im in the market to buy an engine and have been looking around quite a bit...seems like everyone is selling them and its a bit confusing...i want a quality kit as this is my first build and want minimal problems(that i dont create )im looking at the skyhawk....i see the ads that this is the "rolls royce" of engines,for you experienced builders...is this true?...any bad exp. with grubee in general?..thanks for any info.
grubee quality?
- Thread starter macattie88
- Start date
i've got 3 grubee starfire GT4 66's. i've never tried any other motor, but i don't seem to have any of the common problems a lot of people do with other motors, and i ride the he11 outta them.
i wouldn't call it a rolls royce, though. it didn't come with white gloves in the glovebox...
i wouldn't call it a rolls royce, though. it didn't come with white gloves in the glovebox...
i've bought two, and they both have less get-up-and-go than expected. i bought the 2nd one assuming that 1st one was just a dud. nope...both are slower than other motors i get.
the motorchains provided were just a heavy bike chains, so that means if your drive sprocket isnt very true laterally (side to side) the narrower width of the chain may cause it to jump off the sprocket. i trashed the bike chains that came with the kits.
i wont buy grubee again. "rolls royce"? hardly.
just my two cents.
you're your own person and maybe you'll have nothing but good luck with one
spunout....i checked your site out and you have some awesome builds....i know that you put alot of time in them and would only use a good engine...what and where do you get yours?...pm if ness...
i've heard the skyhawks were worse than the starfires, i dunno. i've had no problems, and i'll run my bike against anyone, anyday. my bike's faster than any other's i've come across, and it'll run 40+mph all day. but it's been hopped up like crazy...:http://motorbicycling.com/f38/backwards-engine-experiment-1939-colson-13458.html
i got it here locally, but my supplier has no more 66's.
i got it here locally, but my supplier has no more 66's.
I've owned a no name 66cc,a Starfire 66cc and a Starfire 55cc and the 55cc is the best I've owned.It's a newer design that is more powerful than the 66cc with much less vibration and noise.
Everyone seems to have their favorite engine. I have ordered 12 engine kits from various dealers and they are all so similar. It seems the best running ones with the least amount of vibration were the ones I ordered from Powerkingshop on e-bay.
There can't be a whole lot of difference, I think there is only about three factories in China that build all of them with 10 to 12 year old kids assembling them.
At this price I have no complaints, since I have had very little trouble with any of them!
John
There can't be a whole lot of difference, I think there is only about three factories in China that build all of them with 10 to 12 year old kids assembling them.
At this price I have no complaints, since I have had very little trouble with any of them!
John
I have a Skyhawk 48cc and I couldn't be happier with it. The only major thing that I have had to do with it was replace the head gasket, and I could have avoided that if I had kept the head nuts* tight to begin with. I locktighted the head nuts when I replaced the gasket, so it probably wont be an issue again. If I were to buy another one I would re-torque and locktight the head nuts from the start. Sense that would involve removing the nuts all together I wold also replace the head gasket sense gaskets are supposed to be a one time use kinda' thing. You will need a torque wrench to do what I suggest. The head nuts have a torque spec of 10 foot/pounds on this model engine. You can get a torque wrench pretty cheap at harbor freight or even the local auto parts store. My torque wrench came from O'Reilly auto parts for about $20.
My performance is: 28-29 mph top-end on flat ground with a 48 tooth sprocket. I need the bigger sprocket because there are a lot of hills in my area, and I live on top of a big one. I crest the big hill in front of my house at about 15mph.
*Everyone calls them head bolts, in fact the head is held on by nuts which thread onto studs that go through the cylinder and thread into the crank case.
My performance is: 28-29 mph top-end on flat ground with a 48 tooth sprocket. I need the bigger sprocket because there are a lot of hills in my area, and I live on top of a big one. I crest the big hill in front of my house at about 15mph.
*Everyone calls them head bolts, in fact the head is held on by nuts which thread onto studs that go through the cylinder and thread into the crank case.
Oh I forgot to say where my engine came from. I ordered from Gasbike.net, they have a listing for a "2 week promo offer" for a supposed black stallion 48cc for $109. This is a load of BS, the "2 week promo" has lasted for about 6 months now, and when I ordered it I received a Skyhawk instead. Well I'm not one to complain, seeing as how I still got a Chinese engine for just over 100 bucks, so I just went with it. Anyway, if you order from them under the guise of a "2 week promo offer", I wouldn't bet on getting what was advertised. I got a skyhawk, you may get something different, who knows.
every factory has a percentage of mortors that can have problems.... some more than others.
in china they have little or no 'quality control' on the assembly line.
i have been told by knowledgable athourities that only grubee spin tests every motor before it goes out.
when you get the motor and you start it is the first time it has ever ran. i have installed 30 or more of the 'china girls' and have never had any of them fail to start.
by overall reputation the grubee is the best for the overall life of the motor. they consistantly have the better quality parts in the kit and include many 'extra' spare parts in the kit. at about $185 they are also the most expensive.
reputation wise the RAW and the 'flying horse' rank right up there at the top.
i just installed my first 'dax' moter this week, only about 100 miles on it so my opinion is still reserved on it but it does sound and perform well.
all of these motors about the same when they are new, it is the life of the motor and how many problems is what i base my observations on.
NOTE: none of these are 'maintainence free'. you will tinker and adjust and make minor repairs for as long as you have them.
in summary...... my opinion is you don't go wrong with a grubee.
stay dry
gubba
in china they have little or no 'quality control' on the assembly line.
i have been told by knowledgable athourities that only grubee spin tests every motor before it goes out.
when you get the motor and you start it is the first time it has ever ran. i have installed 30 or more of the 'china girls' and have never had any of them fail to start.
by overall reputation the grubee is the best for the overall life of the motor. they consistantly have the better quality parts in the kit and include many 'extra' spare parts in the kit. at about $185 they are also the most expensive.
reputation wise the RAW and the 'flying horse' rank right up there at the top.
i just installed my first 'dax' moter this week, only about 100 miles on it so my opinion is still reserved on it but it does sound and perform well.
all of these motors about the same when they are new, it is the life of the motor and how many problems is what i base my observations on.
NOTE: none of these are 'maintainence free'. you will tinker and adjust and make minor repairs for as long as you have them.
in summary...... my opinion is you don't go wrong with a grubee.
stay dry
gubba
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Macattie,
It sure does seem like everyone favors there own motors. Lets just hope everyone throughly researched their motors before settling on one. I can tell you this from experience, I was extremely disappointed with the out of the box power that the grubee came with. These are one of the motors we tested and we sell on our site so this is not a favored opinion in any way. You asked about grubees so I'll tell you about grubees.
Consider some things before purchasing your kit. First being the style of bike you will be using, second the size of your down tube and top tube on your bike of choice, third the rear hub size. These are some things to consider when planning your build.
Also, what is end result you want to achieve.
Buy your bike around your kit or your kit around your bike. Its best to do it all at once from one vendor if you can. That way you can get set up correctly the first time and if you have a problem it can get taken care of quickly.
The 7 p's come into affect when building a proper MB..
Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Production!
I don't mean that in a smart way either. Its the truth.
Don't buy a grubee if your gonna mount it on a large down tube beach cruiser. Buy a motor that fits your down tube. The less mods you have to do the better..
Don't buy a grubee if you are expecting it to pull power out of the box. It won't.
Theres lots of Internet propaganda surrounding the grubee motors. Grubee spent a good deal on advertising and sabotaging. Beware of what you read and see!! Don't buy a grubee because "they" say its the Rolls Royce of engines..
I hope this helps you on your quest to build a quality MB!!!
Good Luck,
Justin
It sure does seem like everyone favors there own motors. Lets just hope everyone throughly researched their motors before settling on one. I can tell you this from experience, I was extremely disappointed with the out of the box power that the grubee came with. These are one of the motors we tested and we sell on our site so this is not a favored opinion in any way. You asked about grubees so I'll tell you about grubees.
Consider some things before purchasing your kit. First being the style of bike you will be using, second the size of your down tube and top tube on your bike of choice, third the rear hub size. These are some things to consider when planning your build.
Also, what is end result you want to achieve.
Buy your bike around your kit or your kit around your bike. Its best to do it all at once from one vendor if you can. That way you can get set up correctly the first time and if you have a problem it can get taken care of quickly.
The 7 p's come into affect when building a proper MB..
Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Production!
I don't mean that in a smart way either. Its the truth.
Don't buy a grubee if your gonna mount it on a large down tube beach cruiser. Buy a motor that fits your down tube. The less mods you have to do the better..
Don't buy a grubee if you are expecting it to pull power out of the box. It won't.
Theres lots of Internet propaganda surrounding the grubee motors. Grubee spent a good deal on advertising and sabotaging. Beware of what you read and see!! Don't buy a grubee because "they" say its the Rolls Royce of engines..
I hope this helps you on your quest to build a quality MB!!!
Good Luck,
Justin
If you take "Grubee" out of the above and add in "all Chinese engine kits" and I'm in about 100% agreement lol - the oversized downtube is an important consideration tho
ALL of these kits have pisspoor castings, particularly around the cylinder's intake, exhaust, & transfer ports - the cylinder's mutant fins are an obvious, external example of this. While easy 'nuff to fix w/a lil Dremel time - it's the pitting and flash in the ports that's pretty much the main cause of a lack of "out of the box power" and no brand is any better than another - it's almost purely random chance. Why just the cylinder castings seem so much worse than the rest of the engine - regardless of brand I just don't know lol
While I personally favor Grubees - it's only for very minor things like the extras included with the kit and not really 'nuff of a reason to like 'em more than another. What's far, far more important than lil things like your choice of motor mount bracket (alloy or steel), longer clutch cable, or the "new improved" carb (which is just a lil less junky than the old one lol) - is that you get w/e engine kit from a reputable dealer with a track record of exemplary customer service.
What vendor you get yer motor from is so much more important than the marginal differences between brands - most of which are a moot point anyways if you plan on actually fixing up/modding/and otherwise improving on the basic kit anyway *shrug*
ALL of these kits have pisspoor castings, particularly around the cylinder's intake, exhaust, & transfer ports - the cylinder's mutant fins are an obvious, external example of this. While easy 'nuff to fix w/a lil Dremel time - it's the pitting and flash in the ports that's pretty much the main cause of a lack of "out of the box power" and no brand is any better than another - it's almost purely random chance. Why just the cylinder castings seem so much worse than the rest of the engine - regardless of brand I just don't know lol
While I personally favor Grubees - it's only for very minor things like the extras included with the kit and not really 'nuff of a reason to like 'em more than another. What's far, far more important than lil things like your choice of motor mount bracket (alloy or steel), longer clutch cable, or the "new improved" carb (which is just a lil less junky than the old one lol) - is that you get w/e engine kit from a reputable dealer with a track record of exemplary customer service.
What vendor you get yer motor from is so much more important than the marginal differences between brands - most of which are a moot point anyways if you plan on actually fixing up/modding/and otherwise improving on the basic kit anyway *shrug*
They all have there little quirks.
I like the GT-5 and The PK80-J.
I can get either for about the same price.
Honestly the PK80-j has the most power of all the motors iv'e had.
Hold on tight cause soon Riding Rich and FlyByTaco sponsered by Pirate Cycles gonna build the Out of The Box High Performance Kit.
And IMHO Justin at Pirate Cycles has provided the best customer experience i've had.
So there's lots to look forward too.
For now I'm spending my money on the PK80.
I like the GT-5 and The PK80-J.
I can get either for about the same price.
Honestly the PK80-j has the most power of all the motors iv'e had.
Hold on tight cause soon Riding Rich and FlyByTaco sponsered by Pirate Cycles gonna build the Out of The Box High Performance Kit.
And IMHO Justin at Pirate Cycles has provided the best customer experience i've had.
So there's lots to look forward too.
For now I'm spending my money on the PK80.
Naa no need to compete in any fasion.
No need to get the thread locked.
In fact if we all worked together......." JUST IMAGINE HOW FAR AHEAD OF THE GAME WE'D BE ".
We all are here for the same reason.
We build and ride Motor Bikes.
We all enjoy the hobby.
Everyone has an opinion and i think just soo long as it is expressed Civilly there is no need for argument.
Arguing is non productive
Working together to achieve the same goal.
Very Very Productive.
No need to get the thread locked.
In fact if we all worked together......." JUST IMAGINE HOW FAR AHEAD OF THE GAME WE'D BE ".
We all are here for the same reason.
We build and ride Motor Bikes.
We all enjoy the hobby.
Everyone has an opinion and i think just soo long as it is expressed Civilly there is no need for argument.
Arguing is non productive
Working together to achieve the same goal.
Very Very Productive.
tensioner/no tensioner?
2/4 stroke?
aluminum/steel?
o.o
Locked? Whatchu talkin' 'bout Willis?
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