Life Expectancy for a Good Engine

[alexander]

15000 km done on honda gx31 and i gave it a hard time (riding wise not maintenance wise).
Is using a bit of oil now (still tolerable).
Reckon if i had not given it a hard time it would have done 25000 km before starting to be worn a bit.
Will use 'Slick 50' in next engine to cut down on cold start wear....

 

[Dan]

15000 km done on honda gx31 and i gave it a hard time (riding wise not maintenance wise).
Is using a bit of oil now (still tolerable).
Reckon if i had not given it a hard time it would have done 25000 km before starting to be worn a bit.
Will use 'Slick 50' in next engine to cut down on cold start wear....

Thats awesome Alaxander. Had to look it up, 15 000 kilometers = 9, 321 miles. On a 31! That is a lota work for a lil engine.

Small Engines, Lawnmower Propane Gas Engine Parts, best prices, deals, service, Sales, TEW, Battery Chargers,

Think you just talked me into my next victom, er, I mean experiment. Just read that it was literally designed to power a weed whacker. Honda GX 31 Mini Engine

 

[RecycleBill]

It's true about pollution and mileage. As I said 4 strokes kits do have advantages. Reliability ain't one of them. Show me a single link for a 4 stroke that went 14k miles or even half that.

You asked for it, you got it. From this page at a competitor whose products I have used and respected: Staton-Inc motorized bicycles bike kits and gear drive kits.

"We have current customers who have more than 50,000 + miles on our kits (gear box and rear custom hubs) and they are still running strong since 1984. The Robin - Subaru, Honda, Mitsubishi & Tanaka engines are rated for 600 + hours of use. We have had many of these engine run 2 & 3 times the rating. Engine life in miles. 600 hours @ 30 mph = 18,000 miles. Your engine could get as many as 54,000 miles or more."

Even the best 2 strokes will find it hard to match that. Why do you think the auto makers gave up on 2 strokes before most reading this forum were even born? Long before we even had an EPA or emissions laws. The 2 stroke's biggest failing is the very thing that makes them appealing to many riders-- the power band is at or near the engine redline. That means that to get the same amount of power to the wheel at any given RPM the 2 stroke has to be geared lower and wound tighter. And keeping any engine wound tighter will cause it to wear quicker.

And for those who think 2 strokes require more maintance... Yes, the 4 stroke does require the occasional valve adjustment though I've yet to adjust my valves in over 5000 miles and I do take 10 minutes or so to change the oil every thousand miles or so.

 

[azbill]

3100+ miles on my EZM as of today !!!
I'm working on it

 

[Dan]

Go Bill!!!

 

[Buddy]

It's not just RPMs that make the difference between 2-stroke and 4-stroke lifespan, it's also lubrication, 4-strokes have a lot, 2-strokes have a little.

 

[xlite]

"We have current customers who have more than 50,000 + miles on our kits (gear box and rear custom hubs) and they are still running strong since 1984. The Robin - Subaru, Honda, Mitsubishi & Tanaka engines are rated for 600 + hours of use. We have had many of these engine run 2 & 3 times the rating. Engine life in miles. 600 hours @ 30 mph = 18,000 miles. Your engine could get as many as 54,000 miles or more."

Firstly I was mainly talking about generic chinese HS kits, not so much custom/oddball setups. And I should have said CREDIBLE links. It would be nice to see statements from regular Joes on this forum instead of from vendors and "dealers". Same goes for the new made in the USA upgrades.

Again, it's not so much engines as gearboxes I'm talking about. People get all bent out of shape when I say the 2 stroke kits are more reliable than the 4 stroke kits. It's gearbox issues here. I have no real comment on the engines themselves. Maybe 4 stroke engines last longer due to iron linings but that don't help when your stuck out in the country with stripped gears.

Why do you think the auto makers gave up on 2 strokes before most reading this forum were even born? Long before we even had an EPA or emissions laws. The 2 stroke's biggest failing is the very thing that makes them appealing to many riders-- the power band is at or near the engine redline.

That sums it up. Certainly was my take when swapping small 2 stroke and 4 stroke wacker engines on my old friction drives. There's the gas mixing and MPG issue too.

 

[Nadogail]

Engine life is extended by frequent oil changes.

 

[linnix13]

my HT 2 stroke lasted 3000kms then things began to break, i fixed it and managed to get it to last 4000kms before it became to hard to maintain, but 120 bucks for 4000kns!! thats amazing. my 4 stroke has 1500kms on it now and i will have over 10 000kms by this time next year depending if it breaks, but i think my 4 will last way longer than my 2!

 

[linnix13]

Contrary to popular myth 2 stroke bikes get far more mileage than 4 strokes. 4 stroke engines may be more reliable (arguable) but there is no doubt a problem with the gearboxes. It's not unsual to hear about 5-10k miles on a HT but it's unheard of with a 4 stroke kit. The 4 stroke bikes have advantages but economy and reliability are not among them.

well i have done real life tests with my bikes. i had a 80cc HT and then now my 49cc 4 stroke, on the 2 stroke i got around 60-64kms per tank. and on my 4 stroke i get about 58-67kms per tank(it really varies from temperature and speed) but all in all its the same. i got no better fuel consumption on my 4 than on my 2. the only good thing is when im on my 4 i can just bum a buck of someone and fill her up at the pump, plus i love the look on all the car drivers when i fill my bike up and give the teller a buck!

 

[xlite]

well i have done real life tests with my bikes. i had a 80cc HT and then now my 49cc 4 stroke, on the 2 stroke i got around 60-64kms per tank. and on my 4 stroke i get about 58-67kms per tank(it really varies from temperature and speed) but all in all its the same. i got no better fuel consumption on my 4 than on my 2. the only good thing is when im on my 4 i can just bum a buck of someone and fill her up at the pump, plus i love the look on all the car drivers when i fill my bike up and give the teller a buck!

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I was talking about lifetime mileage not MPG.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind I got more MPG on 4 strokes. That is the main reason I would like to use the ones I have. I think you result were due to engines not optimized. Maybe your 2 was too lean and the 4 too rich?

 

[RecycleBill]

Firstly I was mainly talking about generic chinese HS kits, not so much custom/oddball setups. And I should have said CREDIBLE links. It would be nice to see statements from regular Joes on this forum instead of from vendors and "dealers". Same goes for the new made in the USA upgrades.

Please note: The quote I used came from one of my competitors. And while I believe I have a superior product to his I must admit he has a very good product that exceeds ANY 2 Cycle kit ever produced.

As for the transmissions that come with the 2 stroke kits: I've never used one of their transmissions but I will say that 4 Cycle engines have always been superior to 2 Cycle engines-- thus the reason the automakers gave up on 2 Cycle engines MANY years before smog regulations were put in place.

 

[stv1jzgte]

Well i have logged over 12000km on the HT motors, 3 to be precise! 4000k max but im not nice to em at all singing 100% of the time. Warn up, cool down pffft

If i treated any of them better im sure i could have gotten all of them to do 12000k each.

Its all how we treat em.

If i ever buy a 4 stroke it would wanna last 4000k singing flatout

 

[RecycleBill]

Well i have logged over 12000km on the HT motors, 3 to be precise! 4000k max but im not nice to em at all singing 100% of the time. Warn up, cool down pffft

If i treated any of them better im sure i could have gotten all of them to do 12000k each.

Its all how we treat em.

If i ever buy a 4 stroke it would wanna last 4000k singing flatout

4000K is close to 2000 miles give or take a few. I've already put 5000 miles on this 33cc Robin-Subaru 4 Cycle on a bike weighing almost 500 pounds (including trailer) and it's NEVER used a drop of oil and has run flat out every minute of its life. As a matter of fact I have retired the bike and plan to wear out a second or 3rd bike with the same engine. Video here: Flying with Billy Jones

Talk all you want about your HT 2 Strokes-- they're still junk.

 

[xlite]

4000K is close to 2000 miles give or take a few. I've already put 5000 miles on this 33cc Robin-Subaru 4 Cycle on a bike weighing almost 500 pounds (including trailer) and it's NEVER used a drop of oil and has run flat out every minute of its life. As a matter of fact I have retired the bike and plan to wear out a second or 3rd bike with the same engine. Video here: Flying with Billy Jones

Talk all you want about your HT 2 Strokes-- they're still junk.

That's about 1/3 the life I got out of my 2nd Happy Time. Less than I got with a Ryobi 2-stroke wacker friction. Not too good as engines go.

As mentioned over-and-over it ain't the engines anyway. It's the crap gearboxes on those 4 stroke kits which leave people stranded. I know of 3 local guys who won't touch MBs of any type now because of those 4 stroke kits. Dozens of 2 strokeers around here are still excited and into these bikes.

 

[RecycleBill]

I'm using the same transmission that I started with-- never turned a screw on it. Never changed the grease, never even opened it to look at the clutch.

I've put over 5000 miles on my Robin-Subaru and the transmission that came with it. That comes to over 10,000K Do your math.


Buy a good kit in the first place and you won't get a crap transmission. All HT kits, 2 Cycle and 4 Cycle kits are junk. I buy them all the time-- for scrap metal. As a matter of fact, I earn my living buying Chinese scrap metal and reselling it.

 

[BarelyAWake]

That's it - this thread wasn't about 2 vs 4 stroke, read the OP.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, there's no comparing the two and it's ludicrous to even try - it's all about application and operation.

You can actually state expected longevity without bashing the other - don't make me close this thread because people insist on comparing apples to oranges ffs

 

[george_n_texas]

You can actually state expected longevity without bashing the other - don't make me close this thread because people insist on comparing apples to oranges ffs

I put oranges in my 2 stroke engine and it absolutely quit smokin at all...it even gave it a nice citrousy smell.

 

[xlite]

Uh Oh... SOMEBODY got up on wrong side of bed this morning. Probably weather related.

 

[george_n_texas]

I was trying to add levity to the thread...I doubt I'll ever know the life expectancy of any bike I build I am too much of a horse trader to wear one out my first build just went to Mexico!