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Post by oldchopperguy on May 25, 2018 1:49:52 GMT -5
Good grief! Everybody WISHES they could ride like that.... But if we could, we'd likely all be pro racers...  |
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Post by oldchopperguy on May 25, 2018 1:43:36 GMT -5
Mjsfoto1956,
Nice post. This may help many riders with their 150's, especially those wanting to use LED's. They don't like AC current... I had a Chinese 150 years ago and did a bridge-rectifier setup to provide DC current to some LED's. More work than it's worth. Your chart makes it easier!
Please tell us about that scoot in your avatar... It is a knockout! Got bigger pix?
Oh, and WELCOME to the forum!
Ride safe,
Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on May 25, 2018 1:37:11 GMT -5
Wheelbender6,
THAT is a GREAT little bike! I've wondered about the reliability factor of these. The engines look a lot like the European 2-strokes designed in the 1930's and used on all sorts of Euro-mopeds and the 1950's Harley "Hummer". I'm sure these new ones are better, using modern ignition and carburetion but they DO look extremely "pre-WWII".
The concept is great, and I wonder about using the drive components with a small chainsaw motor? Or a vintage kart engine?
There's just something about ANYTHING that resembles a vintage "WHIZZER" that is irresistible!
Ride safe!
Leo
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Post by oldchopperguy on May 20, 2018 23:05:39 GMT -5
a scooter is not the correct bike for that😨 Yeah, "what chewbaca said!" |
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Post by oldchopperguy on May 20, 2018 23:02:18 GMT -5
Thanks pistonguy.... Enquiring minds wanted to know! Have a bone.
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Post by oldchopperguy on May 19, 2018 3:01:37 GMT -5
Whew!Cobras and tigers and mud, OH-MY! Where's a spray-wash when ya' really need one? 
Hey! Where's TOTO? He WAS in the trunk a few craters back... HEY! Where's the TRUNK? Gosh, I don't think we're in KANSAS anymore!
Too much testosterone and not enough bike for me... LOL!
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Post by oldchopperguy on May 19, 2018 2:51:11 GMT -5
Oh well, looks like a classic mixing of oregano and Chinese "5-spice" seasonings. Heck, I do that on my tuna salad! Hmmm... mixing a bike and a FUTON... Maybe somebody should approach Harley Davidson or Indian with THAT idea!  I'll bet that soon we'll see Chinese engines in Piaggio scoots! Ride safe, Leo |
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Peej update
by: oldchopperguy - May 19, 2018 2:42:45 GMT -5
Post by oldchopperguy on May 19, 2018 2:42:45 GMT -5
Kat,
Pricey and time-consuming, but having the dealer do the job puts the responsibility on him. Not bad!
Last time I accessed my battery, I found it to be a royal pain. So... I made a 2-foot heavy cable and attached it to the battery, running into the underseat storage bin. I put connectors on the ends and now I have easy access to jump-start or charge the battery. I also connected a heavy marine cigar-lighter "power port" to a matching connector so I also have access to 12v power. I keep a teensy compressor for bicycles under the seat, and should I develop a leaky tire, I can easily keep airing it up until repairs are made.
It's also REALLY handy to top off the tires when they get a tad low. That cheap Wally World compressor will fill a flat scooter tire in only 5 minutes!
My battery was new when I got "Minnie Mouse" but that has been 7 years now, so I will probably need to consider a new one too! I do wish these things had kick-starters! That's one thing the low-end Chinese 150's have over the better scoots!
Enjoy your trip and ride safe!
Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on May 19, 2018 2:27:59 GMT -5
Superjew78
I'm not familiar with this gasket, but since the unused tabs/holes have metal grommets in them, I'd think they are for attaching something outside the head, or are guides to anchor cables or tubes/hoses.
They might even be locating holes to go over tabs on certain models of engines.
If the head and cylinder fit correctly sandwiching only the gasket material, the gasket should work OK. You'll just have two tabs sticking out that were there for some particular application.
C'mon now, somebody more familiar with these than me please chime in!
Id bet the gasket will work OK for you.
Ride safe,
Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on May 18, 2018 2:34:14 GMT -5
That Victory Vision WAS "over the top". I'm not a big fan of baggers but admired how all that goofy and gimmicky styling SOMEHOW actually came together OK...  That bike really smacked of "Arlen Ness". I'll bet he had something to do with its design. Long ago when I was still frisky enough to climb on and off big bikes, I rode a few different Victory bikes. I was very impressed with their combination of BOTH torque AND rpm. Great all-around machines! Now that Victory is a brand of the past, their bikes should be great buys. Polaris has committed to provide parts and service for quite some time. I don't know about the new Indian motors compared to the older Victory mills. I know the Victory was great, but Polaris also claims the new Indian Chief "Thunder Stroke" motor is the most road-tested new powerplant to be released in a production vehicle. Maybe, maybe not... They must be pretty good though since I've seen no negative reports on them. The last incarnation of the Indian marque (not by Polaris) used a V-twin motor that was a cosmetic knockout. Just beautiful, but it proved to be very poor. Nothing but trouble. "Indians" before that used Harley-Davidson clone motors and just did not come off as "real" Indians. I am glad that Polaris did choose to design a new Indian from the ground up, and make it reliable from the get-go. I'm a little sad to see them offer one without the trademark skirted fenders though... Ya gotta make what people want.  The highly successful new Indian Scout DOES bear a striking resemblance to some of the old Victory bikes!Ride safe! Leo in Texas |
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Post by oldchopperguy on May 18, 2018 1:43:54 GMT -5
Kat,
I hope that garbage pile was SOFT! Might smell worse, but lots easier on the old body... LOL!In WWII, my Dad often rode convoy escort and messenger duty in the South Pacific Islands. He rode an Army Harley 45. That duty forced him to ride FAST through jungles on unimproved trails and he had numerous hair-raising tales... All while being shot at! A little like around here, but a WHOLE lot worse!!!Maybe I should write a book... But if you read it before going to sleep, you'd probably have nightmares, punctuated by hysterical laughter... My riding experiences "back in the day" were just "normal life" back then, but seem sorta wild today. I suppose the early pioneers stories sounded the same in the early 1900's to younger folks. The "squashed small animals" stuff is only halfway "tongue-in-cheek". Locals around here take particular joy in trying to hit dogs, cats, squirrels, rabbits, and the elusive chupacabra... Only the venerable SKUNK is safe from becoming a target, and only when a driver is sober...It breaks my old heart as cats and kittens seem to be the highest priority targets, and the missus and I both adore cats. I have a whole winter "posse" of feral kitties living under the tarps on old "Minnie Mouse" each season. Cats are also the favorite menu item of coyotes which INFEST our area, and are protected by law... You can shoot a cat, and everybody gets a big laugh, but shoot a coyote and you'll go to jail... Go figger...
Now, concerning the infamous "trucker's friend"... Ah... I think I'd rather encounter their "emissions" in a puddle on the road at a stoplight (preferably NOT while wearing my best lizard boots)... than in the air at 70mph!Oh, thank you, blessed Givi windshield!  Of course, everything has an "up-side". I've found uninvited ammonia to be an effective aid in removing bugs and road tar at the end of a ride... Double EEEWWW!
Ride safe, and we hope you're getting physically OK to enjoy the new riding season!
Watch what you step in...Leo |
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Post by oldchopperguy on May 16, 2018 0:43:55 GMT -5
Hmmm.... THIS one took some thought!
At first, I thought: "Is it more macho to be submariner who will PROBABLY get killed?" Or, a Kamikaze pilot who KNOWS he will get killed?".
The submariner was in horrible peril, especially toward the end when anti-submarine tech got really nasty... But he still performed his duty, planning and carrying out attacks, and in general was a deadly force until meeting his likely demise. THAT is mighty macho.
The Kamikaze pilot was patriotic, brave, but truly a one-trick-pony. THAT is just plain NUTS,
"Macho" and "Insanity" often go pretty much hand-in-hand, but the Kamikaze goes over the line. I admire their zeal, but as others have stated, a truly macho fighter lives to fight again if possible. And, the Deutsch submariners had to be very macho, since they knew their chances for long-term survival were practically nil.
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Post by oldchopperguy on May 16, 2018 0:14:05 GMT -5
Kat,
You are priceless! Have a bone on old "Unca Leo"... I've spilled a couple times, but this was the first "no-excuse drop"... LOL! All four of your "events" are SO typical. Amazingly, the bigger and heavier a bike is, the less likely it is to go out from under you when hitting something slippery, BUT... It is absolutely POSSIBLE, and those thousand-pound baggers are a booger to pick up.
I can't believe I'm sharing this one, but at my age, who cares...? When I got out of the Army in 1970, I got a brand-new 1970 full-dress Harley Electra-Glide. OOOHHH! It was BEAUTIFUL. I was cruising one night on a 6-lane surface street and came to a stop at a red light next to a new Corvette with two cute gals inside. NOT bothering to look DOWN, I gave them the eye and they smiled back... As the old Hog came to a stop, again without being smart enough to look down, I put out my left leg INTO THIN AIR... The pavement dropped off into a six-foot-deep construction ditch. I landed upside down with a half-ton of Hog on top of me (would you believe that doggone new-fangled diaphragm carb kept the motor running UPSIDE DOWN?). 
Up "topside" I could hear those girls laughing so hard the driver let her foot slip off the clutch and she rear-ended the POLICE CAR in front of her... Thankfully, that cop jumped into the ditch and with help from some truckers, got the bike off me, and a whole posse of passers-by lifted the Harley back up to street-level. Poor thing... All that broken chrome, shattered glass and such. She looked like an East Indian Elephant all decorated for a holiday parade, and lying dead on her side.I was soaked head-to-toe in gasoline, and had some nasty engine/exhaust burns in places I didn't even know I had places...  I did $1,500 damage to my new $2,500 Harley (Yeah, that's all they cost in 1970).I think it was "Forrest Gump" who said: "Stupid is as stupid does, sir"... Duh... Yup! Been there, done that, got the T-shirt.
I did say this car-wash adventure was the first time I ever dropped a bike. That is true. The Harley ditch event wasn't a "drop". It was sheer stupidity... Good lesson though. Even on a small scooter, LOOK where you put your FEET when you stop... That grease in the center of the lane can be murder! As well as wet leaves, squashed small animals, gravel, marbles, ball-bearings, dumped beer and wee-wee puddles from inconsiderate Diesel-jockeys using their "trucker's friend" at the stoplight... And, when you get back home, WIPE yer' FEET before entering the missus' livingroom!
Ride safe, and keep the shiny side up and the greasy side down!Leo (walking the old Mouse more carefully) in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on May 15, 2018 23:49:08 GMT -5
Sorry. I just brought up the Vitpilen because I wanted to rant about it. The price of motorcycles is rising much faster than my wages. Most of us compare motorcycles and scooters in some way or another, and performance and price are the two biggies! Motorcycles are not cheap... But it does appear that Indian has forced Harley Davidson to be a little more "competitive" with their luxury big Chiefs, and budget-priced Scouts... Still too much money for my blood though... Talk about stagnant wages: how'd you like to be stuck on Social Security? 
Sub-$3K used scooters rule in my world! LOL! Old "Minnie Mouse" gets me down the road just as well as a $40K Hog... And gives 85mpg, and $120 full-coverage insurance! Ride safe, Leo |
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Post by oldchopperguy on May 15, 2018 23:36:47 GMT -5
Kat,
That BV 350 is sweet. After really checking them out, I can see the appeal of them. Very much like yours but a little bigger motor. And, Yes! I'll bet yours will top 70... Sweet ride! These style Italian scoots appeal as I see it is first, performance. Then, general handling, then "Apparent" light weight. I don't think they actually ARE much lighter than other styles, but they FEEL lighter. Probably the phenomenon of tall wheels. Like balancing a baseball bat in the palm of your hand. Place the BIG end in your palm, and it's hard to balance. Place the little end in your palm and it's easy! Same deal with small, and big wheel scoots... I think... Maybe?Whatever the cause, after dropping "Minnie Mouse" last week, in future years as I get "feebler" I may go to the Italian big-wheels... They handle like a bicycle that can run the freeways! THAT feature MUST be nearly irresistible to most riders! Ride safe! Leo PS: Soft saddlebags are "miracle preventatives" for damage from dropping a bike! LOL! 
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