Engines We Love


Well, so far our membership includes guys in their 40s to guys in their early 60s.  Put into perspective, some were of mini bike riding age, while the younger ones were being born!  The old school mini bikes were pretty much gone from the scene by the late 70s as small motorcycle based dirt bikes had been offered by the major manufacturers.  The Z50 and CT70 Honda bikes with their 3 or 4 speed transmission allowed them to continue being sold with only minor changes right up to around the early 90s.  The Z50 was replaced in Canada by the CRF50.  The horizontal engine design is still used in Honda CRF 50 and CRF70 bikes.  This engine design was also copied in Asia by manufacturers, offering complete engines at low cost.  They are available from 50cc displacement all the way to 190cc versions.  A couple of our members have 125cc versions of this engine in their CT70, ATC70 and S65 Honda bikes.  Selling with carburetor and CDI ignition for under $400 US, it’s a viable option vs opening up a 72cc engine to 108cc, which costs over $1000 and they have the added bonus of a fourth gear.  This reduces the engine rpm drop between gears, allowing better acceleration and hill climbing.
So far, the 125 Lifan engines and the modified Honda 108s are proving to be very durable.  If wanting to swap, they’re easy to change, according to Josh as they’re held in place by only two bolts!




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