relative newbie looking for reccomendations for reliable kits

[T34]

Hello, I've been browsing the forums and would like to ask everyone's reccomendations for my (technically) second vehicle.

About me/my sitch: I live in DC, a city where traffic isn't very fast. My job is about 2 miles from my house and i'm looking for a vehicle/solution to getting there. I've been using a very cheap electric bike for the past month or so but the bike path I normally use just had a boom of nearby construction and the many diversions coming with it has added a lot of frustration and time to my commute. There's an alternative way to get there but there's no bike path and the sidewalks are very narrow and not all that trustworthy, nvm the risk of running over one of my neighbors, so I'd have to ride with traffic. I'm looking for a vehicle/kit that will help me make that commute five days a week.

I'm not mechanically inclined with engines (though willing to learn/put in effort) but have a functional level of bike knowledge.

I had a cheapo 2 stroke when I lived in Austin, purchased from a crazy old man who runs a backyard dealership (I know, I know, I was seduced by the picturesque weirdness of it and totally new to this kind of bike). It had many problems, mostly due to the guy who sold it to me cutting corners (no rim tape for instance, causing flats until I realized the problem).

I don't have a license so a regular scooter is right out, due to DC laws, tho a moped with pedals may fall under the category of "motor-assisted bicycle" (https://ddot.dc.gov/sites/default/f...013 Non-traditional Motor Vehicle chart_0.pdf )

My priorities, in order:

1: Reliability. I don't mind checking before and after every ride but I do want a bike that won't break down. This will be my primary means of transportation to and from work.

2: Budget: my budget max is about 400$ (minus the bike, which are cheap on craigslist here). I can go a bit higher if the bike is included. I'm willing to put in effort to make something within that budget work but again, reliability is a priority.

3: Accomadating of a rear rack so I can install a seat and give my GF rides, assuming this is legal and safe.

NOT priorities:

1: Speed. Like I said, neighborhood traffic in DC is pretty slow. 20 mph should get me there and back just fine.

2: Looks: The uglyer the better tbh, something fancy looking just invites unwanted attention.

Possibilities I'm looking at:

1: Axle drive kit from bikeberry https://www.bikeberry.com/gas-engine-kits/bbr-tuning-38cc-4-stroke-rear-axle-engine-kit.html

Out of stock but i'm willing to wait if there are advantages to it

2: Friction drive kit: https://www.bikeberry.com/gas-engin...iction-drive-bicycle-engine-kit-4-stroke.html

Seems easy to install and reliable BUT DC frequently has wet weather. Will it still be functional? Was there ever a consensus on whether the b****bee kits were worth it?

3: Belt drive kit:

https://www.kingsmotorbikes.com/col...roducts/knight-racer-8g?variant=5119550980133

Seems reliable and less prone to the alignment problems my chain-drive 2 stroke back in Austin had.

4: Old moped with pedals

Hey I know everyone's a motored bike partisan here, but I *think* a moped that can be pedaled falls under our definition of "motorized bicycle" here. I can't quite tell tho and don't wanna invest money and time into a vehicle that'll be grounded if I ever get stopped. Any way to find out for sure?

I'm open to suggestions tho. My heart's not set on any one kind.

 

[Jimmy Bloodmaker]

you need a cheap 2 stroke kit then, just replace the gudgeon bearing and get a better cdi and coil. 20 mph is nothing, even a 24" with a 44 tooth can do 20 mph. i have a few bikes, my fav see's thousands of miles a year. i trust my bikes to ride to other towns, from the big city i live in. we have paths tht lead 100 miles or so south and north. they are building more all the time. i've never done 4 stroke, to costly for what ya get, i can get my own motors etc. besides 2 strokes have more power in a smaller sleeker package. cheaper as well. i run at 25-28:1 and have beat the living paddodles out of my fav bike. she runs great, i even bore scope it every month to track wear. since i switched to using some bean oil with my 2 stroke oil, i have seen absolutely no addition wear. i ran tht bike flat out for over 5 miles trying to kill it, after i switched to using some castor oil in my mix. she screamed and begged for more. i'm currently trying to get to 50 mph. without crazy high rpms, went and got a jackshaft to try. 46 mph so far for a top speed, then i ran out of safe road to run on. for $400 bucks you can have a nice bike customized, if you hand build it. i use the cheapest kits i can find, and rebuild them, mainly changing bearings out and knocking off casting slag. takes time, but saves me money for more parts. for $325 i had a 24" tht would do 42.9 mph, till i blew it trying to get tht last tenth of a mile. she's been rebuilt and waiting for a 12 year olds bike to show up for mounting. don't tell her, but i didn't do any port work on it during the rebuild, but it still should do 30 mph.