12 months in a year times 700miles a month times two years....15600 and still rolling. I did replace the cheap chinese chain in the first week I ran it but flawless since then.
Why start with crap? Top Quality DIY for $347
- Thread starter KCvale
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12 months in a year times 700miles a month times two years....15600 and still rolling. I did replace the cheap chinese chain in the first week I ran it but flawless since then. I will also stipulate these are not usually this reliable as a rule, I just got a good one.
Norm - are you talking about these? if so, where have they cracked? i ask because i've used them on a few bikes and so far so good here...Also... I hate to dis any of Pauls parts because SBP is a quality company, & I rely on them for good parts for my bikes; but those front 'universal' mounts they have allow too much engine vibrations & tend to also crack over time.
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I guess I've just been getting good ones for the last 9 years. People do bring me 2 strokes all trashed out to fix, but is usually their own fault one way or another. The most I've ever had to replace on my personal 2 strokes is a chain once in a while and some clutch pads, But I can only attribute that to my fat butt. (After all, the name of my shop IS Fatdaddy's MotoPeds.)
And when something DOES go wrong with yer 4 stroke, try rebuilding THAT for under $50.
fatdaddy.
I just don`t understand why anyone disses another ones way of doing things. I have customers with Huffys, 2 of them have over 16,500 miles on them and the only thing I have done is tune them up and replace tires. I start out with Industrial #41 chains so that is never a problem. It`s all in the quality of the build and the maintenance that is kept up on the bike. I have $400 retail bikes and I have $1100 retail bikes. They all perform well and hold up. It`s just that some are lighter,fancier ,faster or cooler looking. They all work. That is the purpose of the BUILD ! It is not who builds a better bike because there are a million ways to get to the same point!
I've seen many bikes in my shop that have these mounts, & many of them broke off around where the engine studs go through.
I'm not knocking SBP... Maybe they were all just 'user error' & not torqued right?
I agree with you 100% don. A good build is a good build. And a BETTER bike is in the eye of the beholder. As I've always said, IT'S YOUR BIKE, BUILD IT YOUR WAY.
I guess I just finally got fed up with the 4 stroke friction riders always knocking the 2 strokes. Reliability is not built in to any engine, It's always been about maintenence and putting it together right in the first place. And of course, not abusing the thing. And I'll say it again,
IT'S YOUR BIKE, BUILD IT YOUR WAY.
fatdaddy.
Thanks Norm, good to know so i can keep me eye on them.
Ya know, it seems to me that one thing (that may even have some relevance to this thread) that can play a huge roll in all of this about frames/parts being worthy or not... is how you ride and on what kind of surface. I mostly ride on paved roads and some gravel but all are pretty smooth and the only time im at full throttle is at the bottom of a couple of the bigger hills around here. Now, for the guy that rides fast, mostly on dirt roads and or trails it just goes to reason that he's going to need a higher quality bike/parts.... just my 2 cents worth
BTW - Thats one nice bike for under $350 KC
Ya know, it seems to me that one thing (that may even have some relevance to this thread) that can play a huge roll in all of this about frames/parts being worthy or not... is how you ride and on what kind of surface. I mostly ride on paved roads and some gravel but all are pretty smooth and the only time im at full throttle is at the bottom of a couple of the bigger hills around here. Now, for the guy that rides fast, mostly on dirt roads and or trails it just goes to reason that he's going to need a higher quality bike/parts.... just my 2 cents worth
BTW - Thats one nice bike for under $350 KC
I was thinking about buying a Micargi from Sears since I need to credit something to keep my Sears card activated for Craftsman emergencies.! lol
Micargi's are very cool looking bikes. Don't get this wrong, I ride a MADE IN CHINA bike, My Huffy. But please don't think it's a better bike than any other bike made in china. If you want to pay $50 or $100 more cause it LOOKS cool then just know thats what you're paying for, cool looks. If I had the extra money I might have bought a Micargi 26" cruiser myself. They really do look VERY COOL.
fatdaddy.
http://factory.dhgate.com/store-st203428.html
What brakes are ya talking about Pred? I just went through this thread and the only brakes really mentioned are the "C brakes" in post# 1. I would just say that ANY brake is better than the coaster brake alone. I've been using calipers and cantilever's for a long time. Keep up on the adjustments and replace worn ones and they work just fine.I wouldn't call those brakes "safe"
Then as the "afterthought" you say "no more china junk kits". I guess you didn't hear, Micargi is MADE IN CHINA. So I guess SOME china crap is OK with you, While other china crap is not.
And now I'm REALLY gonna bust yer bubble, The almighty Predator is MADE IN CHINA. Thats right, MORE china crap. It's made by the Loncin motor co.
http://www.loncinengine.com/
So I guess your entire build is gonna be one of those "china junk kits" Sorry bro, facts is facts.
BUT, All in all, I don't personally care where your bike and engine come from, Cause it's gonna be YOUR BIKE, BUILD IT YOUR WAY. (Then ride it like ya stole it.)
fatdaddy.
Hi fat dude. You might wasnt able to read clear with all your hate, but it says "No more China Junk Kits"
Today almsot everything is made in China but unlike the China Trash Kits that cost more money in the end than any good engine, the Predator is a good QUALITY engine. Maybe now you got it too.
And I used to have mechanical disc brakes and even they were not good enough for motorized bikes, so no, C brakes are far from safe unless you drive with 10mph on the walking way. Those bikes easily go 40mph and none of those brakes can be considered "safe" unless its a really good brake.
Today almsot everything is made in China but unlike the China Trash Kits that cost more money in the end than any good engine, the Predator is a good QUALITY engine. Maybe now you got it too.
And I used to have mechanical disc brakes and even they were not good enough for motorized bikes, so no, C brakes are far from safe unless you drive with 10mph on the walking way. Those bikes easily go 40mph and none of those brakes can be considered "safe" unless its a really good brake.
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I don't know where you got all the "HATE" from bro, All I did was point out that the engine is also made in china, Kit or not. I didn't slam the engine OR the bike. I didn't say ANYTHING about the quality of either one. I RIDE A CHINA BIKE! No hate in me AT ALL. And ya gotta see it coming, sooner or later, SOMEONE is gonna put the Predator engine in a KIT.
And you just said it yourself about the brakes, "Unless it's a really good brake". C'mon Pred, Do ya think I'm gonna find the cheapest, crappiest brakes I can get and install them, badly, on my bike. Well of course not. Every chance I get I will go for the brake upgrade. The V brakes I have on my bike now will throw me and my rear tire over the bars if I locked em up.
I still don't see where you get "HATE" out of my post. If I hated china crap I wouldn't be riding a motorized at all. I LOVE china crap. Every part of my bike, (almost,) is china crap. The ONLY thing I have against china crap is that the U.S. owes TRILLIONS to china because of it. So the hate ain't coming from me bro.
And "FAT DUDE?" REALLY? Thats MR. FAT DUDE to you.
fatdaddy.
haha dont take me too serious. hey, YOU called yourself fat. correct m if im wrong, but this thread here was about get it done cheap. im just saying those brakes arent safe as he say it is and i speak with experience. not even mechanical disc brakes worked for me. oh well, no offense. 
I gotta kinda agree with you about the C brakes, I've tried em and switched em for V brakes, Or cantilevers, as soon as I could. Too much "give" in them and just don't stop ya like almost ANY other kind of brake. (What brake are you using?)haha dont take me too serious. hey, YOU called yourself fat. correct m if im wrong, but this thread here was about get it done cheap. im just saying those brakes arent safe as he say it is and i speak with experience. not even mechanical disc brakes worked for me. oh well, no offense.
And as far as the "fat" thing goes. It's kinda like calling my old lady fat, I can do it, but nobody else can.
PEACE,
fatdaddy.
I only have experience with the Macargi Toch and Pantera frames, I like the Touch's rear coaster brake hub as far as direct drive hubs go as they don't self destruct inside like Cranbooks do, never seen a frame break on one either but a lot of any frame braking or even rear wheel stress fauluer is due to weight and what you ride on.
If you are 250 pounds and haul that big weight on crappy pothole filled roads then well sure you are going to need a lot stronger bike and I build those on Felts and the like, my point again is what works great for me as a builder for my lowest end bikes here in Phoenix for people under 200 pounds.
The bottom line is these builds don't come back for repairs, and I get in far too many Huffy Cranbrooks someone else built that are just crap.
I weigh 280 lbs, and have driven my Cranbrook HARD for two years, over every bumpy road you can imagine. Never had an issue with the frame. If you want something to just put together and leave it alone for not a lot of money, perhaps a Micargi frame is not a bad choice. My next build is not going to be on something from Walmart though. Vintage Schwinn cantilever frame (most likely American, skinny frame with very thick walled tubing, down tube looks to have a quarter inch thick wall, I can tell due to a notch that was cut in it by the previous owner), and a 49cc Lifan 4 stroke. I'm done with owning a bike I have to fix all the time, and no matter what bike you own, if its got a happy time motor in it, you'll spend as much time working on it as you will riding it. I'm done with all that.
Have you looked at how they built it, maybe it is how they did it or put it together that made it crappy?
