Motorized Bicycle Fuel Mixture

by TLCaver

57K1232

Intro: Motorized Bicycle Fuel Mixture

In order to keep your motorized bicycle running well, you need a proper fuel mixture. This will increase the lifespan of all of the parts involved, as well as lubricate certain parts as well. The mixture consists of 2-stroke oil, and 91 octane gasoline. The oil will flow through the same parts as the gasoline, lubricating them along the way. The oil will lubricate the gas tank shutoff valve, the carburetor, and the inside of the engine (the pistons). During the combustion process, a majority of the oil, after lubricating the cylinder, will be burned off. The remainder will run through and drain out of the exhaust.

STEP 1: Gather Materials

Materials Required:

You will need:

A Gas container

A funnel

Gasoline

2-Stroke Oil

And of course a motorized bike.

STEP 2: Purchase Gasoline

This step is fairly simple- head to the gas station and purchase gasoline. 91 octane gasoline is ideal, however, 89 or 87 will work just fine. Before purchasing gasoline, determine how much you will need. The average motorized bicycle kit uses a 1/2 gallon tank, so a gallon will fill up two tanks. The bike also goes 150 mpg, so a gallon should last a fairly long time. Keep in mind that oil deteriorates while it is mixed with gasoline, so only mix the amount of oil you need.

In this demonstration, I will be mixing one gallon of fuel. I will fill up an empty gas container with one gallon of 91 octane gas.

STEP 3: Purchase Oil

Oil is relatively easy to purchase, and inexpensive as well. A trip to your local automotive store will normally yield results- most stores have two stroke oil. The oil I am using is Lucas Oil 2-Stroke oil, which is blue. A majority of 2-stroke oil is blue, however, you will occasionally find other colors.

STEP 4: Determine the Amount of Oil to Mix

The method for determining the amount of oil to mix is simple. A new bicycle, for the first 450 miles (3 tanks of gas) should use a mixture of 16:1- 16 parts gasoline to 1 part oil. A broken-in bicycle will use a 20:1 ratio.

I am using one gallon of fuel. This means that I will need 1/20 of a gallon of 2-stroke oil, which is about 7 oz.

STEP 5: Creating the Mixture

This step, while easy, can be messy. Be sure to do this in a well ventilated area, away from any hazardous ignition sources. You are going to need to pour the necessary amount of oil into your gas container, then mix it up. This can easily be done by using a funnel. Once you have poured the oil in, close the container tightly, then swirl it around to mix the oil. DO NOT put the oil directly into the gas tank and mix it there- this could lead to inconsistency in the mixture, and inject only oil or only gasoline, which would not be good for the bicycle in any case.

STEP 6: Pour in Gas Tank and Use!

Finally, fill up your gas tank to the desired amount. The resulting fuel mixture should look mostly clear, with a slight hint of the color oil you are using. Now, use the bicycle as normal, with confidence that the proper fuel-oil mixture will keep the bicycle running smoothly!

19 Comments

Markh14 2 years ago

If you don’t have a bottle with a cheat sheet
on the back just make a mental note or these days a note on your phone of how many ounces is in a gallon. Which is 128
What ever ratio you want to know such as 16:1 just divide 128 by 16 which will give u the amount of ounces per gallon this case would be 8 ounces of oil

chriskonsul83 4 years ago

I mixed 3 ounces of 50 to 1 to a half gallon of gas and rode about a mile till I seen this page.i drained the tank now and am dropping the bowle on the carb.did I screw up my project? Its only the second tank and so what should my mix be for 1 gallon of gas?

corey.noble 4 years ago

I hope this helps I am a 30 Year Mech and worked exclusively on 2 Strokes for 5 of those years,( commercial chainsaws for lumbers, weed eaters for gardeners and 2 stroke lawn mowers for lawn maintenance professionals) the fuel to oil ratio thing can be confusing but it is simple the first part is-fuel second part-oil (Fuel:Oil)(Gallon:Ounce), before modern day synthetic oil we used 30 weight oil no additives not 5w30 just 30 weight no ADDITIVES, if you were really good and knew what you were doing, old oil from kitchen grease strained through cheesecloth a whole different blog (don't try that at home... unless you know your stuff or are brave) SO to break it down 50:1 has less oil a greater risk at destroying your engine than 30:1, so you are safer running a LOWER FIRST NUMBER... if you motor MOO's low pitch to much FUEL/OIL not enough air!!! If you engine SQUEALS HIGH PITCH, High IDLE TO Much AIR/TO LITTLE OIL not enough fuel (I CAUTION YOU "HIGH PITCH, WITH HIGH HEAT YOUR FUEL NEEDS MORE OIL, ALWAYS< I SAY ALWAYS ERROR ON THE SIDE OF TO MUCH OIL-FOULING PLUGS, PLUGGING EXHAUST WITH OIL, THE other side is not enough oil and scouring or seizing your cylinder for lake of lubrication or to much heat,WILL DESTROY YOUR ENGINE) a little Mooing is good here is a link with more information, check out this site it is not mine but a good one https://www.goldeagle.com/tips-tools/2-cycle-oil-mix-calculator-chart/

Thresa65 4 years ago

I don't understand all this 16:1 and stuff how many fluid oz of oil do I mix to one gallon of gas please

Jackthe15yearoldmechanic 4 years ago

If you look on the back of the label underneath where it says 16:1, there will be number of gallons, 1 gallon you would need so many fl. oz. of 2-cycle oil, the you need to put all of the oil you need into your 91 octane gasoline, shake the gas up for 30-45 seconds and then pour into your gas tank. Should run great

ThomasG221 7 years ago

Is there any reason why 91 octane fuel is better?

Thresa65 4 years ago

How much oil do I use to mix a gallon of gas

Jackthe15yearoldmechanic 4 years ago

Go to the top where you have your ratios and figure out which one you need, then you need to go onto the left side where it says number of gallons, for you, it would be the very top line, all you would need to do is put that much oil into your gas, shake it up for about 30-45 seconds and then pour it into your gas tank. Should run just fine

TheNecromancer13 6 years ago

20:1 is way too much oil. It will burn dirtier and foul up your spark plugs. I run 24:1 break in and 40:1 after that, and I know people that run 50:1 without any issues.

BobBorq 4 years ago

Hi, I bought the 80cc kit for my mountain bike and just got it put together, I went and bought a can of premixed gas and oil from Home Depot, not knowing I got a can of 40:1 and coming home looking up instruction seeing I need 16:1 for breaking in for first 500 kilometers and 20:1 after.
Now can I just add gas to premixed? Or should I return can and just mix my self?
Thanks sorry for the long drawn out question..lol..

Racin8de 5 years ago

I know opinions differ from just about everyone that owns or maintains a 2 stroke 80cc Chinese Motorized bicycle,however most of these folks recommend 87 octane and NOTHING above.The reason being is 87 octane ignites or a faster flashpoint than the higher Octane fuels.So me being curious decided to pick up a gallon of the 93 Octane which I mix 40 to 1 or about 3 ounces of oil.What a mistake, I could barely get the pig ( 80cc 2 stroke) to start, it ran absolutely horrible. With that said, drained my tank, blew the motor out, fresh tank of 87 Octane and now she rides like the first day I rode it... Just my two cents

TerryH130 5 years ago

Did your engine even fire?

Racin8de 5 years ago

Yes, I state my motor runs like the first day I rode it.. Shes still running strong, in fact I took my bike for a 10 mile ride this morning..The motor runs excellent

acheide 7 years ago

Nice instructions. Some engines like my chain saw use a 50:1 gasoline to oil ratio.

Thanks.

Swansong 7 years ago

Thanks for sharing :)