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Post by dollartwentyfive on Dec 18, 2015 8:27:59 GMT -5
Several years ago I wound up buying reflector tape that came in strips of red and silver, to help out with being more visible, without going too crazy with it. i would also recommend that a highway yellow, or hunter orange, vest be worn. forget the "i might look stupid" line the visibility angle can't be overstated. there have been plenty of MC accidents where the cager has said "i didn't see him". i've almost been nailed twice like this. cagers simply need to be made aware that 2 wheelers are out there, and to specifically look for them. another good idea along these lines is a "3 piece headlight" this is 3 separate lights pointed in slightly different angles, one straight ahead, one slightly to the left, and one slightly to the right. maybe 15 degrees between them. modulating lights wouldn't hurt either. night riding isn't something i do much of, simply because of the road hazards. although i did a lot of it on my 50cc. in my opinion, a sticky throttle needs serviced. your throttle needs to close if you let go of it. this is more important for a "twist and go" type of ride than a motorcycle because a motorcycle has a clutch to disengage the engine. speaking of helmets, i recommend a full face. it protects your entire head, you don't need goggles, and it keeps the bugs out of your nose and mouth.. i've worn mine in blazing heat with no discomfort. and gloves, let's not forget the gloves. a really good pair can be gotten on the cheap at walmart. pure cowhide, but you have to add your own lacing. i wore those with a lining of jersey bought from the dollar store. |
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Post by dollartwentyfive on Dec 18, 2015 7:50:57 GMT -5
for 800 bucks, it better come with the inflight movie.
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Post by dollartwentyfive on Dec 17, 2015 16:15:59 GMT -5
about fuel injection:
most would assume that fuel injection is directly into the cylinders.
while this might be true of expensive high performance engines, i hardly doubt this is the case for our chinese machines.
fuel injectors are located in the carburetor and are electrically operated.
in this case they can be seen as "jets with wires".
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Post by dollartwentyfive on Dec 17, 2015 16:10:39 GMT -5
i tend to agree that the "green/red" flashing on the battery tender is a sign of problems.
incorrect polarity or a dead cell.
i can't be sure of this, because not all "battery chargers" are the same.
mine simply had a green and yellow light that came on when the battery reached a certain level.
the yellow indicated too low a voltage.
the green flashed as the battery was charging, and the longer it stayed on indicated how much charge was in the battery.
it wasn't a "trickle" type of charger, but sent pulses to the battery depending on how charged it was.
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Post by dollartwentyfive on Dec 17, 2015 2:45:00 GMT -5
rocky mentions another advantage scoots, their phenomenal stopping power.
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Post by dollartwentyfive on Dec 16, 2015 19:11:10 GMT -5
another area of safety i want to mention.
drinking and driving.
DON"T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT ! !
yeah, i'm sure most of us has gotten behind the wheel after one, two, or three beers.
me included.
and i'm sure that most of us has heard "one beer can affect you".
i hear that kind of thing and say "baloney".
the real surprise is, it can.
i drank a beer at my brother in laws house then hopped on my 250 to go home.
i usually just rip those roads up right down the middle.
not this day.
here i am crawling along at 30 or so.
i was totally amazed how much that one beer affected me.
so please, don't drink and drive.
it affects your balance more than you realize.
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Post by dollartwentyfive on Dec 16, 2015 19:02:05 GMT -5
TBH, i can see hopping on your 50cc in shorts, sandels, and a t-shirt, and going to the store.
this is one of the reasons i posted this thread here instead of the 250cc section.
but, even a spill at 30MPH can leave some nasty rash.
you don't even have to be going faster than walking speed to get horribly maimed, even by a 50cc.
a friend of mine was riding his 50cc on a dirt road after it rained.
he wasn't going more than about 5MPH because it was so slick.
locked up his front wheel and down he went.
his scoot fell on his left leg.
the tab on the center stand almost cut his leg off.
man, that was some nasty stuff, and i'll never forget it.
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Post by dollartwentyfive on Dec 16, 2015 16:57:10 GMT -5
another good thing to be aware of was brought up in post 8 by ricardo.
and that is the maneuverability of your bike.
bikers can sometimes avoid accidents that cagers can't.
also, wear your gear, preferably leather.
do you really think bikers wear leather to look tough?
road rash isn't a joke, nor is it funny.
the same can be said of boots.
there is nothing quite like getting your foot trapped under your scoot and breaking your ankle.
letting your scoot down from the center stand makes this all too real.
i guess you could just roll it off and let the stand slam a hole in the pan, instead of easing it up with your foot.
another area of safety concerns pushing your bike.
make sure it's not running.
i tries that once, didn't work to well.
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Post by dollartwentyfive on Dec 16, 2015 16:43:03 GMT -5
another important area of safety is ride inspection.
get into the habit of inspecting your ride.
look for burned out bulbs, missing screws and bolts.
replace these items before your next ride.
a missing body panel body bolt might seem minor, but at speed the wind can get under it and rip it off.
check for proper tire inflation.
if at all possible, replace damaged tires instead of repairing them.
remember , you only have 2.
a blowout on your car can be frightening, a blowout on your scoot can be deadly.
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Post by dollartwentyfive on Dec 16, 2015 9:12:46 GMT -5
i think the lesson is clear, that front brake isn't as simple as you might think it it.
the main concern here, is to NOT lock it up.
another area about brakes are the so called ABS.
these types of brakes lessen the chance of lockups, but in the case of chinese rides do not prevent them.
some have pointed out areas where to be careful, but there are others too.
the following means to use extreme caution:
sand, gravel, bunches of wet leaves, potholes, intersections, tollbooths.
while all of the above can be hazardous, i consider intersections especially so.
not only do you have to deal with oily surfaces, you have to be very aware of EVERYTHING, especially when semis are present.
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Post by dollartwentyfive on Dec 15, 2015 16:38:20 GMT -5
it's all about the ride, and that's true.
so, here is a thread to point out things that will make that ride safer for you.
i was going to put this in the 250 section because safety becomes very important with that class of scoots, but there are some things that are important for all classes of motorized bikes.
the very first thing you should know is, be aware of your surroundings and be seen.
anticipate that left turning driver to turn in front of you.
expect that cager to look right at you, and still fail to see you.
last i heard, "the hurt report" is still a valid document in regards to motorcycle crashes and their causes.
next up is braking technique.
i thing mopeds teach an improper braking technique in that moped riders just grab both brakes and squeeze.
i can only imagine the number of spills this has caused.
it becomes all too easy to lock up that front wheel, and when that happens, you can usually kiss the pavement ( or in this case the loose grit)
if you are on anything except clean, dry, asphalt (or concrete) then stay out of that front brake as much as possible.
now for some finer points.
even clean, dry, asphalt can be hazardous.
not all roads are "flat", some have dips and "hills" ( i call it "heaving").
running over a stretch of road such as this can throw you off the bike.
another major concern is unfamiliar roads, especially "back roads".
there is nothing quite like screaming down a straight stretch of road, only to top a slight mound and see nothing but wall to wall gravel and potholes.
the first thing to remember is STAY OUT OF THAT FRONT BRAKE.
dress for the weather, you should always wear protective clothing, but cold weather riding requires more clothes than you think.
consider a full body rainsuit.
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Post by dollartwentyfive on Dec 15, 2015 11:56:53 GMT -5
from one of your own threads: I bought different colors of 16g wire, and manually ran all the wire from the stator, to the regulator, CDI, etc. itistheride.boards.net/thread/8944/spark-plug-stator-all-replaced if you run AC to the CDI then the CDI must be AC fired, not DC. it sounds as if you might need to rip it all out and start over. personally i would forget about "keeping it original". IOW, go with a strictly DC bike. the only possible problem with this is the autochoke, they might not make a DC autochoke for your ride. in this case you need to tap off one of the stator wires for the choke. one other thing to keep in mind, don't "twist and tape". twisting wires together, then taping them is a temporary solution only. i've rewired my bike, so i can offer some tips and help in this regard. that wasn't my quote. I didn't do any of that. sorry, it was late. steve did that, not you. |
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Post by dollartwentyfive on Dec 15, 2015 5:15:25 GMT -5
from one of your own threads:
I bought different colors of 16g wire, and manually ran all the wire from the stator, to the regulator, CDI, etc.
itistheride.boards.net/thread/8944/spark-plug-stator-all-replaced
if you run AC to the CDI then the CDI must be AC fired, not DC.
it sounds as if you might need to rip it all out and start over.
personally i would forget about "keeping it original".
IOW, go with a strictly DC bike.
the only possible problem with this is the autochoke, they might not make a DC autochoke for your ride.
in this case you need to tap off one of the stator wires for the choke.
one other thing to keep in mind, don't "twist and tape".
twisting wires together, then taping them is a temporary solution only.
i've rewired my bike, so i can offer some tips and help in this regard.
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Post by dollartwentyfive on Dec 14, 2015 18:25:32 GMT -5
correct me if i'm wrong, but doesn't some of these 50cc jobs headlights run directly off the stator?
luckily my scoot doesn't use AC for anything except input to the R/R.
i believe my old 50cc had AC lights because they would get brighter and dimmer according to the RPM of the engine.
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Post by dollartwentyfive on Dec 14, 2015 7:56:02 GMT -5
I've only put 7 miles on this Tao Tao Roman 150cc since I bought it new. It still has the original MFQ-7 battery, which I've removed and am keeping charged until Spring. Are these Chinese batteries crap? Should I replace it and with what? While I'm asking for advice, should I also replace the belt with a Gates belt or wait until this one shreds? Thanks! these questions depend entirely on the source of the scooter. some chinese manufacturers are better than others. my ride seemed to be pretty decent, but there were a few areas where it drove me insane. the only real crappy parts on my ride were the body panels, electrical switches, and the wiring connections. tire stems were also crappy. the cooling system was very poorly designed. the items you mentioned were pretty decent, i never did replace the battery, but i did replace the belt, but only because i seen where it started to "chip". pieces were breaking off the outside of it. if you do replace the belt, keep the old one onboard in case of emergencies. |
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