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Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 25, 2018 23:57:37 GMT -5
I've never watched the show, so I'll go with Rajesh since India makes decent bikes and scooters...  |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 25, 2018 23:47:14 GMT -5
All good advice... Have a bone on The Old Chopper Guy!
If a 50cc scoot is actually USEABLE for your needs, fine. But, I fully agree about trying to test one out before buying. Here in Texas, ALL motor vehicles MUST have license, title, insurance and plates. And ALL riders MUST have a motorcycle endorsement on their drivers license. So there is no advantage to a fifty over a one-fifty...
After many years on a 150, I finally went to a used 250 and even THAT is marginal for safety. Around here, surface streets with 35 speed-limits have 45-60-mph traffic. 45 speed-limit surface streets have 55-65-mph traffic. It's just too easy to become road-kill if your ride won't stay with surrounding traffic.
Even if a passenger will be carried only occasionally, a fifty is just not going to cut it. Trust me, even a 150 has to work to haul a passenger.
If your locality allows a 50 to be ridden without license or insurance, THAT is a biggie for sure. But if you carry a passenger even rarely, a 125-150 scooter is affordable, insurance is cheap and motorcycle drivers license is easy to get.
Just me, but personally I like the APPEARANCE of the 50cc scoots about the best of all... Slap a 350cc motor and big brakes on one and I'd buy it! Honest....
Best wishes on your hunt. Hope you get the bike you need. Do try out a few before buying if possible!
Ride safe!
Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 25, 2018 23:24:04 GMT -5
I really welcome the shorter daylight hours this year, but adding some photon bling sounds like a good fall project for me.
It's really not hard to do. Nor is it expensive. (my lights were around $12 each, the wiring kit $8 and another $6 for hardware). There are SO many LED aux. lighting options, both flood, and spot. Most don't draw more than 10W. Having done one on my old Chinese 150, going the bridge-rectifier route to change the factory AC headlight power to DC for the aux. light, I really recommend wiring directly from the battery... SO simple. You COULD wire a switch directly into the hot lead, but with total wiring kits being very affordable, I opted to go that route, using a switched solenoid just as if I was adding multiple high-draw lights to an off-road truck.
For me, the hardest part was mounting the lights to plastic. No, wait a minute... the hardest part was removing and replacing the entire plastic nose/windshield... LOLOLOL! My Wife had a kitten over it being spread all over the living-room for a month over Christmas... Unless your scoot has motorcycle-style handlebars to mount to, or, enough upper-fork-tube, you'll have to mount to plastic. The secret is to use rubber biscuits on both sides of the holes and large metal washers (fender washers work great) to spread the load over a couple of square inches. Without spreading the load like that, I believe with riding and hitting bumps, the plastic would soon crack around the mount holes. I've been riding with these now for three years or so with no problems at all.
The increased visibility they provide at night has allowed me to miss several dangerous impediments... ESPECIALLY un-marked curbs sticking out into traffic.Just be sure to mount the LED's so they shine low enough, and slightly to the right, so as to not be directed into oncoming traffic. I tested mine after aiming them by parking the scoot with the lights on, and driving my car a block away, and then driving forward until right upon the scoot. No blinding!
This is one mod that REALLY pays for itself in added safety!Ride safe!Leo |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 21, 2018 23:19:56 GMT -5
Now that days are shorter, and we may be on the road after dark more often, some extra light is a welcome safety feature... And easy to do.
I posted a "how to" on these lights a few years back, but thought it would be good to refresh, since I've been riding with these lights now for several years, with no problems whatsoever. Most of us are slightly "less than thrilled" with our factory headlights. The Chinese scoots are often truly dismal, and my Kymco 250 is only slightly better. Too many unmarked curbs and debris hiding in the dark!
  The difference with these lights is dramatic! These are 30w single "projector" LED lights with a "pencil" or spot beam. (They draw 8 w of juice each). Many, MANY styles are available on eBay in single or multi-LED styles, and spot and flood light pattern. I used a single flood 9-LED light on my Chinese 150. On my Kymco, I chose a pair of spot-beams to reach out to 400 yards.   After several years of use they are still fine, and I've had no problems.
 There are numerous ways to mount and connect the lights. I found the easiest way to connect, was to run a heavy fused wire directly from the battery post hidden behind the plastics all the way up front. My scoot uses DC current for all lights, but many brands use AC for SOME lights. LED's do not like AC!On my Chinese 150, I went to the trouble of using a bridge-rectifier to convert the AC headlight lead to DC for the LED, but... It's just SO simple to run the LED's off the battery.
I bought a wiring kit off eBay for off-road vehicle lights. It uses a solenoid to trip the lights. Maybe not absolutely necessary, but durable and sure. I simply wired THAT into the factory low-beam wire.   I found the wiring kit was great since it included EVERYTHING needed except the long 8-gauge hot lead from the battery... All professional ends, connections, switch, etc.  I chose to arm the solenoid off the factory low beam so the aux. lights couldn't inadvertently be turned on (or left on) by mistake. No headlight, no aux. lights. My old Grandvista has no manual headlight switch. The lights come on with the ignition, but any bike with separate light switch can be set up similarly. Just wire the actual LED lights to the BATTERY and the on/off solenoid switch to the factory headlight or running light wire. Of course, be SURE to wire a GOOD ground and bring the wire into the nose to use for grounding all connections.
That's it for the wiring. Pretty straight-forward, especially if you use a ready-made kit. They save a LOT of work, and some money.
As for MOUNTING the lights... Most of us have learned that the plastics are NOT solid or durable... So careful mounting is important. I mounted mine on a bar (aluminum tent-pole harvested from a dumpster... spun against a "green-pad" for a brushed, factory look... LOL!). Mounting it to the nose was done using U-bolts and rubber biscuits made from automotive radiator-hose.  You could mount the lights individually to the plastics using LARGE fender washers on BOTH sides of the plastic, with rubber biscuits on BOTH sides... That spreads the load and dampens vibration. You don't want to crack the plastic...  Once the lights and wiring are all complete, I found that tying the nose with twine held it in a workable position to complete assembly.
This lighting upgrade is a major safety improvement. I kept the lights low, and even reaching out beyond a football field, I've never had an oncoming vehicle flash brights at me. NOT blinding oncoming drivers is ESSENTIAL. These LED's are BRIGHT!
Using rubber biscuits with plenty of metal on each side of the plastic has worked well. I've ridden several years with no cracking of the plastic, and no problems with electrics. Since these lights do draw around 8w each, you might want to stick with just one on smaller systems. My old Kymco handles these lights on whenever I ride at night, and the battery never gets weak. These lights are available in MANY sizes and styles, both flood and spot, so you can easily get the right setup for your night-riding needs. Just be sure to wire them well, and mount them carefully to the plastics. If you have one of the rare scoots with motorcycle handlebars, you can easily mount them to the bars. O n a custom ride, they can also double as main-headlights.
Hope this may help some of my friends avoid nasty things in their evening rides!
Ride safe!Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 21, 2018 22:37:09 GMT -5
Your worst day riding is still better than your best day working...  These Kymco scoots DO give great gas mileage! Even my old carbureted Grandvista gives BETTER mileage than my Xingyue 150 did!!! You could hardly find a better all-round ride than that sweet "People"! Good choice... You'll probably still be riding it 30 years from now! Ride safe! Leo |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 17, 2018 19:44:26 GMT -5
I'm going with the chimney sweep... Any job which gets you THAT dirty has to be macho... LOL!
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Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 16, 2018 22:14:42 GMT -5
"Part Whizzer, part flat-track board-racer and part fifties bobber..."There is a Whizzer NE5 on my local craigslist for $250, Leo. Runs, but not for long. Its all there. Even if the motor is fully scorched, I could replace it with an industrial type motor like a Harbor Freight 212cc. Unfortunately, business is great these days, so I would not have time to get started on the Whizzer until the Thanksgiving weekend. I considered buying that Whizzer just to pedal it, after engine removal. It comes with a front drum brake and many other nice-to-haves.
For $250 I'd go for the Whizzer!I believe there are NEW Whizzer engines available for the current reproductions. The engine is a major part of the cosmetics, but if you could "Frankenstein" in a Harbor Freight motor it would be MUCH more reliable and faster. You'd have to do some fancy mount-fabrication, and hook it up with the Whizzer belt-clutch setup, but the end result would be GREAT! The "real" Whizzers on Schwinn frames often do have the rare and pricey drum front brake, and likely the super-heavy-duty thick spokes. They were REAL motorbikes. Made us wanna vomit every time we heard the totally European term "moped"... Whizzers were the po' kid's Harley!I'd go for it! Ride safe!Leo
PS: Here's some "eye-candy" to get the juices flowing! Any guy or gal from ten to ninety would love to pull up on THIS bad boy... |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 16, 2018 22:06:03 GMT -5
Shall I make you cry? We used to own a banana-seat Schwinn with the fat smooth back tire and the high handlebars and pedal-brakes. Sold it in a garage sale decades ago for probably $20. I named it the Dragon 'cause it was metallic green. We still have Mom's old Schwinn. It's a 5-speed, lady's frame, metallic green with a small green & white seat and short handlebars. It used to have white walls but unlike our Leo I don't care either way. >'Kat Kat, That banana-seat Schwinn is probably one of the "Crate" series. Green ones being the "Apple Crate". Coolest bikes of their day! "Stick" shifter, ape-hangers, rear slick, springer fork and sissy bar. They still have a major following today and bring collector prices! Every so often the "American Pickers" find one! Your Mom's bike is a nice one, but "girl's bikes" don't bring the bux the "boy's bikes" do... Girls took better care of them so there are too many around! LOL... Nothing with pedals rides quite so smooth as a good old fat-tire Schwinn... Other makers are now making similar bikes (in China)… and they are still classic and fun to ride! Ride safe! Leo |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 15, 2018 19:51:20 GMT -5
I love a beach cruiser bike with a Springer fork, Leo. That one is a real gem.I like those Nexus multi-gear rear hubs because you can get them with a coaster brake, which eliminates the need for a lot brake cables and gives the bike a cleaner look. -When I was a kid, that curvy cantilever frame was just called a bicycle. Now they are almost called beach cruisers, even if they are sold in Tulsa.
Any guy (or gal) who likes Harleys, choppers, etc. just HAS to appreciate cruiser bicycles!
You're spot-on about the 7-speed hubs with coaster brake. Mine has that and it really does keep the old single-speed Bendix hub look! The only thing I am not crazy about with the Schwinn springer is that it "bounces" forward and backward. It DOES work, but for handling AND cosmetics, I'd prefer the old Monarch springer that copied the Harley springer... Check picture below... Is THAT cool or what?Now picture it on a Schwinn cruiser frame with a real drum-front brake... Broomsticks or "mustache" bars, headlight perched on top of the bars... Bates narrow hairpin seat, bike-sized pillion pad... And the "just right" motor with big drive-belt to a huge sheave on the rear spokes. Maybe one of the Honda pull-start OHV mills, or even a salvaged Chinese 50-125cc clutch n' gears engines.
Whew! Be still my beating heart!  
Part Whizzer, part flat-track board-racer and part fifties bobber... Could ANYTHING not capable of more than 40mph be more addictive? Of course, you'd have over a grand in it, but WHAT a classy ride!!! Just do NOT call it a "MOPED"...
Ride safe, even if the ride has pedals!Leo |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 15, 2018 19:11:12 GMT -5
You and your whitewalls.... That really is a beautiful machine! Love the curves of the frame. And the colors. But Old Yeller doesn't seem the right name for her--she's way more elegant than that thievin' lop-eared old yeller dog. Btb, that is one of my fave scenes--Chuck Connors confronting Arliss. Perfect camera work, making the already-tall Connors appear even taller, per Arliss' viewpoint. Wonderful! >'Kat
I've been a fan of fat-tire Schwinn bikes since before I could walk! They had it in spades! When you're a little nipper riding one of these, you own the schoolyard! This one DOES incorporate some neat old stuff! Those wide whites ARE original pre-war NOS. Took two days of scrubbing with bleach to turn them from "tan" to white! It's a miracle they are still rideable. Yeah, Chuck Connors was a BIG rascal! Something like 6' 5" and a LOT of muscle! I almost got the scoot out today, but no sooner than I got the tarps off and tires aired, it clouded up and the monsoon began... Cheesh! I've about forgotten how to ride. Ride safe!Leo |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 15, 2018 0:04:41 GMT -5
Cheesh! I forgot to share pix of my very LAST bike build... MOTOR? We don't need no stinking MOTOR! Oh, yeah... I truly am lost in the fifties... Not a bad place, either!    Yeah... NO motor at all... But definitely a fun build!
And surely the Old Chopper Guy's last...
A few years back, I was not able to get around much all winter, so I made it my "mission" to create my childhood "Dream Scwhinn"... LOL! And determined to fab it up from the most authentic and period-correct parts I could find... No real reason except for the challenge.
THIS is my daily "go get the mail" ride... And what a cornucopia of parts! Frame is authentic pre-war Schwinn, as is the chainguard, chainwheel, pedals, chopped fender and such... The spring-fork and wheels including the sweet 7-speed in-hub rear are second-issue Schwinn from the 1990's.
The headlight is a NOS 1930's unit complete with original ribbed-glass lens. I converted it to 6v LED using the LED and reflector from a Wally World lantern. Juice comes from a 1960's NOS generator. And seriously, it's BETTER than the headlight on my old Chinese 150! The bars and long gooseneck are actually NOS from when I was around 9 years old... Still had them in a shed! The hairpin spring seat and chain are new re-pops. All the reflectors are authentic pre-war glass.
If you search eBay long enough, you can find ANYTHING! 
The decals are my own originals... The fictitious "Schwinn Yellow Jacket" a spoof on the old "Phantom" series. In the limited exposure this thing has had, it's a real HOOT how many guys want to know about this phony model... THAT has been serious FUN! I'd encourage anyone to try making their own original waterslide decals! It's easy and impressive!
The TIRES are actually NOS from the 1940's! Yes, the FORTIES... "Union" brand, the tread being the word "UNION" repeated over and over. Found them on eBay. Factory-wrapped in waxed paper! Amazingly they are still soft and pliable with no dry-rot! When they fail, I'll never find another set for sure...
This "bobber" will likely be the last scratch-build these old hands will tackle... Not a motor vehicle, but definitely one of my best creations! Rides like a Lincoln Town Car! Couldn't leave it out!
Yeah, it's a BICYCLE... But, it's 110% ME through and through...
Hmmm... If I ever end up too far over the hill to even ride "Minnie Mouse" THIS ride will definitely receive a Whizzer conversion! Heck, I just might do THAT anyway! Guess I'll call her "Old Yeller".
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Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 13, 2018 21:42:05 GMT -5
JR,
Speaking for every member, THANK YOU for bringing some sanity here! This never-ending trashing got me to lose my own temper a few times, and for that, I truly apologize.
Most sincerely,
Leo
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Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 13, 2018 21:31:44 GMT -5
I'm reading these a tad late....
But that Kymco "My Road" is absolutely to DIE for! Some years back, my dealer got a couple in and I fought this arthritis enough to get on and take a test-ride. Even an old big-twin chopper or bagger rider CAN fall in love with one of these... Big vertical twin motor, REAL motorcycle performance, great looks yet twist n' go convenience.
For whatever reason, they never caught on. Only made a short time and then closed out dirt cheap. What BARGAINS they are, NEW or USED!
Any members wanting a big road-scooter cruiser, do NOT pass up a chance at one of these big boys!!!
Leo (die-hard Kymco fan) in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 11, 2018 0:20:14 GMT -5
I have to say, my very VERY favouritest of all your pics is that last one you posted. That is truly just as sweet a pic as they come. I saw it and immediately had to smile. Still am smiling. I can see why your daughter gifted you the Honda. How could any kids not be full of love for their folks, when their folks are so very full of love? Makes me a little sad there's no Leo sharing my life like your sweet Betty has. But maybe someday still. >'Kat
You'd love our daughter, Cyndi. She's as close to a "guardian angel" as a human gets. If she was starving, she'd give her last meal to somebody worse-off. Since she looks better in a Bikini at 62 than most teens, last Christmas I jokingly asked if she WAS starving... LOL! She demurely replied: "NO, I just have more self-discipline than you do." OUCH! She DOES tell the truth... Gotta work on THAT! I put a pic of an elephant on the fridge... Seems to be working! The funny thing about the car is that when we bought it, nobody at the dealership knew it was anything but a mint Accord EX-L which (OH, THANK YOU!) this marvelous dealership restored to LIKE NEW condition. Then we noticed it was faster than the average one, and local Hispanic tuner kids began to bug me to sell it. I contacted the dealer for information, and their tech who was great, said the only clue to the car's heritage was that the major suspension and brake parts they restored were Honda factory performance items. They replaced them exactly, number for number. My salesman did say it seemed mighty "frisky"... but wrote it off as just an extra good one... Hmmmm… When the title arrived, it showed not "EX-L" for a model, but "UEX". They are very obscure, and hard to find info on. They were only made in 2003 and 2004 to compete with the then-new Cadillac sedans on the track. However... their claimed 495hp and automatic tranny could NOT keep pace with the Caddy 656hp and 9-speed manual. So... the amazing little UEX passed unnoticed from automotive history, most of the approx. 400 made to die on obscure tracks... A tiny handful got converted with a standard "chip", factory exhausts/mufflers and such, dropping them to 256hp. No longer racers, but retaining the special tranny, suspension, brakes, fuel-injection, etc. Not winners on the track, but what marvelous grocery-getters. Lil' Rhonda will definitely haul the kitty litter home quick! Apparently they are rarely found except with collectors in Japan. Only what Honda enthusiasts tell me. I'm no collector or racer, just a happy owner!We know there is ONE identical in Fort Worth... Betty and I encountered it while visiting the doctor and talked with the proud owner. He thought he had the ONLY one.... Nope.
IF I drive it until I'm ninety, it will still have only about 140K miles on the clock. I already put it in my will to go back to Cyndi so she can enjoy a "collectible" vintage fun ride! Ride safe!Leo PS: Be patient, there are still some good guys around!  |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 10, 2018 23:40:57 GMT -5
Too tough a choice... Can't make up my mind... I call it a tie!
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