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Post by rdhood on Dec 21, 2014 20:05:28 GMT -5
Well, I picked up the scoot today. The steering thing is almost certainly the headset. I have wrenched bicycles for 25 years and 100k miles (seriously), have installed and adjusted a couple dozen headsets. This thing has the loose headset "clunk" when hitting the breaks while pushing the bike. I seriously think the original owner rode it for 300 miles and the headset loosened up where he couldn't ride it... so he didn't .
He got the scooter because he lost his license. Tactfully took the "1" off of the "150-T" to ride it without a plate. Got his license back , got a truck and abandoned it. I got it, a helmet and a cover for $400. I honestly don't think that there is anything wrong with it other than the loose headset! The thing is beautiful! Nonetheless, I am going to treat it like I just unboxed it and go over the whole bike.
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Post by rdhood on Dec 23, 2014 9:57:26 GMT -5
Still trying to figure out how to get the front plastic off. There is DEFINITELY a steering bearing problem. I look up from the forks under the fender, and you can actually SEE the bearings in the lower cup... there is a huge gap. I'm hoping nothing is damaged and that none of the ball bearings is missing. That is my goal for my next week off... to figure out how to get to the upper part of the fork where I can tighten them. A video on youtube seems to indicate that you can unloosen all the screws and the front panel will come off exposing the upper part of the fork.
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Post by toddmaples on Dec 23, 2014 12:35:30 GMT -5
Still trying to figure out how to get the front plastic off. There is DEFINITELY a steering bearing problem. I look up from the forks under the fender, and you can actually SEE the bearings in the lower cup... there is a huge gap. I'm hoping nothing is damaged and that none of the ball bearings is missing. That is my goal for my next week off... to figure out how to get to the upper part of the fork where I can tighten them. A video on youtube seems to indicate that you can unloosen all the screws and the front panel will come off exposing the upper part of the fork. Correct. There is a spanner-type nut and a hex nut used as a jamb nut in there. Tighten those up and this issue will be resolved. I suggest some grease on the bearings also if its already that loose shouldnt be hard to pack it good. |
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Post by toddmaples on Dec 23, 2014 12:36:27 GMT -5
Still trying to figure out how to get the front plastic off. There is DEFINITELY a steering bearing problem. I look up from the forks under the fender, and you can actually SEE the bearings in the lower cup... there is a huge gap. I'm hoping nothing is damaged and that none of the ball bearings is missing. That is my goal for my next week off... to figure out how to get to the upper part of the fork where I can tighten them. A video on youtube seems to indicate that you can unloosen all the screws and the front panel will come off exposing the upper part of the fork. Correct. There is a spanner-type nut and a hex nut used as a jamb nut in there. Tighten those up and this issue will be resolved. I suggest some grease on the bearings also if its already that loose shouldnt be hard to pack it good. |
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Post by shalomdawg on Dec 23, 2014 16:32:33 GMT -5
howdy, cleaning the thread made my previous post look kinda silly. i guess looking silly is fairly common for me anyway so what the---
lotsa miles and smiles to ya
ken
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Post by lain on Dec 23, 2014 19:29:26 GMT -5
Still trying to figure out how to get the front plastic off. There is DEFINITELY a steering bearing problem. I look up from the forks under the fender, and you can actually SEE the bearings in the lower cup... there is a huge gap. I'm hoping nothing is damaged and that none of the ball bearings is missing. That is my goal for my next week off... to figure out how to get to the upper part of the fork where I can tighten them. A video on youtube seems to indicate that you can unloosen all the screws and the front panel will come off exposing the upper part of the fork. Sometimes there are also bolts behind the front wheel holding the front fairing to the frame. Usually it's just as easy as unscrewing all the screws around the edges, sometimes it isn't, that is life lol When you put it back together use white lithium grease, it lasts long and stands up well against the elements, I have had to rebuild my front end 3 times due to Boston's notorious potholes, it still looks like new grease after a few months of being in there. The grease should also help a ton with getting all those pesky balls into the cup and keeping them there while you slide it back in. Make sure the shaft is not crooked either, I had a tripletree that had a slightly bent shaft, it would cause my scoot to lean a bit to one side and make it harder to take turns in the opposite direction, not to mention straight wasn't exactly straight anymore. |
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Post by rdhood on Dec 24, 2014 7:55:38 GMT -5
When you put it back together use white lithium grease, it lasts long and stands up well against the elements, I have had to rebuild my front end 3 times due to Boston's notorious potholes, it still looks like new grease after a few months of being in there. The grease should also help a ton with getting all those pesky balls into the cup and keeping them there while you slide it back in. Make sure the shaft is not crooked either, I had a tripletree that had a slightly bent shaft, it would cause my scoot to lean a bit to one side and make it harder to take turns in the opposite direction, not to mention straight wasn't exactly straight anymore. Will do. That is really the only thing I'm worried about... that he may have actually rode it like this and damaged the bearings or fork. Assuming that he didn't , I should have this on the road by this weekend. |
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Post by lain on Dec 24, 2014 9:49:42 GMT -5
When you put it back together use white lithium grease, it lasts long and stands up well against the elements, I have had to rebuild my front end 3 times due to Boston's notorious potholes, it still looks like new grease after a few months of being in there. The grease should also help a ton with getting all those pesky balls into the cup and keeping them there while you slide it back in. Make sure the shaft is not crooked either, I had a tripletree that had a slightly bent shaft, it would cause my scoot to lean a bit to one side and make it harder to take turns in the opposite direction, not to mention straight wasn't exactly straight anymore. Will do. That is really the only thing I'm worried about... that he may have actually rode it like this and damaged the bearings or fork. Assuming that he didn't , I should have this on the road by this weekend. If the fork is bent put it in a table vice and bang on it till it is mostly straight again, that's what I did for the current tripletree I have. Mind you they are not meant to be bent so it will take a lot of careful but hard effort. You have to make sure not to warp it when you are trying to form it back to a straight fork. |
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Post by rdhood on Dec 24, 2014 14:43:25 GMT -5
If the fork is bent put it in a table vice and bang on it till it is mostly straight again, that's what I did for the current tripletree I have. Mind you they are not meant to be bent so it will take a lot of careful but hard effort. You have to make sure not to warp it when you are trying to form it back to a straight fork. Hopefully it wont come to that. I'd look for a replacement before resorting to hammering the steerer (what it is called on a bicycle). I actual straightened a rifle barrel once using a 12ton press and the concentric circle/rifling pattern made when you look at a light down the bore. I had two other rifles to compare to, and got close enough that no one shooting the gun knows any different. I drove over to scooterbelt.com (yep, they are about 8 miles from me)and purchased a gates belt. They have a warehouse, and no problem selling from the office. Stopped by autozone (also on the way) and got gear oil, motor oil and an NGK plug. I'll get all of this done over the next couple of days and take it for a test ride by the weekend! |
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Post by rdhood on Dec 26, 2014 0:57:09 GMT -5
Got into the front end today, stuffed a bunch of grease in the bearings and tightened the steerer. All seems fine.
More good news: It had an NGK plug and a Dongil belt in there. Someone prepped it right. I replaced the plug and belt with a Gates and another NGK anyway, and will stick the old stuff under the seat for spares. I also changed the engine oil and the cvt oil. I am taking it for a spin around the neighborhood tomorrow.
All that is left in the immediate future is a valve adjustment. Then I am just going to ride it for a while.
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Post by rdhood on Dec 31, 2014 14:55:30 GMT -5
So, I have now run the scoot for about 5 miles... no problems other than there is something going on funky in the front end that I am still not sure of. Setting that aside for now....
I went to the auto parts store and specified some goodyear fuel line and vacuum line replacement . When I got home, I noticed that the guy had given me BOTH fuel line. Is there any problem with using fuel line to replace vacuum line?
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Post by JerryScript on Dec 31, 2014 17:56:02 GMT -5
So long as it doesn't leak, shouldn't be a problem. The only issue that may occur is if it's much softer than a standard vacuum line, it could collapse if the vacuum is strong enough (not likely with the vacuum pressures on a gy6). I like to use zip ties or screwable hose clamps on vacuum lines (zip ties on parts I don't remove much, hose clamps on things messed with more often), to ensure a good snug connection without leaks.
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