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Post by prodigit on Jun 12, 2013 13:14:41 GMT -5
V-star is a V-engine, twin cylinder supposedly, just like Honda's rebel. Their MPG numbers are in the 60's at best, but have more torque and HP, and go faster thanks to the V-design.
68 is on the low side for a TUX. 70-72 is about the max you'll get out of it.
The person who said he can get 80+ out of it, probably has done mods to it, as I don't see that happening with a stock TUX.
Even my BMS TBX, with a 257cc engine and fuel injection could barely make 80, and that bike is streamlined (aerodynamic), unlike the TUx
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Post by prodigit on Jun 12, 2013 13:11:27 GMT -5
I'm sure it has little to do with using synthetics.
What could be is you didn't close the oil drain well, or you overfilled, and it's just leaking out of the drain. If there's no drain pipe, it'll just come out of the overfill hole (or something), making your engine oily.
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Post by prodigit on Jun 12, 2013 13:06:06 GMT -5
DX
Overfueling, causes the vacuum line to suck fuel instead of fuel vapor.
A dumb piece of chinese egineering that causes more trouble than good.
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Post by prodigit on Jun 12, 2013 1:17:16 GMT -5
Thanks for the compliments  I think this bike can be more compared to a Honda Grom, than a honda Elite. The Grom will be about twice the price (~$2400, final price probably under $3k). I got my bike for 799, without shipping. Everything came down to $1049, but add $400 on taxes and a new tag to it! |
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Post by prodigit on Jun 12, 2013 0:28:27 GMT -5
You could up the idle a bit. Battery will always be low in the beginning.
Increases voltage after riding a bit.
See if the problem is persistent when your engine is warm (you've ridden at least 10-15 minutes).
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Post by prodigit on Jun 11, 2013 21:50:31 GMT -5
Like they say, many things are small things, and one can do it himself.
Not for a newbie, but if you've had a scoot before where you did more than an oilchange, or spark plug change, you are ready for this bike.
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Post by prodigit on Jun 11, 2013 21:44:14 GMT -5
Yeah, they're lots of thingies. However the main parts (engine and transmission and suspension) so far seem to be good.
On the other hand, I believe the tires are very soft, and I probably will have to change them (rear) within 4k miles, if not less.
The spark plug was crap, but nearly all people put another spark plug in.
The paint thinner, was because the carburetor was jetted incorrectly. More than likely someone riding 500ft or up from sealevel will not even notice.
I can compensate little with the AF screw, to make it start, almost without choke.
The choke is just compensating for the small main jet. Once I could increase jet and needle size, the choke will become unnecessary, only in cold winter area's, but in FL unnecessary.
The bolts are corroding, superficial rust, shouldn't have happened. but then here's a wise lesson for all chinese buyers:
China doesn't know chrome. It only knows polished steel. So if anything looks like chrome, it probably is not.
Get rid of anything shiny on a china bike. China and Shiny sound alike, but are 2 polar opposites that should not exist together.
They use standard M6 screws and bolts most of the time, so you can replace them with less nice looking bolts from Home Depot or online. Problem with online is that you don't know what quality the bolts are. More than likely they're from china and will rust just as fast.
You can spray some corrosion x in a hand towel, and wipe off the bolts, allow it to sink in, to keep it's shine maintained.
Do know that I knew NOTHING of scooters, and relatively NOTHING of engines 1 year ago.
Heck, I did not even know what kind of wrench fits on an M6 bolt or nut!
But I figured it all out. And if I can, so can just about anyone else.
The mechanical part of mounting the bike is pretty easy. It's just the plastics, and the order in which to mount it that is difficult, because like average guy says, you build the bike with your brain, not with the user manual, because it's pretty useless.
The ride quality far surpasses that of chinese scooters and even Korean models.
The build quality is about on par with Korean quality.
Aluminum engine block, aluminum gear housing, solid (+3mm) exhaust walls, shocks that make you feel like you're floating over the road, a seat that feels better than any Honda or Suzuki seats I've ever sat on (definitely better than Harley Davidson Seats, because their stock seats suck).
The plastic vibration was due to too heavy oil. With less heavy oil (a mixture of 5W30 and 10W40 resulting in ~7W35) has noticeably less vibration.
The frame is solid, the front brake works well, the rear brake I haven't locked yet.
I'm only scared when riding on bridges with grates. The bike's thin wheels feel so unstable.
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Post by prodigit on Jun 11, 2013 19:28:35 GMT -5
150's do 0-30MPH pretty fast. After 30-35MPH the variator is maxed out, and it takes longer to get to 50. I estimate I do mine (0-40) in 7-8 seconds, so yes, it's slow.
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Post by prodigit on Jun 11, 2013 19:11:39 GMT -5
Yeah, the rear axle nut came loose, because I had glued it tight with silicone glue.
Seemingly, the silicone has lubricating effects when put on very tight nuts.
Silicone is good enough for side panel bolts, but not for axle nuts. I just ran out of locktite (bottle got hard), so I thought lemme try with silicone...
The gear pedal is not really a problem, because it's still stuck on the bar connected to the gear shift rod. the pedal does slide sideways, but with a zip tie it is well in place, until I find another solution.
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Post by prodigit on Jun 11, 2013 18:31:11 GMT -5
Valves need to be cleaned before you do an adjustment to them.
Otherwise you can do the adj again after the carb is cleaned, as B12 and Seafoam clean the crud off the valves, the valve spacing increases.
So if you can clean the carb first, if not (like if the bike will stop running all together) you'll have to do the valve adjustment first.
That being said, I have 4000+KM on my ATM50, without a single valve adjustment, and it's still running great!
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Post by prodigit on Jun 11, 2013 16:22:08 GMT -5
for a 50cc you don't really need a petcock. The fuel flow from the tank is good enough, esp if the tank is located above (not besides) the engine.
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Post by prodigit on Jun 11, 2013 16:20:45 GMT -5
Put some Chemtool B12 in the tank, for cleaning. It's more aggressive than seafoam. After one tank put some seafoam in it.
Make sure your oil is not too heavy. In N Carolina, the heaviest oil I'd recommend is 10W30, or 5W30.
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Post by prodigit on Jun 11, 2013 12:47:09 GMT -5
Glad to hear you are liking your bike prodigit. I'm pretty happy with mine too for the cost. I worked on it a bit today and finally got the wheels on. I am pretty sure they are correct. This bike really rides nice. It is very comparable to the Honda XRM that they have overseas. I rented on last time I was in the Philippines and always said I wish I could get one like it in the states. This china bike is pretty close mechanically. After riding up and down the street a few times I did have a bit of a problem. I think maybe one of the vacuum hoses came off. Suddenly the idle went high and I noticed a hose hanging down. Since I already had all the plastics on already I just put it away and will look into it another day coz I didn't feel like taking all the plastics off again. I just saw the picture. That hose is your carb drain. Don't worry about it. There's a carb drain, and a vacuum hose that's just loosely connected. You basically have 2 drains. Idle goes up because the engine heats up. When the engine heats up, you have to change the AF screw, to set it to a right value. You can also change the level of the choke while riding. Especially when riding wot, there will be a specific choke setting where the bike will perform best. Leave it there, until you re-jet the carb. |
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Post by prodigit on Jun 11, 2013 12:44:15 GMT -5
I've ordered both the 34 and 36T.
Stock price for a sprocket is $47. I'm willing to sell one of the sprockets if you're interested at a discount.
I will most likely not even use the 36T, but if I do, it's just for a short testride.
If the 34T is good enough for me (I'm 160LBS, riding on mostly level terrain), I would be selling my 36T sprocket to anyone interested.
If the 34T does not pull my weight, or does not function the way I was expecting, I will be using the 36T.
I'm mostly an economy rider, riding careful on the throttle, enjoying the ride better, the less it will cost me, so I will try to go for the 34T.
The 36T should give somewhat an improvement over the 40T, but should still allow better acceleration for those riding a few hills than a 34T.
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Post by prodigit on Jun 11, 2013 12:39:02 GMT -5
Alright, seems like no website is selling a custom 16T front sprocket, most websites only do rear sprockets, and that specific sprocket seems only to be available at 15T.
I've done some recalculations, and wasn't happy with the minor improvements of a 36T on the rear. I've decided to do the purchase for a 34T, as I re-measured the clearance in the back after tightening the chain, and seemingly I can go down to 30T now.
I'm sure the motor won't pull 30T (which is 25% difference) on the final gear, but 34 T on the rear would give a 15% difference, or a +10MPH top speed, and should bring MPG's near to 100MPG in final gear.
It also raises comfortable cruising speed from 30-35MPH in 4th gear, more into the 35-40MPH range. Shifting to 4th gear would go from 20MPH to 25MPH.
Doing the math, the following rear sprockets should be possible (upgraded from a 40T (I figure, I do the math, save you some time)):
- 30T (very bad gear ratio of 1/2 causing increased chain wear, Too heavy engine load)
- 31T (excellent gear ratio for chain wear, but low acceleration)
- 32T (good gear ratio for chainwear, possibly low acceleration)
- 33T (Normal gear ratio of 2.2 (link touches tooth every 5 rotations), possibly low acceleration)
- 34T (Good gear ratio, Perhaps barely enough acceleration, good top speed hopefully)
- 35T (slightly bad gear ratio of 2.333, link touches tooth every 3 rotations)
- 36T (Normal gear ratio, probably the best compromise between acceleration, and top speed)
- 37T (Good gear ratio, minor speed improvement, probably not worth the cost of the upgrade)
- 38T (Excellent gear ratio, minute differences, not worth the cost of the upgrade)
- 39T (Not the best gear ratio, not worth the cost of the upgrade)
- 40T Stock.
> 40T results in faster acceleration, faster shifting through gears, but also lower top speed, and much higher RPMs.
40T is probably good enough if you're ~200LBS rider, riding on a mostly hilly terrain, or riding on a level terrain with 2.
36T is probably good for a ~200LBS rider riding on mostly flat terrains.
34T is probably good for a ~170LBS rider riding on flat terrains (no hills).
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