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Post by rdhood on Nov 2, 2019 13:46:25 GMT -5
This week: I finished filling in holes in the plastic, reattaching tabs, etc. Put on some touch up spray paint.
Thurs: Got to the DMV and registered the bike. Yes, now I can take it for a serious spin.
Tbis morning: put on the front fairing so that I will have lights and be street legal. And then: I took it out for an extended ride. About 45 minutes and 25 miles later, it all seems very good. I still don't feel a drop in power at 40. I a going to have to open it up and see what I have. Now I can put it all back together! I wanted to make sure that the non-oem fuel pump worked at all power levels, that this did not have some kind of engine heating or oil leak problem before I put the plastics back on.
Later on: the new belt came in . Guess what? The honda oem belt and the Bando belt are exactly the same...has both names on there... and they do NOT meet the spec in the service manual. So maybe Honda changed the spec after so many years? I am waffling if I should put it on. There is a new battery, a new air filter, and( washing them off) a new rear tire and a fairly recently swapped front tire. Would whomever did all that not change the belt?
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Post by rdhood on Oct 27, 2019 16:05:58 GMT -5
Yes! Today I took it for a test spin, and it is so much smoother than the bike pictured in my avatar that I am astonished. People always talk about the dead spot in acceleration at 40mph on a Reflex, but coming from a 150cc for for years... I can't feel it! It's a hundred pounds heavier and about a foot longer wheelbase than my other scooter, but I still think my 170lbs can push it around pretty good. I can still pick it up if I drop it on it's side, lol.
I am still working on the plastics and waiting on a belt, but I am ready to put it together and register it and ride it. Altogether it is coming in under $1000, which isn't bad for a Honda 250cc product with 8k miles.
My experience is having ridden bicycles for about 80,000 miles, and then the 150cc. Amazingly, a 150cc scooter has just about the same wheelbase as a mans bicycle. A 150cc feels like a really, really heavy bicycle, and its one reason why I love it. 250cc doesn't feel all that much bigger, but it is much smoother.
p.s. Yes. I bought this having never ridden one. The guy had it for $800 and (sight unseen, over text) I offered him less than half and he took it.Oddly, motorcycle/scooter forks/triple tree are just exactly like a 30 year old bicycle's! I looked at it and knew that I could fix it, I just didn't know for how much. If the engine is good, definitely worth it. If the engine was blown... probably too much for me. But I guessed that hitting a curb and dropping the bike messed up the front end and the plastics, but probably not the engine. At this point, I think I guessed right, and I will baby this thing till the end of it's (or my) days.
I did a Carfax on the VIN and found out some history: it was transfer registered in GA in 2006, and then crashed in 2016, and then sold in Aug 2018. That's it. But from the looks of it, it appears to have been owned for someone who kept it garaged until it was bought in 2018 from the guy I purchased it. It looks like it spent about one year outdoors under a shelter. From what I can tell, he did two things: changed the air filter, and changed the battery. He put a $170 LiPo battery in there! I am not sure what he was thinking, but this has all been in my capabilities to fix,and its about 96 % there.
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Post by rdhood on Oct 26, 2019 13:49:55 GMT -5
Its raining outside.. I am repairing torn off tabs and bits of plastic all over the body. I am just about ready to put it together. I need a test spin ... something to test the engine/brakes/etc before I put the plastics all back on. Also, I ordered a Honda belt for it. What everyone says is true: the original Honda belt is probably over 3" wide, and they specify 2.5-3.5". All of the Gates or Bando, or other belts at the same length, are 2.5" or less. It looks like only the Honda belt will truly be reliable. I also bought a battery tender. I have one for every battery-started device that might not get started on a regular schedule.
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Post by rdhood on Oct 25, 2019 15:09:11 GMT -5
I've looked it up and other folks report the same kind of thing... splash getting past that o-ring. It is not much. It would not drip from such a small amount. Originally,I thought that this would be a gasket, but the parts diagram shows a rubber o-ring in a groove. I ordered another one ($4 shipped), but since I am not getting any rpm fluctuations when spraying starting fluid, I'm inclined to just keep an eye on it for a while and get to it when I take the seat pan out. its #18 in this parts diagram: www.partzilla.com/catalog/honda/scooter/2004/nss250s-sac/cylinder-head |
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Post by rdhood on Oct 25, 2019 7:14:18 GMT -5
So, while doing all the work yesterday, I noticed what looked like a wet oil spot on the engine from years past. While running, I was using a flashlight to look at everything and noticed the tiniest of bubbles coming from the seam/gasket where the intake meets the engine. When I say tiny, I mean tiny. But I know what a difference a clogged pilot jet makes, and that hole is tiny also,so it must be attended. Its a little disconcerting because I really did not want to get into any engine work, but I think I will get some gasket material and swap that intake gasket. I looked online and could not locate the part, but I believe I can make one.
Edit: Looks like the part I need is 91306-KAB-003 .It is an o-ring that sits between the intake manifold and the cylinder head. I am guessing this one is crushed or old or something. Ordering one... the shipping is more than the part.
Edit: I ran a few more tests... like spraying starting fluid around the intake to see if there is a pickup in speed. There isn't . This hole is enough to leak a tiny amount of oil over a very long time, but doesn't seem to affect the intake. I ordered the oring from amazon for about $4 shipped.
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Post by rdhood on Oct 24, 2019 17:33:37 GMT -5
Today I looked into (and completed) adjusting the valves. to do so, I had to take off the CVT cover... so I also change the oil in the final drive. The belt still has plenty of wear left on it, but since I have no idea when it was last changed (it might be the original from 2004), I am going to order another anyway.
After adjusting valves, I started it and let it run till warmup/the fan kicked in. It still has a cold-start problem... took me cranking it 10 or 15 times before it finally idled. From warm, it idles and starts wonderfully. So, I will look into that cold start problem next, and put it back together enough to take it for a spin!
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Post by rdhood on Oct 23, 2019 19:12:26 GMT -5
First, I have to correct something I wrote in the last post: The fuel pump receives power when the ignition is on and the kill switch is on. When the kill switch is off, there is no power.
Today, I soldered the connections that I made to hook up the fuel pump. I changed the oil (the old oil looked well used), and checked the air filter. Surprisingly, the air filter looked brand new and unused!
I will check the final drive oil when I change the belt.
Tomorrow , when the engine is cold, I will figure out how to adjust the valves...
If all goes well and the weather is nice this weekend, I will get it out on the street in the neighborhood for a test spin!
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Post by rdhood on Oct 22, 2019 19:35:34 GMT -5
I couldn't bring myself to spend $160 for the Honda branded pump... at least not until I try spending $30 on a Quantum fuel pump. The pump arrived today, and the first thing that hit me is that the color coding and plug end were not the same. This pump had a male end where my other had a female. so, I cut the female connector off of my old pump and wired it to the bike, and plugged this in. No go! crap! There is no documentation , either. So I figured out the two power wires, and switched them. Someone wrote in another post somewhere that the fuel pump is activated while cranking the bike. WRONG! The fuel pump is activated when the bike is turned on... those leads get power even before hitting the starter. When I turned the ignition 'ON' after switching the power leads, the pump started spewing gasoline... almost there! I hooked up both lines to the fuel pump, and hit the starter.
I HAVE IGNITION! Yes, the engine turned over.. first for a second, then longer, and finally it was able to idle for 10 minutes before I turned it off. Throttle works and it seems to get gas at all power levels.
At this point, I have $300 in the purchase price, and about $530 in parts (inner box $100, front fender $100, triple tree $20, fork legs $50, top cover $20, ignition/lock set $130, fuel pump $30, tools, inside lower cowl $20, center stand $20, spark plug $3, axle $15). almost all of the parts came from ebay... ordered the ignition/lock from a scooter shop, the fuel pump from quantum.
Next: I am going to do a short PDI (engine/gear oil change, check the belt, etc), put it back together and give it a test spin before the weather turns chilly!
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Post by rdhood on Oct 21, 2019 19:10:23 GMT -5
Absolutely!. The fuel pump comes in tomorrow, I should know by this time tomorrow if it works. Every time I fix something, I'm hoping it's the last and that I can put it together and go! I'm crossing my fingers that the fuel pump is the ticket, and that I can put it back together and ride it before it gets cold (and decide how much more I want to put into it...).
Today I repaired the center stand (~$20 ebay) and got it up on the stand. I put some black paint on my reconstructed fairing and turn light cover. It's a strong enough repair to hold the light and fix the inner box to it, but it won't win any beauty contests. I'll think about a better job at some point after I've ridden it for a 1000 miles, or when I have nothing to do in the middle of winter.
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Post by rdhood on Oct 18, 2019 11:38:21 GMT -5
the front axle came in ($15). The entire front end (ignition/tripletree/forklegs/wheel/brake) are all assembled and torqued. It's good.
I've taken the plastics off to do repairs and to get at the engine/carb. I attempted to drain the fuel out of the carb, except that there was no fuel. Hmm... is it getting fuel? so I unhooked the line coming out of the fuel pump and going into the carb, and cranked the starter. Nada. No fuel comes out of the pump. I am going to order a fuel pump. Now, it could be the fuel filter or a clogged line, so I may just change them with the pump.
While I am waiting on the pump, I am going to work on cleaning up/repairing the plastics and swapping out the center stand.
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Post by rdhood on Oct 15, 2019 21:16:37 GMT -5
Yep!
Today, an owners manual off of ebay came, and I made a very important discovery... you have to have the kickstand up to start the bike!. My other scooters do not have that restriction. Anyway, the starter works and turns the motor, but the bike does not crank. Not sure if it is fuel or spark or both.... that's next.
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Post by rdhood on Oct 15, 2019 17:34:13 GMT -5
Today, I managed to remove the old ignition, and install the new ignition.
So let me say some things about Honda Reflex ignitions, now that I have seen two . Honda does NOT put codes on the key lock cylinders. there were no lock codes on any of the cylinders I dealt with. FURTHER, Honda installs these with breakaway bolt heads, and what is left is a circular "button" with a divot in the middle. I could not get a drill bit nor easy-out to bite into that smooth head. I ended up taking a hacksaw to the lockset and cut off the bolt heads, and took off the lock. The remaining pieces of bolt easily came out of the lock holder. The bolts are 8mm x 1.25 thread by 60mm long. The new lockset installed easily, and I was able to tighten the triple tree at the same time... finishing the fork part of the front end work.
Since one can easily hotwire this thing, I have to ask.... why? Why, Honda, make someone swap locksets at great expense of time and $$ and destroy the thing just because they lost the key? It doesn't help the owner, and it doesn't deter the criminal. Its a useless deterrent that only , eventually, co$ts some legitimate owner.
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Post by rdhood on Oct 13, 2019 18:40:12 GMT -5
LOL. No, there is still plenty of life left in these plastics!. I am going to post some pics soon, but here is where I am at.
I have ordered: a front fender, an inner box, a top cover for the cowl/windshield, a lockset, a triple tree, two fork legs, a couple of sheets of ABS plastic and a quart of acetone. this is all in and I am starting repairs.
I ran into a bump in that the axle was bent and the threads munged. I am waiting on a replacement to put it all together, but I have it in place and it looks good. I have the new ignition/lockset, but I am going to have to easy-out the old bolts to replace it. FWIW, Honda does NOT put a code on the lockset of the Reflex. There isn't one on the new or the old set. the new set had a tag with the code on it. Anyway, I watched more than a few youtube videos and have been working with liquid ABS plastic for a week have have reconstructed the portion of the fairing where the light was completely broken out. it actually looks pretty good. It will definitely hold the the turn signal in place . Today, I managed to pop the seat and get at the battery... dead. I hooked up a battery to the bike. the lights work, but nothing when I hit the start.....
Pictures soon.
Pics soon.
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Post by rdhood on Oct 5, 2019 11:20:47 GMT -5
I went and bought a crashed 2004 Honda Reflex scooter for $300. It has about 8100 miles. It clearly hit something and bent the fork legs (and maybe the triple tree), as well as munged up the plastics on the right side. I have done this type of fix before and its no problem. I am hoping that the engine/trans is all basically good ... it hit something and never moved so the engine must have been working the last time this thing was ridden (lol). My current problem is that I dont have a key!
I have the gas tank lock, the glove box lock, and have taken of the inner cover to get to the ignition lock , and I cannot find a single lock key code anywhere. Is this typical of Honda? Is my only choice to easy out those bolts that hold on the ignition and just replace the whole ignition?
I have been riding the 150cc for about 5 years and this Reflex is my winter project, and my first non-gy6 scooter.
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Post by rdhood on Sept 27, 2019 16:58:16 GMT -5
This is where I would (did) start:
I'd drain any old gas out of it, and the carb bowl. Put some fresh non-alcohol fuel in there. Change the fuel filter. Look over the engine for cracked vacuum lines. Check the plug. while the plug is off, squirt a little blaster in there (or your fav small engine tuneup ). while the plug is off, put the coil on there and turn it over and check for spark. Put the plug back in. Turn the engine over a few times by hand to get it lubed. It will smoke when it starts. loosen the hose to the intake side of the carb and spray in some starting fluid. Turn it over. If you had spark, it should fire. If nothing is clogged and vacuum/fuel is working, it should run. If it doesn't, pull and clean the carb....
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