Post by aus on Jun 28, 2017 11:14:53 GMT -5
Hey so this is a noob question but what can I realistically expect from different classes of scooters?
Most seem to think that 150cc should be practical for traffic going up to about 50mph.
But some seem to think a well tuned 150cc should cruise comfortably close to 70mph.
That's the benchmark I'm going for - comfortably taking it on the highway, which means I need to be able to stay above 65mph up some moderate hills. I'm not that concerned with acceleration - I would expect to accelerate at the same rate as a typical car, which seems easy for any scooter.
I don't understand the discrepancy, but for me, the difference between comfortably handling traffic up to 50ish vs 70ish is critical. It means I can take it on the highway routinely, or not - and around here it's impractical to avoid highways.
Is the discrepancy because 'realistic' and 'comfortable' 50ish = technically hitting 70ish on a downhill?
Or totally different standards of how much you tune and maintain your machine?
Do I have to buy a 250cc? Can I get the big bore kit and convert my 150cc to somewhere between 180 and 232cc instead? Or do I just need to learn how to properly tune it, get the ideal sliders for the transmission, CDI, and so forth?
By the way, I weigh about 190lbs. So maybe it's partly my fat butt slowing me down and the people claiming 70mph cruising speeds from a tuned 150cc are skinny kids?
I'll probably eventually go to a 250cc anyway, as well as a proper motorcycle with a manual transmission... and eventually I'm sure I'll get fed up with Chinese made. But I'll probably always keep one bike with a CVT just because it's fun. I'd just like to know whether to spend money on the 250cc sooner, vs hanging on to the 150cc for 1-3 years.
If it's possible to get my bike practical for highways, I'm curious what the side effects are if I add a lot more displacement. The engineers who designed it had a 150cc engine in mind.... what risks am I taking if I change bore and stroke and transmission, so there's possibly >150% of the originally intended displacement and altered gear ratio? I guess I'm worried it would catastrophically fail because I didn't know I wasn't supposed to do that on a cheap Chinese frame/suspension/exhaust or something.
I'm actually not sure what size tires I've got. But just by eyballing it, it looks like my bike would easily accomodate at least 3in larger diameter. The clearance appears to be there, everywhere. Which if I understand basic physics correctly, is a lot like a big change to the gear ratios in the transmission? Same torque at the drive chain being applied to a larger wheel = higher top speed. Possible decrease in acceleration, but, that would depend on the workings of the CVT, which I don't understand well enough... it should pretty much automatically compensate to a large degree, right? So.... I could maybe just put bigger wheels and maybe change the roller/slider weights?
Oh and one more thing:
From what I understand, 2stroke engines are a lot less reliable/higher maintenance, generally speaking.
Or is that incorrect? Because if there's a street legal 2stroke engine I could swap in, without sacrificing reliability, that'd be of interest. As long as it's not a lot more expensive.
Most seem to think that 150cc should be practical for traffic going up to about 50mph.
But some seem to think a well tuned 150cc should cruise comfortably close to 70mph.
That's the benchmark I'm going for - comfortably taking it on the highway, which means I need to be able to stay above 65mph up some moderate hills. I'm not that concerned with acceleration - I would expect to accelerate at the same rate as a typical car, which seems easy for any scooter.
I don't understand the discrepancy, but for me, the difference between comfortably handling traffic up to 50ish vs 70ish is critical. It means I can take it on the highway routinely, or not - and around here it's impractical to avoid highways.
Is the discrepancy because 'realistic' and 'comfortable' 50ish = technically hitting 70ish on a downhill?
Or totally different standards of how much you tune and maintain your machine?
Do I have to buy a 250cc? Can I get the big bore kit and convert my 150cc to somewhere between 180 and 232cc instead? Or do I just need to learn how to properly tune it, get the ideal sliders for the transmission, CDI, and so forth?
By the way, I weigh about 190lbs. So maybe it's partly my fat butt slowing me down and the people claiming 70mph cruising speeds from a tuned 150cc are skinny kids?
I'll probably eventually go to a 250cc anyway, as well as a proper motorcycle with a manual transmission... and eventually I'm sure I'll get fed up with Chinese made. But I'll probably always keep one bike with a CVT just because it's fun. I'd just like to know whether to spend money on the 250cc sooner, vs hanging on to the 150cc for 1-3 years.
If it's possible to get my bike practical for highways, I'm curious what the side effects are if I add a lot more displacement. The engineers who designed it had a 150cc engine in mind.... what risks am I taking if I change bore and stroke and transmission, so there's possibly >150% of the originally intended displacement and altered gear ratio? I guess I'm worried it would catastrophically fail because I didn't know I wasn't supposed to do that on a cheap Chinese frame/suspension/exhaust or something.
I'm actually not sure what size tires I've got. But just by eyballing it, it looks like my bike would easily accomodate at least 3in larger diameter. The clearance appears to be there, everywhere. Which if I understand basic physics correctly, is a lot like a big change to the gear ratios in the transmission? Same torque at the drive chain being applied to a larger wheel = higher top speed. Possible decrease in acceleration, but, that would depend on the workings of the CVT, which I don't understand well enough... it should pretty much automatically compensate to a large degree, right? So.... I could maybe just put bigger wheels and maybe change the roller/slider weights?
Oh and one more thing:
From what I understand, 2stroke engines are a lot less reliable/higher maintenance, generally speaking.
Or is that incorrect? Because if there's a street legal 2stroke engine I could swap in, without sacrificing reliability, that'd be of interest. As long as it's not a lot more expensive.
-mpg with my driving being about 75% city, and 25% highway! Much, MUCH better than my old Chinese 150 gave. You can see the resemblance between this old flat-floor 250 and the typical Chinese 150... An easy transition, but 50% more performance! And those itty-bitty 12" wheels run smooth and true with good "P-rated" tires... The brakes ARE decent hydraulic disks, good for 
