Bike in a box. A winters project a Skyteam Ace

Being in the grip of a cold winter on this side of the world. The garage takes over instead of riding around on icy roads.

An advert in a local motorcycle magazine caught my eye. A Skyteam ACE 125 delivered to your door in a box for bit more than half the price of on fully assembled from a shop. A couple mates have also bought one as well with the idea of modifying them for more speed. Most likely we will go down the same path as AVA motorcycles and put a 250 engine in place of the 125. These things a tiny at 90kg with a full tank of fuel.

Like Mad Ass's. The hot up bits cost less than a carton beer. This make a nice change after European bike prices.

Said box arrives after 3500 km on the back of a semi trailer and cross a small ocean to arrive at my garage.



Yep, there is a bike inside that tiny box.


After removing the packing frame.


Had a laugh at this.


Front wheel on.


On its own wheels. Looks like it ready to go, Not really.


I have the 303 kit from OOracing. With a smaller rear sprocket, CDI and new needle & jet. The muffler has to be hack sawed off and CAT removed (+3 hp) and more racy muffler. Need some of piggy back shocks from Ebay. Well you probably get the idea.

I would check all the nuts & bolts.
-ADD GREASE
-Check tire's for pressure
-Drain oil
-Drain brake fluid
-Replace spark plug
-ADD GREASE x2!
-Replace chain
-Replace engine
-...

It's Chinese =/ Honda!

Still like the honda Dream 50 dual overhead cam engine more!

Good luck with it!

I fully understand the Skyteam is Chinese and is a mixed bag in a quality. I don't plan to ride the bike across country. It is more about having a bit fun during the winter months in the garage.

Funny it doesn't look a thing like the Sachs Madass, but it looks like it has the Lifan 125 OHV clone of the Honda CG125 engine. Those engines, (according to BigMoth..) are supposedly real durable engines. But can they rev up?

this will be good to follow, perhaps a supertrapp silencer? for a small bike like this would really recommend Michelin Pilot Sporty tyres had them on my supermoto they were great in the dry and in the wet.

That's a cool little bike.

The importer said the engine is from Loncin and is their copy of a Honda CG125. Loncin is the same factory that makes the engines for the BMW F800gs. They also make small single cylinder 4 strokes for Yamaha and Honda.

From threads that I have read about the ACE. Most have surprised by the reliability and some have blown up in a couple hundred miles. I guess the Ace is about the same quality as a Mad Ass. The Mad Ass also seems to real hit and miss in the engine department. Only time will tell if my bike is a grenade.

I think the secret with all small engines is change the oil often. The sump on the ACE only holds 1L (1qt) So no hard ship in changing the oil.

Out of the box. There is no other way to say it. The little Ace is gutless, and is strangled with EPA gear & cat in the exhaust. Top speed out of box is 80 kph (50 mph). With EPA and cat removed from the header pipe. Add the hot kit from OOracing. The blokes at OOracing have got 130 kph (85 mph ) on a dyno. In real life that would be more like 110 kph (70 mph) down hill.

The 303 Kit from OOracing

MORE! I'd be interested in seeing how this turns out

You have a link to a site where you ordered the bike from? Sounds good fun!

I bought the bike in box from Ikonik motorcycles in Perth WA. They have ads in Motorcycle trader. $1695 for the bike and $125 delivery Aus wide. Or from the website here. You can buy one fully assembled from a dealer for $3000

http://ikonikmoto.com.au/demo/index..._id=90&zenid=b0348b9d1d45a5206f29cff91b36fc28

I've got a 125cc OHC horizontal clone engine in a Honda Cub, it's not without some small problems, the main one being it doesn't have a 5 speed gearbox, and the jump between 3rd and 4th gears being a bit wide. The countershaft and rear wheel sprocket gearing is almost perfect otherwise.

Does the Loncin come with a 5 speed box? I know the vertical cylindered Lifans are 4 speed up to the 150cc.

I've found that both of my clone engines like having an intake tuning tube between the carb and air-cleaner. It loses a small amount of bottom end, but adds a considerable amount boost to the mid and high rpm range. You do have to play with the jetting if you do this mod, at least with Stateside engines because they all seem set up a bit lean.

The Loncin is a 5 speed box. From what I have read, the Ace is set up really lean as well. I have a larger jet to go in the carb. I have also made a blanking plate for the side of the engine to remove the EPA gear to meet Californian requirements.

The Ace air box is not suppose to be that bad. It seems the HP loss is the CAT imbedded in the header pipe. Removing that gives an extra 3 HP.

"Racing Super Battle Creative Factory Posh C.D.I."



OK, I have to see what happens with this.

what is the carb a copy of? I know from pitbike tuning that even a unset up mikuni will produce a good 2bhp more than a well set up copy due to the tolerances of the quality in its production so when a mikuni is set up well its a big difference in responce

It looks like a copy of Keihin. The brand an model is Deni gpz26. Today, I replaced the main jet (90) with a 95 and idle jet (38) with a 45.

Removed the pollution stuff



Attached a blanking plate



Plugged in the new CDI



Replaced the standard 38 tooth rear sprocket with a 34 tooth JT sprocket.



If you are playing along at home. Make sure the JT brand mark is on the inside of the wheel. The sprocket cir clip needs to refitted and only works the JT brand mark is on the inside.

Cool looking bike. Does it have a compliance plate?

Yes it does. Can be rego'd in any state in Aus. Being built from a box. The bike needs a road worthy done to make sure you put the wheels in the right place. The rego place has the vin number logged on their system when the bike is shipped out from Ikonik.

Some of my previous "Some Assembly Required" projects.

Before. 83' Yamaha XT600 Tenere



After



Before. 1988 Moto Guzzi Mille GT



After

Thats friggin magic!

When I move closer to work I might pony up for one. Replace the stickers with some Honda ones, do the mods you have done and chuck on some Michelin M45's like I had on my Postie bike.

I love how much you save just by putting on a wheel and a mud guard.

That would pay for insurance, rego and parts with money to spare.

Hi Just Dan,

As a fellow Ace rider, thought that I would just share some of my observations as well. As you can see from the piccies, I have modified my ace by putting on the sports exhaust, uprated shocks, clip on bars, bigger jet etc, and recently put on the front number board, and smaller sprocket which makes a heck of a difference. Now, it will happily cruise everywhere at 65mph and have managed a genuine 74mph on an incline (verified by my sat nav) Really enjoying riding it and still getting loads of attention. Have done approx 1300 km and the engine is getting stronger. enjoy!
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[pic]http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y422/herbertd49/P6150016_zps01267814.jpg[pic]
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There a few closet ACE owners out there. I sort have gone back to stock. I did have 34 th sprocket and found it too tall for my hilly area. I have replaced the Deni carb with a 26mm Mikuni. Hack sawed the exhaust and dug out the CAT. Re welded the exhaust.

Have not had a chance to ride the bike due to in the grips of winter.

I like the chrome exhaust. Is just a standard exhaust without the CAT? I don't think we have them over here.

Mikuni Carb