At Last, Found The Problem! Most Powerfull 50cc Here I Come! 

I just like to meme in the comments usually about how happy I am that you've posted again, but this is not only one of my favorite channels to watch, and one that provides me with a lot of personal motivation, but also one of the most wholesome too. We all go through these internal struggles, and your willingness to talk about it reminds us we're not alone in that. Neither are you. Thanks for sharing, and I'm glad you're doing better.

This is the type of bloke that I'd go to the pub with, honest and can admit when wrong,but always willing to try and try even harder to succeed. Top man.

Taking time off and focussing on mental health is important !

Thanks for sharing mate. Coming from my own household where things have been not be acknowledged its rare to see anyone being so honest about their experience. you're a brave man. This is the only channel I have notifications on for. keep up the good work 🙏🙏

My guy. THANK YOU for sharing this. I went through something very similar a while back. My journey took me through therapy, and finally I found medication that turned me back into...me. In no way did you have to share this with us, but I am so glad you did. Men don't talk about this enough. If you are afraid that the darkness will come back, maybe find a therapist before that happens. I waited until I was very, very deep in. I wish I had started years before :) in the meantime, I am so glad to hear that you are feeling better, your relationship is on the rebound, and that the engine is coming along, too :D

as a truck driver who is alone with his thoughts 99% of the time , thanks for sharing your struggle with us . keep up the good work on the most powerful 50 cc 2 stroke ever

Keep on keeping on fella. We're all here for you, rooting for all the success you deserve. We're also glad to hear that things are starting to look (and feel) healthier for you too! I wish you all the very best the future can give you fella! 🤞👍 😎🇬🇧

I have never been so happy to hear someone i dont know talk about their mental health and family dynamics! Even if you were obviously uncomfortable doing so. I am very glad you feel better and have a healthy relationship again. Also, i wont be skipping ads to help you have more security!

What an episode!!! A couple of years back my life fell into pieces because of not being emotionally attached to what I did, myself or others, including my fiancee. I know exactly what you feel and I'm happy you embarked on that personal journey before it was too late. My word of caution would be that it's easy to fall back on old habits, so keep working that new trail so it doesn't get overgrown again. Don't get complacent, life is HARD and you can choose between hard because of avoidant behaviour or hard because of grabbing the bull by the horns. The latter feels much better in the long run.

Alex, those who’ve been watching you for the past several years will always be here.. the stigma of a man being all manly is the reason why we can’t express feelings. Being honest and true to yourself will always resonate with people. Keep up the great work mate. Love all your work!

Super Happy for you that your relationship ist getting better and that you two are growing as people, getting better at communicating. Had to learn that in my relationship aswell. Very important!

I can't believe how clearly you articulated what is going on inside my brain. That "trying to connect as hard as I can, but not having it in me" is unbelievably relatable. THANK YOU! for being so vulnerable and emotionally intelligent to share. Also, congratulations on your progress on all fronts. We're rooting for you.

You know, the world needs more people just like you. That out of the square, high and low driven creativity and the insight into the emotional and intellectual energy you bring to the project helps and inspires us all. The way you deal with the failures which are inevitable on the path to success, is a valuable lesson. Your open hearted and honest introspection makes your contributions all the more valuable. Your videos are beautifully filmed with superb musical choices. Watch out for the signs of depression ( or as it known here in Australia, the black dog) It can affect the finest minds. Continue to surf on the creative highs. So A big hug from the antipodes, keep fighting the good fight. You are winning.

Woohoo! Way to go Alex! Conquering personal struggles and now mechanical. Thanks for sharing your struggles with the world. We all support you and are happy to see you back to doing your thing.

Make the rotary housing from cast iron, the graphite in it will reduce friction greatly, and it's also easy to machine. Maybe you could find old brake discs that are suitable blanks for machining? It's also less bendy, so you should have less sealing problems.

Probably the best honest, most wholesome video I have ever seen. Never did I think that my love for 2 stroke engines would lead me to a person like you. These videos mean so much to me....... both in a mechanical/fabrication sense and personally as a good friend that communicates so well. Props to 2stroke stuffing!

I've been going through the exact same mental issues as yourself! I had to show my wife the start of your video just so she understands what's going on in my head. I couldn't explain it very well to her but the way you described it made sense to her. So when you said hopefully this may help someone just know you've helped me and my relationship!! Onwards and upwards keep pushing through and we will keep the darkness away. Thank you for your years of content and future years to come.

Just a simple check is the rotation of the engine in line with the rotary valve , so it's not opening when it should close and closing when it should open , some times it's the simple things we forget. Glad you have sorted your mental health and can focouse on life. Man I know the struggle night shift work gets you stops you from being who you are and enjoying life

That's awesome man, I have very recently started therapy for that same reason. Not only is it affecting my own marriage but also that "wall" is blocking me from accessing my own creative energy, which, as a musician, is not a good thing at all! I am really glad that you share these things in your videos. It's super important for people, especially men, to talk about these things. All the best to you and I am sure you will have this rotary intake sorted soon!

As a man that has struggled with mental health for most of my life and currently going to gruop therepy, it is nice that you talked about it and told as much as did. Mental health is very important and is not talked about enought around regular men. So big props to you and cait wait to how the engine is gonne perform when you get it going :)

You aren't alone homie. I'm the same age as you, and most of my life I didn't realize anything was wrong, in the past decade I've realized that if most people's emotions can be described as a swing of +10 to -10, and I'm usually only feeling about half of that, with the rare occasion something odd really throws me a curveball. What's really made me come around to it being a mental health issue, my kid was recently confirmed by a psychiatrist as having ADD, and as aid in understanding it, he sent us a link to a video from a conference he attended about it. The lecture in it caused me to spend half an hour crying in my kitchen, not due to it pertaining to my kid, but validating every struggle I've had in the last 30 years. Made me realize that may be all these failings aren't just because I'm a hopeless lumpy, but because there is something wrong with me, that it turns out is super common, and very treatable, I've just never been treated. Emotions and mental health are weird. Sorry this was a bit of a novel, it's been a weird month for me since all this came to light.

Alex, you are and have been for quite some time been one of my absolute favorite channels. The educational side and your skill in videography mixed with the likeable person you are is rare and much appreciated! Thanks for sharing, and keep on doing what you're doing. From the Dane in Sweden

So good to see you doing better mentally and I actually really appreciated the sharing. I've been having some troubles myself lately and just hearing you describe what happened made me feel a bit more hopeful, so it did help someone.

This is exceptional. Well done for talking so candidly about the issues you have been facing so very refreshing to see. A great example. Thank you

I am so glad that you took some time to get your head right. People often don't understand that men often suffer more than they will ever say, but as a sufferer of PTSD I can certainly relate to having those demons inside your head. I struggle nearly every day with my condition, but I push forward and live my life as best I can. And my weekly routine of sitting down to breakfast on Saturday mornings to watch your videos helps ME chase those demons out of my head. I'm so happy that you have sorted your relationship issues, and chased that darkness out of your head. Love your work mate, keep it up!

I have massive respect for you doing this video, the first part cannot of been easy, I could not have done it! for you to take time out and start your self healing in such a short time is amazing and shows you your inner strength. I have never met you but I am rooting so hard for you, I think because it is plain to see you are a good guy with a lot of passion for what you do. Give your partner loads of time and attention and talk freely about everything and I hope and pray you will get fully back on track.

Good to hear you're feeling better! Mental health is no game... Let's goooooo! ♥️

Thank you for your honest words - very strong of you to discuss such a delicate manner in such a harsh environment like the internet. I have been watching a while now and never commented - really enjoyed that first segment of the video. Welcome to your inner peace. love from germany

Credit to you for being so open, I think it's important for us all to check in on our mental well-being every so often, it's far too easy to just get stuck in a bad pattern of thought, you've definitely helped some people ✌️

So glad to see this video Alex. Also glad you took a week off and had a breakthrough after the darkness. I appreciate your honesty about that too. I think most of us bury things out of necessity only to have them pop up at the most inconvenient times. It’s like when you realize things that were normal in your family when you were growing up weren’t actually normal for anyone else. Anyway. Glad you’re working through things. Also… Great to see the 50cc spring to life after removing the rotary valve. That was a real head scratcher.

Top man for admitting struggles and persisting with the project, amazing content, such an interesting mind and trail of thought.look forward to whatever you post next, whatever it be .

Some times we break, break open.. Love your story, what a feeling to break open and let go of the protective resistance and blockage. Open for pain and love and everything all at once. Happy for you, and proud of you that you are sharing and daring to stay authentic and raw with us all. Real power! I got touched by listening to you

Glad you took the time to work things out with yourself, and your relationship, it facilitates a lot more energy and piece of mind to be able to focus. You’re most definitely not the only one!

SUPER happy for you!! And so glad to see you making videos again :) I was actually worried for you when you didnt post a video! But kept my hope up everything would be okay for you! Thanks for the awesome work you put in to entertain us!

Thanks for sharing! I'm glad that you found some clarity and was able to turn the situation on to a more positive route! Awesome that you found the problem! 👏 Mental state seems to be key when problem solving. Otherwise, it's just a great way to get even more frustrated 😅 Thanks for the great content!

your best video yet. thank you for being so real, and raw. your genuineness is so refreshing to find. thank you, good sir. carry on.

Thank you! I am going to take a time out and reconnect with myself. I guess the feeling flowing through you is a kind of wide thankfulness for everything - you made me feel that thankfulness and it gave me a big, deep, and warm smile.

Glad to hear communication solved the issue and you got some time to reflect. Glad to hear also that you are not experiencing burn out after all this time creating content non stop, that's amazing. Thanks for the amazing content my man, keep it up, we're all rooting for you

Well done for sharing your feelings with us pal , these recordings must be a huge portion of your life and is good to accommodate that and be able to discuss it with all of us

I’m a fan of your content and find it very interesting as a 2stroke enthusiast as well as racing, tuning, and mechanical engineering in general. In a sea of trash to cull through I find You and what you do totally legit and high caliber for RU-vid!! Sharing the personal insights in this video the way you did was outstanding. I’d find it probably more difficult than I could do. Personally I think this is primarily a technical type content but I hope you will be rewarded for sharing the personal experience and feelings. keep up the good Wk! I look forward to future speed record video content in the future.

Hi. This is the second video of yours I’ve watched. The first 4 minutes of this video hit home hard. I can relate 100 % to what you’re saying. You put it into words that I understood and words that I haven’t been able to put together for myself to hear. I truly appreciate you sharing your thoughts and I’m glad for you that you’re heading in the right direction. Sincerely

Thank you so much for your honesty and sharing talking about it. It is much appreciated. Also so excited to see this make big power! 😁

Such a positive reaction, and a learning curve. It is so easy to push the ones you love away and shut yourself off emotionally. Now it is important to prevent it happening. I didn’t say it was easy, but try to set yourself goals that will be achievable, including some of the hard ones! With success safety and sense of worth come hand in hand. Well done!

Glad to see you back at it! I know it's easier said than done, but try to stay positive. Dealing with depression is no joke, and I've dealt with it practically my whole life so I can relate.

Complete understanding with how you've been feeling recently. Sometimes you need to walk away from things to see more clearly. Always enjoy watching your work.

thank you for talking about mental health. Feelings werent talked about in my household and now i am having to figure it out. I am glad you were able to come to an understanding yourself.

Thank you for sharing your personal stuff with us... I also have mental health issues on my mom's side of the family and personally suffer a bit... Professional help can be an amazing thing... I remember sort of reinventing the wheel in the dark, Trying to figure out what was going on by myself and having the help of a professional was sort of like somebody turned on the lights 🙂

Hi Alex, So happy to see you back. Its amazing how an inanimate object can "choose" to give you the most frustration when you really need to be dealing with other issues in your life. (Perhaps they get jealous?) I glad you're in a better place now. I have also shared the frustration of an engine that seems to make no sense, even when you recheck everything. Rest assured it will all seem so obvious with 20/20 hindsight once you move past the problem. I have 2 simple diagnostics I have used, which I haven't seen on your channel, so I'd like to share them. Even though they are trivial and you already know far more than I do. 1. About 1975 (or about 8 years before you were born?) I purchased a 'Colortune', which is transparent glass spark plug. I found it helped me by allowing me to see what the ignition was doing inside the cylinder. They primarily are meant for setting the mixture, but simply seeing a spark under the actually operating cylinder pressure can be reassuring. (100psi+ can make a difference to a sparks behaviour.) Colortunes are still made or perhaps a follower who has retired might have one he can send you. 2. Occasionally I have resorted to removing the header pipe to see how wet the gas being ejected from the exhaust port is. It's a very seat of the pants measurement, but you get some idea of whether the carb, fuel flow and crankcase pumping is working while the engine is still assembled. Seeing a cloud of mixture coming out and getting very wet around the port can be quite reassuring about the fuel side of things. Good luck moving forwards on both sides of life.

Appreciate the open talk man, keep up the good vibes and good work

thank you for being strong enough to talk about these things. helps me and im sure others feel like we are not alone :)

Awesome job Alex, we all need learning curves, no matter how they come to us or for what reason's, the point is that we learn from them, then move forward in the right direction and don't lose sight of what matters most and counts in LIFE, with priorities in order. I suffer from what my head doctor said was the worst case of PTSD she has ever seen, but not the result of just one traumatic event, but multiple event's, over my 55 years of life, the last event took it's toll though and I've struggled to recover from, as it gets harder and harder each time, but watching 2SS is great distraction and I love your work, I look forward to each new production. You generate most people's interest I believe from being so genuine and being the good person you are, that most of us see this, particularly if they been following your 2SS for some time. You know how we all name our bike's, well can I take the liberty of calling your bike's name, as I think you chose this without out knowing so, it would have to be PRECIOUS, I hope you see the humour in this, I just couldn't help myself mate LOL.

As a lot of people saying, thanks for sharing your issues. Awseome channel and passionate about 2 strokes but we are all human and there are times we struggle. keep up the good work and stay strong ❤❤

Beautiful video man! I can really relate to what you said in the beginning, pushing problems under the carpet and just ignoring them thinking they'll not affect your life, until one day, out of nowhere, you just realize all of a sudden how wrong you were. Glad you feel better now and happy you finally found the problem.

Thanks for sharing on such a tabu subject for men. It takes true courage - and so good you have found the gremlin in the engine as well 😊

Thanks bud. Your iron will and good attitude make me strive to be a better mechanic and person. I really appreciate you man. Hang in there. See you at bonneville.

The smile you gave us at the end of this video gave me goosebumps and teary eyes. That was the best and purest smile I've seen in a looong time! Absolutely amazing bro.

Very bold of you to share your inner turmoil with all of us. Not many people can share these sorta internal things. I hope your mental health journey continues in this positive direction!

Takk for at du deler dette med oss! Du er en inspirasjon, min venn!

I've been watching this 2 stroke 50cc compression, your breaking barriers with this build series. Often times the oldest solutions become applicable again and the pursuit of perfection is a form of madness in itself. I'd love to see you tackle an induction motor build if you are ever able to find satisfaction with the 50cc 2 stroke. I often wonder why people don't build up old big bore marine 2 strokes for diy and hobby applications. Imagine a 6 cyl big bore Mercury block putting out massive power and dropped in a light go kart chassis. Keep up the content. very thought provoking and probably the most interesting channel build project video series I follow. Cheers from Canada!

Watching you build over the years is truly inspiring

First few minutes of this are HUGE !!! Thankyou Great engineering too 😉

I am glad to hear your mental health is getting better. The first part of your video was touching. Keep up the good work!

Im always impressed by your stubbornness. Motivation, perseverance and endurance.. that in the end makes all the pieces of the puzzle embrace together .. We are all learning from you.. and we all go thru those moments ..Good and bad.. makes us human in some ways..Thanks for sharing..

Thank you. I can completely relate. I appreciate your sharing and transparency

Mental Illness is not fun, Alex. I'm only just discovering my ADHD at 46. Only because I got into a really bad accident a year ago and the PTSD from it caused my anxiety and ADHD come to the surface and almost ended my marriage. My job had become extremely stressful 6 months ago which compounded the issue even more. And now that I know about the ADHD, it makes my entire life make a hell of a lot more sense, and I now have something to work from when times like these arrive. When you feel like you should be able to get your mind around a problem and you hyper focus on that one issue and nothing is working, you get caught in a feedback loop, and everything else in your life gets lost in the noise. Family, friends, employment..... its so easy to get sucked up in that tornado of darkness. But when those black clouds part, and you see everything in a fresh light, WAH! I totally understand that feeling of bliss when you make a breakthrough. Best of luck my friend. Take care of yourself and your family. They are most important.

Outstanding video Alex, one of your best yet on so many levels. Thank you

It's good to have you back man! I wish you good health including your family.

I can relate to what you were saying you went through as I did a very similiar thing. Good to hear someone else doing it as not everyone does.

It's so important to talk about mental health and normalize dealing with such issues. As long as there is a stigma, people will sweep such problems aside, and/or not address and discuss them. So good on you for your candor. One of many reasons I love this channel.

Your perseverance and determination to trouble shoot and deal with problems like this is amazing. Well done 👏

very beautiful that you are in tune with whats happening inside of you and have experienced this enlightenment , this is not only for you but for others to hear and be encouraged in this experience , God Bless

Hi Alex! I'm glad to know you overcame your personal issues and your life is back on track! Unfortunately, everyone has to live through bad times, at least once in a while... But I think that if you really care, you can find the strength and the will to fight the demons, solve your issues and finally to become a better version of yourself. And you just did that, friend!

Very good words in the beginning. Thank you man!

Glad you are feeling better, very happy for you! Also cant wait to see what's next!

It’s not weak to speak ❤ To share your emotional thoughts and experiences to such a large audience is very brave and should be applauded, Thankyou for this 👍

Thanks for the word’s at the start. Us blokes don’t talk enough about our struggles. Well done. I’m proud of you.

Really appreciate you sharing your whole self Alex

Great that you are coming back. One thing that i have learned about mental health problems is that if you make it a habit to talk with yourself for a while a couple days a week, and you talk some real talk, and ask yourself these tough questions you can figure out alot. Be real with yourself and ask yourself these tough questions. Keep up the good work!

Nice to hear you have figured things out in your personal life Alex, i wish you well from my family to yours 🙏

Only finished the intro so far - very happy for you!

i seem to remember that you made indentations in the rotary valve housing last time to counter the problem with friction. Or am i missing something here? also respect for being able to let the project sit and take some time of when needed. its hard to lay your passion aside even though you know its necessary. i love how you make your videos, they are great. its a great combination of technical challenges and nice vibes. (love the music) YOU MAKE MY DAY!

Honestly i love this vid being a little more sensual and with the nice music in the background. Love this.

Inspirational my friend. Thanks for sharing your troubles. Looking forward to your next video 👍🛵🚀

Thank you for sharing and being open. Never pretend to be OK.

Man I'm so glad you did take a break! I took a week off work due to some mental issues a few weeks ago. I relate so hard to what you were talking about with the gollum situation. I spent 2 days on the motorcycle traveling around the back roads and painting my garage, funny how that's a similar thing XD. It sounds like you also like spending time being introspective. Hearing you talk about 'parts' and whatnot made me curious if you've done any reading on Internal Family Systems. I use that a TON to keep from getting too caught up in those spirals.

Many thanx for sharing 'everything' and continuing to provide a great channel Alex! As always, am looking forward to the next 'Welcome to my garage'👍

Ahhh dude that's awesome im glad you've sorted some things out ❤you sound much happier

Congrats on finding the problem of the friction I cant wait to see and hear it run then it will all be worthwhile and then perfect it !!!!

I feel your pain. I have had many inexplicable running issues with the many two strokes that Ive owned over the years! In the end, I found it so frustrating when I couldnt "fix" an issue.. You really do need a huge amount of determination to be experimental with 2T's. I often found that after trying to resolve an issue without success, so demoralising, that I gave up and reverted to stock as many times as I didnt. I very much admire your determination to "beat" the impossible problems, well done and only keep going as long as its fun, when its not, start something fresh - better for your mental health than repeated banging your head against a brick wall! 🙂

Keep strong, talking, not holding it in is key. we are all behind you supporting you.

First step (for me) is finding my falt in a situation and how I could have done better. It takes two. And knowing your own faults will help the relationship grow. Like you, I have 100 projects going at oonce. And when I'm stuck on something, I know myself enought to walk away and do something else and all be, the answer of the other thing will present itself. You get to talk to us threw your videos. It helps rationalize the issues. For me, I talk to myself or my wife. She may not get it, but it helps me work threw my own mind and thoughts. Good for you sir! Remember, we are watching not just because of the subject matter, but just as much because of you and who you are. We all go threw things and out entire existence makes us who we are. 40 years ( we are the same age) we grow so much. It just takes time and life lessons. I too have been in your position. As smart as we are, how did we not know these things about ourselves!! It's just life! Thanks for sharing!

Powerful Intro, thank you for sharing. i have a similar wall i need to tear down, im sure ill figure it out someday.

Your a very honest and open person my friend. I know exactly what you are saying. Thank you for your openness. All the best to you and your other half. 👍🇦🇺🥃

Top man, keep up the good work and absolutely well done for expressing your feeling when you hit a bit of a wall and taking time for yourself. I love watching your development of this little 50 and where it's going, I get frustrated for you when it doesn't go to plan as I so want to see this succeed, love how down to earth you are too, keep it up and chin up big man 👍🏻💪🏻🏍❤

It does help a lot, thanks for sharing your thoughts at the beginning. I've been there, gollum is on my shoulders a lot too. Make sure you look after these new green shoots in your mind. They need water and sunshine.

I feel you brother, been in the same boat. Started therapy and it's making a positive impact. Stick to it, and I'll do the same. -mike-

I love the heart to heart. Appreciate your honesty - no doubt that will be meaningful for viewers!

I literally cheered out loud when it started up. I think I need to do more painting, sounds like you’ve been to a meditation retreat 😄

Really glad you're feeling better man.

Lovely start to your video man!