grubee skyhawk 66/80cc

[Wickedest1]

ok so after a major mechanical failure that left me stranded 16 miles from home with a fake knee ive decided that i need another more reliable kit. from the endless hours of self loathing and pms (poor me syndrome) i made an executive decision and have decided to go for another kit asap. ive checked everywhere i can and have decided that the grubee engine is the way to go...my bank is small and this seems like the best option for my allotment. Am i wrong in thinking that the skyhawk is better than the fleabay chinese kits? or are they the same thing and i can save myself some money by going thru ebay? Any help would be appreciated...and pistonbikes.com is my choice for the seller...

 

[JonnyR]

i have a flying horse 66cc and its a impressive little engine for a china girl alot of power for a little size if i was going to buy another 2 stroke engine thats what i would buy it still comes with a regular non cat (no clogging) exhaust and the good old reliable NT carb

 

[Wickedest1]

@jonny...thank you for your suggestion...I've never had an issue with my nt carb, but this skyhawk kit comes with the upgraded carb...plus quite a few extras that the other kits dont offer...and the price plus shipping is more comparable for the other kits...

 

[Pilotgeek]

If you want reliability, I'd say get a 4-stroke.

 

[Wickedest1]

Out of the price range...I'd be at my max bank with the grubee...four strokes are more reliable but im preferential towards 2 strokes

 

[Pilotgeek]

I would buy what you can get replacement parts for. I think in the end, the quality of the engine is just luck. I've got some generic 80cc kit I got cheap, but I replaced the bearings with higher quality ones. It's been running for near 2000 miles now, and the only engine-related breakdown I've had is the magneto going out.

 

[JonnyR]

the "upgraded" carb is usually the junk CNS V3 carb its no upgrade its a EPA restriction carb i and a lot of other people have had nothing but problems with them mine is in my junk box now because i had to pull the EPA brass plus to make the adjustments to it to make it run and it still want completely right (the plug covers the air fuel mix screw) its a down grade unless you have the time to screw with it and it has no noches in the needle to make adjustments like the V2 does

 

[fatdaddy]

For reliability 4 strokes are the answer. But I have a problem with the way my banking is set up, Namely, Ain't no money in it. So, like you, I go 2 stroke and just make sure the the top piston rod bearing ain't a bushing. THEN, I always run a little heavy on the oil mix cause I figure the little china girl needs all the help it can get. The best way is to make sure all the bearings are Japanese and not chinese.
I would still run just a little heavy on the mix "just cause". I've been running heavy for YEARS and have NEVER melted rings to a cylinder. And after the normal upgrades, ie, plug, wire, ect, I've also never had an engine not at least get me home, (knock on wood.)
fatdaddy.

 

[Wickedest1]

Very insightful responses from everyone...i did do the reading on the v3 and I figured since it doesn't need the tweaking...and I've never had acarb issue with the nt...so maybe ill keep my options open for now...

 

[JonnyR]

every carb needs to be tweaked for where you live they "try" to set it from the factory but none of them are flow tested so how can they be right for your engine out of the box mine was way off from where it was supposed to be set and if i didn't drill the plug i never would have gotten it to run with that carb

 

[fatdaddy]

every carb needs to be tweaked for where you live they "try" to set it from the factory but none of them are flow tested so how can they be right for your engine out of the box mine was way off from where it was supposed to be set and if i didn't drill the plug i never would have gotten it to run with that carb

If by "Drill the plug" you mean opening the jet another size or two, then yeah. You do what ya gotta do. I just buy a few different size jets so I have them on hand and can try different sizes without having to drill one out. (their cheap enough.) If ya drill too big on it THEN ya gotta buy a new jet anyway. ( or solder it back, What a hassle.)
fatdaddy.

 

[JonnyR]

no they put a plug over the adjustment screw now so you cant adjust it on the V3 carbs air fuel mix for 2011-12 engines look at the 2 links and you will see the plug where the screw is covered

http://www.pistonbikes.com/Grubee-Skyhawk-Bicycle-Motor-p/1gru66sshaf.htm

http://www.spookytoothcycles.com/co...age=vmj_ace.tpl&product_id=415&category_id=93

 

[fatdaddy]

no they put a plug over the adjustment screw now so you cant adjust it on the V3 carbs air fuel mix for 2011-12 engines look at the 2 links and you will see the plug where the screw is covered

http://www.pistonbikes.com/Grubee-Skyhawk-Bicycle-Motor-p/1gru66sshaf.htm

http://www.spookytoothcycles.com/co...age=vmj_ace.tpl&product_id=415&category_id=93

Thanks Jonny, I haven't seen the V3 yet. I'll take a look at it now so I won't stick my foot in it in the future. Leave it to the chinese to cap over an adjustment screw, How silly.
fatdaddy.

 

[BoDean_LP]

In the current market of 80cc/66cc engines, I don't think that there are any providers of engines that are "just fine out of the box". There are several very important parts that should be replaced before installing and riding. Swapping out the knuckle bearing with an aftermarket one is very important. Just an example: the stock bearing can be replaced for about $0.75. A good aftermarket bearing can cost $15 or more. (I bought a $10 "racing" bearing for mine.) The stock bearings DISINTEGRATE at the slightest notion. All of the stock nuts and bolts are very low-grade steel, so any of those that you can replace will help significantly. The stock plugs are garbage. The stock mufflers are pretty crappy too. Quality control on china girls SUCKS, so the buyer must control the quality. A tear down and rebuild before use will greatly improve reliability. The more thorough, the better.

I'm just waiting for somebody to set up their own tooling for one of these engines, then make them with good quality metals and parts. Of course, that would then probably cost as much as a four stroke. Still, a bullet proof china girl would be AWESOME!

 

[JonnyR]

a bullet proof china girl might actually make 4-6HP as most of them claim

 

[Predator303]

dont EVER buy the grubee!!! worst quailty ever.

 

[fatdaddy]

{I'm just waiting for somebody to set up their own tooling for one of these engines, then make them with good quality metals and parts. Of course, that would then probably cost as much as a four stroke. Still, a bullet proof china girl would be AWESOME!}

Can ya even use "bullet proof" and "China girl" in the same sentence?
I think there's a law about that somewhere.
fatdaddy.

 

[fatdaddy]

No more China Junk Kits. Next build: Completely customized Micargi Royal with Predator 212cc Torque Monster. (By predator303)

I don't have a clue what the Motorbike laws are like in Puerto Rico, But you try running a 212CC engine on a Motorized Bicycle on the streets of California you wouldn't be running it for long. Your bike would be confiscated, you would have a ticket you could make a three course meal out of, and you would be going to court untill your kids had grandchildren. MAN, Now I wish I lived in Puerto Rico instead of California.
fatdaddy.

 

[Predator303]

{I'm just waiting for somebody to set up their own tooling for one of these engines, then make them with good quality metals and parts. Of course, that would then probably cost as much as a four stroke. Still, a bullet proof china girl would be AWESOME!}

Can ya even use "bullet proof" and "China girl" in the same sentence?
I think there's a law about that somewhere.
fatdaddy.

If you see it in the long run a 4 stroke is way cheaper. I have lost so much money just trying to keep the 2 stroke running. If I knew it before I would have bought a 4 stroke right away.

Its like with Pc and Mac. People say Macs are expensive when they are totally not - especially in the long run.

As for the laws in PR. Not even the cops really know, but 90% of them are pretty cool about those bikes. They just want to take a look and take a picture. Especially if you talk back in english they take off pretty fast because they are afraid to talk english for the most part. But this thing now is an extreme bike. I dont know whats gonna happen with this one but I guess I will see haha

 

[nightcruiser]

The bottom line is the final step in the quality control department for china 2-strokes is YOU...
No matter where you buy your motor you're probably gonna need to have the ability to work on it, either making sure things are right before you run it or fixing it when it breaks. Some people crank on Grubee and say they are the worst, but if you watch the forum you will see the same sort of complaints about these motors no matter where you buy them. One good thing about buying a "name brand" 2-stroke is you know what parts will fit it. If you don't know exactly who made your motor buying replacement parts may be a crap shoot. Parts to repair/maintain these motors are pretty cheap, but there are some small differences that make all the difference in whether they will work or not in your motor.
As for the carbs, I have the CNS V2 and have been very happy with it. Sure I had to adjust the float to get her running right but that was just an afternoon in the shop, 2000 miles later she still runs great! I haven't run the new V3 carb, I hear the air mix screw is capped off, but you can pry/drill the cap off to access the screw below still. The air/mix screw was a set and forget for me, not something I have needed to mess with and not particularly fussy on the setting either. I also hear the V3 needle only has one slot, thats a bigger bummer, not sure if the 5-slot needle from earlier versions will work in V3 but you can always make your own slots in the needle if need be. In my experience with the CNS carb I think you should be able to get her running decent enough with just doing a float adjustment to match your bike...