Frequently Asked Questions

Q) How fast will one of these bikes go?

A) That depends on a lot of factors. Rider weight, other accessories added to the bike, terrain, wheel diameter and sprocket size. Typically these are built in 26" bikes with 44T rear sprockets. Assuming an average rider weight of about 200 pounds and flat terrain you can expect about 25 - 30 MPH, with the 66 being 25MPH and the 50/58 being 30 MPH.

Q) What can I do to make my bike go faster?

A) Taller tires, smaller sprockets, less weight, and performance enhancements will all make for a faster bike. Keep in mind the federal speed limit for these bikes is 20 MPH. Some states/cities/counties may make that higher or lower. The City of Tucson follows the 20 MPH limit, whereas our county (Pima) allows 30 MPH. So anywhere inside Pima County, that isn't in the city limits of Tucson you can do 30. Of course other cities such as Marana may have their own limit. If in doubt check your local laws FIRST. Also keep in mind, most any car/truck on the road can exceed the posted speed limits of the road, but they don't have to. Neither should you.

Q) Do these engines require oil in the gas?

A) Yes they most certainly do. They are a two stroke (two cycle) engine and just like other two stroke based devices such as weed eaters and chainsaws, they require a gas/oil mix.

Q) What is the ratio for the gas/oil mix?

A) We recommend 20:1 for the first gallon for initial break-in of the engine. After that we recommend you run it at the same mix you would run a weed eater or chainsaw. That usually works out to 50:1. Not everyone is comfortable with that little amount of oil and you can most certainly run more if you want. We do not recommend going less than 50:1 unless it is using AMSOIL 100:1 oil. That oil is specifically formulated to mix at 100:1 but give the same lubricating potential as 50:1. There again, if you want to use more you can. Mix the AMSOIL at 50:1 and you get the equivalent of 25:1 in normal oil. I have a chart available for download in PDF format that specifies how much oil you should use to obtain various mix ratios. It covers ratios from 16:1 to 100:1 in gas quantities of 1 gallon to 5 gallons. 

Q) Should I mix the gas in the tank?

A)  No, you should always use a gas can to mix the oil. You can't get it mixed well enough in the tank. If you have no other choice but to mix it in the tank then put the gas in FIRST. We've seen many times where a person put the oil in first and then tried to mix it and the result was not pretty. Even with the switch on the tank shutoff, the oil will still immediately flow to the lowest point which will be right on top of that switch. When you turn it back on that unmixed oil will flow right into the carb clogging it and any inline filter you might have.

Q) What kind of oil should I use?

A) We sell and recommend AMSOIL but any synthetic two stroke oil will work. You can use non-synthetic oil or regular motor oil but it will smoke badly and can damage the catalyst in your muffler. If you don't use AMSOIL we recommend getting the oil from your local home improvement store. The oil they sell for weed eaters and chainsaws now are typically always synthetic. You can get the individual bottles but the bigger squeeze measuring bottles are generally cheaper in the long run.

Q) How legal are these?

A) They are 100% legal. The motor kits themselves are EPA and CARB certified which is why I can sell them to California and many others can't (or don't want to). I also wouldn't be able to import them without at least the EPA certificate.

Q) Will I need a license or insurance? What if I've lost my license to a DUI/DWI?

A) In Tucson no, you don't need either and DUI/DWI is not a problem either. In California you need to register it but that is a good thing. Basically you take the serial number of the bike and the motor and for $14 they give you what amounts to a Title just like a car has. It's a lifetime registration and you if you sell the bike you have to sign the title just like you would if you sold your car. The advantage to this is it gives you a piece of paper saying the bike is yours, otherwise it's your word against the other person. Other states/counties/cities you should check your local laws as I can't know everyone's laws everywhere. What I can do is point you to a website that has compiled the rules and regulations for each state and other countries around the world. Again, check your local laws to see how they differ from the state laws.

Q) What is the size limit for the motor?

A) The street legal limit is 48cc but most jurisdictions won't care about a couple extra cc's. The 58cc and 66cc motors are officially "off-road" motors. Using them on the road is at your own risk but in our experience most police will not bother you if you aren't speeding or doing something reckless. Also, unless you are familiar with all of the models from all of the brands of motors available and know their subtle differences, you won't be able to tell what displacement a particular motor is. There is also a difference in how the displacement is calculated in the US compared to China. In the US we calculate displacement as just the bore and stroke of the piston. In China they add cylinder head volume, the spark plug hole and anything else they can to make their engines look bigger. So called 80cc engines are really 66cc and so called 70cc engines are really 58cc. Some people do round up the 66cc engine to 70cc which can cause some confusion but I do not do that.

Q) What kind of bike should I put the motor on?

A) We prefer our own brand and it is a great deal for the money when you consider all the amenities it has on it. For retail bikes that you can get at just about any store we generally use beach cruisers from Schwinn. The Jaguar has been discontinued now but can sometimes still be found at Target. The replacement model, the Point Beach is a good choice as well. Mountain bike models can work but often don't have enough room and require modifications to the motor and/or the bike but it can be done. Also to consider on a mountain bike is if it has a spring/shock loaded rear end. Front shocks are fine and even recommended but rear is not. If you do use one you will need to create a spring loaded chain tensioner otherwise as the rear end flexes the chain will tighten and loosen till it either breaks something or throws the chain off. For determining the worthiness of a frame, it needs to have a bare minimum of 14" between the pedal crank housing and the first top rail you come to. 14" will be a shoehorn fit and as such, more is better.

Q) What about coster brake bikes or ones with multiple speeds in the hub?

A) Coaster brake bikes are doable but not recommended. Often the center hole in the rear sprocket is not large enough to go around the dust cover on the hub. The hub itself is physically larger to accomodate the Bendix brake system inside it. It's not too large to bolt the sprocket on but it can cause problems with the center hole. Multi-speed hubs on the other hand are even larger to accomodate the gearing system inside the hub. These hubs are generally too large to allow the sprocket to bolt on. We are working on a solution to this but for the moment your only option is to either not use that bike or get a different hub/rear wheel for it. Also regarding coster brakes, they are not recommended because of their lack of stopping power. They don't stop that well as a normal bike and then you add 20 pounds of motor to it and it has an even harder time stopping. If you want to use a coaster brake bike you can usually add a front caliper brake to it for extra stopping power.

Q) What about maintenance?

A) These do require periodic maintenance just like anything else. Bake pads wear out, spark plugs need to be cleaned/replaced, filters need to be changed and bolts need to be tightened. And contrary to popular belief, chains do stretch. That's why the idler is adjustable, you will need to periodically move it to take up the slack in the chain. Eventually you might even need to take a link out of the chain. You can't expect to ride these non-stop and just feed it gas, that won't work.

Q) What about vibration? My bike seems like it is going to vibrate apart on me. 

A) The motor does have metal to metal contact with the frame. You can put some rubber for vibration dampening in there but not a lot. Because of the vibration you will need to check and re-tighten all the bolts/nuts on the motor frequently, especially the mounting bolts. Lock washers and mylock nuts will help with this and are included on our motors but they will both fail over time just from their design not because they are an inferior product. One thing you can do to help dampen the vibration is fill the handlebar with expanding foam. I've heard some people use concrete but that would make it too heavy in my opinion. Also to help dampen the noise from the engine and a little bit of the heat, we sell a dampening product that goes inside the three covers on the side of the engine.