complete newbie--tell me the best way--i'll listen

[Avalanche]

hi everybody. brand new to motorized bikes. I've been lurking and doing some reading up on the forum for a few days and would like some condensed wisdom/advice on how to start. i'm all ears

I want to put a 49cc 4-stroke engine on a bicycle. I really want to do it right the first time so i am completely open to ideas. i'm not looking for high end speed or acceleration. i want reliability, efficiency, and namely, a quiet motor(or ways of deadening/silencing it). decided on 4 stroke because of longer shelf life/more reliable.

1) what is a great 4-stroke motor or 4-stroke kit? I am a complete newbie so I am starting from scratch. would it be best to get a certain motor and get better mounting kit/other parts? or is there a great 4-stroke kit?

2) what is the best kind of bicycle to put one on? a beach cruiser? a mountain bike with suspension? best tires? i really just want something COMFORTABLE and not terrible to pedal when engine isn't on. I'm used to road bicycles(preferance for singlespeeds)

3) what is something i should absolutely not do and something that you wish you should of done when you first got into putting a motor on a bike?

 

[GearNut]

1) Get an EZM kit or a 4G T-Belt drive kit from bicycle-engines dot com.

2) Beach cruisers are the most popular closely followed by mountain bikes with no rear suspension. Rear suspension really makes things a challenge because as the rear wheel moves up and down the chain tension changes from too tight to too loose.

3) Somethings you should not do:
A) Have only one brake on the bike, especially if it is a coaster brake.
While not necessary, I wish I had installed disc brakes front and rear.
I have direct pull rim brakes right now and they do get the job done, but I quickly learned that better brakes make a much safer ride. Sturmy Archer drum brakes are good too.
B) Do not use a super cheap bicycle as the tubing they are made out of and the welds, ect are not up to the strains and stresses of motoring.

C) If you ride at night get yourself a retina burning bright headlight.
Search amazon for a Cree XML T6 based headlight. The single LED ones are very good, the better ones have 3 LED's in them.

 

[Trey]

Welcome to the forum! Let me bestow upon you my great wealth of knowledge; do what GearNut says. Don't believe him at first- go research every piece of advice- double check. Then do what he said in the first place, and thank the fella. I'm new too, and my gasbike works because of direction gotten from him. This is a fun thing to do, but could be expensive. If you're handy, there's lots of advice here on making components etc. Good luck!