Hey folks, been looking at going down memory lane for a little while now and finally pulled the trigger. Got a bone stock doodle bug with a whole 97cc of HP. Rode it a few times and not satisfied with the power at all. I've already bought a 212 and just dropped a few bucks to support the cause of the forum and to up the HP a little to haul my 180# frame around. Man I remember these suckers being a lot faster when I was a kid. With all I've read and the performance upgrades It sounds like I'm headed in the right direction. Thanks for having me on the forum
Welcome. The 212 will make you think your childhood bike was underpowered. Most of the old bikes I had were ungoverened 5 horse Briggs and Strattons. The gearing was also different. Many here are happy with the stock governed predator. I was for awhile but then the old need for speed kicked in and now I can fly my 210lb butt down the road at 48 mph. Not too shabby. With a gear change I would exceed 50.
Be careful and be safe
Be careful and be safe
Those are basic first step improvements. Even bone stock the predator will have a tendency to flip the bike if you're not careful. Gearing is everything. Its easy to whiskey throttle these bikes. I haven't dumped any of mine but my son spends alot of his time laying on the ground. I've also sent a few for a ghost ride across the yard and once into the garage wall. I'd slap your upgrade parts on but just respect the torque the 212 makes. You'll have a tough time wiping the grin off your face, they're a blast to drive. Check out youtube for doodlebug wheelies.
Be sure to post some pics when you can. These doodlebugs with the predator motor are fun riding bikes, just like everyone is saying though, don't underestimate its ability to throw you on your ass. I'd recommend looking into picking up a hydraulic brake, instant wheel locking stopping power. I have alot more confidence riding mine hard knowing I can stop real quick if I need to.
Best advice is to read as much of the forum as you can and absorb all the doodlebug and mini bike knowledge you can, before you know it this won't be intimidating at all! In a couple months I went from my First Doodlebug Upgrade to building another one into a Trike for the wife
Welcome to the fun!
Welcome to the fun!
Thanks for the insight jaysOn. Yeah I'm three days into this DB fun and can't wait for the mods to arrive! The guy I bought it from also had a go cart. Nice rig from what I seen. Guess his kids out grew it too. I'm already thinking about jumping on board with it too. For the wife of course! Actually she's been having a ball on the DB too. It's like it was built for her. Cute as a bugs ear riding it with a grin you can't scrub off
What year is that old Chevy ? Bike fits in there nicely...the main thing is to just have fun on that mini ! 
Hers another
BTW it's a 1936 with an LS and a 6 speed swap and full air ride suspension
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The jackshaft really shines on the 97cc engine. It makes it fun to ride. If I remember correctly my stock new style bike is hitting 38mph with a 60lb rider. Not too shabby. I also kept a jack shaft on my predator build. More for the shorter chain lengths with no tensioner needed. I also like the easy gear changes for dialing in a gear ratio. In my opinion though it's a waste of $120. for a 212. I say that because I have a mbx11 with a 212 that I use the split sprocket adapter on. It's harder to swap the gear halves but once you find the right ratio you probably won't ever change it. It's a balance between take off and high speed I'm looking for. Too high a gear ratio you lug the clutch on take off and end up cooking it. Too low of a ratio and you'll have a wheelie machine that'll toss riders. Both extremes are fun in their own ways, but reliability and liability dictate my desire for the happy compromise. In my pursuit of happiness I intended to keep the predator in modified stock form but I was constantly running up against the governor which caused an annoying surging and then cutting down at full speed which annoyed me. But that's what a governor does. So several more $100. bills later that bike rides the way I want.
I love the hydro brakes. One word of warning though. In my quest for speed I had a catastrophic failure which made me reconsider the hydro brakes. At speeds over 40 the pads melt, the rotor warped, and the caliber snapped one of the mounting ears off. I'd love to see somebody manufacture a billet caliber. That said I still run juice brakes on the jackshafted stock bike and the 212 mbx11. The crazy fast bike I went back to a properly adjusted mechanical brake with heavy duty pads.
I love the hydro brakes. One word of warning though. In my quest for speed I had a catastrophic failure which made me reconsider the hydro brakes. At speeds over 40 the pads melt, the rotor warped, and the caliber snapped one of the mounting ears off. I'd love to see somebody manufacture a billet caliber. That said I still run juice brakes on the jackshafted stock bike and the 212 mbx11. The crazy fast bike I went back to a properly adjusted mechanical brake with heavy duty pads.