Made In The U.S.A. ?

Stinky Finger

Stinky Finger

Member
Being an American myself I am a big fan of the "buy American, save a job" ideology.

If any of these bike engine kits on the market are made right here in the good ol' U.S.A. could someone please tell me which ones?
 
Small engines? Can't think of one made in the United States. I am also a believer in buying American made .flg. ...that's one reason I despise (Feel contempt or a deep repugnance for) China Mart.

Yea one comes to mind...Briggs & Stratton.
There is a company named Modern Line Products in Indianola, MS. It is a private company categorized under Lawn and Garden Mowers and Accessories. Lived 20 miles from them.
 
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Al.Fisherman said:
Small engines? Can't think of one made in the United States. I am also a believer in buying American made .flg. ...that's one reason I despise (Feel contempt or a deep repugnance for) China Mart.

Yea one comes to mind...Briggs & Stratton.
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I may be wrong here, but I recall reading somewhere that only the high-end line of Briggs & Stratton industrial-grade engines (the most expensive ones) are US-made. All the others are foreign now. Or made with foreign castings, or something.
 
Stinky,

how do you think about buying an old american bicycle engine and restore it with american parts from american dealers ?
that's the way how i do it in germany. just my thought...
 
42blue15 said:
I may be wrong here, but I recall reading somewhere that only the high-end line of Briggs & Stratton industrial-grade engines (the most expensive ones) are US-made. All the others are foreign now. Or made with foreign castings, or something.
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You got me thinking that you might be right, things change and they may of moved overseas...so here is what I found.

Briggs & Stratton produces some of the world’s most reliable lawn mower engines and small engines. For over 100 years, we have manufactured engines that are durable, reliable and just easy to use and maintain. Every year, 3,000 employees build over 10 million small engines right here in America. Those are just some of the reasons why 8 out of 10 lawn mower brands choose to utilize Briggs & Stratton engines. Shouldn’t you choose a Briggs & Stratton engine? Visit our Engine 101 section to find out how to select and care for a push lawn mower engine or a riding lawn mower engine.
 
Al.Fisherman said:
You got me thinking that you might be right, things change and they may of moved overseas...so here is what I found.

Briggs & Stratton produces some of the world’s most reliable lawn mower engines and small engines. For over 100 years, we have manufactured engines that are durable, reliable and just easy to use and maintain. Every year, 3,000 employees build over 10 million small engines right here in America. Those are just some of the reasons why 8 out of 10 lawn mower brands choose to utilize Briggs & Stratton engines. Shouldn’t you choose a Briggs & Stratton engine? Visit our Engine 101 section to find out how to select and care for a push lawn mower engine or a riding lawn mower engine.
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Well by reading that I think they have outsourced the castings to China. Probably gave them the molds to be their supplier. Then ship the parts back, finish machine them in house with cnc machines and assemble them here. That is exactly how the company I work for does. Only on a way larger scale construction equipment. Parts from suppliers all over the world all come in at once like a bike kit just when they want them there and machine and build as they need to. And sell it when its done. Lean manufacturing or JIT (just in time) manufacturing same idea. Anymore if you don't do that you can't compete and your out of business. Nobody is going to fire up a supply chain and machine shop to spit out a few cool motors for a few kooks like us.

If it would make anyone feel any better they could go buy a Harley-Davidson instead.
 
we have drive systems ,bikes , wheels and specialty parts produced right here , as for engines when tecumseh closed its doors the last small 50 cc American motors suitable for a bike went with it , i guess the best you can do now is a Morini or a Honda and a Subaru ... if you are looking for USA , something old stock or antique is your only option besides a 127 cc Briggs ...trlrl.
 
I haven't found any American engines, but if you just want to avoid giving money to the Chinese, there are a few options like Morini if you'e willing to pay more.
 
To me it still looks like the junk Chinese production. It is nice looking tho. With some upgrades such as the mounting hardware. As notorious as these engines are as far as the clutch and how much pull it takes to disengage the clutch on many set ups, I'd think they would of changed that. I don't think that they would make (cast, mill etc) this engine in production in the United States with the limited customers, and a $600.00 price. Tooling cost mega bucks. Could be wrong.

Guess what I found....... about 15-20 miles north of where I live. I'll have to call them and take a look at their stock. Just curious. They have a map locations on their site.

American Cycle Centers, LLC
Ridley Sales & Service
1543 Montgomery Highway
Hoover, AL 35216
(205) 978-4200
 
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I've been building Briggs and Stratton powered bikes for over 25 years using the flathead 5hp engines. They are stone reliable, strong and best of all, plentiful. I don't think I ever paid more than $10.00 for one and most were free. There's tens of thousands still out there.
 
msrfan said:
I've been building Briggs and Stratton powered bikes for over 25 years using the flathead 5hp engines. They are stone reliable, strong and best of all, plentiful. I don't think I ever paid more than $10.00 for one and most were free. There's tens of thousands still out there.
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You bet ya...the ole flathead is my favorite. Easy to work on and like you say, cheaper then dirt. Been using them since 1963, and still have 4. Tiller (5hp), edger (3hp), go cart (5hp) and a spare (3hp). They just want to run and run and run some more.
 
Stinky Finger said:
Apparently there aren't any American produced bike engine kits available. All the more reason to lean towards a Briggs build I guess.

About those Harleys~How Many Foreign Parts on a Harley Davidson

Shhhhhhh..... It's a secret!
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It's nice you want american but for my money I'd take the honda motor in a heartbeat. If you ever been inside one they are neat. The fit and finish is far superior to the briggs I remember with the splash oiling thing what a joke. There are plenty of honda dealers around to get you parts. And you wouldn't have near the vibration. The Briggs is fine at what it does, run at one speed with a governor setup. Over rev one a few times and that crank will come apart like a cheap shirt.
 
Design Logic motorbicycle frames, thompson stems and seatposts, chris king headsets, staton transmissions and rear hub all USA made. the difference is quality and price, you get what you pay for.
 
jokesonu said:
It's nice you want american but for my money I'd take the honda motor in a heartbeat. If you ever been inside one they are neat. The fit and finish is far superior to the briggs I remember with the splash oiling thing what a joke. There are plenty of honda dealers around to get you parts. And you wouldn't have near the vibration. The Briggs is fine at what it does, run at one speed with a governor setup. Over rev one a few times and that crank will come apart like a cheap shirt.
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Well, you've got the right handle, jokesonu, if you believe everything you just posted. Honda's are a superior engine but they also use the splash oiling system and are governed like a Briggs. I over-rev mine regularly with no problems. In fact my two Briggs and Stratton motorbicycles just won their class at the Willow Springs race last Saturday. Very durable and capable engines. I own Honda, Briggs, Wisconsin, Lauson, Faribanks, Fuller and Johnson, Maytag, Clinton, Bean, IHC, Cushman, Whizzer, Tanaka, Kohler, Motobecane, Economy and a few other engines, so I know what I'm talking about. What I'm trying to say is that there's a lot of choices other than Chinese that are from democratic nations. A determined builder can do without a kit. Lots of us have.
 
Stinky Finger said:
Apparently there aren't any American produced bike engine kits available. All the more reason to lean towards a Briggs build I guess.

About those Harleys~How Many Foreign Parts on a Harley Davidson

Shhhhhhh..... It's a secret!
Click to expand...

When I worked at a Harley dealership I was in the shipping and receiving department.
I routinely saw parts in their original containers from Japan, China, Bangladesh, Germany, Pakistan, Mexico, India, and more.
Harleys are made in America yes, but the parts are globally sourced nowadays.

I have a 1946 all cast iron Briggs, 1 1/2 HP engine.
I was thinking of making an MB with it some time in the future, but it weighs a ton. I also have a year unknown Lausen 3 HP. that weighs about half as much, but I have no idea where to get replacement parts for it. The points are half used up, and when they are gone, it won't run anymore.
 
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