and the forum in general.

Tom

 

[Davezilla]

Actually his overhead... that extra $90 you paid was to ensure you had a good engine that all you need to do is bolt on, add fuel, and go... it seems you lack the skill to bolt onenof these on and choose to bash the guy who sold you the engine instead of coming in here and at least asking " how do I bolt this engine onto my frame?" Or " I got ....... type of bike and I need to know how to mount this thing" or how do I get proper chain clearance or how to mount the tensioner since my bike don't have room for one.... Anyone in here can answer those questions or point you to the right person if they don't know. This place is loaded with talented people who can help but if you rely only on the guy who sold you the engine you may have to take a number and wait a while before you get an answer.
The vendors in here are the most busy ones in here and most of them have their hands full, if you want a personal answer, take your turn and wait, but if you come in here and ask a question about anything you'll get pages of answers.... no bashing your vendor needed.
Anyway, have you even started that engine yet?
if the bike had an engine onnit already, why not remove that one and just go in reverse order to get the new one in? Or was that other "piece of junk" the same way where you got it with no instructions so its junk because you cant figure it out or ask someone in a decent manner how to get it in?
There's all kinds of help in here about installations on allnkinds of bikes as well as all kinds of help getting your bike ready for an engine... just gotta ask, but when ya come in here bashing a reputable seller because he didn't answer his phone or return a message, that help may not come to you...
Now if you post in here in a civilized manner what part of the install or adjustments you need help on you'll be up and riding in no time... you already got a nice engine, just post what you need help with and leave the bashimg out and you'll get the help you need and then some...

 

[mapbike]

I just want to add that all these engines basically look the same but all of the experienced builds in this forum 2ill be the first to tell they aint all the same quality, there are a few vendors who sell the pengines that have been proven to have better bearings internally and better balances crank assemblies.

I know you are new and dont realize it but all of the people who have responded in this thread so far are experienced builder and are some of the quickest to respond to most of the noobs that show up on here with as much help offered as possible, there are a few others that haven't rang in here yet they may actually not join in because of the coarse language and shoots fired at a vendor/member that has pa good reputation as being very helpful and knowledgable on this forum.

Just breathe in and relax a bit and although ues this aint a church forum, there are many of us who are honestly mature enough to have some respect for others as well as ourselves and not feel the need to use profanity to explain ourselves or even express our frustrations, some of us here are people of faith and we will be much more likely to lend a hand to peopple who address other in a respectful manner.

I perso ally want to also say welcome to the best forum of it type on the web, and we are willing to help you anyway we can to get the build issues solved, this is a great hobb6 and a load of fun, understand you will likely not face a single challenge that most of the rest of us haven't already faced and worked through, tone things down a bit and realize that truthfully you didnt get shafted by Venice since you have most likely got a better engine than the 130 buck kits on ebay, yes some of them are OK if the crap shoot just happens to work in your favor but must offer zero service after the sale, and I can tell you that you get a lot more with sugar than you do with vinegar so be respectful to Norm and I will garrantee he'll be willing to help you out in the ways that he can.

best wishes on the build and again welcome to the forum, you are among many nice knowledgable people here.

Map

 

[VTECturbo-Bike89]

Actually his overhead... that extra $90 you paid was to ensure you had a good engine that all you need to do is bolt on, add fuel, and go... it seems you lack the skill to bolt onenof these on and choose to bash the guy who sold you the engine instead of coming in here and at least asking " how do I bolt this engine onto my frame?" Or " I got ....... type of bike and I need to know how to mount this thing" or how do I get proper chain clearance or how to mount the tensioner since my bike don't have room for one.... Anyone in here can answer those questions or point you to the right person if they don't know. This place is loaded with talented people who can help but if you rely only on the guy who sold you the engine you may have to take a number and wait a while before you get an answer.
The vendors in here are the most busy ones in here and most of them have their hands full, if you want a personal answer, take your turn and wait, but if you come in here and ask a question about anything you'll get pages of answers.... no bashing your vendor needed.
Anyway, have you even started that engine yet?
if the bike had an engine onnit already, why not remove that one and just go in reverse order to get the new one in? Or was that other "piece of junk" the same way where you got it with no instructions so its junk because you cant figure it out or ask someone in a decent manner how to get it in?
There's all kinds of help in here about installations on allnkinds of bikes as well as all kinds of help getting your bike ready for an engine... just gotta ask, but when ya come in here bashing a reputable seller because he didn't answer his phone or return a message, that help may not come to you...
Now if you post in here in a civilized manner what part of the install or adjustments you need help on you'll be up and riding in no time... you already got a nice engine, just post what you need help with and leave the bashimg out and you'll get the help you need and then some...

Again, I apologize I am a adult and that was childish of me to go off like that because I do know that all it is going to do is burn bridges that I might need to use one day. So in regards to that,

Norm- if / when you see this, I have been trying to get a hold of you for a few days now, even texted you Cuz I figured your busy. But also just wanted to say if this kit IS something better then the Ebay junk, which it worries me because it is 100% identical to the ebay stuff, and I mean truly 100% but anyways oif it truly is not just the ebay crap and it's something better, then im sorry for my words and I retract them.

That above was for VMB, this is for you, I didn't just replace the engine I actually took it all apart and sanded the bike fully down to the metal, same time I wite brushed all the rust off of the bolts washers and any other crappy looking areas. I then grinder off most of the weld and rewelded them myself as im certain im a better welder then the Chinese guy that works for this budget bike brand huffy. So anyways I actually took pics of everything hoping one day I could make a big build thread, so to answer your question I couldn't just replace the parts one by one Cuz I re-did the bike. And no I have no fires the motor up I just finally finished the clutch stuff, the chain and whatnot. Still left is- wiring, fuel/tank throttle and few other small bits

 

[maniac57]

So from what I'm reading here, your have not finished the build yet? Am I correct in thinking your original post was due ONLY to the VMB engine LOOKING like all the OTHER chinadoll engines despite costing more?
Okay. I'll address this issue by telling you Norm charged you more because he inspects his kits to make sure there are no missing or broken parts and the internals of the engine are correctly assembled. This takes time and therefore costs more. I'm not 100% sure but he may have also replaced some of the poor quality hardware too.
Either way, you paid more for the kit because it was opened and checked out before the sale. NOBODY on Ebay does this as far as I know, and I buy ALL my engines from rose326 on fleabay. While I have had good results, it's truly a crap shoot since 99.999% of ebay vendors are drop shippers who NEVER SEE THE ENGINES THEY SELL.
Having the kit checked before shipping is worth a bit more in my opinion.
And once again, bashing is NOT the way to get Norm to respond to your problems.
You have to understand, vendors and builders get people ALL THE TIME who want something replaced free that THEY messed up or installed wrong, and it becomes VERY difficult to stay polite when someone is screaming for free stuff for no good reason. You have to look at things from the vendors point of view. He doesn't sell busted stuff, so if it won't run or start, 99% of the time it's due to incorrect assembly, NOT bad parts. So of COURSE he is less than thrilled to get a ranting angry Email about something he has no control over.
Honestly, I'm still a bit confused about what has you so mad since you don't seem to HAVE any problems I can see aside from being mad about the price YOU chose to pay.
Regardless, asking the people here will get you riding eventually, even if you DO run into problems.
But please keep things calm and polite for best results.

 

[Davezilla]

Ok... First thing we need to do here is get the thing instaled and post a build thread with lots of pics... You'll get all the help you need... whether you want it or not, people in here will tell you things because they're watching out for you and will point out mistakes before things go bad for you... Just do whatever corrections they/we tell you while you're building it up... and if there's Anything you're not sure about, ask and don't assume, people are on here almost 24/7 who are willing to help or point out potential problems with mounting, chain or sprocket alignment, wiring, and anything else on your bike you may need to either improve on or ask questions about... We're looking out for you and not criticising you.
Once you get your bike built and you got most the people in here approving of your build methods it's time to take it for a ride, this is where you'll see the biggest difference between a reputable seller's engine and a $99 ebay special. most these sellers who are reputable inspect the engines themself, replace known weak parts like the wrist pin bearing and some even go as far as replacing the crank and clutch bearings with the good ones if their supplier doesn't as well as replacing the ultra cheap hardware found in most kits with better stuff that won't strip out or break.
I haven't used any of Norm's engines myself but others who have them like them a lot. I do use Dax engines or at least his bottom ends with my modified top ends and I can truly say there's a world of difference in how smooth these engines run as well as being rock solid dependable. My first engine was an ebay special and it shook so bad I was afraid to let the rpm's go up too far, and when I did, top speed was only about 25 mph, the bike could barely get out of it's own way, and I found a critical problem with that engine after doing a routine check after only one hour of run time, then upon disassembly I found the crank pin loose, the crank bearings were shot, and one of the clutch bearings was ready to lock up so that engine might have lasted me another hour at best before it locked up or worse... and That's why I buy from reputable sellers only... The new engine is dead smooth and I run it hard reving it past 10k rpm on a daily basis with no trouble at all from the engine... It's definitely worth it to me to get an engine I don't have to wonder if it's going to work or not, then end up spending hours correcting issues with the crank, bearings, balance, etc, etc...
I'm sure once you get up and running with that engine you'll be more than happy with it... and it can handle upgrades if you choose to do so later on.

 

[VTECturbo-Bike89]

Ok... First thing we need to do here is get the thing instaled and post a build thread with lots of pics... You'll get all the help you need... whether you want it or not, people in here will tell you things because they're watching out for you and will point out mistakes before things go bad for you... Just do whatever corrections they/we tell you while you're building it up... and if there's Anything you're not sure about, ask and don't assume, people are on here almost 24/7 who are willing to help or point out potential problems with mounting, chain or sprocket alignment, wiring, and anything else on your bike you may need to either improve on or ask questions about... We're looking out for you and not criticising you.
Once you get your bike built and you got most the people in here approving of your build methods it's time to take it for a ride, this is where you'll see the biggest difference between a reputable seller's engine and a $99 ebay special. most these sellers who are reputable inspect the engines themself, replace known weak parts like the wrist pin bearing and some even go as far as replacing the crank and clutch bearings with the good ones if their supplier doesn't as well as replacing the ultra cheap hardware found in most kits with better stuff that won't strip out or break.
I haven't used any of Norm's engines myself but others who have them like them a lot. I do use Dax engines or at least his bottom ends with my modified top ends and I can truly say there's a world of difference in how smooth these engines run as well as being rock solid dependable. My first engine was an ebay special and it shook so bad I was afraid to let the rpm's go up too far, and when I did, top speed was only about 25 mph, the bike could barely get out of it's own way, and I found a critical problem with that engine after doing a routine check after only one hour of run time, then upon disassembly I found the crank pin loose, the crank bearings were shot, and one of the clutch bearings was ready to lock up so that engine might have lasted me another hour at best before it locked up or worse... and That's why I buy from reputable sellers only... The new engine is dead smooth and I run it hard reving it past 10k rpm on a daily basis with no trouble at all from the engine... It's definitely worth it to me to get an engine I don't have to wonder if it's going to work or not, then end up spending hours correcting issues with the crank, bearings, balance, etc, etc...
I'm sure once you get up and running with that engine you'll be more than happy with it... and it can handle upgrades if you choose to do so later on.

Truthfully I wish this kid was taken apart and inspected but I bought this with all original packaging all neatly stored in the three separate boxes sealed only with one set of tape and never taken out Norm also did tell me that it was not ever opened so actually he never did inspect this kit nor did he replace anything at all. But regardless im done with talking about Norm. I will retract my comments about him but personally me not any people I know will do business with him. I mean Ofcourse im sure he isn't going to care to call me up and make sure I'm happy and all that, im certain he saved me in his phone as "Kid I sold the motor to for 220 DONT ANSWER" but anyways I would much rather talk about my bill from here on out and drop it with Norm so my next question is on the side of the engine where it has a With four screws holding it in place and on the inside is I believe the crankshaft and next to it is where the wiring that comes out of the motor is it okay for the crankshaft to be' spun there? With a pair of pliers? Because I never read the threads on how to install the chain so what I did was I fed a few teeth and on the chain and then I twisted the crankshaft of the motor to suck the chain and I didn't realize I could just remove the cover and attached to chain that way. Think I screwed anything up?

 

[maniac57]

I doubt it. That is the magneto magnet. The wires are attached to the coil which makes the juice to fire your spark plug through the CDI box.
You can also remove the front sprocket cover (the one with three screws) and use your sparkplug wrench (21mm) to turn the sprocket while feeding the chain through. Remove the sparkplug so the engine turns over easily with clutch engaged. While you have it off, grease the pin in the center of the clutch shaft (the one with the sprocket) with good bearing grease. Remove the pin and grease the hole as well since there is a ball bearing inside. Replace the pin (bucking bar) and also grease the cover where the clutch arm moves. You remove the arm and shaft by turning and lifting. (There is a pin inside that fits a groove in the shaft)
Keep these areas greased once you start riding as well for better function and durability.

 

[2door]

"Think I screwed anything up?"

No sir. I think you're good to go. I would suggest a better tool than pliers to rotate the crankshaft but simply turning it to feed the chain won't hurt a thing. It does make it easier if you remove the spark plug while rotating the crank for any reason.

Let us know when you start with rear sprocket and chain alignment. That is one of the most critical aspects of a good installation. The sprockets MUST be aligned with each other and your chain tension is also important.

Make sure the engine is secure in its mounts and the bike frame. You want it to be solid with absolutely no movement. Don't use any rubber or soft material between the engine and frame.

Keep us posted on your progress and we'll talk you through until you're riding happily.

Good luck.

Tom