01-18-2019, 11:04 PM | #31 |
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 216
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For me, and I think for a lot of us, we buy these cheap chinese bikes as a challenge. I think most of us know going in that a chinese bike is going to have it’s issues and the challenge is to turn it into something that you can be proud of. Some of us want to make it faster, some of us want to turn it into a stunt bike, some of us want to improve the way it looks, some of us want to make it ride and handle better whether for riding on the street or on the dirt, it think all of us want to make it more reliable.
I bought a Taotao Hellcat thinking it would be a fun lil bike to tinker with, I did all the recommended mods to remedy its weakest traits, replacing the carb, replacing weak engine bolts and axles, removing most the the emissions crap….ect... and I ended up with a nice running lil bike. But then I started thinking “now what? ...okay...I think I”ll strip it down and turn it into a little trail bike”. So i kind of envisioned what I wanted to do and how I wanted it to look and it became a challenge. So the wheels started turning….” I can take the fairings off but I can’t leave that gas tank on there it looks hideous, I'll see what I can find on ebay……. okay, I think that tank would look good but I’m gonna have to find a way to mount it,....... okay, I figured that out but now I have all these exposed wires,I’ll have to figure out a way to hide them,..... that front fender is not going to work…... I’ll have figure out a way to mount a high fender on it…. ect. And in the end it pretty much turned out the way I envisioned it and it was so much fun! And I did it all for just a few hundred dollars, including stuff I bought that I couldn’t make work. I’m notorious for starting projects and never finishing them but I love working on these small bikes so much I never get discouraged or lose my motivation. |
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01-18-2019, 11:21 PM | #32 |
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Ohio
Posts: 131
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One reason why I bought my Hawk is because it was cheap and I wouldn't feel too bad tearing apart the engine. One thing I want to do is to strip the engine down, learn how it works, and put it together again. The CG engine is a simple design. If I mess up putting it back together I wouldn't be as mad as I would if it was a Yamaha or Honda.
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Hawk 250 Lithium Battery, Mikuni Carb 110 main jet, Bark Busters with Mirrors, Extended Mixture Screw, 428 O-ring Chain, 17-15/40 sprockets, Digital Cluster, Cycra YZ250F Skid Plate, Oil Cooler |
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01-18-2019, 11:26 PM | #33 |
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Myrtle Creek Oregon
Posts: 873
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I LOVE working on the small bikes too. Cars and trucks used to be my thing when I was younger, but they are never ending projects. Bikes are small, easily moved around and can be completely disassembled and reassembled relatively quickly.
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1988 Kawasaki KLR250 1969 Honda Z50 silver tag 2002 Ford F-350 7.3 diesel 1975 Corvette 2017 Chevy Bolt “Throttle twisting geek” -LFN |
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01-19-2019, 12:06 AM | #34 |
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 216
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Same here, I used to like working on cars and trucks too, but I'm older now and the thought of crawling under a car to pull a transmission is no longer appealing to me. You can work on small bikes and when you're done for the day you aren't covered in grease with your knuckles all chewed up.
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01-19-2019, 12:40 AM | #35 | |
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: robertsdale alabama usa
Posts: 1,007
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Quote:
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1991 harley heritage softail classic 2016 hawk kaw h1 400 tripple 13' long chopper in progress 2009 johnny pag bar hog 2004 hd electra glide ultra classic shriner edition 1997 harley davidson 1200 sportster 1972 harley davidson amf sx250 |
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