Our experiences with Baja mini

[cdg]

I would like this topic to focus on the smaller Baja Doodle Bug variants and our individual experiences. I am curious as to whether or not there have been improvements to the little mini or if there is a reason why my little Baja does (relatively) pretty well while other complain that they barely move in stock trim.

I bought my Baja Blitz a few weeks back. I'm located in Flagstaff, AZ elevation of 7200 feet or so. Out of the box it barely ran, but it came with a bulliten explaining that this would probably be the case and to open up the mixture screw on the carb. It still has a bit of a stumble but I suspect the elevation is just a lot to compensate for without rejetting the carb leaner.

After the initial adjustment I broke the engine in using the shipping oil for about 5 run hours leaving the governor intact at the stock specifications. I noticed things seemed to loosen up dramatically at this point. After changing the oil and rolling another 5 or 10 hours on the bike I loosened up the governor.

Now the little mini is a blast to ride around campus.

I ride it - I am 5'11 and 180 lbs. It accelerates slowly up hills and requires a light push off most times but is decently fast, and quick enough on level ground. Grass and dirt you need a run at.

My Roomates ride it - 240 lbs, 190 lbs and 170 lbs respectively. They all love it. The 240 lb guy usually needs a pretty decent push and can't take most of the hills on campus at all. I can take most of the hills on campus except for the steepest ones.

That is my experience. I think a single consolidated thread for this kind of thing might benefit our little sub "community". Perhaps someday this post may be the basis of a sticky in this forum for potential buyers and modders to look at.

 

[~JM~]

Yesterday my Gal & I stopped at a yard sale. While we were there, the neighbor stopped by on his new green DB-30. It sounded like he'd only had it for 1 or 2 days. He wasn't a very big guy. I doubt he weighed a buck fifty. I was surprised at how fast his Doodle Bug was. No pushing required... He grabbed throttle & that little bike would just take off.

I could tell by talking to him briefly that he wasn't very knowledgeable about the bikes, their problems or modifying them. He hadn't done a thing to it other than fill the gas tank.

Looks like he was just lucky & got a fast one. ut:

 

[ibkc]

I bought my sone a DB30 3 months ago anf the thing will not start, pull cord came out, tank is rusted on the inside, have cleaned tank, carb new plug and it will only start with carb cleaner... It has been a long time since I worked on small engines but I thought this engine would last a little longer than 3 onths ... Gues I got a bad one and Baja is of no help at this point... Would love to get some advise on fixing this engine but unsure of how are where to post

HELP

 

[den35]

Welcome.You've come to the right place.This entire sub-forum is dedicated to the DB30.

If you read around the board you'll find many options to choose from.Though the most common(and best performance enhancement) is to replace the engine with an inexpensive Honda clone.(I believe Harbour Freight is have their $99 engine sale right now).

And going solely on the info in your posting,I'd say replacement would be your easiest solution.

 

[ibkc]

bad doodlebug

Den 35,

thanks for the advise. Baja did email me and said to email my problems and they would decide if it is a warranty issue... If I put the larger engine on the db30 how much modification do I have to do to the frame, clutch, brake etc...

Thanks for your help

 

[den35]

There is a real easy answer,and a more challenging one.Depends on your fabrication skills.

The challenging way---lay out and drill mount holes in the mounting plate to fit the new engine.order a new clutch to fit the engine shaft(#35 chain size) and remove however many links you need to from the chain to tighten it enough for the tensioner to work.

The easy way---Message CJTMINI(a member here) and ask him about his 6.5hp Doodlebug Conversion Kit.All you need in one box.(including the engine)

 

[ibkc]

Will see what BAJA says and maybe go the kit route...

thanks for your help

 

[Strigoi]

i weigh 265-270 and my DB30 won't get going without a good push on flat land. i think the motor is pretty hammered and it leaks gas like crazy.

 

[driftoy]

i am 280. my stock sorta modded db gets up pretty well. i purchased off a kid that hated it cuz it was slow. he thought he could go faster without the filter and exhaust. that was a myth.
all it takes is some adjustment of idle mixture screw and ur ready.
i got at lease 25 mph, staying with the cars in residential area is a breeze.:thefinger:
of course, i like speed, and lots of it. so im swapping in a 6.5 myself.
thanx for the adapter plate and chain allignment info. i will look that up some.

all in all, baja motorsports: :thumbdown:
their db30: :thumbsup:

 

[DannyG]

Hey guys Im new tot eh site. I wanted to know if anyone can help me... I just bought a baja db... I rode it for a while up and down my street, It just came to a stop and I noticed that it was leaking gas. I found the leak at the bottom of the carb. here are some pics. I looks like the slot its leaking from is machined, I dnt know what to do. I can buy a new motor, but I would like to run the one that I have on it into the gound. Please help.

The motor

The location of the leak

A better close up of the leak (the yellow stuff is a sealer I applied but it didnt work)

Please help!

 

[Motra]

Out of the box it barely ran, but it came with a bulliten explaining that this would probably be the case and to open up the mixture screw on the carb.

Kudos to you for reading and successfully applying the advice of the manufacturer.

After more than 20 years as a mechanic in several different trades (motorcycles, ATVs, Jet Skis, BMW cars, small engines, outdoor power equipment and construction equipment) I've found that MOST people DO NOT read the literature that comes with their products. And in many cases don't even want it, they leave it on the counter and tell us we can throw it away. The funny thing is that it's the most valuable information concerning their new product. It answers nearly every question they might have! It describes how to properly start it, operate it, store it, clean it, maintain it, repair it, etc., etc., etc.! It helps the owner get the most value, pleasure, satisfaction or whatever out of their new product! It is the owners best friend! But it usually gets discarded in favor of asking people their unprofessional opinions.

 

[TT]

The Baja Motorsports company has had major problems since day one. November 2006? They had the sticker on backwards for the choke. The thing did not run. Pep Boys nearly went out of business from un-happy customers. The internet eBay seller in AZ. had them available used pre sold and returned for $195.00 delivered. I bought three, kept two. One went to a friend. If I had t guess, the guy on ebay sold 1000 units in the first year. The company was and continues to be weak in customer satisfaction. However, the clever individuals here have really come up with viable solutions. Front disc brakes. Engine swaps. Furthermore, cjtmini has done some fantastic renovations to a mini bike that lacked power, easy starting and ride ability. If you wait for the company to help you you may see rust starting to form on the bike>?

Could you afford to upgrade it? Can you do the work yourself? Are you able to modify products that are very troublesome from the get go? If the answer is yes, you got it made. Otherwise, sell it cheap and buy something finished and pay for the mods that the bike needs. High altitude jetting is something that the 6.5hp clone motor's may not need. The stock engine is the worst engine thay could have chosen to mass produce..I will send it out free to the first person who pays s/h/i charges just to get it off my shelf..... I hate the 2.8 motor period. bye bye... flatlinefilmsllc@yahoo.com/ I am going fishing.....:doah:

TT :hack:

 

[frdmrckr]

i managed to get mine from tsc in town. It ws great for a while but then the clutch started to "bark". i figured i mine as well try to upgrade. Since i am only 15 i ask for hf 6.5for christmas. My grand parents got it for me. My whole point of this is, I dont weigh over 150 and it didn't last long even when i maintained just as they suggested. If i had to rate it id give it a 3 out of 5.

 

[Motra]

Something else I've noticed after being associated with many different brands is that every one of them (brands) has everything from absolute lovers to absolute haters of them. It doesn't matter if you think brand X is so unbelievably good that they couldn't produce anything that's even remotely bad, and vice versa, for every brand or product that you think sucks, there are more people than you can even imagine that thinks it's the greatest thing on this planet. Everyone has their own opinions and expectations and often they differ from others. I might understand the mechanics of something and recognize a that slight glitch isn't the fault of the product or company that produced it, whereas somebody else could easily label it a piece of :001_9898: under a similar circumstance.

 

[Motra]

And yet another rant. As for the little engines found on the DB30, is it even considered that a manufacturing company, especially one of products that are high risk, has more restrictions, regulations and requirments placed on it than we can even imagine? The capacity of the engine is most likely determined by limitations implied by different government agencies and insurance regulations worldwide for emission requirments and product liability. It'd be ludicrous to think that a huge company that produces a full line of recreational products doesn't have the ability to do something that a teenage kid can do in his parents garage with basic hand tools. They already have a 6.5HP engine in their line-up. Is it really even considered that they couldn't put that engine in their DB frame? Do you think it's not exciting for them too? Their engine choice probably isn't a choice at all, it's merely them complying. My hat's off to any company that can overcome all the obstacles in their path and sell a recreational vehicle to a worldwide market. Ever wonder why Azusa and Bad Dog only sell kits?

 

[DannyG]

So after a whole afternoon of working on the carb my brother finally found out that it was thr floater in the carb that was getting stuck, after toyin with it we got it to wrk and the motor runs fine.. Im still wanting to swap it out for a 6.5, but well see what happens. hope this helps anyone else.

 

[Strigoi]

if kids aren't riding it, do the 6.5 swap.

where are you in CA?

 

[DannyG]

Yeah I think im going to, Ill look into it, and get some more research done on this site. Everyone is really helpfull, some people need to realize that this site is for poeple that want and need help. I bought my bike off of craigslist and it didnt come with an owners manuel. but thanks anyway.....

 

[pooter]

Gas Leak

I got the same problem, What was wrong with yours ?

 

[silver]

gas leak

I bought one for my 6 yr old grandson. If we put the gass cap all the way on gass leaks all over his leg giving him a nasty gas burn. If we pu the gas cap part way on it seals ok, does anyone else have this pproblem and if so how did you fix it? The company just says there is nothing wrong with their caps. Once running it hauls his 45lb frame right along fast enough. He found this site on my comp. and now wants a clone, it never ends huh.