How long can I expect a good engine to last if I treat it well and average a few thousand miles a year?
Life Expectancy for a Good Engine
- Thread starter Caergrim
- Start date
- Status
It sounds like a motorized cycle is a complete waste of money, then. $500 or so for a new engine every 3-4k miles is insane.
Thanks for the reply.
Thanks for the reply.
What is the point, though? It is simply uneconomical to do it. $500 or more for 3-4k miles is a lot of money.
I am a student and I need a cheap solution for transportation. I was hoping this would be it.
I am a student and I need a cheap solution for transportation. I was hoping this would be it.
Last edited:
hmmmm. i paid $150 for my grubee engine, and i've got about 1500 miles on it, and it's still running strong. i've had very minor problems, nothing i couldn't fix, and without spending any money.
the bike is 60 years old, and i paid $100 for it, plus another $150 for new 12g. spoked wheels, tires, seat, etc... if i take the motor off and put back the original parts, i could sell the bike for at least $250, maybe as much as $500 if i restore it. (as long as the motor won't rip it apart, which it shows no sign of doing yet.)
so, the way i look at it, i made an investment on the bike, and can turn a profit when i get a new one.
fuel costs are about $50.
i'm in for, what, $350? (i've been offered 6 for it, with the motor...)
so, i'm ahead so far.
in three months, i would've spent $400 on car insurance, plus i woulda had to register it in october, so another $200, at 11 mpg for the LT1 V8 Impala SS, for 3 months, would average me, i dunno, at least $100 per week. times 3 months, $1200.
$2000 so far. my check engine light was on when it got stolen, so there's another $100 - $300, depending on how many of my O2 sensors needed to be replaced. or i just coulda unhooked the battery, since those stupid sensors pretend to fail all the time.
i probably woulda got 1 ticket, so there's another 5 bills, but that's speculation.
so, to average out 3000 miles on my bike, another 3 months,) and what do i have?
roughly $3000 for the car.
if my bike doesn't break down, it's another 50 bucks for gas, so $400.
car= $3000
bike=$400
one year, car $6000 (not counting registration, smog check, maintenance...)
bike= $500
to really put it into perspective,
if you took the bus twice a day to and from school, in orange county where i live, a 30 day pass is $55. 6 months would be $330, as long as rates don't go up.
an oil change on a car is, what, 30 bucks? what about new tires? mine were $300 each. alignment? $60-75.
bottom line, is you're in school, you do the math...
the bike is 60 years old, and i paid $100 for it, plus another $150 for new 12g. spoked wheels, tires, seat, etc... if i take the motor off and put back the original parts, i could sell the bike for at least $250, maybe as much as $500 if i restore it. (as long as the motor won't rip it apart, which it shows no sign of doing yet.)
so, the way i look at it, i made an investment on the bike, and can turn a profit when i get a new one.
fuel costs are about $50.
i'm in for, what, $350? (i've been offered 6 for it, with the motor...)
so, i'm ahead so far.
in three months, i would've spent $400 on car insurance, plus i woulda had to register it in october, so another $200, at 11 mpg for the LT1 V8 Impala SS, for 3 months, would average me, i dunno, at least $100 per week. times 3 months, $1200.
$2000 so far. my check engine light was on when it got stolen, so there's another $100 - $300, depending on how many of my O2 sensors needed to be replaced. or i just coulda unhooked the battery, since those stupid sensors pretend to fail all the time.
i probably woulda got 1 ticket, so there's another 5 bills, but that's speculation.
so, to average out 3000 miles on my bike, another 3 months,) and what do i have?
roughly $3000 for the car.
if my bike doesn't break down, it's another 50 bucks for gas, so $400.
car= $3000
bike=$400
one year, car $6000 (not counting registration, smog check, maintenance...)
bike= $500
to really put it into perspective,
if you took the bus twice a day to and from school, in orange county where i live, a 30 day pass is $55. 6 months would be $330, as long as rates don't go up.
an oil change on a car is, what, 30 bucks? what about new tires? mine were $300 each. alignment? $60-75.
bottom line, is you're in school, you do the math...
A Titan or any other good 4 stroke should last for decades. I have some Onans that are 50 years old, run them everyday.. And they still run like new. But.. I keep them well maintained. That is key. For a good 4 stroke like Titan or Honda, there is no reason they should not last for 10-20 years or more. The key is to treat them right. And they should last for ever. I have some 2 stroke motors I ride off and on during the course of the year. Some of them are over 30 years old, and run like new. But.. Again. I take care of them. And they take care of me. But.. That is me.. And those are my motors. I have some DAX Chinese motors that have over 8000 miles on them. But again. They are well taken care of. I know some people that can tear up a Titan, Honda, or DAX motor in 50 miles or less. Bottom line is. The life of a motor is a function of the person that owns and takes care of it. Typically. There are exceptions to that General Rule. Enjoy the ride...
Last edited:
I just did some math for the first time in a long time. Correct me if im wrong.
If you own a car and get 25mpg. and gas is $2.50 gal. if you were to go 3750 miles that would cost 375 dollars.
you can get engine kits for under $150 and a bike for cheap and get 100-150 mpg.
This is cheap transportation! and its way more fun than sitting in a car and waiting in traffic. If you dont think so take the bus.
The math is just to make a point.
Could you please provide me with an outline of what you do to ensure that your engines last a long time?
Thanks for the replies, everyone. I do not have much money, so I make sure every cent counts. And I need transportation that will allow for me to cross a fair distance daily at a good pace.
3000-4000 miles would have to be a cheapo 2-stroke. The Honda, Titan, Subaru engines should last FAR longer than that if you just keep clean oil in them and don't run them at WOT constantly. I've got about 1000 miles on my R/S engine and I can guarantee it will last a lot longer than 3000-4000 miles. That engine is the little engine that could. It purrs like a kitten. At about 170-180 MPG it will pay for itself pretty fast.
I have 3000+ miles on my EZM since april (HuaSheng 49cc)
http://motorbicycling.com/f15/azbills-ezm-powered-jaguar-7323.html
all I have done is change the oil every 250 miles and fill the tank
I expect to get well over 20,000 out of her
http://motorbicycling.com/f15/azbills-ezm-powered-jaguar-7323.html
all I have done is change the oil every 250 miles and fill the tank
I expect to get well over 20,000 out of her
General rules are.. With a new motor, proper break in will determine the life of the motor. After proper break in, other general rules are, make sure to use proper mix with a Quality 2 stroke oil such as Valvoline 2 stroke oil. For 4 strokes, the same. Make sure to keep oil level proper and again.. Use a high quality oil such as Valvoline. For the 4 strokes, make sure to keep oil clean and maintain proper Valve Clearance and oil level. Also.. Never over speed a motor by going full throttle down hills. Over Speed will kill a motor. Most of this is common sense to any motor head.. But.. For the newbies. The General rule is.. Be nice to your motor. Just be Nice.. Take it easy.. Be nice and take it easy with your motor. And of course.. Observe the general rules posted. Oil her, Gas her, be nice.. And.. Enjoy the ride...
I am sure this is way off, but did (read, tried the math) And came up with about 13 Cents a mile for an expected life of 6K on a china girl mounted on a less then $200 bike. (Really have to do that for my Honda, but with the added millage, should be close) According the AAA average cost is 56 cents a mile for the year 2004. AAA includes the cost of depreciation of a new car, more than $3,500 per year. (that is 2004)
Found this here; Pace Bus - How much does it cost to drive?
Cost per mile x 10,000 miles $1,300 $1,550 $1,680
Cost per day x 365 days $4,303 $5,642 $6,763
decreased depreciation*** -$550 -$950 -$1,150
total Cost per year $5,053 $6,242 $7,293
Total Cost per mile* 50.5 cents 62.4 cents 72.9 cents
Small Sedan† Medium Sedan† Large Sedan†
Another advantage of a MB is pop off the engine drive chain and you are on a bike. A really heavy one but still beats trying to push a $500 1987 Toyota, winter crasher home. snork
The $500 2 stroke engines are awesome though. But the $120 or so kits ones are far easier and if after 4K or 6,000 miles, you can just swap out the engine. They are cheap. Just my 2 cents.
Found this here; Pace Bus - How much does it cost to drive?
Cost per mile x 10,000 miles $1,300 $1,550 $1,680
Cost per day x 365 days $4,303 $5,642 $6,763
decreased depreciation*** -$550 -$950 -$1,150
total Cost per year $5,053 $6,242 $7,293
Total Cost per mile* 50.5 cents 62.4 cents 72.9 cents
Small Sedan† Medium Sedan† Large Sedan†
Another advantage of a MB is pop off the engine drive chain and you are on a bike. A really heavy one but still beats trying to push a $500 1987 Toyota, winter crasher home. snork
The $500 2 stroke engines are awesome though. But the $120 or so kits ones are far easier and if after 4K or 6,000 miles, you can just swap out the engine. They are cheap. Just my 2 cents.
I agree. I've got a Robin-Subaru 33cc 4 stroke with over 5000 miles on it and nothing has ever broke. And it's moving 5 times as much weight as the average MB Here's a video: Flying with Billy Jones
Change the oil, keep everything adjusted, clean the air filter every month or so and replace the spark plug once in a while.
As for 2 strokes-- they require a little more TLC but can be reliable too.
It seems obvious people pay different prices for motors, down here L.A. we can get em around $160.00 or so all day long. Agood friend of mine had an old beach cruiser, bought a complete RAW kit for $175.00 and installed it himself. He's now been riding it a minimum of 60 miles a week back n forth to work almost every day for the past 10 months. He even has met some of us other MBers to ride some scenic routes on the weekend. We fiqured he's logged about 3000-5000 miles so far. The money he has saved on gas should be in the high hundreds if not more, and lets not forget the joy of ridin MBs.Good Luck
If your concerned about the environment better you direct your bleeding heart against all the vehicles powered by diesel fuel, put an electric motor on your MB and don't use anything made of wood. As for me, I'm gonna keep ridin/buildin MBs {as little investment as they cost}, and continue to put that" Christmas time smile" on people as I cruise by em in the city.
- Status