As a small-time builder (only avg. 3 builds per month), i'm just looking for decent kits at the lowest price. without having to worry i'll get ripped off. thats why i stay far away from Rev.Cy. and BGF. (i didnt name names... you figure it out)
WITH THAT SAID.....In no particular order:
KINGSMOTORBIKES: by far, the best bushing motors i've ever had. 3/4 gallon fuel tanks. (1/2gal now) of course, this is before their kits went to wrist-pin roller bearings
. have over 15,000 miles on one of my 70cc's. no joke.
EDIT: if you want bushing motors, i dont think they have them anymore, but contact them. same with the 3/4gal tank...maybe just a piece of history, as well.
hardware good. dished sprocket...thats a plus.
ship time/price was good. dont bother trying to reach them by phone....just email.
BLUECOLLARBIKES: fastest shipping yet. tries to get kits to people as cheaply as he can. free t-shirt.
bob's the man, when it comes to phone calls....he'll bend your ear as long as you let him
.
powerking kits. there was a time, when powerking was crap. they have really stepped up the quality.
DAX: rock-solid, dependable motors. Dax motors were the first to use 8mm head bolts instead of 6mm, long before the others caught up. good hardware. long exhaust (thats good), instead of the short-style with a flat bottom most other kits are using.
with DAX, you know what you're getting each time. other kits often change motors/hardware/paint/etc., so you never know whats really coming in the box until you open it.
Duane is
always happy to help over the phone, and will return your call if you leave a message.
SPOOKY TOOTH CYCLES: Roland has always hooked me up properly. Knows his stuff, and has the patience to teach the un-teachable (me). Let's not forget the rides and rallys he organizes.
POWERKINGSHOP (eBay): got a powerking 70cc kit w/free shipping for $139. how can you beat that?
LIVEFASTMOTORS: got a long chopper-pipe exhaust. chrome. price/shipping time was okay.
they
really need to come down on their motorkit prices. i like trying new motors, but i wont go as far as to spend an extra $200 just to test one.
BIKEBERRY: the first time i spoke w/someone, they gave me the impression they had powerking motorkits, but when i purchased one, turns out they're 'Raw' motors.
anyway, the price was very good and good shipping time. good hardware. i'm a big fan of the dished sprocket, and there it was.
ZOOMBICYCLES: and powerkingshop, are the same entity (Ruihong Enterprises). I got a Powerking Limited kit shipping included for around $140. My kit was shipped the very next day. Thats great.
John also threw in some wrist-pin bushings for me to retro-fit, because i dont like roller bearings.
SICK BIKE PARTS: got 3 blem dual-pull brake levers. the 'blem' part of the levers, are too minor to even mention.
cost was very nice. $8 each. here's the kicker.....i placed the order on the 16th, and they got here
today (19th). thats FAST.
you know, shipping time is a
major deciding factor with, not just myself, but many people.
even if a package is en route for over a week, it is of some comfort to know that it's on the truck.
GASBIKE.NET: got 2 black stallion 70cc kits. good power, right out of the box. good hardware. dished sprocket. cost/shipping time good. thank GAWD they've brought back the 3/4 gal fuel tank.
EDIT FOR GASBIKE.NET: purchased a 4stroke kit (Storm...Huasheng) in january and installed it last weekend. after about 100 miles the gearbox was fried....wouldnt propel the bike forward. spoke w/service guy David last thursday. since it was still under warranty, he said he would ship a new transmission. he said to "weld the drum to the center bolt" ???? wouldnt that delete the clutch action and make it a direct-drive? also said i needed to "pedal to get bike going and then ease into throttle. that i didnt do, with the original gearbox....didnt think i needed to. whats the purpose of having a centrifugal clutch, if a guy has to pedal first? lesson learned. i guess. ANYWAY, i have sent numerous emails/calls asking for a tracking number, or at least an idea of when the tranny will ship, with no reply. gonna try to get ahold of David tomorrow between the hrs of 11am to 1pm PST.
final judgement of gasbike.net is hereby suspended.
GASBIKE EDIT: ok, here's the Deal: if you need tech help, ask for david. anything else, ask for Lorenzo (good luck getting ahold of him).
i never got a single email or message reply.
david sent me a new transmission. on the backside where the trans hooks up with clutch, i welded the drum to the bolt/bolt to nut.
riding hard for a week and all is well.
switched to a 44-tooth sprocket.
gasbike.net is recommended, but David and Lorenzo seem to be the only ones worth talking to there.
