|
Post by prodigit on May 5, 2013 12:56:19 GMT -5
Ok, I know, it's not meant to go this fast, however, this past week I was on a long bridge, with wind in the back. The end of the bridge was a corner, so I was going down the bridge @~60MPH, and while in the corner, I felt the frame flex a little with the road inconsistencies.
I know for one fact, that the ATM50 has a much better frame, than the XTreme XB700-Li that I owned, that began to flex ~25MPH.
However, I never really agreed on feeling unsafe with 10" tires, until last week. The frame, the tires, whatever it was, it felt a little unsafe @60mph. Not because I was going too fast, but because when cornering, the whole structure wasn't making a consistent corner. It was wobbling in the corner, sometimes going in the corner, sometimes wanting to go straight forwards (towards the outside of the lane).
Just letting you guys know, this scooter is a 50cc, and meant to be ridden 35-40MPH. Most people can go 40-45MPH, however when you pump up the tires to 40PSI, and get BP Premium fuel, and 10W40 engine oil, you can easily reach 50MPH when the engine is hot.
At speeds over 60MPH, you're riding almost twice as fast as the bike is meant to go; so if you ever wanted to upgrade it with a bigger engine, know that you won't feel safe at speeds over 60MPH.
Usually I never go over 55MPH, cause it takes a strong backwind to reach those speeds. At 55MPH I still feel safe; not at 60!
|
|
|
Post by skuttadawg on May 5, 2013 13:43:42 GMT -5
J rated or 62 MPH tires are unsafe at high speeds . I have been 160 MPH on a Hurricane 1000 and zooming on my TaoTao was more scarier to me as it was unstable . My Magnum with 13s is rock solid . Getting the tires balanced is a huge improvement
|
|
Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Posts: 201
Likes: 1
Joined: Feb 27, 2013 2:23:40 GMT -5
|
Post by CopperDeer on May 5, 2013 14:54:49 GMT -5
Mine starts swaying and wobbling above 50 MPH, the engine/CVT can give me a tad more but it's scarier than 135 on my Ninja.... I keep it under 45 all the time now.
|
|
|
Post by carasdad on May 5, 2013 15:07:12 GMT -5
Even my Jonway Hornet feels unstable with its huge 130/70-12 tires at 60....and I can almost guarantee it is THE heaviest 2T made. Built like a Kenworth! Hard to get on the center stand due to the weight. It sucks cause if it was lighter you could have faster acceleration etc. I have worked on and ridden many ATM Tao Tao's and I doubt it's your frame..they unlike many Chinese scoots are solid with larger frame tubing. I am with Kevin on this one...in that the tires are not high speed rated or balanced. Most scoots tires are so out of balance if I rev them on the center stand..the back tires hop and wobble so bad...the scoot dances 1/2 way across the shop. A kid in the next town overs father..owns a tire shop there. He was able to balance the boys tires with stick on weights. I was blown away when I rode it..cause even at 35mph you can feel the poor tire balance. His was riding smooth as silk. His dad said they held each tire on its axle...spun it 5 times..and marked on the bottom where it stopped..then added about 1/2 ounce stick on weights between all 5 marks. One weight that is.. like this...marks > || | ||. The weight went in the middle of those marks. Kinda 'Shade Tree' to me..but it seemed to work...
|
|
|
Post by alleyoop on May 5, 2013 15:31:26 GMT -5
And I hear the cagers are dangerous Just Let us know what kind of flowers everyone likes Alleyoop
|
|
|
Post by millsc on May 5, 2013 16:04:20 GMT -5
Mine seem fairly stable but then again with all I have done to them I hardly ever go past half throttle even on hills i drive on roads 40 and under
|
|
|
Post by carasdad on May 5, 2013 20:24:38 GMT -5
And I hear the cagers are dangerous Just Let us know what kind of flowers everyone likes Alleyoop Hmm...ya got a point..I should slow down...or my Eulogy will be..."Glenn...he survived 7 years of combat...yet only 7 minutes on a Scooter"
|
|
|
Post by prodigit on May 5, 2013 20:38:06 GMT -5
Well, in all of this, I did feel a bit unsafe, but still had it under control. I probably could have pushed it 5MPH faster without accident, that is, if the engine was able to keep up, and if the tires did not pop off.
I probably won't be able to do those speeds with semi-pumped up tires, because they might pop off faster than pumped up ones, and besides, the resistance would be too high for the engine to reach 60MPH
I had a guy on a burgman stop next to me asking how fast this thing goes. I told him 50MPH, but he knew I was going like 63 downhill. The meter was horizontal (pointing to the right). I bet he wished he only came close to my 100MPG at those speeds!
|
|
|
Post by justbuggin2 on May 5, 2013 21:38:21 GMT -5
something else that could cause the wobble feeling is the rubber mounts on the motor and shocks they are not that well made to start with
|
|
|
Post by scootnwinn on May 5, 2013 21:57:00 GMT -5
You would find those tires would perform much better if the psi was like 25/30 front/rear. Running max pressure in a tire on a scoot that light is unwise as you have found. Also a balance is in order if you plan to do that again...
|
|
|
Post by oldchopperguy on May 6, 2013 1:33:57 GMT -5
Well, these small-displacement Chinese wonders ain't exactly highway-cruisers... LOL!My Xingyue 150 with 13" wheels is fine up to it's top speed of about 56 mph. I've had it to 60+ downhill... Still fine UNTIL hauling it over into a sweeping turn. Like your 50, the step-through frame shows its "true colors" as in "highly-flexible" (a great quality in an exotic dancer, but not so hot in a scooter...). These 50 to 150cc scoots just are not all that solid, and I don't think they're intended for much over 50 mph. Probably best to be a little careful. I did test-ride a new Vespa 150 step-through that handled just fine at 70 mph on its little 11" front and 10" rear wheels... BUT the Vespa has a unique and VERY rigid frame/body welded into one piece. That Vespa is the only step-through scoot I've ridden that seemed TRULY solid. Although, I'm sure there are others out there at the high-end of the price range. A half-century ago, in my misspent youth... I built a "Big-Bear Scrambler" mini-bike. Same as a "Go-Kart" Scrambler for those old enough to remember... It had about a 36" wheelbase, and 5" wheels, with 11" outside-diameter tires. Weighed 35 pounds ready-to-ride. I had a KILLER McCulloch MC-101 kart motor on it, built loaded for bear... around 40 hp at 26,000 rpm. I also (through a fluke in the 1960's Illinois registration law) managed to get it street-licensed. I regularly rode it on the freeway at 70mph cruise, and would occasionally get frisky in the left-lane, shooting up to around 110 mph wild-mousing the rush-hour traffic... Proof positive that NOTHING is too small to rocket past the century mark. Back then, I was 6' 2" and 350 pounds. All drivers could see was a huge fat guy flying down the road, apparently on NOTHING... My butt hung back over the rear wheel, and my knees were forward of the front wheel. The handlebars were about at the family-jewels... The Lilliputian sub-miniature bike just disappeared under me. That was NOT the smartest thing I ever did... I do NOT recommend it to anyone these days. But that little screamer on 5" wheels was solid and wobble-free even at 100 mph+. Go figger... Best thing about the little bastard was not the 0-60 in 3 seconds, or the 100+ top end. It was the fact that I could carry it on board a bus or subway, and take it inside the school and hang it in my locker... Parking place? We don't need no stinking parking place!It's all fun n' games in your teen years, IF you survive... I'm 66 now, and somewhat more sensible... LOL! Leo (keepin' it under 60) in Texas
|
|
|
Post by hank on May 6, 2013 1:48:28 GMT -5
Hi My April is rock steady and extremely stable all the way up to her top speed of 63 mph that i have achieved so far Sr 50 top speed by inuyasha50, on Flickr I havent pushed her any harder yet but she still has a few more mph in her I m sure i could get close to 70 She is made for speed, a true performance scoot motorscooterguide.net/Aprilia/SR50/SR50.htmlTake care and ride safely Yours Hank
|
|
|
Post by urbanmadness on May 6, 2013 9:33:38 GMT -5
My 150cc gy6 vintage (verano 150) has been gps'ed at 57 flat ground with me (305lbs) on it.... I don't feel the frame wobble as much as the braking is just not adiqute. It felt fine when it toped out at 53, but that 5mph seems to have made a bit of a differnce. Espicailly the rear brake...
|
|
|
Post by prodigit on May 6, 2013 12:44:44 GMT -5
You would find those tires would perform much better if the psi was like 25/30 front/rear. Running max pressure in a tire on a scoot that light is unwise as you have found. Also a balance is in order if you plan to do that again... Not at all! I have to respectfully disagree by 100%! Running them that low, will make them wobbly even at 35MPH! Those tires are rated ~40PSI. I always used to pump them to 35PSI,but since they are leaking, I did 38PSI, much much better!
|
|
|
Post by prodigit on May 6, 2013 12:47:33 GMT -5
My EVO150 feels stable too at 60+MPH. I haven't yet taken it downhill, but I doubt it's gonna go much over 65MPH downhill.
I think it's the tires, not the frame. The evo has thinner profile tires (13"), than the ATM50 (which has 3.5x10").
|
|