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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 18, 2018 21:10:17 GMT -5
Wheelbender6, Us RIDERS were pretty fat too... Lived up to our bikes nickname... LOL...  |
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Peej update
by: oldchopperguy - Jun 18, 2018 20:50:30 GMT -5
Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 18, 2018 20:50:30 GMT -5
Kat,
Cheer up... They COULD have left the crankcase empty of OIL!!!
A car dealer did that to me in 1970 with a brand new car! I started it after an "oil change" and in seconds it sounded like a handful of monkey-wrenches tossed into a tree-chipper... Then all the idiot-lights came on. "Duh... I guess we forgot to put the oil in after draining the old stuff..." "Don't worry, the car's under warranty"... Double duh... When they put five quarts of 10W-30 in the dry block, the mechanic started it, and... More clank, bang and idiot lights...Seems they ALSO forgot to install a new oil-filter after removing the old one... All the new oil barfed out upon starting... Double, DOUBLE duh... 
As for birdy-doo... Ah, I think scooters thrive on it... LOL! Nah... Not really. I usually notice it AFTER sitting in it. I keep "Minnie Mouse" covered all the time too, BUT... My local Wal-Mart is INFESTED with grackles... Thousands and THOUSANDS of the little beasties in EVERY tree... They almost need a snow-plow to clear the walkways so you don't slip and fall in the gooey stuff... EEEEWWWWW! With my feral cat pals often squatting under the cover, I sometimes encounter more kitty-doo... The missus sometimes sarcastically snickers "...the scoot's sat a while... did ya' sit in any Kathmandu?" 
Seriously, your dealer did fall short of "exemplary" service. Really no excuse for the dry fuel-tank. Just to be safe, you might want to check the oil level, coolant and tire-pressure. Sounds like the folks working on yours may have been a little "unattentive" to say the least. Always best to check and double-check.
All will be fine again when you get Peej gassed up and on the road!  Ride safe! Leo
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Peej update
by: oldchopperguy - Jun 16, 2018 22:50:22 GMT -5
Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 16, 2018 22:50:22 GMT -5
Kat,Sounds like you're about ready for the season! Yes, do watch your tires. Any signs of dry-rot or checking/cracking is a good warning to put your pennies away for a new set... When you DO replace them, also, please replace the valve-stems with good ones. They only cost a couple of bucks extra when the dealer has the tires off the rim and can save you potential problems down the road... 
Trust me, it will feel GREAT to "get your knuckles back in the wind"! Health issues have kept me from riding WAY too much. I finally got back to riding a little in the last week after getting my new rear tire. I was amazed at how "foreign" it felt at first, but after just a few miles it all comes back. When I made the mistake of letting soapy hands DROP the old Mouse, I also wrenched my right hand in a failed attempt to "catch" my 360-pound pal... So... I got some practice taking my own advice riding "monkey-grip"... LOL! First time since going to scooters that I've missed having a foot brake...
My dealer (Moxie Scooters) in addition to Genuine (Stella, Buddy, Chicago Scooter) Lance, Fly, Kymco and SYM, is now also a dealer for Vespa, and most everything made by Piaggio and the tall-wheel scoots like yours are selling VERY well! All displacement sizes... This season, it seems the "BV 350" is the flavor of the year. I must admit they are an amazing mix of what riders want in a SCOOTER and a CYCLE. Sort of a ride that appeals to most everyone except the "purist" who demands a scooter have small wheels, and cycle have clutch and gears...
They really ARE "growing on me"...Ride safe!Leo (reminding you to ride EXTRA safe those first 20 miles or so) in Texas 
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 15, 2018 22:16:32 GMT -5
Wheelbender6,
That is the story of the "Hog" nickname as I heard it more than 50 years ago... First, the team members were called hogs because of the little pig mascot, then the bikes themselves got the moniker which stuck until this very day, 100 years later...As for "Coke"... Yeah, the original formula came about as many companies attempted to make a palatable beverage using the cola bean as a flavor source. Unfortunately, cola tastes AWFUL. So... while experimenting with all sorts of witches' brews, the originators finally made up a tasty mix including COCAINE... H mmmm…. 
In all fairness, back then, about the only thing medicine knew about cocaine was that it made one feel SWELL... and, it made drinkers want more, and MORE... So... Why not put it in a tasty, HEALTHFUL soft-drink? At one time you could buy cocaine over the counter at drug stores, and numerous "health-drinks" included the stuff. Laudanum was a wild "medicine" concocted from pure alcohol and opium and was consumed by the pint by 1880's bored housewives while their errant husbands dallied in the local cat house... Cheesh! Can you IMAGINE what alcohol with opium dissolved in it would do for you?
No wonder the lifespan back then was like in the 50's or less!Hence the famous trademark: "Coca-Cola"... "Cola" for the cola ingredient, and "Coca" for the "health-ingredient" concocted from coca leaves... I believe "Pepsi-Cola" likely included pepsin, contributing to their trade name. Rumor has it that Coca-Cola reintroduced the original cocaine formula for troops in WWII, but I seriously doubt it. If so, many troops would have returned home addicted to the stuff, not knowing what their problem was.
There were a LOT of truly deadly "healt-drinks" around near the turn of the 20th century. All people (including many doctors) cared about was how good a substance made you feel. If you felt better drinking it, it must be good for you... Oh, yeah... If you could buy laudanum over the counter today, adult life-span would go back to 45 or 50 again! The way America WAS going, I could see that happening. Maybe not so likely now! 
Ride your Hog sober!Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 13, 2018 1:54:04 GMT -5
So y'alles are comparing the materials? Let the artist educate you. Bronze is first sculpted in clay, then cast for a mold, then cast with bronze by a foundry hired to do the work, not by the artist himself. Marble is a big HEAVY VERY SOLID slab that is chiseled away. Hard enough with today's power tools. Can't imagine hand-chiseling back in the day. Sorry, but marble is WAY machoier than bronze!
You are absolutely right! I bow to your wisdom... But I can have SO much more enjoyment poking fun at the good old Thinker straining his brain! |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 12, 2018 23:11:33 GMT -5
I'll go with the thinker too...That cerebral fellow looks like he might be thinking it's time to visit the bathroom... And all macho folks do some of their best thinking sitting on the "throne"... Don't they? You know: like, "I think this seat is COLD!" or "I think I shoulda passed on that 8th burrito" or "I think that Chinese mustard is best left in China"... or "I didn't think just a quart of Jack Daniel's and a couple cases of Bud would affect me like this..."
But, is he macho enough to brave the restroom/junk-storage pit of the local back-alley bike-shop?
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 12, 2018 0:35:29 GMT -5
Love the fishtail exhaust, Leo. I'm too lazy to keep those whitewalls clean. I/m a big fan of the genuine fake carbon fiber, PistonGuy.
These Shinko whitewalls are pretty easy to keep clean... The whitewalls have almost a "plastic" surface that dirt and stains don't cling to. Usually I only have to touch them up once or twice a year. I use Westley's Bleach White and a big brush, and a spray bottle of rinse-water to brighten them up. Takes only about 15 minutes to do both sides of both tires!If you're one of the small minority (like me) who craves the fifties whitewall look, you can't beat these tires. They also handle well and hold up decently. They make them in a good number of sizes, including the 12-inchers... 120, 130 and now 140/70-12. This means you COULD put 'em on a Kymco Spade... THAT would look SO cool! They are true P-rated (92mph) and handle well at any speed the average (non-Italian... LOL!) 250 will go. I've had one on the front now for six seasons and have no complaints at all. They look GREAT (no off-center, raggedy white like often seen on Buddy factory whites...) handle well, last, are affordable and easy to maintain. I'd put 'em on a 50 or 150 in a heartbeat for looks, and a handling upgrade.
I highly recommend them!Ride safe! Leo
PS: The infamous fishtail is a story all its own... LOL! Those straight-pipe fishtails usually found on Harleys are EXPENSIVE... I found this shorty on eBay: the seller had a pair for his chopper, and totally screwed up one... So... He cut off the good part, and it ended up on eBay (only 10" long) for an opening bid of $2. I got it for $2... Only some old guy like me, with a single-cylinder ride would want it... HeHeHe…
The hard part was figuring out HOW to mount it to the little angled stub on the stock muffler. Took a lot of cutting, bending, cussing and praying... It doesn't change the sound or running any... The stock Kymco 250 muffler is pretty loud for a stocker. She really cackles when you twist her ear... That's OK with me! |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 10, 2018 21:28:29 GMT -5
Getting close to onetime heat coming off it was stifling. I coldness image getting stuck in traffic withe all that head coming off the Exha manifolds
You SAID it brother!!! The Hoss generates a LOT of heat... and that blown monster with rear slick... I'd hate to be hunched over all that motor... Hope he's got a BIG radiator!These "Frankenstein" creations are definitely NOT practical, but They are fun to look at, and do prove some guys will try ANYTHING "just because they can"... LOL! I'd still like to HEAR it fire up...  |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 10, 2018 13:15:06 GMT -5
  Forks serviced with 15w Bell-Ray, dropped them to the second notch to match rear ride height. No Badges, Decals or Logo's.
THAT is one GREAT looking scoot! You have more work in just the rear wheel setup than most of us would put into an entire 150... SWEET!
Have a bone on the OCG.
Ride safe!Leo |
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Peej update
by: oldchopperguy - Jun 10, 2018 13:04:47 GMT -5
Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 10, 2018 13:04:47 GMT -5
Can you ride home without taking congested streets or highways? If so, definitely do that. Also, you might want one of THESE to give the thumb a rest. Also, note for oldchopperguy : if your scoot uses a regular (not gel) battery, forget the overpriced cycle shops. Take the old one and hit the lawn & garden section of Walmart! Yes, a $25 lawn tractor battery will frequently work just fine in place of a $100 "powersports" battery! (Unfortunately, I couldn't do that...my battery mounted on its side.) My uncle has run a Walmart garden tractor battery in his Yamaha for several years now, and his father runs one in a Goldwing. Definitely, if a battery is the right size and spec's it doesn't matter if it's for a crotch-rocket or a lawnmower... I'm thinking it's quite likely that a battery sold for lawn equipment might just be a little heavier-duty than one made for a bike..... Maybe? Lawn-service guys are notoriously CHEAP and DEMANDING. I'd expect good service from a lawn battery in simple everyday riding.My old Kymco does use a regular old-fashioned wet battery. I'll bet Wally World has several batteries that would suffice. I don't know how much less they might cost: My battery is so mundane that even a name-brand motorcycle battery is not all that expensive... Love that old-fashioned "regular" low-tech stuff... LOL! |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 9, 2018 21:52:52 GMT -5
Well boyz n' gurlz…While many riders simply enjoy riding their scoots for affordable transportation, a sizeable percentage of us also like to "put our mark" on our rides... a little like the wolf marking his territory... probably a bad example... LOL! Could THAT phenomenon be the origin of the "WHIZZER" brand? Nah... Little things can make a scooter (or any bike, car, truck, etc.) uniquely yours. Forget the comments...
"Look what that idiot did to a perfectly good ride...". They're just jealous... Or, maybe they have better taste than us (or WORSE)... LOL! Doesn't matter, ride YOUR way!
Most of my friends here KNOW I'm hopelessly "Lost in the FIFTIES"... My missus just rolled her eyes last week when I started cleaning up the coffee table and found 3 issues of "Popular Mechanics" and got mesmerized by a feature on road-testing "the new HUDSON for 1951". Cheesh, those magazines are yellow and BRITTLE! Sorta made me want a Hudson though...  When I see a vintage bobber with a bumble-bee stripe paint job, or a Vespa with checkerboard and numbers, etc. it gets to my old geezer roots of old-school rough and tumble biking... For nearly six years, old "Minnie Mouse" has suffered the indignation of a factory whitewall tire up front, but a painted fake whitewall on the rear. NO LONGER! I finally got the newly released Shinko 140/70-12 whitewall in-hand, and installed and balanced. A perfect cosmetic match for the little 120/70-12 donut up front. Now, as James Bond might muse: "...her collar and cuffs now match..." Oh, James, how TACKY!To celebrate her new saddle-shoes, I also gave Minnie a little facelift with some checkerboard, European "Hooligan" style.
The checkerboard material is "Racer's Tape" from eBay. It's excellent quality, and looks as good as glossy enamel. Only problem with it is it does NOT like compound-curves. Even on a gentle curved surface like the fender, or a helmet, you must cut strips of no more than two checkers and overlap them. Fortunately the stuff is as thin as a coat of paint, so all those seams don't show at all.
As for the new tire, it rides and handles as well as the original Michelin. I found a downhill stretch and got her to over 80 with ZERO shake, wobble, etc. Steady, sure and confident as Donald Trump growling "you're FIRED!" These Shinko whitewalls are really decent tires for general street/highway use. They look as good as premium auto whitewalls and they ARE P-rated (92-mph). They do give any scoot a "vintage Italian" look. Obviously, my tastes are not for most... (yeah, I get it) but the point is that whether you like a look from the past, or a competition look, flames, scallops, cammo, metalflake, etc. break out the striping tape, rattle-can paint, a bevy of vintage reflectors... whatever floats your boat... your ride is a fresh canvas just waiting for you to make it your own.
Make it look the way you like, and...Ride safe!Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 9, 2018 19:38:54 GMT -5
Cool! I guess I use to see the Boss Hoss v8's running round the Republic of Texas Biker rally. bosshoss.com
There are quite a few Boss Hoss bikes and trikes around here. I do have "mixed emotions" about them... LOL! They really do make them proportioned and cosmetically about as good as possible considering their MONSTEROUS girth... LOL They SOUND magnificent (especially with wide-open headers) as most seem to sport around here. Last gun show I attended in Mesquite had a club of Hoss jockeys... One had a 502cid/502hp Chevy with nitrous... Hmmm... Is nitrous REALLY necessary? Lots of old geezers like me were riding Hoss trikes. Seems like a 3-wheeled Corvette to me... I've seen a few of the 502's playing with crotch-rocket boys on the freeway, and the Hoss seems to equate itself REALLY well against the hot 4-bangers, right on up to whatever insane speed the guys dare to go... There is one die-hard lady biker around here who must be at least 50, but still turns heads in Daisy Dukes and bikini top... I've seen her ride her Hoss like she had a death-wish around here. Of course, no helmet or any protective gear... Just the least amount of "apparel" she can legally get away with... Maybe she DOES have a death-wish. She surely has a lot of body-strength! Those behemoths are impressive, but SOOOOO wide, and SOOOOO heavy that they feel like a car on two wheels.
Great for those who love 'em, but TOO much metal for me... Ride safe,Leo |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 8, 2018 21:18:38 GMT -5
Seriously, UncaLeo, is there ANY bike you don't like the looks of?
Kat,
I really DO like most bikes for one reason or another... There are a few that just don't look "right" to my old eye though. BMW has made a few models that while excellent quality, just look plain weird to me. Some of the new "three-wheel two-wheelers" REALLY don't look right to me either... the narrow front axle setup with leaning wheels just seems to violate all the "rules" of bikes and trikes. I know they ride fine, but look SO strange to me.
A pal of mine sixty years ago rescued a kitten with six legs and four ears... THAT didn't look quite right at the time, but she was the sweetest cat ever! Pretty soon you just forgot the strange appearance and loved her... He named her "Extra"... LOL!
The cosmetics of bikes are SO personal that like I said before, many riders will LOVE or HATE the same bike for the same reasons...
In the grand scheme of things, it's all good so long as you get your "knuckles in the wind"!
Ride safe!
Leo
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 7, 2018 0:13:56 GMT -5
While looking for some scooter references, I came across this beast... Even if you ride a step-through 50cc... If THIS bike doesn't light yer' fire, yer' wood's wet... LOL!Huge V8 with monster blower and eight carbs... wide-open header dumps... enough rubber to lay down a smoke screen... This ride is not for the faint-hearted... LOL! When this bad boy fires up, it's gotta be the sweetest sound this side of an artillery barrage! C'mon now, deep down inside our bike-loving minds, we all know there's nothing like a couple thousand horsepower to put lead in yer' pencil and a little extra fun in your ride!
I do wonder just WHERE the fuel-tank is though? This mill has to go through gas like an eight-year-old goes through Disneyland. That old biker looks as old as I am, and I'm finding my 360-pound scooter is getting heavy? Guess I'd better get to the gym... 
I'll bet this ride turns a few heads and raises some eyebrows...
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 6, 2018 21:53:15 GMT -5
THAT is an interesting bike!Definitely purpose-built for the African market, and looks like it's up to the job. The exoskeleton frame appears to be great for carrying the loads local Africans put on their bikes, and, adds rigidity to the bike which is always good! The Japanese motor is a good touch too! If it's affordable enough for the local buyers, it should be a big hit!Hat's off to a local enterprise building a bike for the local riders... They beat the Chinese to the punch!
Hooray for the Africans!
I always enjoy seeing bikes and riders from obscure places on this old planet... Especially when they meet a unique need not usually found here in America, or even Europe!
Thanks for the great post!Leo in Texas... Hmmm... Wonder what my old Kymco would look like with 300 pounds of bananas on the passenger seat? Nah... A case of Jack Daniel's maybe?
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