Taipan, Banshee or F1

[deskitz]

Hi all,

I've very much new to all this and have been reading a number of threads to find out the pros/cons of each bike type.

I've started looking at the Banshee and Taipan, and from what i've read on this site, more people seem to favour the Banshee? Although it seems a few mods on the Taipan can get it similar to a Banshee, although the money spent on this could get you a banshee?
The only thing I can think of, for something with this much power (Banshee), would it lack down low and thus be slow on a small go-kart track? I really don't know how much variation you get in terms of handling, but is there any between these bikes?

And how do either of these bikes match up against an F1?

And lastly, what are the price ranges for these bikes if I were to buy them new?

Cheers!

[GLEN #159]

welcome...

[racer182]

hi mate how are you
i just bought myself a blata rep...
is it fantastic.... but as i only got to ride it
for about 5 minutes cos the clutch threw and pad off... ( but there known
for doing that) now i am waiting for my new clutch...
but anyway the 5 minutes i rode it.. it was the best.. i have a 6.2 hp cag with head kit and i thought that was fast.. but dam.. this blata rep was quick...
they are chinese so there are thing that can go wrong... so im in the process of fixing all the problems. but other that that... the reps and great...
but i guess if had to do it all over again.. i would pay alittle more and get a banshee sho....
hope this helps you decide mate....

[deskitz]

Cool, thanks Racer, its a good start!
Also, i hear hydraulic brakes are all the rage - are cable brakes that bad, or is a conversion relatively easy?

How is it the clutch went so quickly? Do most PBs suffer this?

[racer182]

nah... ya normal cag wont suffer from a stuffed clutch that fast... my clutch in my cag have been good for about 2 years... and still going pretty good..
the reason for the blata rep clutch poo-ing it self is.. the clutch pad are prone to cracking and the bonding is not so good... thats what i heard anyway... but i really didnt think they would go that fast... but hey im getting a new clutch now that is rated to 16hp... and i dont think i'll go over that hp.. so this cltch will be good for me...

[ALDOS]

Banshee is the better bike. Taipen, cracking frames are common. F1, Ok but not as well built as banshee. With chinese bikes there are a few things that need doing to get them going better:
1. Set squish to .5mm ($10-$20 for gasket kit)
2. replace reeds with fibre glass/cardon reeds ($35)
3. replace carby with Delorto 18mm ($115-$150)
4. Upgrade/reline clutch. Maylands got them for about $80.

Look in the for sale sections on a few pocket bike forums and you may pick up a bargain banshee with the work already done....

[Tz Performance]

Blata Origami, even better!

[racer182]

hey tz.... would be nice to have a blata origami...
but some of us poor sapps cant afford one hey..
but i would really like one...
maybee when i will the lotto...
but i can see that happening

anyway.. do you have any vids of you riding you blata...
on youtube or something

[deskitz]

haha, yeah the genuine stuff is real appealing, but, as has been said in another thread, and as i've found out far too often, you get what you pay for!

Thanks for the input guys, and to Aldos for the tips on the base modifications. At the moment i'll look out for a Banshee.

If i go looking at bikes (2nd hand, in Melbourne) is there anyone who can help me out with testing/inspecting the bikes? Or any tips as to what to look for when inspecting?

Also where do the track days normally happen? what are the most popular tracks in Melbourne?

[racer182]

hey mate... there are a couple of banshee's for sale on ebay at the moment...