Finished
This video was taken on an improvised oval track. I was holding about 20 mph throughout the run.
Here's a video of a "high-speed" run (about 25 mph) down my street. I hadn't added the hand throttle yet so I had to pull the throttle cable to accelerate which is why I'm awkwardly leaning over the front of the bike.
To start the bike, I use the standard priming and choking procedure. This usual includes a priming until the bulb filss with fuel followed by a quick pedal start with the engine fully choked until it kicks over. Once their is fuel in the lines, I open up the choke to the middle setting. The motor starts when the bike is pedaled to around 8 mph, which can take some furious pedaling, but isn't too bad. The bike is even easier to start when it's hot. At about 12 mph the bike has enough power to start accelerating up to speed.
Acceleration is very sluggish at low speeds, but over 15 mph the bike zooms along with adequate acceleration. According to the bike odometer I have attached, it has hit about 29 mph on a slight down hill. It can go up significant hills and still hold 15 mph. Average speed riding around the neighborhood is about 18 mph. If you think of the machine as a bike with a power-assist rather than a mini-bike, it is very reasonable. With a little gas it is effortless to cruise at 20 mph, a speed barely attainable on a downhill when pedaling this bike. Since your rear is near the ground, it feels even faster than it is.
For all of the frustration that comes with keeping the machine running, the question you I have to ask myself is: Is it worth it? Well, as long as you enjoy hot exhaust blowing on leg and the wind in hair flying while flying down the road at obscene speeds with a small two-stroke screaming at 7000 rpm between your legs, it is definitely worth it.
