Am I looking for the right things here?

[DeadmanWonderland]

Going around to look at a few stuff. I was wondering on everyones thoughts on what I currently have picked out. I want to make sure this part of the process goes smoothly lol

I looked at some kits from spooky tooth and so far the only one that stikes a fancy to me is the Venus model. I plan on going with the HuaSheng 142F 4G Bicycle Engine option that they have. However, this option is rope pull, Maybe there is a way to change this? And if not, is there a better alternative 4 stroke that isn't rope pull? I've heard very mixed [mostly negative] things about rope pull in general, kinda got me worried. Nonetheless, I'm going for the 4 stroke, I was going to do a 2 stroke for my first one but the whole 'mix your gas with your oil' part got to me. You know, Murphys Law and all that jazz [or jive, depending on who you ask]. I thought it'd probably be best to start with a kit first since I don't quite understand most of the finer points in building yet.

I need to do a bit more research on shift kits but from what I already read everyone seems to like them.

Another thing that caught my eye was this SPROCKET ADAPTER Is something like this worth it or should I keep to the standard mounting techniques?

I also plan on getting panniers, waterproof of course. The weather here gets kinda [read: very] questionable at times.

The lights are probably going to be the only area I'm knowledgeable in lol. Bike Lights * Wheel Lights * Spoke Lights * by MonkeyLectric These are the hm.... 'show lights' for the bike. I like the style, kinda reminds me of those really cool yoyos that have the flashing light patterns whenever it sleeps. Oh but wait! there is a small problem, these lights are fine as long as the bike doesn't go over 30mph. With the configuration I'm aiming for, this is a bit of a problem. The only way to get around this is to hardmod the case for the lights and make the entire installation more secure. Also the accelerometer within the lights [assuming they have one which it should] may/may not be yet another problem. The batteries are going to be eneloops. Don't have to worry much outside that since the set up is waterproof. I plan on getting four of them. two on each wheel. While this is good enough for lighting in general [I heard 'high efficiency' mode is really bright, while 'high-brightness' mode is equal to staring into the sun] I still plan on getting front and rear lights since the show light are just for show.

sorry for the wall of text.

Is there anything I might be missing here?

 

[AslansMonkey]

1) Don't discount the 2-strokes because you need to mix your gas. Mixing gas is ridiculously easy. If you have other reasons for wanting a 4 stroke that's fine, but don't let the little issue you mentioned matter.

2) I've never used a shift kit, but I also hear they are nice. Personally, I've not really ever found the need and to me it would seem to add complication to the system.

3) I think the rag joint method of attaching the drive gear to the rear tire is the cheapest, but poorest method. It's putting undo stress on your spokes and leads to warped rims. I've build several of these bikes and the three I currently own have all been converted to some hub driven method. If you get the shift kit, you won't need the drive gear anyway, but otherwise definitely get the adapter. I've converted my single speed bike to 68 spoke rims and attached the gear that bolts to their larger flanged hubs. Another bike is the Grubee GT2 which comes with the heavy duty axle that has a hub mounted drive gear. The third bike is in the process of being converted to using a disk brake adapter for the drive gear. The rag joint will get you going, but you'll want something better soon enough.

Incidentally, putting on the rag joint drive gear is WAY harder than mixing 2 stroke gas.

4) Get a nice rear rack and some Ortlieb Backroller Panniers ($119 from Rei). They're water proof, quick release and VERY durable. I use them on my road bike and have on occasion put them on one of the motorized bikes to carry groceries (2 12 packs of pop and 2 1 gallon jugs of milk on one occasion).

5) Stock these motors won't go more than 30mph on level ground so unless you plan on modifications or a lot of downhills you are probably ok with the monkey lights. Get a cheap red flasher for the rear and a white flasher for the front. If you plan on riding at night I'd opt for the Niterider series of lights but they're pretty expensive.

Hope this helps!

Happy building!

 

[DeadmanWonderland]

lol yes there are definitely other reasons, I've heard they last a lot longer and have the ability to run long distances [I like to explore the area alot I might get a camera and just upload vids of the area I go through once I build this] . I plan to build this to be durable. Please correct me if I'm wrong on that. So far, most of what I know now I searched through here and google on my free time. I'm pretty new lol

Alright, I might pass on the shift kit for now since its not totally necessary.

I'll definitely pool for that adapter, The monkey lights fit onto the spokes. This will definitely cause a problem if the rim is bend, the balance would be all off.

That backroller is just wow. I'll definately look into this one. This is probably what I'm going to get. 2 12 packs and 2 jugs of milk? Crazy!

Well at first I was going to opt for a set up fast enough to compete at the Death Race [one of the few things that got me interested in trying this out] I'm thinking something between 30-40 mph it'd be kinda pointless to push over 40 [I heard 'anything faster than that just get a motorcycle' around here] Somehow it seems to take away the charm of the hobby if that makes any sense [probably doesnt lol] Anyway what I might do is build everything stock then just buy a race engine for death race and other events should they arise. I'm perfectly fine with stock at the moment since I haven't ridden one yet. There are a few areas where I'm at that have slopes, I'm going to triple check this a few times since I really don't want to damage the lights.

I do tend to have a bit of leisure travel at night to visit friends and stuff. Thank you for telling me about NiteRider . Pretty ideal lights, the life cycle per charge is reasonable.

Extremely helpful

 

[dag_29307]

I started with a two stroke Flying horse 80cc. and have beating it for over a year. I bought it with the sole intention of seeing just how durable these little engines are and i have to say I am pleasantly surprised. I would not put it on the shelf yet. I live about 15 miles from the nearest store and about 5 miles from my nearest neighbor. So these things will cover some ground at a pretty good clip. I ride my Mtn. Bike everyday and still am using the original set-up. I would suggest starting with the 2 stroke then graduate up to the 4 stroke. Just my opinion. Opinions are like A**holes everyone gas one some just stink more than others.



and I have this....HT 6v Charging System w/- ground - MotoredBikes.com: Motorized Bicycle Forum these....BIKE LIGHT 500 Lumen "Mt.Bike" for under 10 bucks by Veggiecycle

If you have any questions feel free to ask. Here's a pic of my Mtn. Bike prior to lighting.

 

[DeadmanWonderland]

Opinions are highly welcome! lol I'm trying to get enough information to improve the selection I have. I looked around and it seems there's not a single post explaining the technical stuff on MB's. The ultimate go-to guide I mean. I have no idea about the whole sprockets thing but from what I could sort of tell it modifies so the bike can run faster?

hm I might need to learn a little more about the 2-strokes than what I got form the forums.

 

[dag_29307]

Tell us what you want to know and we will tell you. If you are interested in something specific ...be specific. There is no real "exact" science to these kits as each one has an attitude of it's own.

If there are certain modifications in particular you want to know about let us know. Otherwise you are going to get some pretty broad answers.

 

[silverbear]

Opinions are highly welcome! lol I'm trying to get enough information to improve the selection I have. I looked around and it seems there's not a single post explaining the technical stuff on MB's. The ultimate go-to guide I mean. I have no idea about the whole sprockets thing but from what I could sort of tell it modifies so the bike can run faster?

hm I might need to learn a little more about the 2-strokes than what I got form the forums.

This forum is loaded with how to information. Do some research here and as has been suggested, ask specific questions. For example "the whole sprockets thing".. what do you mean? Sprocket sizes or the sprocket adapter from Creative Engineering? Shift kit sprockets? Without good questions you can't get good answers. It's like someone stopping me on the side of the road all excited about my bike and wants to know in one minute how they can build one just like it. Where to begin? That said, you're in for a fun ride and I welcome you to the forum.
Here's a suggestion. Create a few folders on your desktop and label them into categories of interest to you. When you read a thread with information you want to remember paste it into the file folders. Maybe one for lighting another for engine mounting and so on.
SB