Trail 70 clones?

[TrailRyd3r]

Hey everyone I'm new here, sweet site.
I have a repo and its was great for 1250 miles and then I was riding on night to work and the bike just quit. Me and my dad tore the motor down and it was the carb choke flap screw fell into the motor and bent a valve. It was a 90cc but now I have a Lifan 110cc motor, bad ass.

Later

 

[69ST]

Glad to hear you're up & running again. Failures of this caliber seem to be the norm on the Chinese bikes and nearly all of the Chinese engines 90cc and larger.

Most people gradually upgrade their bikes by replacing the failed items with better quality parts, kind of like time payments as they gradually build a reliable machine.

The Lifan engines haven't been on the market long enough to have a field service record. I've heard of a few instances of crankshaft and cam drive failures in the 120s. Usually, I hear about bearing, shift fork and electrical problems. The parts themselves shouldn't be all that expensive but finding them is very difficult and for this reason engines usually get replaced instead of repaired. The L110 could prove to be a good engine and if parts support is there, might be a way to go. Over the past 5 years, I've never heard of a Chinese engine going much past 5K miles without breaking something. The only exception being the Zongshen 108 with the secondary-mounted clutch.

Chinese engines tend to run very hot until they are broken-in. Do yourself a favor and change the oil frequently and don't push the engine hard for at least the first 500 miles, or until the metal filings in the old oil decrease. At 1000 miles, you should clean the oil screen and the centrifugal oil filter. The quantity of metal particles that accumulate in the filter is scary. The break-in process takes close to 1000 miles, after which the enigne will run cooler, the trans should shift smoother and the bike should pick up a few mph.

 

[TrailRyd3r]

Thanks for the reply. My dad is a dealer for a company so getting parts is easy and cheap. On my 90cc before it locked up I was very cautious the first 1000 miles. I changed the oil like 4 times. oh well. The 110cc is breaking in nicely, I can feel the power increasing, able to pull a good wheellie in 3rd. I have a pipe and muffler off one of our 11occ dirt bikes on my 70, alot of power increase.
We have a 120cc monster motor new in the box, probably gonna hook that up next.

 

[69ST]

If you can source parts, then you're good to go

I do the initial oil change after the first 20 minutes of operation. The oil usually looks like metallic paint! The next two are done at 50 mile intervals, the next four each 100 miles. By the time you have 500 miles on the motor, the oil should be relatively free of metalflakes. The metallic particulates seem to go away in fewer miles on Honda motors.

I normally change oil every 200-250 miles. That works out to about 5 times per season. Considering that the engine only holds 1 quart with external cooler and lines, it's really cheap insurance.

Outside of North America, there are far more people using big displacement motors. There are several 120s being sold there and most seem to be assembled from a mix-n-match variety of component parts. If the person dealing with the PRC factory specifies quality items, then the motors have a good chance. Unfortunately, too many people are only concerned with price and the Chinese have no more cost-cutting magic than anyone else. That's what makes this issue so tricky. So far, the reviews have been mixed with some catastrophic failures. Some claim to have swapped-in a few key components and made them very reliable. The one universal is soft shift forks. As long as you aren't thrashing the gearbox, this shouldn't present any problems.If you're supercrossing...well...consider yourself warned. Just look for any sudden surge in metal filings in the oil. If you see this, then the transmission suddenly starts misbehaving, expect to find worn shift forks. Splitting the cases isn't convenient, but not the end of the world either and since you have parts readily available at least it won't be a panic situation, should it ever happen in the first place.

From what I gather, the 110 & 120 have a nice torque output, well-suited to road riding. You're about to discover the true capabilities of these little bikes. They're good to about 60mph with little more than upgraded rear shocks (though I'd replace the front brake shoes with genuine Honda or Ferodo, they don't come unglued under hard braking). If you plan on riding faster than this, then consider road tires and a front disc brake.

Good luck with your projects.

 

[TrailRyd3r]

You can't beat these little bikes for the price. If you are half way mechanically inclined you will have no problem fixing whatever goes wrong. When I ride mine on the street people are blown away at my speed on my little bike.
I had a group of crotch rockets one night at a light pull up to me and talk to me, at first I though they were gonna talk shit, but they were cool and like "dude that thing hauls ass". His chick on the back was feelin me, I could tell she wanted to ride with me on the Trail.

 

[69ST]

I haven't run across bikers of any stripe who talk smack about these little bikes. Not yet, at least. Mostly, it's comments like "I used to have one, haven't seen one in years", "that's a 30 year old bike?" And, as you've mentioned "how the hell can that thing go that fast?!" The CT70 has been around since 1969 and has reached an almost iconic status. It's something unique unto itself that many people can somehow relate to. Seeing a CT70 keeping pace with 50mph+ traffic is something that very few people would expect.

It's never been easier to generate mph than it is right now. Just be mindful that once you cross the 60mph mark, safety becomes an issue. The Chinese 110cc motors are usually good for an honest 55-57mph in stock form. (Most speedos over read...by quite a bit.) The 120s can add 5-10mph to that, depending upon whom you ask and the specific engine. Top-line Kitaco and Takegawa setups can reach speeds in the high 70s and the best of the big-displacement tuned Hondas (140cc+) can reach well into the 80`s.

 

[kelleyd]

racerx, You mentioned cleaning the oil screen and the centrifugal oil filter. Where are these on the Chinese engines? I've got a 90cc manual clutch.
Thanks!