Will a Bridgestone ML 16 tire 4.00-10 fit on a stock CT 70 swingarm

69ST

Well-Known Member
I looked it up on YouTube and found it for my motor- YX 140 and seen what you are talking about,I was thinking about adding a inline filter on the return line of my oil cooler.Also I change my oil way early,like after 6 hours of riding,but I still get the nice metallic paint looking partials,which is metal and clutch crap.Why can't you put a hole in the cap of the spinner to let the crap flow out?Just thought I would ask,lol.I have NO clue what it does,or why oil collects inside it.
That's the whole concept. The abrasive grit gets trapped inside the oil spinner, where it can't shred the#@<"**! out of the engine internals. Periodically cleaning-out the accumulated crap is what will keep the engine healthy for many miles. It's the equivalent to changing oil filters on a car engine.
 

Drew

Member
I hear people's catastrophic problems they have with there Chinese built engines.I know there metals don't compare to ours or other countries- China does NOT put enough carbon in there metals and it is very soft.I guess I have been lucky with my Lifan 1 down 3 up which is what people seem to complain about.I ran mine normal,and wide open daily for a year with NO issues,when I hammered the gears it did make a chatter sound,so I didn't blast wide open when shifting,get into gear then hammer on it.NEXT is my YX 140 which is about the same as a Pitster or Loncin.I can blast this motor as hard as I want with no chattering or nothing between gear.I ONLY use Valvoline 4 stroke motorcycle oil with a 50/50 mix of 20W50 and 10W40 and change it ever 200 miles- YEP every 200 miles,oil is cheap- motors and parts are NOT...I do run it hard,but NOT all the time,only for a few miles then about 35 mph.Nothing last very long running it wide open,not even a Honda.I bought my China engines because I couldn't buy a Honda stroker anywhere I looked 3 years ago.
 

69ST

Well-Known Member
I hear people's catastrophic problems they have with there Chinese built engines.I know there metals don't compare to ours or other countries- China does NOT put enough carbon in there metals and it is very soft.I guess I have been lucky with my Lifan 1 down 3 up which is what people seem to complain about.I ran mine normal,and wide open daily for a year with NO issues,when I hammered the gears it did make a chatter sound,so I didn't blast wide open when shifting,get into gear then hammer on it.NEXT is my YX 140 which is about the same as a Pitster or Loncin.I can blast this motor as hard as I want with no chattering or nothing between gear.I ONLY use Valvoline 4 stroke motorcycle oil with a 50/50 mix of 20W50 and 10W40 and change it ever 200 miles- YEP every 200 miles,oil is cheap- motors and parts are NOT...I do run it hard,but NOT all the time,only for a few miles then about 35 mph.Nothing last very long running it wide open,not even a Honda.I bought my China engines because I couldn't buy a Honda stroker anywhere I looked 3 years ago.
It's not where they're built, it's to what spec...which translates into cost. Transmissions are expensive to do right, precision tolerances, quality heat-treating and top quality alloys all cost; that's where a big chunk of the cost reductions are made. Chinese manufacturers have no more magic than those of any other country, although they're basically exempt from copyright & patent law.

Running at WOT doesn't necessarily translate into anything specific, by itself. As long as peak temperatures and rpm are kept within mechanical limits, an "unstressed" motorcycle engine should be able to run like this until the tank runs dry, or it's time to change the oil. FYI, OEMs do extended WOT cycles as part of their durability testing programs. It's when engines are tuned for higher-than-stock output, or a design is cost-reduced too much, that WOT operation becomes an issue. You could run a stock 49cc or 72cc Honda motor with the throttle held wide-open, no problem, as long as everything is in good mechanical condition and the gearing is matched to engine power. OTOH, racing, bang-shifting, abuse and neglect are what shorten engine life. Race engines don't wear out, they break. Say, for example, that your L110 motor can reach the high 50s, at WOT; now, stab-in a high-compression piston, high-rpm cam grind, do some port work, etc...after which it can sustain 60mph at less than WOT. 3 guesses what will happen to longevity, especially if you push it to higher sustained speeds than were possible before the tuning work. FWIW, I agree with your oil change schedule; it is cheap insurance. For on-road use, I change oil at 200-400 mile intervals, depend upon conditions.

If you've not done so already, read through the "Chinese engine mileage log" thread. There are very few entries beyond 5000 miles and the ones that are there don't paint a pretty picture beyond that level. For most, 5000 miles is likely a high number. Usually, I see guys referring to 1000-1500 as "high mileage". If this applies to you, then longevity is unlikely to be a problem...especially with your oil change frequency.

Haven't seen many L110s with the 1D/3U shift pattern in recent years. The weak points, from the era when they were the predominant flavor: clutch dampers (they're rubber, in place of springs) shift forks, gears, bearings (especially the needle bearings on the mainshaft), crankshafts. I've autopsied a handful that had been spewing oil after 5000-6000 miles. The valves, rings, cylinder and piston were typically holding up okay...not too surprising, since specific output was on a the conservative side. I noticed a lot of loose bearings; the rod (big end) and cam bearings were the shockers....that's most likely related to metallurgy. To be fair, they hadn't failed. Shift fork wear was significant, again, metallurgy. The real mystery is why the gaskets stopped sealing. It's been at least a half-dozen years since the last one left my bench. I've no idea what has changed since then
 

Drew

Member
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View attachment 57356 View attachment 57357 The oil spinner is mounted to the end of the crankshaft, RH side, beneath the clutch cover. With stock CT70/Z50 motors, it's the chamber inside the clutch center, behind the throwout bearing flange. If your current motor has a secondary-mounted clutch, then the oil spinner will be a dedicated assembly on the crankshaft.
YX 140 is a TOTALLY different built motor than a Honda.My spinner cover has a hole in the center and has NOTHING inside it,super clean.Also all I see is heavy duty looking springs inside my clutch basket.I don't see any rubber parts.Also actually has a 5 disc clutch.
 
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OLD CT

Well-Known Member
True the 140's don't really have the magnifying effect of a ct70 spinner at all. My 140 is staying closed, as in a waste of time doing it.
 

Drew

Member
Totally agree.I put a hard first 1,000 miles on it and never serviced it or the screen.Oh the screen was also perfectly clean,not even a partial.But I do use a magnetic drain plug that does catch crap,on it.The ONLY problem I foresee is the kick starter gear spur gear is eating away the inner edge,but I knew there was a problem from day one with the super high compression this little thing has.That's why I cheat with the cold starts and use a small squirt of starting fluid.Usually starts first or second kick with great ease compared to normal.
 

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OLD CT

Well-Known Member
I change the oil at early intervals too. It's also important not to run too much so it doesn't blow out the top vent and all over the back tire @ higher speeds on the street.
 

69ST

Well-Known Member
Here's a couple of pix, showing the Honda setup that was copied & reverse-engineered/cost-reduced to meet the lower price point of the Chinese knockoffs. The top photo shows a lightened Honda oil spinner, the bottom is stock. Note the deeper profiles of both the spinner body and the cover...which also has a spring-loaded guide, that feeds full oil flow + pressure. What isn't shown here is the inside of the spinner assembly, which has more stepped-baffling and a roughly-textured surface finish. It's very effective. I don't find much inside it, especially with 5-digit mileage on the motor. However, it's NEVER been perfectly clean. That the Chinese knockoff version does remain clean is not a good thing. IMHO, that demonstrates how little it actually does. Your 200-mile oil change interval is, IMO, reasonable. It's probably also the "secret sauce" that will extend the service life of the motor. You might consider adding an external, cartridge-type, oil filter; it would need the same plumbing as an oil cooler. If you run an oil cooler, or add one, it could be easily plumbed inline.

As for the clutch differences, you can't see the rubber pucks, or the dampening springs of the Honda. They are located inside the primary driven gear, positioned axially, and only visible on the side facing the RH case half. I wouldn't even suggest pulling the clutch just to see what's there, what difference could that make, at this time? Note the disc arrangement of the Honda clutch; they went to considerable lengths to dampen unwanted harmonics and insure smooth clutch engagement. There's an anti-shudder spring & seat amongst the clutchpack, also not visible. All of these little "extras" carry additional cost; you get what you pay for.

The country of origin, itself, really has no impact on the final product. It's the cost to which it is built...and who's doing the Q/C. It's possible to build the OEM quality we've come to expect from Honda in China. Why not? some of the newest manufacturing facilities in the world are located there. And alloy-for-alloy, any given grade of metal is the same regardless of where the smelting was done, as long as it was done to the same spec. Metals are global commodities. That said, such machinery would cost roughly the same as name-brand OEM...like Honda...and would be virtually impossible to sell.

FYI, virtually all of the Chinese motors, available in the US, that fit these bikes are Either Lifan or Jailing. They're just badge-engineered
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