So how many outfits are making clones? Are all of them made in China by Long Ding Dong, or are some better than others?
Hi PAP,
I believe that some Chinese built "clones" can be better than some others, for example the Chinese made "Lifan", "Loncin" or "Predator" are a better motor to have as opposed to an unbranded generic 6.5HP. This is just from my experience, some may beg to differ!
I'd imagine that there are a large number of outfits developing these clone engines, down here in New Zealand we get thousands of them, and many are from different brands like Titan, Lutian, Lifan, Loncin, but by far the most common clones are unbranded and just say 6.5 on the recoil starter. I identify these as having a red starter shroud alike the Honda.
Personally, I've had very bad experiences with these unbranded engines - I found that the blocks were very prone to cracking. I also believe that the quality is reflected in the price - they aren't designed to last!
This is my personal opinion, I haven't owned a clone long enough to push it to its limits.
By far the best one I've come across was a "Titan", which is a re-branded "Predator" made at the same factory. It was responsive, seemed to have a good quality casting and block, and started and ran nicely. It was a powerful unit, and it was like owning a genuine honda engine. I preferred this much more than the cheap generic unbranded engine. Keep the oil and air filter clean and I'm sure you'll get many years out of one!
Of course, the best Over Head Valve engine on the market is the real deal - the Genuine Honda GX engines. These usually cost signifigany more than the Clones but the quality is much better. However, the honda isn't the only small over head valve engine on the market, another contender is the Subaru Robin Over Head Cam engine, which ive only heard positive things about! I rode a go kart with the Subaru Robin EX17 (6.0HP) engine and it was a really powerful unit. These are often disregarded by the minibike community as there are virtually no Performance parts available for them, whilst there is a huge market for aftermarket parts that fit the Honda and Clone engines. I do not believe that there are any clones of the Subaru Robin engine.
So to sum things up:
The common "clone" motor is a Chinese copy of the Japanese built Honda GX160 and GX200 motors as stated by OND and Buckeye. The most popular horsepower for a clone engine is 5.5HP for the GX160 and 6.5HP for the GX200. However I believe there is a smaller 2.5HP version.
There looks to be a large amount of company's developing the Clone engine across china.
There are various Chinese brands that develop a better quality clone than others going by my past experiences.
I prefer to stick to my "flathead" Briggs and Tec's :thumbsup: I'm sure a person with more knowledge on the clones can correct any information I provided!
Jack
