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Post by maxtera on Sept 23, 2017 17:04:17 GMT -5
![]() What started out as a possible parts bike turned into a real nice scooter. After I found I had to replace my oil starved engine, I decided I might as well get the bike up & running the right way. I replaced the sunbaked, brittle, front end & both lower side skirt panels. Next I added a second battery & a power outlet.
Not able to stop there, I next put on a seat extension, new tires, hoses, a Big Ruckus variator, a rack with a large trunk & finally a shorty windscreen. The 2 hardest parts of the whole project was locating the 13 yr old parts, (at a decent price) & waiting for parts to arrive from France, Japan, & the U.K. All in all, I'm very happy with the way it turned out, and like I said earlier, I basically have a brand new scooter. Now with the short windshield it actually looks like a motorcycle.
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Post by maxtera on Sept 23, 2017 17:17:28 GMT -5
I don't know if this worked or not but these are pictures of my scooter with the tall windshield, and a couple of different angles with the short windshield. My bike was initially all red but the Jonway I had was black so I decided to mix and match the colors up, the rack is actually from a 2007 Jonway scooter. My last job will be to add the Honda wing logo on the front fascia. 0.7 MB Tall windshield.jpg  0.9 MB Short windshield front view.jpg  0.8 MB 20170923_154424.jpg  |
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Post by cyborg55 on Sept 24, 2017 9:52:44 GMT -5
Looks great!! Excellent work,,,,
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Post by maxtera on Sept 24, 2017 10:21:25 GMT -5
Thanks much cyborg55,
Well I did the math, (because my wife was curious). Including my $350 purchase price, I have a total of $3630.70 invested in my newly paneled, 2004 Honda Reflex. Considering what I know now about the Reflex scooter I'm very happy with what I've learned & done with it over the past 7 months.
I put on the Honda decals & the lighter weights in the Big Ruckus variator last night & I'll put the last lower panel back on this morning, (for the last time) then I'll just enjoy riding it like I've grown used to. Once I get it all together & washed, I'll post a current picture. Thanks to all who gave me advice & sent me links to get parts, diagrams & other helpful information.
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Post by maxtera on Sept 24, 2017 12:06:06 GMT -5
Here is the now, finished product, notice the engine cover is back on & I bought a pair of "Honda" wing decals to help fill in the blank space. Another plus to the short windshield is that I can raise the handlebars & turn without them hitting my knees or the windshield.
I bought a Big Ruckus variator & put 147g roller weights, (31g+18g) in it. The bike has a decent takeoff & on level ground even with a headwind, I managed to get to a top speed of 74.77 mph as per a speed app on my phone. I weigh 292lbs so that was fine for me.
front right view.jpg
full left side view.jpg
rear view.jpg
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Post by SylvreKat on Sept 24, 2017 12:13:40 GMT -5
You got yourself a fine-looking bike! And you can feel especially good since you did the work yourself.  >'Kat |
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Post by akais on Sept 25, 2017 11:26:34 GMT -5
Here is the now, finished product, notice the engine cover is back on & I bought a pair of "Honda" wing decals to help fill in the blank space. Another plus to the short windshield is that I can raise the handlebars & turn without them hitting my knees or the windshield.
I bought a Big Ruckus variator & put 147g roller weights, (31g+18g) in it. The bike has a decent takeoff & on level ground even with a headwind, I managed to get to a top speed of 74.77 mph as per a speed app on my phone. I weigh 292lbs so that was fine for me.
front right view.jpg
full left side view.jpg
rear view.jpg
Maxtera, Your new bike looks fantastic! I really like the black and red together. In fact I would think about putting an extra 1/2" black stripe above the seam on the leg shield and above the passenger peg. It will make it look like what we used to call a 'belly stripe' on the '70s muscle cars. It would kind of be a reverse of the belly stripe Honda put on the 2013/2014 Metropolitans. Yours would be red with a black belly stripe and theirs was black with a red belly stripe. I was curious about what kind of RPMs your bike shows when you do a fast takeoff. You have a lot more weight in the variator than I do and I wondered how high it revs. One of the things I plan on doing is adding more weight. My bike will only get to 70 and I can't get more than 50 mpg. I would sacrifice some takeoff if I could get the mpg back. I only have 114 grams in mine, it revs to over 6K RPMs and then drops back to 5500. I think I need to get it up to 130 grams or more to get the top end and MPG back. |
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Post by maxtera on Sept 27, 2017 18:13:01 GMT -5
Akais, I went on a quick ride today after work & this is what I discovered with the Big Ruckus variator. From a dead stop I gave it full throttle & my rpm's went up to 6500, when it changed gear the rpm's dropped to 5000 & my speed was roughly at 40mph & it steadily climbed from there. I went back to the stretch of road where I checked my top speed & this is what I found out. It was windy today but I managed to get to 70mph & my rpm's never got above 7500, I did this 4 times total each time with the same rpm result, although my speed fluctuated from 68.56, 68.72, 69.99 & finally 70.32 mph. Using this setup a few days earlier I managed to get to 74.55 mph & my mpg's averaged out to around 52.285. I've did my own tests & this is what I've found using various weights in my OE variator & in the Big Ruckus one. In my OE variator I put in 117grams, (21+18), that gave me a quick takeoff but my top end was 64.  mph & my rpm's were pegged at 8000. Next, I went to 126grams, (21+21), once again I had a quick takeoff & my top end was 68.62 mph & my rpm's were around 7500. My third test was with 147grams, (31+18), I had a fast takeoff & my top end was around 71mph, but the rpm's were in the red at 9000+. Finally I tried 138grams, (25+21), takeoff was decent but I could only get up to 64.56 mph & I had no power to pass anyone, & to make matters worse, I was low on coolant & due to me pushing the scooter real hard my temperature gauge got real hot & my rpm's were around 8000+ as well. I may try 150grams, (25+25) in the big Ruckus next since the scooter come stock with 156 but for now I'll just ride with what I currently have, 147grams, (31+18). I hope this helps you. |
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Post by akais on Sept 27, 2017 20:43:29 GMT -5
Maxtera
I think the drop in top speed may be due to the change in your windshield. I have a Givi D210ST that i put on my bike in the winter and the bike is faster. Aerodynamics is a big thing with these smaller engines.
I think it is interesting that with the most weight in your variator, your RPMs were so high. I want to try some Dr. Pulley sliders, Probably 23 grams. That will hopefully keep me in the power band and give me top end too.
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Post by spandi on Sept 28, 2017 19:47:16 GMT -5
A very sharp looking machine. (and of course, red bikes are aways faster!) I can relate, I did a ground up rebuild on a Znen 250 utilizing Honda parts to do it, and your right, OEM replacement parts ain't cheap. I did a second battery install as well. (who needs to be stuck out in the middle of nowhere because you wanted to hear some tunes?) But for $3600.00 you have something reliable, functional, and easy on the eyes that you know you can maintain yourself. Well done. |
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Post by maxtera on Sept 28, 2017 21:16:40 GMT -5
Maxtera I think the drop in top speed may be due to the change in your windshield. I have a Givi D210ST that i put on my bike in the winter and the bike is faster. Aerodynamics is a big thing with these smaller engines. I think it is interesting that with the most weight in your variator, your RPMs were so high. I want to try some Dr. Pulley sliders, Probably 23 grams. That will hopefully keep me in the power band and give me top end too. Add to the fact that I'm 6'4", I do tend to catch a lot of wind when I ride. I really like the look with the short windshield so I'll just have to live with it. |
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Post by maxtera on Sept 28, 2017 21:25:42 GMT -5
A very sharp looking machine. (and of course, red bikes are aways faster!) I can relate, I did a ground up rebuild on a Znen 250 utilizing Honda parts to do it, and your right, OEM replacement parts ain't cheap. I did a second battery install as well. (who needs to be stuck out in the middle of nowhere because you wanted to hear some tunes?) But for $3600.00 you have something reliable, functional, and easy on the eyes that you know you can maintain yourself. Well done. Thanks. I've always been sort of a tinkerer and getting to know this scooter intimately was real easy. Aside from the engine swap I don't think there's any job that would intimidate me now. Whenever I work on a project whether its one of my cars or the scooter, I make it a point to do something to it every day no matter how small a job it is. I found that this keeps me motivated and my projects don't get put on the back burner while I'm distracted doing something else. |
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mph & my rpm's were pegged at 8000. 