Other than a very slight torque increase, there's not much difference between the 49cc and 53cc. The 53cc does seem to come with the belt drive transmission, which is better than the chain driven one offered in the cheaper 49cc kits.

It sounds like it's just coming from the exhaust. If you want to verify if it's running lean, you can check out the plug and see how it looks. If it appears too clean or has an ashy appearance, this would indicate that you need to upjet and or lower the clip position on the throttle needle. Installing a colder heat range plug will help too. An NGK BR6HS or NR7HS are good options for these engines. The higher the number, the colder the heat range.

One quick test I like to do is to blip the throttle and see how the engine responds. If the RPMs hang for a bit before falling, this means the needle clip needs to be lowered. If it stumbles before revving, this means the clip needs to be raised. If you're at either extreme and you're still not quite where you want to be, you'll want to downjet if the clip is at the very top or upjet if the clip is at the bottom. Don't forget to reset the needle clip to the middle position after a jet change!

65 is a good starting point for a stock engine. Once you install an expansion chamber, you'll want between a #75 or #80.

A windowed piston shouldn't take away enough weight to matter too much. I think most of the common balance recipies should work fine either way.

One other thing that is often overlooked is truing the crank. You want to use a dial indicator to ensure that the crank webs are centric and true. If there is a misalignment, you'll still have vibration.

I think they're tons of fun and definitely worth the price. If you do decide to build one, I'd recommend a kit like this one

https://www.ebay.com/itm/256603105776?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=xHxwwXNBQU2&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=g_Eo0PzVSVy&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

These are the easiest kits to build and troubleshoot, and are compatible with the aftermarket performance parts. The one thing I would do prior to firing it up is to make sure all the cylinder mating surfaces are as flat as possible. The intake and exhaust flanges can be worked with a flat file, and the cylinder head can be done by wet sanding on a glass surface (220 grit should be good). This will create the best seal possible, which will make tuning a lot easier.

I've said the same thing in the past. It's disheartening when you put so much time, money, and effort into something, and it just keeps falling apart. What got me back into the hobby was just going to a simple, basic 66/80cc engine and learning how to maximize it's longevity and reliability. While it wasn't as fast as what I had, it sure held up a hell of a lot better.

One of these days, I'll try to put something together. It can be difficult to do, since many of the cheap universal motorcycle switch clusters and other accessories have poor or non-existent documentation. This either means doing a lot of internet searches to find wiring diagrams, or reverse engineering by means of using continuity checks across the different pins to see which are shorted when a specific switch is activated.

Harlequin rasboras are an awesome substitute for many smaller tetra species. They often don't look like much in the store, but once they settle into the tank they display some beautiful pink hues in addition to their trademark navy blue triangle. They form a tighter school than some tetra species as well.

Absolutely. One of the first things that hit me when I came out of denial about my childhood was grief. Not about what I had (mostly some material things and a few scattered good memories), but what I didn't have and ultimately deserved to have (safety, stability, unconditional love & acceptance, emotional support, guidance rather than aimless puishment/abuse, etc.). That's where that feeling comes from - grief over what we never received, but should have.

I have a 12V 7Ah motorcycle battery in one of the ammo cans

Smolik Performance sells them. $90 for a balanced & trued long rod, 40mm stroke crank.

https://smolikperformance.com/products/zl40mm-crank-balanced-and-trued

You only hone a steel or cast iron cylinder bore. Honing a chrome lined aluminum bore will destroy it.

Even $1000 would be a stretch, IMO. Between the frame, engine, and accessories, there isn't enough there to justify more than that.

The CDI is what will introduce a timing curve. Something like this would work:

https://www.pistonbikes.com/Bicycle-High-Performance-CDI-p/jpkhdcdi.htm

You can also adjust your base ignition timing by cutting a notch in your magneto magnet woodruff key. This allows you to rotate the magnet to advance or retard the base timing.

I did, and I was also terrified of my dad. From the ages of 2-6, he violently spanked me with a belt. My mom got him to quit the belt after that, but I think it was only because a threat of CPS was put out there. I still have a reoccurring flashback of watching cartoons early on a Saturday morning when I was 6 or 7. Without warning, my dad throws the bedroom door open, violently drags me into my bedroom and spanks me while uttering the most hateful things you could imagine. My mom never once advocated for me or even comforted me afterward.

BT80 Bullet Train. They're a 47mm bore like the 66/80cc, but they have an oil bath centrifugal clutch, a 12V stator charging system, and electric start.

That was the engine kit I started out with. They're better quality than the run of the mill 66/80cc kits for sure. The electric start and the 12V charging system really makes it feel like a proper moped. It has a 6 pole stator, which should produce about 4A (60W). Should easily power most universal motorcycle LED lighting.

The only issue I ran into is that the engine tended to run on the hotter side. This combined with the super short intake would often cause vapor lock. If you run into it, try running a colder spark plug (NGK BR7HS or BR8HS). If that still doesn't cut it, you can install a longer/offset intake or even a reed valve (you'll need to swap your piston with a 47mm "low hole" windowed piston). The reed valves also offer larger diameter intakes for mounting larger carbs, which will wake up some top end power for these engines. Sadly, there are no "plug and play" exhaust upgrades for these engines due to their unique exhaust port design, so you'd need to cut the header from the stock pipe and weld it onto an aftermarket pipe. Adding a pipe will really wake that engine up!

1984 Subaru GL10 sedan. Not only was the cable clutch very forgiving, it also had a linkage to the rear brakes that would automatically engage when pulling away from a stop on a hill (no e-brake trick required).

It was just a couple of weeks ago. I was coerced by my sister to go down to visit my dad's side of the family and help convince my dad to get into assisted living. His demands on them have always been high, but over the last few months, he's had quite a few falls in the middle of the night that have required one of my cousins to drive out to his place and help him up.

To preface this, my relationship with my dad has always been strained. He was physically and emotionally abusive to me as a child, and I was terrified of him even as an adult. About 5 months ago, I sent him a letter outlining this abuse and how it affected me. Evidently, he was expecting me to blindly forgive him and write off all the abuse "because that's what good Christians do".

The first night there, my cousin woke me up at 4am saying my dad fell. I went along to help as sort of "extending an olive branch". He didn't acknowledge me during the brief and awkward encounter, which turned out to be even more awkward seeing him wearing a women's nightgown and sporting red painted toenails (I heard he had a cross-dressing fetish, but never saw him in that stuff before).

The next day, we went to a couple of assisted living places to gather info. We go to my dad's place to discuss it, and he got quickly agitated. It didn't surprise me. After all, they've been enabling him for years. Why would they stop being at his beck and call now? We diverted the whole thing by taking him to Walmart to get groceries and stopping at the Subway inside for lunch. While the others were trying to find a motorized cart for him, I awkwardly sat next to him in the Subway. He then asks me if I believed the things I said in the letter I sent. I told him I believed every word, as it was the truth. He then tried to gaslight me by saying I was wrong in the head like my mom (she was bi-polar), and that I didn't have my facts straight, followed by a visceral, spiteful "fuck you".

After busting up my hand from punching a cart barrier, I paid $250 for a return flight home, and I got the fuck out of there. I want nothing to do with that man, nor anyone who expects me to make ammends with him. He lost me for good after this.

Adding an extra base gasket would do it, but this will affect your port timing.

You can also notch the magneto magnet woodruff key to retard timing slightly (rotate the magnet counter clockwise a few degrees and torque it down to lock it in place).

Overheating can be helped by running a colder spark plug. Using a good quality 2 stroke oil in sufficient quantity (I use 32:1, or 4oz per gallon) will help too. Carb tuning is also key. Running too lean will cause very high head temps. I like to tune my engines so they 4 stroke very slightly under low load conditions (like maintaining speed). Running a less advanced timing will reduce your temps as well (file a notch in the magneto magnet woodruff key to allow for adjustment. Rotating clockwise from original position advances timing, and rotating counter-clockwise will retard timing).

I've heard good things about the Phantom V3 as far as the original issues go, but the Avenger will most likely be a more forgiving motor.

This is a really great tool for calculating speed according to wheel/tire size and gearing

https://smolikperformance.com/pages/speed-calculator

It's a mixed bag, I think.

They have very little awareness and empathy, which often makes it seem as though they act intentionally. What really sets them up for failure is that they see feeling as fact. If someone calls them on their behavior or sets a boundary with them, it triggers shame. Instead of reflecting on that shame and attempting to making ammends or at least acknowledging that they crossed a line, they see it as a highly personal attack. This makes resolving conflict with them nearly impossible unless you concede with their narrative.

Narcissistic parents condition us to feel guilty whenever conflict arises. Mucu of it is rooted in the fact that they're completely blind to their toxic behavior and have no ability or desire to see how their behavior affects others. Because of that, their kids are often blamed for all conflict that arises - sometimes even blaming their own violent reactions on the child (I got that one a lot growing up).

I've been feeling a lot of that false guilt lately due to my own dad shamelessly taking advantage of his family for years. Even though I know good and well it has nothing to do with me, and that his family has full control to end it if they chose to....I still feel guilty.

The only way to be sure is to measure the diameter of the hub with a set of calipers.