The most exciting part of the build so far -- the engine!

A nice fresh rebuild with the best bearings on the market. The rebuild was super smooth, and I cant wait to rip this thing and show it off!

Of course the engine will be better though when I'm twisting the throttle. This is a Minarelli v1, 50cc moped engine that has been rebuilt and features the cutting edge ceramic hybrid bearings from the great folks @ Boca Bearings. It's almost too ridiculous how smooth these bearings roll in the engine.

Ceramic bearings need to be installed with a shop press, specifically by pressing the inside race. They went in with ease.

Now I will admit, I was wrong initially about whether the bearing shields needed to be taken out. After researching and discussing my concerns with the reps at Boca, I went ahead and removed the shield from the internal facing side of the bearing. Even though they are internally greased bearings, this is definitely a precautionary measure needed to be taken. I keep the engine stock for the most part, purposely to truly show the gains from using these bearings.

Obviously a hop'd up motor will be fast but I was worried that would overshadow the natural benefits of a ceramic bearing upgrade.

The next step of course will be completing the build, ripping the throttle wide open, then sending the bike down to Florida to live its life at the Boca Bearings complex!