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Was surfing the net a few weeks ago and found a place selling 110cc Lifan motorcycle engines for under $200. I began thinking about the old dead Honda 90 out in the back yard and how I might be able to give it new life as a high gas mileage rat bike. With a few parts and a little work the old Honda lives again. Here's a breakdown of the parts and costs involved in getting it going, and links to a couple pictures.

$75.00 Original bike bought very used about 15 years ago.
$235.00 New Lifan 110cc engine with carb, electrics, etc., including shipping.
$49.00 Two new street tires.
$12.00 New chain.
$10.00 New air filter.
$5.00 Various nuts and bolts from the hardware store.
$0.00 Front forks and extra tank from a dirt bike that was given to me free.
Total $386.00

The resulting bike gets just over 100 mpg. Top speed 50 mph. Holds 3 gallons of fuel in the 2 tanks. It's very reliable and fun to ride. I chose not to paint it, to make it somewhat ugly so I wouldn't have to lock it up at the grocery store. It has no locks or ignition key.

Resurrecting an old small motorcycle is an great option for mechanically inclined people. You can often find old small motorcycles for next to nothing. Not only do you save space in the landfill but you get cheap reliable transportation that will last for years. Here are a couple pics.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v499/QDM/ct4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v499/QDM/ct1-1.jpg

Q

Where do you get these engines -do you have a web address?

How do you mount them? You must have to fabricated the mounts ,right? I have a couple of MCs rolling chassis in the back yard ,maybe I could rehab them?

Thanks,
Charlie

Charlie,

I bought the engines from http://www.hooperimports.com . Similar engines are also sold on Ebay but they are not much cheaper and you never know what you'll get. The support you get from a reputable dealer like Larry Hooper can be valuable.

As I understand it, some of the engines bolt right onto certain motorcycle models with minimal modifications. The Hooper site lists which engines fit which motorcycles. I bought the particular engines I did because they were on sale even though there would have been easier engines to mount to the motorcycles I had.

Generally speaking, a mechanically inclined person with standard garage tools could do the installation.

Q

The engines are exact knock-offs of the popular bikes. Some are good, some are not. Sometimes there are problems getting replacement parts to fit as some seem to be hand built.

Hmmm, I have 2 SR500's -motorless. They are fairly lightweight-378 lbs with fuel etc.With those motors they would be maybe 325 lbs-not bad.

They are kickstart , I guess, but that is pretty easy on a little motor like that.

Thanks for the info. I have one running SR500 but maybe years ago I hopped it up 11/1 piston usual stuff,and it isn't as much fun -especially on hot days because the carb start circuit is very rich. Starts great on cold days-not so much fun on hot days.
Charlie