Are clones just as good as the Hondas?

M

Mikesbike

Member
#1
#1
Aside from the price?

I feel like the clones just wouldnt be made as good. Or are they strictly throwaway/experimental engines?

I also feel like various tolerance specs wouldnt be perfect in some of these clones and the castings are more likely to be bad.

I know the hondas are like triple the price, But Ive seens some of these Honda motors go through hell and back, the worst conditions and working environments on all type of different power tools and compressors and such..

Ive seen the clone generators go bad after one winter or become really unreliable.

Thoughts?

Also, my guess is that because most people gut the clones anyway and replace so many parts, this isnt an issue...but if thats the case, why dont people just buy honda blocks and use those? Is it really just the price?
 
R

rmm727

Active Member
#4
#4
Like Gumpit said...good enough for a mini bike. Are they as good as a true Honda, no. Some clones are better than others. I have been given a dozen or so clones over the past few years. I took the cleanest one I had, slapped a cam and valve springs in it and have ridden it hard for 3 years straight. Never changed the rings, stock rod, no governor (I have the PVL flywheel). I can't complain a bit about a clone. Its been good to me.
 
chipper

chipper

#5
#5
Gutting a clone and replacing a bunch of parts is all the speed freaks :laugh:IMHO the Predator just can't be beat especially for $100 :thumbsup:
 
JustEnough

JustEnough

Active Member
#6
#6
Same excellent design, the manufacturing is pretty good, but the quality control is hit or miss. You definitely want to go through it and check all the bolts with a torque wrench.

I bought a Champion clone from Costco and it was not getting fuel. Turned out the brass fitting for the tank to fuel line was never drilled. So no fuel flow through solid brass! :doah:
 
Harleys Papa

Harleys Papa

#7
#7
gumpit said:
Close enough and plenty good enough for a mini bike:thumbsup:
Click to expand...
What he said :thumbsup: Mike if all you want is a stock engine that you can do any thing to than a clone is the way to go :thumbsup: If you put parts into it and blow it up you can get another one for a $100 and swap all the parts into it, if you blow up a Honda can you get a new one for that :shrug:
 
M

Mikesbike

Member
#9
#9
Yea thats what I figured (what everyone said)

It just seems that no one really posts a topic about a Honda in the Honda forum:1orglaugh:

I would use one for a smaller project for my nephew, but I wouldnt take the governor off.

I only ask because of what Ive seen these GX engines go through.

My brother has taken blown up hondas, unseized them, mix match all kinds of parts together with his own judgement on torque specs, everything you can imagine, and they still start up and run very smoothly for years.

My other brother is the guy, one machine has a small failure (usually a coil, pullstart or something simple) and hes off to get another one while the other brother takes them back to the house and puts them in the pile for later.

This is all roofing machines, compressors, generators, laddervators.

The clone will be lucky if they see a whole summer.

I like that the clones are so cheap but I would never trust the castings, especially at 5000rpm.
 
Boomstick

Boomstick

New Member
#10
#10
For what it's worth, stock for stock the Honda is going to be better. The quality control is far superior.

Now, that being said, there are a lot of predators that the only original thing on them is the block... maybe the crank. They're filled with so much aftermarket & apparently run so well that you might as well just run a predator, & get the same results (to an end, ultimately) as you would a Honda.
 
H

Havasu Dave

Moderator
#11
#11
buckeye said:
They are all clones to good ol Tec's and Briggs.:laugh:
Click to expand...
We now buy crap, expecting to throw it away in a year of so. Cost is the number one driving force in our purchase decisions. Quality is a distant fourth.

It's comical sitting here on an "old mini bikes" website, and watching about 1/3 of the digital denizens convincing each other how normal it is to remove casting flash, and gut an engine so completely, almost nothing of the original remains, then tout it's longevity and performance. (and why are they facing backwards?)

If I needed to go 80 on a mini bike, I'd toss one of my Cats in the back of a 1995 Hyundai, grab a six pack of beer and a fattie, and hit the freeway. :hammer:

:laugh::laugh::scooter::laugh::laugh:
 
KB2ROCKET

KB2ROCKET

Active Member
#12
#12
the clones are made with lesser quality alloys and I dont think they are as careful about tollerences or torques
but good enough for a mini
 
David wulf

David wulf

#13
#13
Havasu Dave said:
We now buy crap, expecting to throw it away in a year of so. Cost is the number one driving force in our purchase decisions. Quality is a distant fourth.

It's comical sitting here on an "old mini bikes" website, and watching about 1/3 of the digital denizens convincing each other how normal it is to remove casting flash, and gut an engine so completely, almost nothing of the original remains, then tout it's longevity and performance. (and why are they facing backwards?)

If I needed to go 80 on a mini bike, I'd toss one of my Cats in the back of a 1995 Hyundai, grab a six pack of beer and a fattie, and hit the freeway. :hammer:

:laugh::laugh::scooter::laugh::laugh:
Click to expand...
Beer and a fattie , hell yea :thumbsup:
 
B

b52bombardier1

New Member
#15
#15
I have seen some ugly lookin' pictures on LiLHonda.com of cracks in the center cases with these clone engines. The metal simply could not tolerate the pounding where the bearings were mounted.

Rick
 
David wulf

David wulf

#18
#18
I just want to say this . The honda GX160 on my rupp was on a twin tank air compressor for at least 8 or 9 years running 7 to 9 hours a day . the only time the oil got touched was when it got low and wouldn't start , low oil alert . It got retired to my garage when the pump gave out and the tanks had hole s in them , and i just want a couple new Igersoll rands with honda's .

The motor and tanks sat in the garage for another 5 years . Then i got in to minibikes and want to build a motor cause my brother bought a bad ass one .
The motor inside still had a slight cross hatch in the cylinder and was in with a half a thousand to being round . Now this motor had probably 5000 plus hours on it .
All i did to this motor was hone it put a stock flat top in it and ARC rod PVL flywheel and more stuff .
The motor runs prefect does not smoke .
A cheap clone will not hold up like that .
 
J

jbrocks

New Member
#19
#19
If I needed to go 80 on a mini bike, I'd toss one of my Cats in the back of a 1995 Hyundai, grab a six pack of beer and a fattie, and hit the freeway. :hammer:

:laugh::laugh::scooter::laugh::laugh:[/QUOTE]

Yeah baby! I knew I liked you Havasu Dave for some dang odd reason..........:laugh::laugh: maybe has something to do with Stevie, back a his bar in Okinawa (he told me the stories :laugh::laugh:) just make sure you call ME next time you do that!!:thumbsup:

Oh, and I have two Predators, I have done the Classic OldMiniBikes mods (intakes/air filter/header) and they produce a most satisfying riding experience. Couldn't be happier actually.
 
YOOP

YOOP

#20
#20
agreed david. those 99 dollar engines are exactly that.99 dollars engines.sure there good engines for that price. but you just can't compare them to a Honda or an animal.i,ve got an box stock that I did have 2 race seasons on my kart and is now on a rupp we have.put rings in it once and yeah it's still a good runner.but my boy has a 206 and I have run both a 206 and a full race animal built by comet on karts and all I can say is they are very impressive engines,pull hard all the way through.my boys got 2 years of racing on his and all I've ever done was change the oil.most guys at our track have at least that many years on them and they still run like the first day.
 
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