Post by dirkgently on Oct 9, 2013 11:10:12 GMT -5
Hello scooterists!
Is that the right term? I don’t even know honestly. I’ve never had a scooter before, though I’ve looked at them once or twice since they seemed like they might be fun. I’ve always been a motorcycle guy and have had a handful of those two wheeled toys over the years. Now though, thanks to some friends, I’ve added a scooter to the ranks.
How did that happen? Well, a friend of mine bought his wife a scooter a few years ago so she would have a way of getting around without having to add a second car. Sadly, while her enthusiasm was high her courage was not. Nothing could convince her to do more than putter up and down the street in front of her house. The little scooter was parked and covered outside the garage and has sat since about 2010. Recently, I bought my 1st house and the scooter couple comes by and says I should have it since I’m a two-wheeled kind of guy. So, as a house warming gift I received a 2010 Hammerhead La Vita scooter.
Now, I’ve done some research and while there isn’t much out there on the little La Vita, it does seem to have had a pretty short lived life. And, obviously, I’m aware that Chinese scooters aren’t held in very high regard. But, I thought I would give my early impressions of the new toy since there don’t seem to be too many owners out there. Anyone who can chime in with anything useful, please do!
I’m amazed at how good of condition it’s in, considering it was stored outside under a cover and didn’t move for in the neighborhood of 3 years. Some light, spotty rust on a bit of the chrome trim, but other than that it still looks brand new. The body is plastic, but the bolt heads are clean and the engine/exhaust isn’t rusted. I think it might be of a decent quality actually.
With 3 year old gas in it, it started on the 3rd kick (I can’t help it, I like a kick start) once the battery was charged up. That shocked me. Research has indicated it is a GY6 clone motor, which I gather is pretty standard operating procedure on the Chinese scooters. The major difference being fuel injection - which I think is the only reason it started with that old gas in it. I didn't think there was a hope it would start, given the state it was in, without draining the tank. I just thought I'd give it a couple kicks to see what happened with a fresh battery and lo and behold, life. Am running some fuel system cleaner in this tank to hopefully clean things up.
Idles smoothly seems to top out at about 80KPH/50MPH. Which seems a bit slow for a 150cc to me, but like I said I have very little experience with scooters. Maybe it still needs to break in a little. It only has something like 65 miles on it. Or maybe that’s all it will do. Or maybe it needs adjustment to the EFI or something. EFI on a scooter seems way more tricky than carb work, but maybe I can figure something out on that score. Any EFI experts out there?
I think sourcing any scooter specific parts will be basically impossible since the La Vita isn't made any more and was a short run. My hope is that most of the parts are interchangeable with other things. My biggest concerns are things relating to the fuel injection (since that doesn't seem to be very common) and the digital gauge cluster (which I have read was one of the most common problems with this scooter). Not sure a fault in either of those areas is fixable without getting hip deep in bodging.
Front and rear hydraulic disk brakes work like a charm though. It stops admirably!
I’ve scooted around the local area a little and I can say that 10 inch wheels and skinny tires (which i've ordered replacements for since they sat for 3 years. Can't be too careful I suppose) are a little harrowing, but it’s super fun! I even like the pseudo-Vespa look of the Vita.
It seems like a decent little scooter, and I couldn't beat the price.
Is that the right term? I don’t even know honestly. I’ve never had a scooter before, though I’ve looked at them once or twice since they seemed like they might be fun. I’ve always been a motorcycle guy and have had a handful of those two wheeled toys over the years. Now though, thanks to some friends, I’ve added a scooter to the ranks.
How did that happen? Well, a friend of mine bought his wife a scooter a few years ago so she would have a way of getting around without having to add a second car. Sadly, while her enthusiasm was high her courage was not. Nothing could convince her to do more than putter up and down the street in front of her house. The little scooter was parked and covered outside the garage and has sat since about 2010. Recently, I bought my 1st house and the scooter couple comes by and says I should have it since I’m a two-wheeled kind of guy. So, as a house warming gift I received a 2010 Hammerhead La Vita scooter.
Now, I’ve done some research and while there isn’t much out there on the little La Vita, it does seem to have had a pretty short lived life. And, obviously, I’m aware that Chinese scooters aren’t held in very high regard. But, I thought I would give my early impressions of the new toy since there don’t seem to be too many owners out there. Anyone who can chime in with anything useful, please do!
I’m amazed at how good of condition it’s in, considering it was stored outside under a cover and didn’t move for in the neighborhood of 3 years. Some light, spotty rust on a bit of the chrome trim, but other than that it still looks brand new. The body is plastic, but the bolt heads are clean and the engine/exhaust isn’t rusted. I think it might be of a decent quality actually.
With 3 year old gas in it, it started on the 3rd kick (I can’t help it, I like a kick start) once the battery was charged up. That shocked me. Research has indicated it is a GY6 clone motor, which I gather is pretty standard operating procedure on the Chinese scooters. The major difference being fuel injection - which I think is the only reason it started with that old gas in it. I didn't think there was a hope it would start, given the state it was in, without draining the tank. I just thought I'd give it a couple kicks to see what happened with a fresh battery and lo and behold, life. Am running some fuel system cleaner in this tank to hopefully clean things up.
Idles smoothly seems to top out at about 80KPH/50MPH. Which seems a bit slow for a 150cc to me, but like I said I have very little experience with scooters. Maybe it still needs to break in a little. It only has something like 65 miles on it. Or maybe that’s all it will do. Or maybe it needs adjustment to the EFI or something. EFI on a scooter seems way more tricky than carb work, but maybe I can figure something out on that score. Any EFI experts out there?
I think sourcing any scooter specific parts will be basically impossible since the La Vita isn't made any more and was a short run. My hope is that most of the parts are interchangeable with other things. My biggest concerns are things relating to the fuel injection (since that doesn't seem to be very common) and the digital gauge cluster (which I have read was one of the most common problems with this scooter). Not sure a fault in either of those areas is fixable without getting hip deep in bodging.
Front and rear hydraulic disk brakes work like a charm though. It stops admirably!
I’ve scooted around the local area a little and I can say that 10 inch wheels and skinny tires (which i've ordered replacements for since they sat for 3 years. Can't be too careful I suppose) are a little harrowing, but it’s super fun! I even like the pseudo-Vespa look of the Vita.
It seems like a decent little scooter, and I couldn't beat the price.
Main Jet
