Warning to All! - Everyone look at this!

Man if I had a motoredbike for evertime someone said they were quitting I'd have a fleet. Bruce I feel your pain and hear you well. I have had an engine just seize up on me at 20 mph. The whole bike just locked up and skidded out of control out from under me. I rebuilt and it seized again, now I'm using a Titan and a 70cc 2 stroke. If I look at everything honestly, after all the time and money I've invested in my hobby I could have bought a cheap used motorcycle, like my former motoredbiking riding partner did.
I don't rely on my motoredbikes and I don't trust them too much, but I do enjoy them. Plus I like being the only kid on the block with one.

You never know what life has in store for you even in a car you think is safe. I had tires on my truck replaced at Firestone. A few days later I had bad vibration and heard a lot of rattleing. The installers had not tightend the lug nuts on the left rear tire, 3 had fallen off and 2 were barely on. I'll never trust Firstone again with my and my kids lives. You never know.

Good luck.
 
I have to ride around in circle, otherwise I'd get lost.

Deacon you are right now that I think about it. Firestone may never make that mistake again, or else we'd be seeing it on the news. The manager and tech were sickened when I showed them that my wheel only had 2 lugs left. There's also the issue with them using a pnuematic wrench putting the lugs on so tight my folks don't have the stregenth to change their flats. The shop I go to now goes to each tire with a torque wrench and checks every lug, perhaps they've made the same mistakes before.
 
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Brucemg51

For us engineer types out here, can you take a few close-up pictures of both halves of the broken bolts? I mean realy close-up so the broken surfaces of the bolts fill a good part of the photo. I'd like to take a peak and see if the failure mode is obvious.

Thanks
 
Sorry to loose you bruce, I ain't even going to try to talk you out of it. I am so happy you are not hurt. Before you destroy it put it in the garage and leave it alone for a while.
If in a couple of weeks if you still feel the same way take a sledge hammer and do it to it.(c)
 
Well guys, certainly we're all on our own with these kits and we're so blessed to have forums like this one we can come to and report our experiences.

My thoughts for a heads up thread could take us from reacting to acting on recurring problems that may only show up in certain series of motors. Questionable mounting studs, siezing pistons, inadequate chain tensioners, carb design problems, and you name it, a heads up is all that's necessary to make the report. Anyone experiencing the same can add a simple "me too" and perhaps some good close ups like Airbuzz suggest with a description.

Anytime we go out on our bikes we face the possiblity of adversity as well as an enjoyable ride. By using our heads collectively we can pare down those odds to favor our safety. Each time we go out people see us and say "I want one" and our numbers grow, then after they get one they want to tweek it for more power and speed, and begin to use it more and more for commuting and grocery getting etc. Those who can produce aftermarket products and make money doing it can and will. The envelope will be pushed. If anything can fail in this range of use it will.....it's just Murphy's Law and we ought to be prepared.

So if we keep an eye on safety and current devlopments with these motors
it will serve us all from China on down to the grand kid we would buy one for. We simply have to operate and maintain these using our good sense & realizing what they are as well as what they offer in fuel economy, fun, and pleasure riding. (which is the principle reason these will gain greater popularity)

Those of us who have been around aviation have heard the old saying aviation instructors share with student pilots.

"There are old pilots and there are bold pilots.......but there are no old bold pilots". (that can apply to flying into bad weather conditions, flying dangerously to impress those on the ground, or flying beyond required inspection intervals assuming everything will always be OK to just hop in and go)
 
MrLarkins said:
long thread...lots of thoughts...good thoughts...and brucemg51 is still posting...good to see it. :)
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I agree, it is a good thought to think about. I would believe anyone here thinks that these engines are a replacement for a "reliable" motorcycle/scooter. To me this is a hobby, I don't have the garage space or time to do the thing I would really want to do, so I choose this hobby to make me happy in the mean time. In addition is low start-up cost. So if all I ever do is take it for spin around the neighborhood/work. Then I am happy with what I put into it and if the worst should happen..........then there is nothing I can do about it. I have been riding a motorcycle for over 9 years, this to me is how Harley Davidson "kinda" started out.....one difference is I doubt anyone would see our china-girls running around in WWI.

Thanks for the post Brucemg51!
 
brucemg51 said:
If you're lucky, you'll stop safely. Or, you may come to a stop when your head slams into the pavement.
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Ok. I feel the need to chime in here. First of all, I have plenty of opportunities to come to a complete stop when my head slams into the pavement without the engine attached. I mean, I can wreck a bike whether or not it is motorized. It all comes down to how the operator takes care of his equipment and how the operator operates his/her equipment.

I've seen more than enough people destroy brand new cars, motorcycles, etc. because of either ignorance or carelessness. Granted some of the hardware is poor quality however these engines are designed for the 'do it yourself' end user which requires some degree of common sense and knowledge about what they are getting into.

It's up to us who use these motors to make them safe enough for us to feel comfortable riding with them. Personnally I am replacing the hardware with stainless steel. I have nearly 1000 miles on mine without incident and many other do as well.

If this guy doesn't feel safe using this motor then everyone around him in public is better off that he doesn't use it because obviously he has much higher expectations than his competence.
 
brucemg51 said:
>>if the engine falls off the bike stops. It might be a rough stop but it will stop. <<

If you're lucky, you'll stop safely. Or, you may come to a stop when your head slams into the pavement.

Bruce, I'm glad you were not injured, I realize you must have been quite traumatized by the engine coming loose. I also realize you are trying to protect the rest of us from such an exprience, and I think most of us would agree and appreciate the thought... I find your vehemence almost "vendetta like" regarding these motorized bicycles, you are slamming a product that we all know could get us killed, but this is true of ANY motorized vehicle; I reflect on the posters that suggest that we take the bull by the horns and do all we can to minimize the risk of such a catastrophic event. Don't take this personally but most of your posts have to do with sprocket problems, and you seemed to marginalize the importance of getting it perfect. I also took the opportunity to look at another photo of your Kulana. I noticed that the front tube was drilled and the engine attached via a single bolt which by the way does NOT look like it is "perpendicular" to the drilled hole, this would put an extraordinary load on the front mount, Combining these factors with the fact that you removed the front crank and pedals and decided that this "machine was adequate for 30 mph in local traffic was the accident waiting to happen.... If you were building and selling these bikes and the first question you got from a potential customer was "how fast will it go"... if that question was posed to me my answer would be .. "as fast a bicycle should go" but ya don't have to pedal it all the way.... I am not trying to "flame" you but the horrific pictures your paint are not going to dissuade folks from enjoying a hobby that is resonably safe when you know the limitations of it and use the product responsibly and sensibly....Thanks for the heads up it's good info and food for thought....
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I had mounnting bolts shear as well, so I replaced them all with grade eight allen head bolts and haven't had trouble since.
 
I love the wind in my hair, and sound of the little happy engine under the tank. I like the accomplishment of putting something together and making it run well enough to be around for years of trouble free fun. I think there is enough information in this and other forum's to define how to be safe and make the engine run well. I have a blast painting this thing up and making it look good and be good. It is fun when someone makes a comment that, that is a nice bike where did you get it and you get to say " I built it " that makes us happy, and I like to explain that they can do the same thing. Have fun, Dave

PS: I have 20 motorcycles in the garage and I am stuck on the happy time bikes, no one ever said where did you get that Honda!
 
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Bruce,

Glad you're OK, bro.

I hate to say this, but in retrospec, I agree that most motorized bicylcles are dangerous. The same may be said about any knid of cycle (bicycle, or motorcycle) that is mixed into street traffic.

In my state, mopeds may be made street legal with the proper equipment, registration, and insurance. Moped drivers must also be licensed to drive.

I'll bet that you had the "**** scared out of you", and are turned-off for life.

On the other hand, speaking about myself, I must confess that I'm an adrenaline junkie. However, I try to avoid driving my mopeds. That is because I just bought an antique Honda Magna V45 motorcycle (1983), which is a solid ride. (It cost about as much as two moped builds.) I feel safer driving the 748cc (700 pounder) than I do driving my 50cc mopeds (65 pounds each), because I can keep-up with/surpass the traffic. Besides, it rumbles like thunder, and has a chick magnate (passenger seat) that I will be authorized to fill upon completion of the full motorcycle licensure endorsement.

I will never forget my first love (the chinese moped), though. I will not sell any of my mopeds, because I did actually go through a tremendous amount of upgrading and trouble-shooting to get them as safe and reliable as a moped could get (which isn't very much, in my opinion). I also don't want to deal with any ethical problems in case the person I sold to turned-out to be unsuitable for the hobby.

The moped's big advantage over the other modes of transport is fuel efficiency, and size/transportabilty. My mopeds do definately have a special place and purpose, but they obviously are not my favorite ride.

I suppose that at first I was just as frustrated as you are right now, but I don't think that I would have gotten the guts to ride my 700 pounder if were not for my initial experience with the mopeds.

If you still enjoy motorbiking but want to bypass the chinese BS, I personally would recommend that you look-into motorcycle training.

Keep staying out of trouble.

Sincerely,

VaporKing

"If it doesn't kill me, it makes me stronger."
 
The only time I hit 30MPH is going downhill with the clutch disengaged and that is scary enough for me. I cannot imagine the 'thrill' of having a motor come loose under power at that speed.

A few people have mentioned replacing the mounting bolts with Grade 8. Personally I elected to go with Grade 5 which are still much higher quality than the stock bolts but they have a certain amount of 'give' that is lacking in Grade 8 bolts which are stronger but more brittle. After a few rides in the rain, though, I am also thinking stainless might be a better option.
 
jasonh said:
I think after a day's reading on this forum, you should walk away with the idea that the STUDS need to be replaced with the highest quality you can get. best would be to get some grade 8 bolts and cut the heads off. We all (mostly) know this. Have I done it yet? No. Will I? Absolutely.

I'm one of the many people here that do not see this as just a hobby or "toy." I use the bike for my daily transportation.

You're definitely entitled to your opinion. But just because yours failed, doesn't mean these motors are going to kill everybody. No offense, but honestly to me this sounds like a person that has the brakes fail in their car randomly is now running around "OMG DONT DRIVE CARS YOU WILL DIE THEY ARE UNSAFE"

How did you have the motor mounted in the front? It's hard to tell in the pics, but it looks like you drilled through the frame.

So you mounted a cheap Chinese motor kit on a cheap Walmart bike (probably made in China). Looks like you compromised the integrity of that cheap bike frame by drilling it, and you removed the pedals and associated hardware thus improperly using said cheap motor and bike, and you're surprised something went wrong?

I'm sorry it happened to you, and you're right, it could have been much much worse, and I'm happy it wasn't. I think quite a few people here have had motor mounts break on them. But I think we all know that riding a bicycle (especially an $80 walmart special) at 30mph is dangerous and could end up with your untimely demise. That's a risk we all take and try to minimize.

Just my $0.02.
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Couldn't have said it better myself.
 
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