Get the 351, get the pumper (tm36-68), install a tall rear tire (so tall the final drive is = to a 15 tooth front sprocket or higher), THEN install a 15 tooth frot sprocket, and you should be turning ~ 5500 rpm at 65mph. It would cruise SO smooth.

 

It has been in my experience. The motors were the best things on the Chinese pitbikes, and quads we've owned.

Honda engines = made in China.

Pretty funny reading this from guys riding bikes made in Thailand.

Norcal, that's the problem. The price is low enough that people won't balk at paying it, but also low enough that they keep their old cylinders. Unfortunately, that's not how an exchange program works, but people ignore their obligation, and keep them anyway. There's no way he can get cylinders that cheap, but if he bumped it up to $350, nobody would pay it, and sales would drop dramatically. I've been doing it for almost 20 years, and we go through periods of having no cores, then get lucky and find some for the right price and we're good again. Fortunately our customers typically have a good supply of spares to send in for modification. BTW, our core return rate is less than 5%

 

This is an extremely misleading and irresponsible statement.

A lot of things are made in China by respectable companies from other countries under strict guidance by that foreign company. Apple being one of them. Just about any third world country in the world is capable of doing that.

How is that the same as some CHINESE company making something on their own??? This is something entirely different and it is the basis of the thread where the OP asked if the Chinese kit made with stolen design and manufactured soley in China was a safe bet.


The bikes are made in Thailand by a JAPANESE company Kawasaki under their strict guidance. See above statement.

That said, why are you comparing Thailand to China? That is an INCREDIBLE insult to Thailand.


This really borders on a blatant lie in an highly misleading attempt to try to strengthen one's argument. Some Honda engines are built in China; as well as Honda engine copies that are built in China with no persmission and Honda (along with so many other companies worldwide) has so many lawsuits against Chinese companies it's beyond ridiculous.

 

What I actually assume is that Bill is being a heck of a nice guy and taking a chance.

To reinforce what Zombiewolf said:

I think his core charge is too low he can't replace the part with a new cylinder at twice the core charge and I doubt he can find many used ones for that price. The on-line cylinder price is $400+! I'm betting ebay used ones will be $200 for the most part. I don't know, maybe they check occasionally and snag the lower buck ones.

I would guess that Bill set that core charge at level, that is seemingly high to some, to try to get them to send the core in rather than have $175 sitting on a shelf doing nothing. At the same time he realizes if he charged anywhere near the cost of a new cylinder, or even 2/3, he might lose sales because the rider may not want to tie up that much money for that length of time. It is a risk that has to be taken and hope that not many riders will have the same mindset as you. (No insult intended.) Otherwise he'd require the cylinder be sent in to have the work done - can you say longer lead time? I thought so. Much better to have finish product on a shelf in a box to send out than to have to do immediate work.

Fact is if I do the big bore I will pull the cylinder and send it in rather than tie up $175 and I don't need a spare cylinder sitting on a shelf. It would be done when the bike could sit disassembled for some time.


I will also say I'm thinking kind of what you are in one area. I'm thinking power in the middle - screw the max horsepower. After seeing the BB 351 dyno chart I'm seeing an engine that can be geared significantly higher (numerically lower) in the final drive and working the 4000-6000 range harder. It just makes sense. You can either do it with torque in the middle working a fat power band or you can do it with sheer horsepower and a light switch throttle reving the snot out of the engine while rowing the shifter.

Again I fall back to the dyno operator's comments about my friend's 90 hp V-Max. He asked "who built your engine?" When asked why he'd want to know considering it only made 90 hp, he pointed to the high flat torque curve. Sometimes it ain't just about the horsepower peak.

 

I think you took a bit much offense to that statement. You seem to take the members for being unable to understand the point. Anyone with a clue realizes Honda does not make all engines in China, nor do any others. Honda among others has produced product in China and a whole lot of other countries. Insults based on nationalism aside, I don't see Thailand as the next Japan when it comes to manufacturing, I see it as an emerging third world country being used as a manufacturing source, much as China and India are. I will say the Chinese and Indian manufacturing is risen above third world, but much of their population hasn't. I see it as Honda and Kaw building where it sells for some financial gains and to feed their markets, much like Honda autos built in the USA.

I do know the Chinese steal a lot of design. Kind of sucks. But that cylinder design is pretty common in general design, maybe based on some parts supplied to Kawasaki so the assumption of stolen design is a bit weak. But I'm not nearly as insulted as you seem to be at what could be considered a blanket statement. I am sure there are Chinese products that are well designed and well built under Chinese management... just as sure as there is some serious junk built in China under questionable management from any number of sources.

The part in discussion is a relatively simple casting with the cam tower on the right, a tensioner port in the back and a water port in the front, the tensioner port not being identical to that of the Kawasaki. Seems Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha use similar but different designs and no one says a word. The other thing is it is a replacement part that probably has enough differences to fall outside the patent realm. I'm doubting replacement exhaust manufactureres aren't obligated to Kawasaki when they make a pipe with dimensions to fit up to the Kaw head and frame.

 

YES!!! This x100. From 3-6k rpm the 351 pulls like a monster

 

What brand garage door opener ya runnin'?

 

...Lift master...

 

So is that garage door opener controlling the CDI's ignition advance mapping? Jamming police radar? Letting your garage track your whereabouts?

 

Really, Matt, I have to appreciate your listing that in your modifications!

I think my brother runs Craftsman.

You know this could be the next "tire" or "oil" type thread now!