My New Monkey Bikes

[Barnone]

Sold my Ural so am off on another tangent and back in the monkey bike arena.
Red one is a ST125-8A and is in house and being ridding here in the mountains.
Green one with sidecar is a PBZ110-1P but not here.

[Weldangrind]

Farewell, Ural.

I love the monkey bikes! Riding one with a 110 must be a hoot.

I'm not sure what you're saying about the sidecar rig; do you mean that you haven't bought it yet?

[Barnone]

I bought the sidecar rig but it has not been delivered.

[culcune]

Glad to see you posted this here, too, as well as on mychinamoto. I have always dug the Honda mini-trailbikes, and since Honda no longer make them (or at least import them to the US) Skyteam will have to do(and they seem to be doing a darn good job of it!). Yes, I know, the sidecar rig is Ice Bear, who make several replica mini-trailbikes, too, but those aren't as popular as Skyteam's lineup, yet. I don't count the Grom because I think those are made more as street bikes for people who don't like scooters, rather than someone buying one to go trail riding or fishing, or taking one camping with them to ride around the dirt trails near camp.

I think if you dig through Pitster Pro's website, they have a countersprocket for the Skyteam 125 bikes since their lineup of 'classic retro' bikes are all Skyteam OEM'd, if you're interested in a few more miles per hour?

[Weldangrind]

I bought the sidecar rig but it has not been delivered.

Looking forward to that! :tup:

[Barnone]

Good to hear about the front sprocket source as it needs a little more first gear. I had a Pister Pro CT70 clone which I put bigger tires on to get higher gearing.

Also need to get some luggage capability. I rode her to town and ended up with plastic bags tied on the rear rack. Maybe a small milk crate?

[Weldangrind]

Maybe a trailer. :D

[Barnone]

Yep, I almost pulled my trailer with it yesterday but used the DF instead to go to the garbage dump and get some off road diesel for my tractor. Was going to mow with the tractor but luckily it started raining.

The monkey bike is not registered, still waiting for the MSO. Just been riding it close to the cabin.

Same trailer that I use to pull with my Pitster Pro CT70 clone.

[Weldangrind]

I figured you'd hitch up the wagon eventually. :D

Please forgive my ignorance; I've never owned an oil burner. What is off-road diesel?

[Barnone]

I figured you'd hitch up the wagon eventually. :D

Please forgive my ignorance; I've never owned an oil burner. What is off-road diesel?
Off road diesel doesn't have road tax so is less expensive. It is dyed red and if you get caught using it on road you get a big fine.

[katoranger]

AKA Red Diesel, Farm Diesel.

Common in farming areas.

[Weldangrind]

Ah. Sounds like marked gasoline. Our farm gas is usually purple or orange. I've never seen marked diesel.

[katoranger]

I ran my chevette on red diesel a few times when we were running low. Squirt in a half gallon to get into town.

[culcune]

Same trailer that I use to pull with my Pitster Pro CT70 clone.

for all intents and purposes, same bike, and it definitely has the same engine, so it should have no problem--only the tiny bike pulling the trailer would look more Shriner's parade-ish :)

[Barnone]

Jim Tom Hedrick of the Moonshiners TV show pulling a trailer just like mine that I sold him.

[Barnone]

I ran my chevette on red diesel a few times when we were running low. Squirt in a half gallon to get into town.
They say that once you run off road diesel in a vehicle it is marked forever with the red dye.
$1,000 fine here in NC.

[Weldangrind]

I think my Dad once ruined the catalytic converter in a new Plymouth Voyager by running marked gas in it. I think it was still leaded in those days, which was 20 years ago.

He wouldn't admit it.

[Barnone]

The supplied mirrors were useless on the Monkey bike so I installed a bar end mirror.
Just one on the left gave me a good rear view.
Also removed the turn signal extensions, air injection system, and the charcoal canister.

[Weldangrind]

Properly China Rider modified.

[katoranger]

They say that once you run off road diesel in a vehicle it is marked forever with the red dye.
$1,000 fine here in NC.

Maybe, but I don't think anyone was looking for a diesel chevette. Car is long gone. 20 years ago.

I wouldn't do that today. The have high tech gadgets for detecting exhaust.

[Barnone]

Got the monkey hack and she is in the shop waiting for the battery charge. Real easy uncrate and put together. Almost nothing to do. Should have her fired up in a bit.
More photos at https://picasaweb.google.com/109138762249766144711/MonkeyBikes?authkey=Gv1sRgCPeah8mqlPzlfw
She is a semi auto so the wife is happy. No clutch lever like her ATV.

[Weldangrind]

So cool! What do you plan to haul in the hack?

[Barnone]

Monkeys and stuff. Had a nice ride between rain showers. Running good.

[culcune]

Monkeys and stuff

:) :)

This looks like it will be a fun bike. I wonder how the 110's power compares to the Skyteam's 125? Obviously the smaller one is hauling more weight at all times with the 'hack'--you being equal--but just something I was wondering. Can the sidecar be disconnected and the bike ridden by itself?


How big is the sidecar really? Is it just sized for monkeys?

[Barnone]

Looks like you could unbolt the sidecar but there is wiring that runs to the sidecar for the turn signals that might have to be cut or unplugged?
I'll take a look and report back.

A monkey is anyone riding in a sidecar. The passenger (sometime known as the "monkey") moves his whole body...
I can fit in the sidecar so that makes me a monkey.

[Barnone]

Hauling garbage to the dump in old number 50.

[Weldangrind]

How was the trailer behind the hack?

[Barnone]

She did just fine pulling the trailer. Really could not tell it was back there. I am still keeping her under 25 MPH for break-in. Probably will need another tooth or two on the engine sprocket.

Some slobs here cannot put their garbage in the dumpsters.

[culcune]

My son would not complain about the garbage if I had him take it out in that!

[Barnone]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zCdj30_w8U&feature=player_embedded

Fun at Deal's Gap aka the Dragon.

[Weldangrind]

Awesome! How much of the Tail did you ride?

[Barnone]

I rode up the Dragon to check on a crash at about Mile Marker 7 in TN (8 miles out of 11 total) and the road was blocked there with emergency vehicles (one fatality) so I turned around and rode back home. I was wondering why there was no oncoming traffic.

Probably about 80 miles total for the day. Ran out of gas but luckily I was not on reserve on the petcock so switched over and rode home.

The bike has surprisingly good performance for a 110 cc hack. Almost done with the break in so I can do some high speed (?) runs soon. Definitely can stand a tooth or two on the engine sprocket.

All my Chinese bikes have been geared too low. The Dong Fang DF250RTB is the worse in being geared too low. Changed the rear from a 45 to a 35 and probably could use a 30.
The Sky Team monkey sprocket also needs to be changed. You just about run out of first gear when you cross the intersection.

Oh, about four people here and on the net are ordering the monkey hack. I need to get a commission from the internet dealer. Still have not got the MSOs for the two monkey bikes.

[jjn]

I can see myself making dump runs with the little sidecar unit. We have no garbage pickup here, but the dump in Keaau is on the way to Hilo. Our dumps are 100% free. In the Seattle/Tacoma area, they had a $20.00 minimum charge, unless you were just bringing recycle stuff. We haul recycling, trash, and redeemable glass and plastic bottles and cans, and just do it when we are going somewhere anyway. The hauling capacity with this rig would be handy.

Let us know what a realistic cruising speed might be on that thing.

Of course, I don't know how that thing would do riding over hot, flowing lava!! We have a lava flow heading for Pahoa as I write. Pahoa is about 6-8 miles away. It is quite likely to cut Pahoa in half, and then cover the highway. That will cut off a bunch of folks in "lower Puna" from getting to Hilo for work, supplies, etc. They are working on two roads that haven't been used for a long time as alternative routes. But, if the flow crosses the highway, and makes its way to the sea, it will flow over both of these roads. Then, it's time for plan B. The people here are still recovering from hurricane Iselle, and now we have this.

[Barnone]

Flowing lava, WOW.

No garbage pickup here in the mountains unless you are a Cherokee. The tribe picks up for it's members. The dump is free for household garbage. Also have a place to recycle. Just took the bike crate angle iron and cardboard there today.

I need to get a GPS to check the speedometer before I can comment about cruising speeds.
Also need to add a tooth or two to the front sprocket.

[culcune]

Flowing lava, WOW.

Yes!! Double whammy coming right after a hurricane?!

[/QUOTE]

I need to get a GPS to check the speedometer before I can comment about cruising speeds.
Also need to add a tooth or two to the front sprocket.[/QUOTE]

Have you found a sprocket source? Are they simply Honda replacement/aftermarket parts?

[Barnone]

All three of the mini bikes have a 15 tooth front sprocket so I would like to add a tooth or two. All need to be geared up to make first gear last more than an intersection. I'm gonna check with trexuk over on mychinamoto for type of sprocket since he has been changing sprockets.

[Barnone]

Added a 17 tooth front sprocket to all the monkey bikes and that made first last longer than across the intersection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zCdj30_w8U&feature=player_embedded

[Weldangrind]

Was the top speed increased as well? There will be a point where the engine doesn't make enough torque to use the higher gearing, and I'm wondering if you're near it.

Awesome pic! The young lady looks like she's having a great day. Your Granddaughter?

[Barnone]

Weld,
She is a young friend that I promised a ride in my Ural but a guy came from FL with the asking price and it was sold before I could give her a ride. She now wants a longer ride.The neighborhood kids all love the monkey hack.

I'm still breaking the monkey hack in but have seen 42 MPH on my GPS app in my cell phone. I think she has a little more.

[jjn]

Barnone, how tall are you? Maybe they should make a CT clone available with a side hack?? You have a CT clone. How much roomier is the CT than they little monkeys?

[culcune]

That makes perfect sense--they have a 125cc DAX clone which competes head to head with the Skyteam DAX clone, but they could clearly differentiate and move more bikes if they added a side-car to their DAX, like this little Z50 replica version. More power and taller. I am relatively short at 5'7", so either of these would be fine for me, but I could imagine someone taller than me finding the little Z50 hack a little short, but riding a DAX with no problem.

There does seem to be a trend with 3 wheelers vs. 2 wheelers for many people nowadays, and while Ice Bear has a chopper-type 3 wheeler, and several models of scooter 3 wheelers, a taller DAX replica hack would fit the bill for those who might not like three wheel scooters (i.e. me) and don't particularly like 3 wheel chopper/cruisers (me, again), but would like a hack with more power than the 110 Z50 version (here I am again, but I would still ride the 110)...

[Barnone]

Barnone, how tall are you? Maybe they should make a CT clone available with a side hack?? You have a CT clone. How much roomier is the CT than they little monkeys?

I'm 5'11".

The CT70 clone is a lot more roomy than the Z50 clone however installing a hack on the CT70 would be much more difficult since it does not have a lower frame.

If you wanna play with a sidecar you can't beat the price of the monkey. It was about $1100 delivered.

[Barnone]

You could always add a bigger motor to the monkey hack but it seems to have plenty of power as is for what it is. Mine will run at least 42 GPS MPH with the 17 tooth, not sure I wanna go much faster on the hack.

I spend six months in the motorcycle riding heaven mountains of Western North Carolina where thankfully straightaways and traffic doesn't exist.

The other six months in South West Florida is a different story.

[culcune]

Those Lifan 140cc engines seem to be plentiful and low-cost ;) For about $1500, the Z50 sidecar and engine would allow me to commute to work and back (in theory--as long as it could maintain 55 for several miles) on one of those. I could deliver pizzas at night and on weekends (although I could do that with the 110)

[Barnone]

Took a cold ride to the Dragon this morning to have breakfast with some riding buddies.
Warmed up nicely on the way home.
She is topping out at 45 MPH GPS with the 17/32 gearing and 4.00-8 instead of the 3.50-8 tires. Practical cruise on level road is 35 MPH GPS. Speedometer is 5 MPH optimistic at 30 MPH indicated.

[jjn]

35 cruising speed isn't too bad. I could ride one to Hilo and back as long as I stayed on the shoulder of the highway. I am more leaning to a CT clone or a Bashon 200cc dual sport.

[culcune]

I would say the CT70 clone, jjn; less commitment moneywise, especially at $900. New sprocket will get it a little faster.

[BLACK DEATH]

My first post here, I have a 2013 skyteam flashback 125 4 spd clutch.
When it was all stock, around 45 mph was top speed.
What I found the issues were...
Stock exhaust has a catalytic converter which chokes it.
Stock carb is junk or was with mine as it isn't adjustable.
I added a free flowing exhaust & a 22/24mm mikuni clone carb.
It rips now and the speedometer says 65mph on flat ground.
This is with stock 15/29 gearing & 3.50-8" tires.
I put a 17 tooth front sprocket and still go 65mph with lower rpms on flat ground. I run out of room to see if it will go faster as the engine may not have enough power.

http://i672.photobucket.com/albums/vv86/filt166/58443823-2F03-4B2C-A695-02185543C6BA-510-0000015289CE50A6_zps536e7ba5.jpg

[Weldangrind]

Welcome!

That must be a hoot at 65!

[BLACK DEATH]

It is and what's funny is people have the funniest look seeing me pass them on this bike. Kids are amazed, people usually laugh....

[Barnone]

My first post here, I have a 2013 skyteam flashback 125 4 spd clutch.
When it was all stock, around 45 mph was top speed.
What I found the issues were...
Stock exhaust has a catalytic converter which chokes it.
Stock carb is junk or was with mine as it isn't adjustable.
I added a free flowing exhaust & a 22/24mm mikuni clone carb.
It rips now and the speedometer says 65mph on flat ground.
This is with stock 15/29 gearing & 3.50-8" tires.
I put a 17 tooth front sprocket and still go 65mph with lower rpms on flat ground. I run out of room to see if it will go faster as the engine may not have enough power.

http://i672.photobucket.com/albums/vv86/filt166/58443823-2F03-4B2C-A695-02185543C6BA-510-0000015289CE50A6_zps536e7ba5.jpg

Pretty much what I did to my ex Pitster Pro 125 CT70 clone as far as exhaust and carb but never saw 65 MPH GPS. Is your 65 MPH GPS or indicated? My Skyteam Z50 clone's speedometer is way way off, as much as 10 MPH at 55 mph indicated.

[Barnone]

I would say the CT70 clone, jjn; less commitment moneywise, especially at $900. New sprocket will get it a little faster.
The CT70 clone is more practical than the Z50 hack or Z50 monkey but the hack is more fun.

[BLACK DEATH]

I'm sure it's off as all motorcycles speedometer are off.
Never GPS it but on the stretch of a road at 45mph, I'm passing those cars like nothing.
Now maybe they are going slow but ill get my buddy to go side by side in his car and see.
What was your ct70 gearing & what exhaust & carb did you run.
Also these bikes run lean with a stock carb, a good dialed in aftermarket carb will bring that top end rpms.
Mine is dialed in and is no joke

[Barnone]

I have upped to a 17 tooth front sprocket from 15 on all three of my mini bikes. The speedometers are optimist by about 10 MPH at top end on all three. I get 55 MPH top speed GPS on the CT70 and Z50 clone and 45 MPH GPS on the Z50 sidecar rig.


I have tuned these minis in the past with pipes and carb/aircleaner mods and have not gained much in speed so I'm going to leave all three stock except for the front sprocket change.

Speedometer app on my cell phone mounted on the Z50 sidecar rig.

[BLACK DEATH]

Is your rear sprocket a 29 or more teeth?

[Barnone]

Is your rear sprocket a 29 or more teeth?

I'll have to check tomorrow.

[BLACK DEATH]

I'm pretty sure the st125-8a is running a 29 tooth rear gear.

[Barnone]

I'm pretty sure the st125-8a is running a 29 tooth rear gear.
Right 29 rear. So my Z50 clone gearing is 17/29 .

[Barnone]

Just got back from a 120 km ride to the Dragon and around the lake enjoying the last of the fall colors. Heading to FL for the winter on Friday.
I can see a lot more cruising at 35 MPH.

[jjn]

It just hit me that, does this little sidecar rig come with the same wheel on it as the bike it's attached to? Are the 3 wheels interchangeable? It'd guess not. That would certainly be convenient, as you could buy a spare wheel and tire and mount it on the rig somewhere.

Thanks for all your threads on your monkeys!!

[Barnone]

It just hit me that, does this little sidecar rig come with the same wheel on it as the bike it's attached to? Are the 3 wheels interchangeable? It'd guess not. That would certainly be convenient, as you could buy a spare wheel and tire and mount it on the rig somewhere.

Thanks for all your threads on your monkeys!!
Correction.
The rims appear to be the same.
You could carry a rim with tire mounted and the tools to replace it.
Why not just a tube? The split rim makes it easy to replace.

[BLACK DEATH]

Did a mph GPS test with my phone.
You are right, the gauge is off 5-10mph.
The gps showed -1mph different than my truck so it is dead on
Darn site won't let me upload from my phone a screen shot.
Against the light wind we had it was 58mph.
With the wind it was 60mph.
I need to put my rpm gauge on the engine also to see what rpms I am turning the 125
The 17/29 might be too much gear for top speed as the 125 might not have enough in it.
The 15/29 gearing got me the same or close to same mph per the gauge.
I should try a 16/29 but I don't do a lot of top speed runs all the time.
17/29 does keep,the rpms low through out the entire rpm range.
Also the speedometer gauge said about 65mph on it but at the angle we ride it may be higher and I'd rather look forward than down most of the time.
Either way I'm happy with 60mph.... For now... Haha

[ruans187]

Hi,
Im about to order a 125cc monkey bike "Stingray". Any idea of the mileage this engine can live to?


Thank you

[ruans187]

I am breaking in a DAX (Icebear 125cc) monkey and have 180 miles now.

The speedometer is off by 8-10 miles; and the most I get in the bikes speedometer is 44)...so about 34 mph... very bad it feels like is drowning.

DId I messed up by going full throttle at 150 miles in the speedo. I couldn't wait more,,,riding at 25-mph is almost impossible.
Where do I find a straight pipe for this bike, and sprockets?

Thank you

[Barnone]

Got this message when I tried to respond on mychinamoto "culcune has exceeded their stored private messages quota and cannot accept further messages until they clear some space."
So I am posting my reply here

"I am doing just great. Fixing to head to the mountains of WNC in a few weeks. Getting a late start this year because of health issues with one of my daughters but she is over the hump and doing just fine. She had a serious bout with Gillian-Barre syndrome.
I'll answer the question on chinarider in a few minutes. All my bikes are alive and well."

[Barnone]

I am breaking in a DAX (Icebear 125cc) monkey and have 180 miles now.

The speedometer is off by 8-10 miles; and the most I get in the bikes speedometer is 44)...so about 34 mph... very bad it feels like is drowning.

DId I messed up by going full throttle at 150 miles in the speedo. I couldn't wait more,,,riding at 25-mph is almost impossible.
Where do I find a straight pipe for this bike, and sprockets?

Thank you
Shouldn't have hurt the rig but I would take it easy on the motor for a while. I assume you put some decent oil in her.

Check the number of teeth on your front sprocket. I believe it is a 15 and I replaced mine with a 17 to get a bit more top speed. I wouldn't fool with putting a straight pipe on it.

My rig below
2013 Sky Team ST125-8A Z50 clone monkey bike front rear sprocket 17/29

Also I went a size up on the tires of the front and back which also helped the top speed and corrected the speedometer a bit.

Not a high speed vehicle. Only a 124 cc

[Barnone]

Just back from a nice ride on my monkey hack here in the mountains. She is running just fine and draws a lot of smiles!

[ruans187]

HI again, have 950 Km on my monkey bike now. I remember back when I posted that the bike felt like drowning, there was one day when the bike out of nowhere I was on the throttle almost all the way and started revving up and passed the 44 mph that couldn't pass before..ever since it does about 53mph.
How many Km you guys think until a valve clearance adjustment is needed?


Thanks

[Barnone]

Wow 53 MPH!
I did mine when I first got the bike and then at 500 km and 1000 km. Probably too often as not much adjustment was needed.

[culcune]

HI again, have 950 Km on my monkey bike now. I remember back when I posted that the bike felt like drowning, there was one day when the bike out of nowhere I was on the throttle almost all the way and started revving up and passed the 44 mph that couldn't pass before..ever since it does about 53mph.
How many Km you guys think until a valve clearance adjustment is needed?
Thanks

Couldn't hurt to do it now if the vertical 125 is anything like a scooter. I am intrigued by the Ice Bear's semi-auto trans. Can the Ice Bear use the same aftermarket sprockets as the Skyteam? Have you changed yours? Post photos and/or videos!

[Numbrseven]

I have a Harley, but I'm really wanting one of these monkey bikes with a sidecar now! My dad had a 50cc Piaggo scooter for a little while last year and I was so mad when he sold that thing. I loved it! He didn't understand why I would want to ride his dinky little scooter when I have a "real motorcycle" at home. I also have a collection of VW cars, so I guess I just have an attraction to dinky little toys LOL