Hi everyone. I'm hoping I posted this in the right place as I didn't see a spot for Motovox bikes in particular. I figured the Doodlebug was close enough. If not I'll apologize in advance.
Short Story - I purchased as used MBX10 of Craigslist about 6 months ago. Originally it was meant for my kid to ride, but it quickly got borrowed for another purpose. I'm a motorsports photographer who got really tired of carrying all my gear on my back. Some of us end up buying golf carts or mopeds to get around. I wanted to do something a little different and figured I would give the minibike a try. The motovox is actually small enough to fit in the back seat of my car with the handlebars folded down. The seat height just barely meets the height requirement for off-road vehicles at some of the road courses I visit. I wouldn't need a trailer and it fits in the corner of my garage. It cost about 1/10 of what a good moped of golf cart does. It was perfect... or so I thought. The little 80cc that came with the bike had big issues with hills and the key way on the original motor broke and I had to find something better. I searched on Google and was quite honestly amazed to find this place. Like many of you I was off to Harbor Freight and in went a predator 212cc. Now that darn little thing has become my weekend project. It's much cheaper than my old hobby of modifying cars, and it keeps a wrench in my hand.
This leads me to a bunch of questions about modding the bike that I haven't been able to find answers on. I may have missed something in these threads, but most of the info I have so far has been found here and here. If I missed something.... sorry.
Questions
- Exhaust. Has anyone found an aftermarket exhaust that doesn't go under the seat and doesn't hit the frame. I'm not really looking to fab one like some people did with the mbx11 exhaust. I was looking at this one on OldMiniBikes but I have a feeling it might hit the frame.
- Jets. I have already installed an aftermarket air filter only because the stock predator air box didn't fit in the frame very well and after cutting it the little square filter doesn't fit snug. Not realizing how restrictive the stock air box was I quickly found out the motor was running lean.... really lean. Has anyone bought replacement jets for their stock predator carb, and what size works best with an aftermarket filter. I don't have a drill press so drilling them out isn't really an option for me.
- Rear Sprocket. I'm just about due for a new rear sprocket. The new engine is a little hard on the stock one. Has anyone tried installing the Doodlebug Sprocket Adapter on the Motovox bike. It looks like it would fit, but I want to make sure. I have quite a few friends who race rotax karts so I can get an endless supply of slightly used split sprockets. PS: Don't ever ask Kart racers about modding clones engines. You'll get an hour lecture about China, Honda, and metal quality.
- Brakes. The brakes on this bike now scare me. I was also scared the cable would break (as the throttle cable did already) so I replaced it with a Teflon coated jagwire cable from one of our downhill mountain bikes. The handle will now bust before the cable does. I'm still looking to further upgrade though. In one of the threads I read someone mentioned making an adapter to allow hydraulic brakes. I never seen if they succeeded though, and I haven't seen one online. Has any been able to pull that off yet? Also what brake pad would everyone recommend, or should I just order another stock set from Motovox.
Thumb throttle. I grew up riding ATVs. I prefer a thumb throttle. Any recommendations?
Thanks to anyone who can help me out, and thanks for making this forum. I'm kind of hooked now. After I get the vox done I'll probably be building another bike for my kid. I might end up building a taco. I'm sure I'll be here reading up on it too.
Short Story - I purchased as used MBX10 of Craigslist about 6 months ago. Originally it was meant for my kid to ride, but it quickly got borrowed for another purpose. I'm a motorsports photographer who got really tired of carrying all my gear on my back. Some of us end up buying golf carts or mopeds to get around. I wanted to do something a little different and figured I would give the minibike a try. The motovox is actually small enough to fit in the back seat of my car with the handlebars folded down. The seat height just barely meets the height requirement for off-road vehicles at some of the road courses I visit. I wouldn't need a trailer and it fits in the corner of my garage. It cost about 1/10 of what a good moped of golf cart does. It was perfect... or so I thought. The little 80cc that came with the bike had big issues with hills and the key way on the original motor broke and I had to find something better. I searched on Google and was quite honestly amazed to find this place. Like many of you I was off to Harbor Freight and in went a predator 212cc. Now that darn little thing has become my weekend project. It's much cheaper than my old hobby of modifying cars, and it keeps a wrench in my hand.
This leads me to a bunch of questions about modding the bike that I haven't been able to find answers on. I may have missed something in these threads, but most of the info I have so far has been found here and here. If I missed something.... sorry.
Questions
- Exhaust. Has anyone found an aftermarket exhaust that doesn't go under the seat and doesn't hit the frame. I'm not really looking to fab one like some people did with the mbx11 exhaust. I was looking at this one on OldMiniBikes but I have a feeling it might hit the frame.
- Jets. I have already installed an aftermarket air filter only because the stock predator air box didn't fit in the frame very well and after cutting it the little square filter doesn't fit snug. Not realizing how restrictive the stock air box was I quickly found out the motor was running lean.... really lean. Has anyone bought replacement jets for their stock predator carb, and what size works best with an aftermarket filter. I don't have a drill press so drilling them out isn't really an option for me.
- Rear Sprocket. I'm just about due for a new rear sprocket. The new engine is a little hard on the stock one. Has anyone tried installing the Doodlebug Sprocket Adapter on the Motovox bike. It looks like it would fit, but I want to make sure. I have quite a few friends who race rotax karts so I can get an endless supply of slightly used split sprockets. PS: Don't ever ask Kart racers about modding clones engines. You'll get an hour lecture about China, Honda, and metal quality.
- Brakes. The brakes on this bike now scare me. I was also scared the cable would break (as the throttle cable did already) so I replaced it with a Teflon coated jagwire cable from one of our downhill mountain bikes. The handle will now bust before the cable does. I'm still looking to further upgrade though. In one of the threads I read someone mentioned making an adapter to allow hydraulic brakes. I never seen if they succeeded though, and I haven't seen one online. Has any been able to pull that off yet? Also what brake pad would everyone recommend, or should I just order another stock set from Motovox.
Thumb throttle. I grew up riding ATVs. I prefer a thumb throttle. Any recommendations?
Thanks to anyone who can help me out, and thanks for making this forum. I'm kind of hooked now. After I get the vox done I'll probably be building another bike for my kid. I might end up building a taco. I'm sure I'll be here reading up on it too.
