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Post by rockynv on Dec 6, 2015 9:00:51 GMT -5
Did you transport it upright or on its side? You could simply have a pool of oil or gasoline filling up something it should not be in if you transported it on its side especially if on the left side.
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Post by rockynv on Dec 5, 2015 10:54:03 GMT -5
Make you a more valuable employee too so we should all get raises if we are employed, shouldn't we.
I found this thank you from an Australian Senator interesting:
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Post by rockynv on Dec 5, 2015 10:44:56 GMT -5
Remember that when you start changing gear ratios that you can end up without enough HP at the rear wheel to take advantage of it. Wind resistance and drag starts building dramatically over 35 mph and you need about double you HP for every 15 to 25% gain in top speed beyond 65 mph on a 150. While a well set up 150cc scooter can run 65 mph a 300cc does not get you to 130 mph but only about 80/  mph and a 500cc scooter only usually gets you just past 100 mph. To double the top speed of a 150cc scooter you are usually looking at going to an 850cc bike unless you are investing in radical performance upgrades that can greatly increase maintenance costs and reduce the overall useful life of the bike. The route I took for more speed while maintaining reliability and economy on my 250 was reducing drag by installing a Puig Sport Fairing instead of a windshield. This made the most dramatic change in performance over 35 mph and gave me about 10 mph more usable top speed. Wearing a full face helmet helped further reduce drag. Installing sliders instead of rollers allowed the OEM variator to open wider and close tighter giving me more HP at the rear wheel a takeoff and allows it to close up tighter for better top speed while still being reactive enough to deal with changed in grade and headwinds. Wearing motorcycle clothing that zips and cinches to the body without flapping or catching air will help too as any clothing that billows or flaps like a sail is going to slow you down. Side cases especially soft bags while convenient can slow you down sometimes very dramatically depending on the design. |
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Post by rockynv on Dec 4, 2015 23:21:28 GMT -5
Some of the cheaper "Kevlar" belts that many are drawn to like moths to a flame are among the worst offenders at destroying drive faces.
The worst I have seen was with a Bando branded belt in it and the 150cc GY6 bike had only about 4,000 total miles on it. Very abrasive, stiff as a board and destroyed the drive faces in a few thousand miles.
I believe that the last time I cleaned out the garage I tossed the box of dead 150cc drive faces since I no longer have a 150 and just have the 250cc Aprilia however if a find one of the grooved variators in a box I'll post a picture of how bad they can get in a few thousand miles with a bargain Kevlar belt. The OEM Piaggio Belts are by Mitsoboshi and if you keep the CVT filter clean will last from 12,000 to 15,000 miles and the OEM drive faces will last 50,000+ miles.
Here when the ambient temps are closing in on 100 degrees the roadways are at around 120 degrees or higher due to the intense Florida sun and this is for over half the year not just a few days at the end of July or beginning of August. If you do not keep your CVT filter clean especially on a 20+ hp scooter ridden on 50+ mph state roads and 70+ mph interstates you will be eating belts. With all our heavy airport, airbase and the space center traffic we also have ozone issues leading to the more rapid breakdown of rubber products. I live near to McDill Airbase, Tampa International and the Coast Guard Air Base which adds to the problem.
I ride for the economy of it all to get the most mileage for every maintenance task that I do with the side bar benefit of having a blast riding. An oil/filter change lasts me 6,250 miles, belt service 12,500 to 15,000 miles, sliders last as long as the belts, tires last 2 years or 10,000 to 12,000 miles, variator shows no appreciable wear at 30,000 miles and should last 50,000+ miles as should the clutch, valve adjustment/spark plug checks are every 12,500 miles and brake pads last around 25,000 miles. Changing the clutch and variator between belt services would simply be too insane to even contemplate.
My Dad was a chemical engineer who worked in the rubber composites industry and worked on joint efforts with DuPont including the refinement of Rayon, Polyester, Nylon, PTFE, Automotive Coolants (started as a waste product from producing another material) and the list goes on. I am a bit familiar with the development and history from what he shared with us and when he would bring me to work with him. I would spend time with him and my Uncle who would fabricate and maintain the equipment when they would prototype new formulations that the existing equipment would not handle. I was very interesting in the early 60's to early 70's when I saw a quite a bit of this firsthand. The stuff being developed for the Military was leaps and bounds beyond what we saw on the store shelves since the intent was that it had to last a century in storage due to the Cold War Threat that could have erupted and put and end to any further manufacturing. I got to test some of the light military rain gear that wore like it was made of iron but light as a plastic trash bag. I believe I still have one medium light rubberized wind breaker from then that almost 60 years later has still not hardened or cracked along with some insulated tools made for wet use that show no signs of breakdown of the insulation. Some abrasion but no deterioration. If tests showed a product met requirements they would not be satisfied and would not stop until they exceeded specs by a respectable margin.
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Post by rockynv on Dec 4, 2015 5:09:21 GMT -5
Thanks for all the responses.
I am not expecting 250cc plus speeds but hoping for more than a 5mph increase as well as NOT losing speed on hills. I agree my type of bike would not be very safe or stable at much increased speeds (my current setup is about 55 mph WOT). My home is at 4800' elevation and my scooting buddies like climbing hills around here that are 1000 to 2500 feet above the Valley floor. I just don't want to be left in the dust THAT easily on the big runs on some of the flat outs.
Assuming we don't have a long winter inversion I'll report back in a couple months with how it goes. I got what you are indicating by using the Hoca variator and 115mm drive face with the included 12 gram rollers on my Lance Vintage. www.partsforscooters.com/169-24 |
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Post by rockynv on Dec 3, 2015 13:26:48 GMT -5
In some areas all gas is the same coming from common distribution lines or a tank depot. The difference begins with the quality of the Ethanol they add to it and then the additive package. Depending on brand and grade a different pill will be put in the tank truck before they drive off to replenish the filling station.
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Post by rockynv on Dec 3, 2015 1:30:46 GMT -5
Yes medium and high compression engines may appear to run fine on occasional use of regular however its in the long term use and maintenance of the bike where the differences can start to show. If you never go over 30 mph or ride when its over 75 degrees out you may get away with it however if running at State Road or Expressway speeds you need the higher octane and valve cushioning additives that are used instead of lead in the premium grades of fuels. Occasional mixing of regular and premium is usually OK on an engine with 9:1 or greater compression as long as its only every now and then and not several tanks in a row.
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Post by rockynv on Dec 3, 2015 1:21:01 GMT -5
Brandon - Just be mindful that the cost of shipping or even fuel riding any distance to pick up a used tire can cost almost as much as a new one in that size. Your still going to spend money on cleaners, shop towels and rags to clean up the mess from the slime and such too so new or use the cost difference may not be very great and sometime a used even "free" tire can end up costing you much more than a new one. Someone once gave me 4 used tires that looked good for my car however they were old and ended up worn out in a few weeks. It cost me more with lost time from work dealing with the free tires then if I had just bought a set.
Losing time from work to deal with these things also costs you especially if the boss gets upset by it.
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Post by rockynv on Dec 3, 2015 1:07:07 GMT -5
One of the most common mistakes when making a u-turn is eye position. Your ride tends to go where you are looking. If you are looking at your front wheel, or just in front of it, you will have a hard time making a smooth turn. You need to look where you are going, and for a u-turn that's almost over your shoulder. Your body and your ride will follow your eyes. I can still hear the MSF Coach telling the students "Keep looking down at the pavement and that's where you will end up, down on the pavement". You have to focus level to where you want to be and not down on the ground anywhere near to the bike. You should have already checked out whats laying on the road before you started making your turn. |
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Post by rockynv on Dec 2, 2015 5:20:07 GMT -5
Ricardo - Yes you do have to be aware of what your dealing with and even then you usually can not fight against the laws of physics. You can end up getting some serious bruises when you fight and lose in that court.
At least while your healing up you'll have plenty of time to review your MSF Riders Course materials before you get back on the bike.
Time for me to hit the shower, gear up and head off to work.
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Post by rockynv on Dec 2, 2015 0:38:33 GMT -5
A spring keeps the tensioner engaged on the chain while the teeth are to disengage it while removing and reinstalling it using the center bolt on the tensioner. You usually break the teeth by not disengaging the tensioner properly while reinstalling it or by using the cam gear to turn the engine without first removing the spark plug while doing a valve adjustment however since most have the Honda 250 with externally adjustable valves most would have no need or ability to turn the engine by the cam gear during a valve adjustment. www.partsforscooters.com/250cc-172mm-4-Stroke-Cylinder-Body-Assembly_2 |
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Post by rockynv on Dec 2, 2015 0:24:14 GMT -5
Why would anyone use oil recommended for a low rpm Diesel engine in a high rpm scooter when no manufacturer recommends it? Think about it Oh, but you are wrong.....The manual that came with my scoot recommends 15w40.....there are many other brands that do also. Then, there's my 2011 Camaro... tach redline is 7,000 rpm....and the crankcase is full of diesel oil, but it is a 5w40. Not what is recommended, but I didn't want my timing chains worn in two at 35000 miles....as some have. Run what you want, whatever brand and weight makes you feel good, change it when you feel it is time...it's your scoot....your money....your choice.........and none of my business 15W40 4-T is a motorcycle oil that is commonly recommended for scooters due to its anti-coking properties, flow characteristics at high rpms and performance under low pressure with some manuals taking it for granted that you will be using a 4T oil in the weight that they are listing. Remember the oil pump in a Chinese Scooter is rather anemic compared to those in a gasoline engine and even more weak compared to the powerhouse oil pumps in a diesel. Automotive oils are designed for use in systems running about 20 to 50 psi while Diesels can run up to psi however a Chinese scooter may not register over a few psi. There are plenty of decent and low cost 4T motorcycle oils out there available for all our scooters and there is no real good reason to substitute Automotive grades unless the owners manual specifically states use Rotella or Mobile One Automotive grade oil (Mobile One does make a 4T oil for motorcycle engines www.amazon.com/Mobil-98JA11-10W-40-Racing-Motorcycle/dp/B004U8JH84). I use Rotella Full Synthetic in my Diesel and the same weight Full Synthetic 4T Motorcycle Oil in my scooter. |
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Post by rockynv on Dec 1, 2015 23:59:33 GMT -5
The cable operated rear brake requires lubrication at a number of points and you really need to remove the muffler and rear tire in order to do it correctly. I requires a dot of silicone brake grease to be applied to the brake shaft where it goes through the backing plate, on the cams that engage the shoes and the pivot pin between the brake shoes. The brake cable also needs to be lubed with cable lube to keep it free and to prevent water from getting into it. If its the cable or brake lever on the left handlebar that is sticking then lube away with no worries. The shaft going through the backing plate on the rear hub may if stuck may free up with a one or two drops and no more of penetrating oil (WD 40 is more of a water displacer and cleaner) or better yet one of the newer High Detergent ATF fluids from one of the cars in your household. You only need a drop or two so even whats on the end of the dipstick on a cars transmission will be way more then you will need.
How many miles are now on the bike? I had not come close to wearing out the rear shoes on my Lance 150 at 10,000 miles and they looked up to another 10,000 when I traded it in.
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Post by rockynv on Dec 1, 2015 23:42:05 GMT -5
The Hoca variator was the best for my Lance 150 and on my Aprilia it was staying stock and installing the Dr Pulley sliders. You are not going to get 250cc speeds from a 150 though and are only talking a few more mph. Go overboard with taller gears and such and you can end up with a bike that does not have enough power to overcome its drag coefficient and go over 40 mph. You need more HP and Torque in order to make drastic increases in speed however remember that the minimal brakes, tires and frame on most 150cc bike won't be up to the task. Then you hear about people with broken frames, snapped engine hangers, etc.
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Post by rockynv on Dec 1, 2015 23:15:50 GMT -5
I didn't like the Beverly 500 as much as the Scarabeo 500 Heavy or Light either.
The Aprilia frames are made independent of the Piaggio and tended to outperform them using the same engines which probably is part of the reason why Piaggio no longer allows Aprilia access to scooter engines over 50cc.
They still make the 850cc scooter because its an engine that they designed and manufacture themselves. The 850cc Aprilia engine is getting to be more popular since John Deere started using it to power their high performance Gators and it could get interesting if others start building CVT bikes with it.
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mph and a 500cc scooter only usually gets you just past 100 mph. To double the top speed of a 150cc scooter you are usually looking at going to an 850cc bike unless you are investing in radical performance upgrades that can greatly increase maintenance costs and reduce the overall useful life of the bike.
