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Post by rockynv on Jan 23, 2016 2:18:03 GMT -5
(5) Fill radiator completely with coolant, a long funnel is nice and doesn't make a mess. [USE ONLY COOLANT FREE OF NITRATES, BORATES, SILICATES & SPECIFIED FOR ALUMINUM BLOCK ENGINES] One can mix their own coolant on a 50/50 ratio but it is a lot easier to use a 50/50 premix (I use Prestone) Acutally, the first thing I did, was change the coolant. THEN I found your Big Guy PDI thread. That got me wondering if I had used the right coolant or not... it's neon yellow. I'm still not sure and that bothers me. I've checked Prestone's website and don't find anything concerning the chemicals listed in your post. And nothing to specific for aluminum blocks. I'm using the 50/50 shown here at Prestone. Although mine doesn't say "NEW" like the link above.  Did I choose wisely? Loren The universal formula should be just fine. Here in Tampa Bay where the roadways get over 115 degrees in the 10 months of summer I am partial to Engine Ice. It is non toxic and it does what it claims for promoting better operation of the cooling system. After I flushed the old coolant out with white vinegar and distilled water and changed to the Engine Ice the bike does cool faster now. At traffic stops instead of the fan running continuously it cycles on for a very short while and then off for a minute or so until the light changes and while moving now the fan will rarely needs to turn on at all. Temperature gauge stays more steady and starts dropping moments after the fan cycles on so the change in temperature is hardly noticeable. I have been pleasantly surprised by how well it has met the claims of what its supposed to do. |
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Post by rockynv on Jan 23, 2016 2:04:56 GMT -5
The old chopper had a few more advantages beyond the torquey engine. The chopper frame puts more weight bias on the rear wheel than the front-heavy sport bike. The chopper also probably had lower gearing for a faster launch. Demonstrates that you need to look at more than just HP numbers when shopping for a bike. A 600 cc Suzuki Bandit and other similarly sized Sport Bikes and Cruisers should by the HP numbers greatly out perform my 250 cc Sport City however the reality on the road has been quite the opposite. Yes its still a scooter but it surprises them and in traffic within the legal speed limits they find their the ones having trouble keeping up. It makes for some great fun for me and its interesting to hear their comments after a ride especially if another rider when we stop starts bashing the scooter. The best one so far was them telling some big mouth "You don't understand, that thing is scary!" |
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Post by rockynv on Jan 22, 2016 5:20:23 GMT -5
Your roughly 75 miles from Parts for Scooters so you may want to call them and see what they can do for you. Remember that UPS deliveries inside Florida usually take only 1 day even at their lowest rate and while they do not have a store front you can still order and pay online and pick up parts from their receptionist if you are in town.
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Post by rockynv on Jan 22, 2016 1:05:05 GMT -5
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Post by rockynv on Jan 22, 2016 0:55:26 GMT -5
That Rat Bike was analyzed by one of the Harley Aficionados that I work with and he loves the combination of Shovel Head and EVO on the same block along with the creative plumbing to get it all working together on the same engine.
Ol Hildo has quite a following and is a bit of a local legend as far as I understand. Wouldn't mind sitting for a pint with him and learning more about him and his bike.
Poor Ricky on his Yamasuki learned that in the short race, torque along with old age and a bit of treachery will beat HP, youth and inexperience. Having a off-beat sense of humor is just icing on the cake.
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Post by rockynv on Jan 21, 2016 0:21:22 GMT -5
I believe the encounter between Good Ol Hildo on his Harley Rat Bike and Ricky on his Fireblade demonstrates Torque vs HP quite well. 25 year old 70 hp Harley against something like a 180 hp Honda.
This is a classic and bears posting again for those not familiar:
Love the victory waves with those oven mitts he's wearing. Makes me smile every time I see it.
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Post by rockynv on Jan 20, 2016 13:37:13 GMT -5
Remember that the economy of the 50 cc bike evaporates the closer you get to 30 mph. Many will find out too late that a 150 at 30 mph may get better fuel economy than a 50 and a 250 at 45 mph may get better fuel economy than a 150. At 20 mph the 50 will be in its sweet spot and the 150 will be in its zone at around 35 mph while the 250 will be there are around 55 mph. Where I live most roads are 40/45 mph with traffic flowing at 45/50 mph so the 250 is the logical choice both for safely keeping with traffic and fuel economy. I gained 20 mpg on my daily commute going from 45 mph to 65+ mpg switching from the 150 to the 250.
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Post by rockynv on Jan 20, 2016 13:24:22 GMT -5
Off with a holding fixture and impact wrench is ok but on is still a manual process. Are there some things that I will risk personally after 50 years experience that I won't reccommend to a newbie, yes but its with full awareness of the risk and what could happen if I slip up. In forum I will only reccommend the low risk methods
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Post by rockynv on Jan 20, 2016 5:16:50 GMT -5
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Post by rockynv on Jan 20, 2016 5:13:13 GMT -5
With talk about the potential for a 99 cent gallon of gasoline this year we may see a drop in scooter development too with the way gas prices have been falling. People are not purchasing them like they did before and the market is now flooded with hardly used ones.
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Post by rockynv on Jan 19, 2016 14:14:41 GMT -5
Don't confuse cars with bikes. The divisions may not always make sense but rounding is what they do. 178 to 200 is all 200 even from Piaggio. The oddball is that they break out the 258 and call it a 260.
Hp may be low on the Linhai 400 however torque is the other half of the performance equation. Diesels do not outperform gasoline engines on horsepower but on torque. A lower hp diesel will outperform a higher hp gasoline engine because of having much more torque.
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Post by rockynv on Jan 19, 2016 5:21:31 GMT -5
I would go with the 250 or 300. Your ride sounds like mine and at those speeds you will be past the mpg sweet spot of the 150. A co-worker was concerned that his fuel costs would go up when he bought a 300 to replace his 150 and found that they went down since the 300 got higher mpg at 45 mph than the 150 which gets its max mpg at around 30 mph.
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Post by rockynv on Jan 18, 2016 23:09:28 GMT -5
Especially here in the Deep South if you have it too high then hot days can really become a bear to deal with and you will be considering putting air foils to direct cooling air around the windshield or you can really get cooked. With a windshield over your head then the cooling vents on your helmet won't work as well either.
So I guess it may depend for some on where they are located. Here with roadways at over 100 degrees most of the year when the suns out, having good air flow becomes more critical.
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Post by rockynv on Jan 18, 2016 9:29:02 GMT -5
It almost sounds like some of the soap or oil leaked out or that whatever had encrusted in the cap over the years got loosened while it was laying on its side and has contaminated the goo since you mentioned the water is now cloudy. Most Lava Aficionados would probably clean it out and start over with fresh goo.
My daughter has the grand sized one and the dog and cat have knocked it over onto the terrazzo floor numerous times however thankfully it has never broken and still works fine.
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Post by rockynv on Jan 18, 2016 9:24:15 GMT -5
To do things righteously you are suppose to look over the windshield since they are usually not optically correct and tend to obscure things especially when they are wet or dirty. A good tech when setting up a bike for you will adjust the windshield to be just below eye level even if that means cutting it down.
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