Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Posts: 164
Likes: 0
Joined: Mar 11, 2013 13:12:11 GMT -5
|
Post by gitsum on Aug 2, 2013 13:11:48 GMT -5
I don't claim to be an expert, scientist or chemical engineer.
But I have owned a lot of motorcycles and scooters. After many tens or maybe even hundreds of thousand miles driven and countless oil changes, this is what I have learned:
Synthetic oil lasts longer than conventional oil.
In an air-cooled motor under extreme conditions, synthetic oil can give better protection than dino.
An oil screen is not as good as a paper oil filter for removing particulates.
A standard automotive filter is only rated for 40 microns, and will do no better than a screen for removing contaminants caused by normal blow by, which is one of the biggest factors in breaking down oil. If you have an engine made out of questionable metals and consistently have small metal flakes in your oil, a paper filter can help. If you always drive in very dusty or dirty conditions, a paper filter can help.
That being said, if you ride a machine with a quality engine under normal street conditions, a paper filter filter is not going to make any difference compared to an oil screen in terms of increased protection or engine longevity with proper oil change internals.
A properly tuned quality engine driven under normal street conditions will do just fine with conventional oil, though it is wise to change it more frequently than synthetic oil. If you are pushing 400 f cylinder head temps continuously, synthetic oil will give superior protection. But then if your engine is running that hot, it is not tuned properly and you will end up with other problems sooner than later.
I usually run conventional oil on an air-cooled scooter or motorcycle changing it every 1000 miles. Sometimes a little sooner depending on the conditions it was ridden in.
My Tomos Nitro 150 is air-cooled, and for a little extra insurance I might try running synthetic oil when touring several hundred miles at a time in the hot Arizona desert. I've already done several long hot trips with conventional oil, no problems. I do use a CHT gauge and during hot weather temps usually run 325 f to 340 f cruising 50 - 55 mph. Going up long grades that require WOT the engine reaches 375 f temporarily.
I've never had an engine seize on me, never a top end or crank failure. I have of course had to rebuild the top end on some two-stroke machines, but only for normal wear.
If I was riding a cheap four-stroke air-cooled 50cc scooter at WOT all the time that was always on the verge of overheating, I would use synthetic oil and hope for extra protection. But realistically I wouldn't expect any real reliability or durability...
|
|
Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Posts: 164
Likes: 0
Joined: Mar 11, 2013 13:12:11 GMT -5
|
Post by gitsum on Jul 28, 2013 11:39:18 GMT -5
gitsum: Unless you can explain what's so wrong about my theories I would suggest you to: Popping on decel is normal. It's not catastrophic; just as long as the bike is not bogging down because of running too lean. You explained it all yourself, my theories. Even though in your mind they are sound, they are not reality. Popping on deceleration is not normal! It may be somewhat common because a lot of people try and tune their machines by using intake and exhaust mods to increase performance. It might happen on a lot of Chinese made machines. But make no mistake about it, it is running too lean. This means the machine is not tuned correctly. Most carburetors have three tuning "bands". It requires some experience, skill, common sense, and trial and error to get it all right. That's why they say carb tuning is more of an "art". When you "get it right", your machine will start with the smallest stab of the starter button every time hot or cold. After the engine warms up just a little bit, it will pull smoothly at all speeds and all throttle settings without a single glitch. An engine with a properly tuned carb should feel every bit as smooth as a fuel injected engine (barring extremes changes in elevation). So if you want to run your machines with popping on deceleration and using a manual choke to tune your machine on the fly, more power to you. But please don't offer your advice pretending like you know what you are talking about...
|
|
Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Posts: 164
Likes: 0
Joined: Mar 11, 2013 13:12:11 GMT -5
|
Post by gitsum on Jul 28, 2013 11:14:21 GMT -5
Gitsum, disagree all you want but do not call other peoples ideas garbage here. It will get you banned. I understand what freedom of speech is, and everyone is allowed to have an opinion. So whenever I see prodigit post something that is totally wrong, I call him out on it. I think calling some of the stuff he posts "garbage" is being pretty conservative considering the content. Prodigit continues to post information that is incorrect and misleading. It hurts the forum, because it is supposed to be a place to exchange information, learn, and help people with problems. People like him bring down the quality of this community. If you want to make me out as a troublemaker and ban me, than so be it, but that's not what my intentions are.
|
|
Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Posts: 164
Likes: 0
Joined: Mar 11, 2013 13:12:11 GMT -5
|
Post by gitsum on Jul 27, 2013 22:24:11 GMT -5
[replyingto=geh3333]geh3333[/replyingto]alleyoop is a great contributor to this forum and his mechanical knowledge is exceptional. If he got cranky or short with you or anyone else, you deserved it
|
|
Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Posts: 164
Likes: 0
Joined: Mar 11, 2013 13:12:11 GMT -5
|
Post by gitsum on Jul 27, 2013 10:09:45 GMT -5
Drilling open the muffler, also makes me able to hear exhaust pops on decel (only when the throttle is completely released). I guess they where always there, only now they can be heard better.... No, No, No!!!!! This is completely wrong. The engine is like an air pump. Altering the exhaust for better air flow means the engine can pump more air. More air means more fuel is needed. Pops on deceleration usually means a lean pilot jet. Did you think this was just a coincidence? Can you make the connection now? On a four stroke engine it is true that intake mods usually effect the fuel mixture ratio more than exhaust mods. But exhaust mods still have an affect and you are experiencing one now. Do you get it? Your knowledge of tuning is absolutely screwed up, even though you try to sound like you know what you're talking about. I really hope people that don't know any better aren't reading your garbage and mistaking it for factual
|
|
Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Posts: 164
Likes: 0
Joined: Mar 11, 2013 13:12:11 GMT -5
|
Post by gitsum on Jul 25, 2013 22:22:08 GMT -5
FYI, I think scootnwinn is either jealous, or he's just a crappy modder! I mean, if he was even paying attention he would know that I'm not the only one who gets these speeds out of a stock taotao. Then I laugh when they buy expensive performance mods, and do all kind of shizz that makes their scoot slower than my stock one! I don't think you've figured out when most people are paying attention to what you've posted, they are laughing. The rest are just ignoring you
|
|
Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Posts: 164
Likes: 0
Joined: Mar 11, 2013 13:12:11 GMT -5
|
Post by gitsum on Jul 25, 2013 22:16:09 GMT -5
FYI Prodigit does seem to have found a way to post on this forum from another dimension where things are always faster, and the laws of physics do not apply and BP fuel contains magic That's funny
|
|
Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Posts: 164
Likes: 0
Joined: Mar 11, 2013 13:12:11 GMT -5
|
Post by gitsum on Jul 25, 2013 22:08:36 GMT -5
Oh my god, where do you get this stuff from?
|
|
Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Posts: 164
Likes: 0
Joined: Mar 11, 2013 13:12:11 GMT -5
|
Post by gitsum on Jul 24, 2013 11:04:42 GMT -5
Color does tell you about the fuel mixture ratio. You have to do a proper "plug chop". You drive it in the throttle range of the jet you want to check, kill the motor and take a look. It works best with a handful of fresh spark plugs. www.dansmc.com/Spark_Plugs/Spark_Plugs_catalog.html
|
|
Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Posts: 164
Likes: 0
Joined: Mar 11, 2013 13:12:11 GMT -5
|
Post by gitsum on Jul 23, 2013 11:03:39 GMT -5
My Tomos Nitro 150 came with 12 gram roller weights, and that was close to perfect. Switched to 12.5 sliders to keep everything the same.
WOT during acceleration is 6800 rpm's, 55 mph (actual) cruising is 7100 rpm's, which I have done for hours at a time in the desert heat.
|
|
Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Posts: 164
Likes: 0
Joined: Mar 11, 2013 13:12:11 GMT -5
|
Post by gitsum on Jul 22, 2013 0:36:13 GMT -5
They can condemn Chinese machines all they want, but when I see an exhaust for a scoot from a "Brand name" company going for $400 bucks vs. 150 for the Chinese made article, I can't help thinking someone, somewhere, is being taken. $150 for a Chinese made exhaust is being taken I put 5000 miles on a made in Taiwan stainless steel exhaust that I installed on my SYM HD200. It cost $159 and after 1 1/2 years it is still working perfectly for the gentleman that bought my HD200.
|
|
Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Posts: 164
Likes: 0
Joined: Mar 11, 2013 13:12:11 GMT -5
|
Post by gitsum on Jul 21, 2013 10:12:46 GMT -5
Be careful complimenting a budget Taiwanese scooter that doesn't cost much more than a Chinese scooter.
It's almost like blasphemy on this forum...
Heaven forbid if people here actually realized there is a big difference in quality, it might turn their world upside down ;D
|
|
Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Posts: 164
Likes: 0
Joined: Mar 11, 2013 13:12:11 GMT -5
|
Post by gitsum on Jul 20, 2013 11:34:26 GMT -5
A 150 is perfect for tooling around in town. It has a little more oomph for keeping up with traffic than a 50 but is still light enough to toss around and stuff in small parking spots. Once you leave the city limits though it's a different story. A stock 150 will be struggling to keep from getting run over. If you're going to spend any amount of time on county or state roads then a 250 would be better suited to those speeds. The trade off being that it's heavier like a motorcycle and feels less "scoot-y" I would not advise riding a 150cc scooter on the interstate. But a quality 150cc can handle state highways no problem. I have a stock Tomos Nitro 150 (made by SYM) that can hit 65 mph (verified) and we cruise two-up 50-55 mph for hundreds of miles at a time. Before that we rode a SYM HD200 cruising 65-70 mph, and there is no difference with cars still wanting to pass you. Any quality Taiwanese or Japanese 125cc or 150cc machine should be able to cruise near top speed all day long. There are several Taiwanese scooters that cost less than $2000 new.
|
|
Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Posts: 164
Likes: 0
Joined: Mar 11, 2013 13:12:11 GMT -5
|
Post by gitsum on Jul 20, 2013 11:19:48 GMT -5
If your willing to spend up to $1500, why not spend a few extra hundred and get something that you won't have to wonder "if it will hold up".
Tomos Nitro 150 (made by SYM) $1899 shipped Kymco Agility 125 $1899 from a dealer Lance Cali Classic 125 (made by SYM) $1999 plus $200 shipping Lance PCH 125 (made by SYM) $1899 plus $200 shipping
|
|
Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Posts: 164
Likes: 0
Joined: Mar 11, 2013 13:12:11 GMT -5
|
Post by gitsum on Jul 20, 2013 11:05:17 GMT -5
Again (as I have pointed out) If you don't wish to get your hands dirty and have zero mechanical ability then by all means buy the brand name bike, and luxuriate in not having to lift a finger until the warranty expires. But if you possess a degree of mechanical genius, manual dexterity, and good old American ingenuity, you won't find anything daunting about keeping you Chinese scoot rolling down the road mile after mile. (BTW, I think I had a "permeate" once but Pepto-Bismol cleared it right up ) I have said this before, you can do all of the work on a "name brand". My Yamaha C3, Suzuki TU250X, Honda Elite 110, CPI Oliver City 50, or my three SYM's have never been to the dealer for anything and they all had warranties. I modded all of them from the very start and totally disregarded the warranty. This goes for my Tomos Nitro 150. I never needed any warranty repairs on any of them, that's my point. Valve adjustments, carb tuning, CVT belts and weights, intake and exhaust mods, custom windshields, CHT gauges, brake pads, flat or worn tires, air filters, chain adjustments, sprocket changes, suspension mods, cylinder kits, handle bars, seat mods, smog equipment removal, body modifications, foot pegs, engine cooling mods, the list goes on and on for things you can work on. It's a lot of fun for a tinkerer like me. The best part is that it also satisfies the rider in me. Besides basic maintenance, you don't have to work on anything if you don't feel like it, you can just ride ;D You can load up and ride hundreds of miles away without worrying about mechanical issues. I go places a cell phone won't work and sometimes I can ride 30 or 40 miles without seeing a single vehicle. I carry an extra gallon of gas, extra layers of clothes, some water and a few snacks. I always have a full toolkit just in case, but in tens of thousands of miles of adventures, I have yet to need it. You don't have to spend $4000+ for a machine that is capable of this. There are several Taiwanese "budget" models that are under $2000 new. And yes, you can get some of them shipped directly to your door.
|
|