Why start with crap? Top Quality DIY for $347

[fatdaddy]

diesels do it through very high compression...that long stroke lends itself to torque

And come to think of it, ( Thanks to Drac,) There ARE a LOT of (2 stroke) diesel vehicles, Cars and trucks, on the road today. So no, I don't wonder why, cause they are already doing it with (2 stroke) diesel engines.
fatdaddy.
And LOTS of bottom end torque on those.

 

[racie35]

I love watching people struggle to start 2 stroke chainsaws....junky darn things

 

[fatdaddy]

I love watching people struggle to start 2 stroke chainsaws....junky darn things

Old, junky, cheapo, abused chainsaws, Yeah. About the only difference is my 2 stroke engine ain't old and abused. Junky, cheapo, Maybe. But THAT little 2 stroke starts with 2 pedal turns, every time.
And yeah, It is kinda funny. (pull, pull, pull,--huff, huff, huff, pull, pull, pull. face turning purple, pull, pull, pull, huff, huff, huff.)
fatdaddy.

 

[racie35]

why those people dont toss them garbage things away is beyond me......I've seen them completely unable to pull more and hand em off...."here, you try"

 

[GearNut]

Stale fuel left in a diaphragm carb will make even the best of chainsaws nearly impossible to start. Even if you do flush fresh fuel through it, the damage has been done.

 

[KCvale]

four stroke put out more LESS torque at a lower rpm than the two stroke kits. my four stroke is alot faster than my two stroke. two strokes will beat mine off the line but once you get rolling its all over with

I corrected your post in my quote, 4-strokes are dags at low rpm but one you wind them up hey are very powerful plants that will keep you going. Gears make all the difference here.

 

[KCvale]

I replied to a post a couple of pages back above but I kept reading to the end of this like 6 page topic before this post and I am surprised how far my simple example of how solid a <$500 can be for those on a budget to the fun stuff I love to do but nowhere near that price.

Lets Try This...

If you ONLY had $500 to put into a completed MB bike parts what would you pick?
Then add in your time at even $5 an hour to build it right with this advice and look again.

Budget is most everything for young newbies which is why I made this topic but heck ya there are many ways to make even better bikes if the budget allows because that is all that matters as better parts are parts and are no free.

Though way off topic but addressing the 2-S vs 4-S talk ya, 4-strokes rock with gears. My last personal ride before the current electric shifting caddy was Big Red...

[/img]http://kcsbikes.com/Bpics/BigRed.gif[/img]

With just a 3-speed internal I could keep the RPM's in the high R 'sweet spot' and never did wind out in 3rd as 43MPH was faster than I wanted to go on that road.

But the ~50cc 4-stroke I build was nice, a 66cc 2-stroke shifter with performance mods kicked it's ass every time.

Just to get back on Topic Point...
Post it up as I and newbies would surely befit from a combo of better quality for the same price frame.

 

[bigbutterbean]

I replied to a post a couple of pages back above but I kept reading to the end of this like 6 page topic before this post and I am surprised how far my simple example of how solid a <$500 can be for those on a budget to the fun stuff I love to do but nowhere near that price.

Lets Try This...

If you ONLY had $500 to put into a completed MB bike parts what would you pick?
Then add in your time at even $5 an hour to build it right with this advice and look again.

Budget is most everything for young newbies which is why I made this topic but heck ya there are many ways to make even better bikes if the budget allows because that is all that matters as better parts are parts and are no free.

Though way off topic but addressing the 2-S vs 4-S talk ya, 4-strokes rock with gears. My last personal ride before the current electric shifting caddy was Big Red...

[/img]http://kcsbikes.com/Bpics/BigRed.gif[/img]

With just a 3-speed internal I could keep the RPM's in the high R 'sweet spot' and never did wind out in 3rd as 43MPH was faster than I wanted to go on that road.

But the ~50cc 4-stroke I build was nice, a 66cc 2-stroke shifter with performance mods kicked it's ass every time.

Just to get back on Topic Point...
Post it up as I and newbies would surely befit from a combo of better quality for the same price frame.

My 66cc engine blew and I decided not to replace it. I will be bike-less until I can afford all the parts for my 98cc build (which, on the subject of torque, I believe that engines with a lower max rpm will produce more torque than higher revving motors). 5k rpm is about the max for the 98cc Lifan engine, and I am gearing it for about 30mph, so it should have plenty of torque as well. Anyway, the point I'm trying to get at is about budget. I do not have the money currently to finish the bike. I have used all the extra money I could come by to get whatever parts I could, and have spent $320 so far. I decided not to go the cheap route just to have something to drive in the meantime, and also not to cheap out on parts for the 98cc build. As far as budget goes, my budget right now is "whatever, whenever" until its done. Yeah, for a beginner to just get something done quick, easy, and inexpensive, your advice is not that bad. But for those who want to build something truly top quality with long term reliability, the question is not what your budget is, but rather how long you can wait to afford all the right parts.

 

[fatdaddy]

Well then Big, Yer doin it up right, and by next summer, but hopefully sooner, you'll have a great bike to ride.
fatdaddy.

 

[bigbutterbean]

Well then Big, Yer doin it up right, and by next summer, but hopefully sooner, you'll have a great bike to ride.
fatdaddy.

Hopefully depending on what money I can come by or whether I can find a job, I might have it done in a month or two. I'm not rushing it though, I'm following a list for parts and want to make sure I have everything on it before I ever take a wrench to it. I need the transmission, clutch and cover, and I also need to have my crank arms bent about 5" wider to clear the engine and transmission. I also need one or two other small items.

 

[racie35]

I can see where with a $500 cap the 2 stroke would be appealing....with the china kits so cheap complete, even a $99 predator would require lots more stuff to do a build. But to crunch the numbers some you could.......buy the pred and a cheapo centrifical clutch....add the cost of a china kit to it to get cables etc and chain an so on, have a tank and you should still be under $500 after buying a cheap cruiser bike..yould have a spare 2stroke to sell too....maybe?

 

[BikeBerryKelci]

every set up has disadvantages i prefer frame mount for balance and looks he got lucky and got a good kit and found a solid bike and did everything for cheap me i would have sprung for a few different things but he did good you gave up and through a fit then bought a friction drive we all have our way of doing things.

dont badmouth the kits or other peoples builds or you will have it come back with the negatives of your setup

I really like how your standing up for neutral ground and overall fairness. Way to go!

 

[KCvale]

(scratches head) I guess I just don't get what part of my topics subject you just don't get unless you never read the whole first post...

Total for a nice damn DIY bike for $347 delivered that is solid and safe.

Of course you can build better bikes with a bigger budget, I build them for a living and the next real step forward is using the bikes gears in the drive train for my build advice.

Different motors, better bikes, more bike options, the list goes on but the farther up the list you go the higher the parts costs but the higher the rewards, for example my Big Red was a nice 49cc 4-stroke 3-speed that would kick the pants off any stock direct drive China 2-stroke, cost me about $700 to build and sold for $1200 and worth every penny of it as the guy is still tickled with it after nearly a year of virtually maintenance free riding.

And then you can go crazy like this box containing a new 7-speed trike that just got here. On a side not the FedEx delivery chick was happy I helped her get that box where it needed to go and confessed she left it for the last delivery hehehe ;-}

It is getting either a 4-stroke or electric power plant and the trike alone in a box was $500 but you need to get the jest of the topic, two of the bikes in the background cost me ~$350 to build cashing in on parts sales, the other two much MUCH more, but you really do have to smile at how big the box is for a 'trike in a box' an what will be involved in making it a customer ready machine as none of this building stuff is Lego's guys, don't bite off more than you can chew but if you do accept the possibility that it won't work and accept it, especially if start with a Harbor Freight motor because all you see is cc numbers and not how it mounts.

I know what works for me as a solid low budget build and shared and once again I ask, show me the real math for something better for the same money or really shut the **** up ya know?

This topic isn't about what you can put together with who know what but what I found you could get and do if you do a couple basic things to start with so for the last time take my advice or leave it, lets just not turn this topic in to a 'how much better you can get' unless the dollar amount is the same or lower as the ~$350 this topic was about as I for one would welcome that real hard fact real life info myself.

Thanks ;-}

 

[dracothered]

Let me ask what would be the cost if you couldn't buy the items needed at a bargain or sale price? Say you had to build one in 1 1/2 weeks and you had no parts in stock/on hand to do the build and the places you get you parts normally don't have anything on sale.

Lets see a price out difference that way please.

 

[culvercityclassic]

Well said KC... You can't build a better bike for the price you mentioned.

 

[GearNut]

My 66cc engine blew and I decided not to replace it. I will be bike-less until I can afford all the parts for my 98cc build (which, on the subject of torque, I believe that engines with a lower max rpm will produce more torque than higher revving motors). 5k rpm is about the max for the 98cc Lifan engine, and I am gearing it for about 30mph, so it should have plenty of torque as well. Anyway, the point I'm trying to get at is about budget. I do not have the money currently to finish the bike. I have used all the extra money I could come by to get whatever parts I could, and have spent $320 so far. I decided not to go the cheap route just to have something to drive in the meantime, and also not to cheap out on parts for the 98cc build. As far as budget goes, my budget right now is "whatever, whenever" until its done. Yeah, for a beginner to just get something done quick, easy, and inexpensive, your advice is not that bad. But for those who want to build something truly top quality with long term reliability, the question is not what your budget is, but rather how long you can wait to afford all the right parts.

That is [u[exactly[/u] the approach that I am taking with my next build!
Parts are slowly piling up in a designated corner of my garage. I wait until they are on sale somewhere or being sold as used but still in great shape at a fair price. Soon enough the pile will equal the sum of a great bike and I will start a build thread on it.

I wish you the best of luck with your newest build!

 

[KCvale]

Let me ask what would be the cost if you couldn't buy the items needed at a bargain or sale price? Say you had to build one in 1 1/2 weeks and you had no parts in stock/on hand to do the build and the places you get you parts normally don't have anything on sale.

Lets see a price out difference that way please.

Sure, and I'll round up and include everything but the tools to build it.

$200. 2011 Skyhawk delivered
$170. Macargi Touch Bike including sales tax local, a little less on-line.
$30. Pair of C brakes and cables, no levers local.
$35. SBP front mount, dual pull brake lever, and NGK BPR7HIX Iridium plug delivered.
$8. Can of high temp black motor paint and some zip ties local.
-----
$443. And that is high ball with no breaks on anything and what I use as my base parts cost and why I sell the completed bikes for $550.

But like GearNut and many others here I have the luxury of time, parts storage space, and capitol to take advantage of sales when they come along and never spent that much for this particular build as for example an $8 can of high temp paint will do 5+ bikes and big bag of zip-ties even more but there you have it, under $450 if your shop consists of nothing but the tools in your kitchen 'junk drawer'.

Catch the sales, and it is Prime Time for sales for another couple of weeks, and like I did cut a lot off that price and the whole point of my sharing this ;-}

 

[bigbutterbean]

(scratches head) I guess I just don't get what part of my topics subject you just don't get unless you never read the whole first post...
Of course you can build better bikes with a bigger budget, I build them for a living and the next real step forward is using the bikes gears in the drive train for my build advice.

Different motors, better bikes, more bike options, the list goes on but the farther up the list you go the higher the parts costs but the higher the rewards, for example my Big Red was a nice 49cc 4-stroke 3-speed that would kick the pants off any stock direct drive China 2-stroke, cost me about $700 to build and sold for $1200 and worth every penny of it as the guy is still tickled with it after nearly a year of virtually maintenance free riding.

And then you can go crazy like this box containing a new 7-speed trike that just got here. On a side not the FedEx delivery chick was happy I helped her get that box where it needed to go and confessed she left it for the last delivery hehehe ;-}

It is getting either a 4-stroke or electric power plant and the trike alone in a box was $500 but you need to get the jest of the topic, two of the bikes in the background cost me ~$350 to build cashing in on parts sales, the other two much MUCH more, but you really do have to smile at how big the box is for a 'trike in a box' an what will be involved in making it a customer ready machine as none of this building stuff is Lego's guys, don't bite off more than you can chew but if you do accept the possibility that it won't work and accept it, especially if start with a Harbor Freight motor because all you see is cc numbers and not how it mounts.

I know what works for me as a solid low budget build and shared and once again I ask, show me the real math for something better for the same money or really shut the **** up ya know?

This topic isn't about what you can put together with who know what but what I found you could get and do if you do a couple basic things to start with so for the last time take my advice or leave it, lets just not turn this topic in to a 'how much better you can get' unless the dollar amount is the same or lower as the ~$350 this topic was about as I for one would welcome that real hard fact real life info myself.

Thanks ;-}

First of all, shut the **** up? Really? Secondly, if dollar amount is all that is considered, fine, go and build a cheapo chinese piece of crap, cause thats what they all are. You wanna sit there and say show me something better for the same dollar amount, well heck by that rationale I suppose a Pinto ought to be worth the same as a Ferrari. You aint going to find something better than the cheapest "good" bike you can build for the same dollar amount. Thats just laughable. cheap bikes aint good and TRULY good bikes aint cheap. No matter which way you slice it. You start a thread, other people chimed in with their opinions, because its a public forum. If you dont like it, thats unfortunate but doesnt change anyone else's opinion. You keep insisting that you're right and arguing with anyone who doesnt agree with you. A cheap chinese bike with a cheap chinese motor is still a cheap chinese piece of crap. You aint going to build a good DIY bike for the same price as you build a cheap chinese piece of crap.

 

[bigbutterbean]

And that's my final word on this.

 

[culvercityclassic]

Wow that was harsh...BBB...The OP was just helping thats why he started the post. Ya know he does build these bike every day and makes a living do it, that says alot right there...