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Ugh... Jay. I made the mistake of sponsoring him for that trip. While I'm not discounting the advice of getting a SYM, KYMCO, HONDA or some other bike that has a proven track record of long distance reliability, Jay's biggest issue was that he really had no idea what he was doing, mechanically or from a rider's perspective. I firmly believe that a well built GY6 can do amazing things and run well over long distances, but you need to have an awareness of when to call it quits and do some maintenance in the process, and realize that a GY6 can't run WFO for a full tank after full tank of fuel. Jay did not unfortunately, and then blamed everyone and everything else for his bike's failings. The key here to me would be the admission of limited mechanical skills, which I agree would negate the GY6 or similar engine architecture from consideration.

I also agree that the GY6 might not the the best choice for a desert run regardless of the above statement. Since Jay was running down the east coast, I will maintain that I think with the proper knowledge and experience the GY6 can make that trip.

If you really want to run small reliable displacement, take a hard look at the Honda Elite 110 (Lead 110 overseas). The Scooter Cannonball this year was from Hyder Alaska to New Orleans. The guy who won it was on a Honda Elite 110. He beat out SYM 250s, KYMCOs, Honda Helix 250s, Vespa P(X), GT and GTS's ranging from 150-350cc. Everything, and on one of the smallest displacement bikes that was entered. This guy rode that bad boy wide open from Southern CA to Hyder, from Hyder to New Orleans, and then back to his home in South CA again. He had to change his oil a bunch of times. Now THAT my friends is quality of engineering.


Matt

Jim,

Actually, for the drag bike we decided to use a stock crank for our most recent build. It worked very well and held up nicely to the N02 that we were pushing all day. In a previous build we ran a +2.5mm stroker that works nicely with this kit in a NA application; It brings the kit up to 187cc. We found that the smaller lighter stock crank is a bit faster in the NO2 powered drag bike, whereas in a street bike the added tq from the stroker is pretty awesome.

The other nice thing about this kit is that it is a true GY6 "big block" kit, and therefore it moves everything out a bit, and there is quite a bit of locked up power still in it for someone with the skills to bore it our further and to make use of it.


Matt

Just for reference, a no bore 180 (63mm) kit usually looks more like this. Also, these tend to be more reliable than the kits that require you to bore the bottom end, as many of the parts are beefed up. The cost of the kit reflects this, and its Taiwanese quality as well. We use this kit in our GY6 drag racing scooter.


Matt

Not that I want to be "that guy", but here goes...

I've successfully broken many Japanese, Chinese, British, Italian, German and many, many American bolts on motorcycles (and cars, and boats...) over the years. They all snap pretty easily it turns out.

The reality is the Chinese bikes are getting a lot better, to the point that many of the major brands are doing their assembly in China on much of their small displacement product, and even Chinese product from various mainland manufacturers is (and has been) getting much, much better.

Y'see Luke, here is the problem with your argument: The "bad" stuff is getting better every passing year, and it won't be long until it is just as good (or even better sometimes) than what is currently the "good" stuff. At least in perception. The reality is, there isn't much difference right now between the two. Every machine has it's pros and cons. With a Japanese bike, you get what you pay for. With a Chinese bike, right now, considering the price, you tend to get a bit more than you paid for.

So which is really the better deal?


Matt

I'm unaware of any involvement that LML had with PGO on the development of the engine on the 4T 4speed Stars. I do know that the Automatic Star is an all LML affair, from tip to tail.


Matt

Yep. Just gotta commit to it. It really helps if you have one of these in the garage:

www.harborfreight.com/1000-lb-capacity-motorcycle-lift-68892-8495.html

Really, if you are going to work on your own machines then lifts pay for themselves rather quickly. Add some tie down points and one of these and you can fix darn near anything without too much effort.

www.amazon.com/Motorcycle-Center-Scissor-Hoist-Stand/dp/B00E8HGCEY/ref=pd_sim_sbs_auto_6?ie=UTF8&refRID=0MD8XG8MWW2J304QB78A


Matt

Just wanted to weigh in on this, as it is mostly correct, but is lacking a few details.

Genuine actually doesn't make any bikes, they are an importer, just like Bintelli or Wolf import Znen scooters. The Stella scooters are actually manufactured in India by LML, and are sold in the rest of the world as the LML Star. LML and Vespa do actually have a history together, but that's another story.

The other Genuine scooters (Buddy, Blur, Hooligan, Roughhouse) are made by Taiwanese manufacturer PGO. As we all know these are high quality scoots, so kudos to Genuine to choose a good product to bring to market. Also, it should be noted that while Genuine doesn't actually do any manufacturing, they have been able to make design changes to some scooters so they better fit into our market (e.g., the Hooligan).


Matt