So, im starting my first project moped. I think i want to do a ZA50 with a 60 cc athena kit. do you guys recommend this kit? What carb should i use with this? Im not sure if i can handle tuning a PHGB carb. What carb will yield good power, but wont be so complicated to tune? A 16.16 SHA Dellorto is what i was thinking. Opinions would be greatly appreciated.
also, do you guys think a ZA50 with this kit would still be reliable? i just dont want to put too much stress on the tranny.
It will eat those gears.
Most people on this forum say do Not kit a ZA50 because the gears cannot handle the extra HP.
really? so then i should probably just get a 50cc kit with larger ports. can the ZA handle the power that that will put out? it will be more power than stock, but not 60cc power.
plenty of people have kitted 2-speeds. its not as stout as an e50, but wait until some of them respond before you make a decision. i think you would be fine with the athena on the ZA.
I know a guy that kitted his za50 and has been gps'd at 64mph. he hasn't had any problems.
yeah, there are 2 peoples in pittsburgh with polini ZAs. and they dont have any problems that i know of.
I have a Polini on a ZA50 and it works great. About 800 miles on it so far. I doubt a 60cc Athena is gonna tear one up.
the za is a very difficult engine to disassemble and rebuild correctly, most people who open them up, fuck them up. There are several parts in a za, which after 30 years are shot. The outside case bearings sit above the oil level, so if the bike sits in a garage for 20 years without being run, the bearings will pit and sieze up. The shift damper bushings also harden with age, these can be replaced with hard rubber rod, epoxy poured into chunks of hose, etc.
for these reasons, in order to kit a za, you really ought to rebuild it. if you think you are up to the challenge of doing a proper rebuild, go for it, if you just traded in your skateboard for a moped, cause its the new thing, and you want an easy slap on 40 mph, you will probably blow your shit up.
it sounds like you have a good attitude about it so far, so do a little more reading. If properly built, that 2 speed can take 10 horsepower, but if there is anything wrong inside, it will scatter and you can join the throngs of retards screaming 'dont touch it, it will break'
here's the guide i made a couple years ago, it will give you a better idea of whats involved
http://people.msoe.edu/~motzingg/za50/za50.html
good luck
hmm, i dont think i trust myself to rebuild a ZA without fucking it up. Do you guys know of anybody who i can pay to do it. i hate to be the douche that doesnt work on his own stuff, but i really dont want to fuck up my engine. Do the guys at 1977 rebuild?
bump
i have a kitted za with a gilardoni. I went 55 when i siezed. theres still no play in the crank and its still magically delicious.
dont believe the hype, kit a za (but make sure its clean)
he maitland, is your gila totally dead?
So, if i can find a bottom end that is in good working condition, i should be all right, then?
where can i find seals and bearing for the ZA bottom end? i think im going to do this. or, if someone can rebuild it for me.
I'm about to put a 70cc athena non-reed setup on mine. I'm gonna use a different kind of atf in the gearbox. Modern viscosity technology ain't what it was in '79. I know I've been able to squeeze 350hp out of the Saab 900"s vulnerable 5speed manual gearbox(1986). 150,000 accumulative miles between 2 different cars, the only change was the fluid I used. if tthe molecules are all the same size , and the viscosity stays constant under a broader range of temperature and pressure, it'll be like the gears never actually make contact. But I haven't had the case apart on mine. I dont know how it operates. I've been an auto mechanic for years, but this is my first ped!
By the way thanks for the info on the race crank, or lack there of Zack!
i didnt mean lack of info......i mean thank you for informing me there are none available yet....i swear, sometimes i come off rude!
I've kitted them before. I plan to go the Gilardoni route on it next. But with a roller crank. I don't see any problems. Hell I have one bike that would do a neutral drop. If anything was going to shred the gears then it should have. Its currently waiting for me to have time to take it apart and fix the problem.
I wouldn't recommend you take one apart unless you have the proper tools to do the job. Just find a good one and go from there.
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