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Post by oldchopperguy on Aug 1, 2017 8:46:52 GMT -5
Which is why I ended up with a 125 Elite in 1984. But I still think Vespa's are way overpriced, in the 1960's you could buy one for about the same price (adjusted for inflation.) As today's Kymco.
I have to agree with the price issue. Particularly Vespa scoots are VERY expensive, even the smallest displacement models. At least brand-new ones. On the other hand, some members here have found EXTREMELY good deals on new Italian scoots of other makes. The BIG equalizer in price (at least in my area) is in clean, minty USED Italian scoots. When I settled on my old Kymco Grandvista 250 3 years ago, I looked at every type of used scooter I could find. And, I found NUMEROUS mint, low-miles Vespa, Piaggio and such Italian scoots in the same price-range as the used Taiwanese rides like Kymco and SYM. If you have your heart set on a NEW Vespa, it's going to be pricey. If you're willing to go with a clean USED ride, the Vespa may well be no more expensive than bikes from Taiwan, and certainly no more expensive than those from Japan.
All this mumbo-jumbo does NOT help the scooter cause... LOL!To get a bargain on an Italian ride, you have to really do your homework, and search. But you can get a Taiwan-made scoot off the floor for much less. And I suspect they are about equal in build-quality, though the Vespa does offer aircraft-style aluminum unit construction. That apparently is the major reason for their high initial price. Fortunately for used buyers, it doesn't translate into resale value.All-in-all, America just doesn't seem ready to embrace the scooter to the extent of our fellow riders in other nations... Especially when you can now get a NEW Harley 500/750 or Indian Scout V-twin for around $10K or LESS.
Yanks just can't resist that V-twin look, sound and pride-of-ownership. Nope...  As for me? At 70, and full of arthritis, I've had plenty of big twins and am more than happy with a SCOOTER... Yup! |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Aug 1, 2017 8:17:34 GMT -5
Tonyb,
Your Xingyue is NOT like my old one. Sorry, gave you bad advice on locating the CDI.
Now, since you got it to run off some prime in the intake, it must have spark. Upgrading the factory CDI is still a good idea, but I'd get it running before making any upgrades.
If it runs off a prime, but will not run off fuel in the tank, it must not be getting that fuel to the carb. Or, if fuel IS reaching the carb, it's not leaving the carb to run the motor. Some problems include a blockage in the fuel line, dirty fuel filter, carb float not working, or blockage in the carb internals. If yours has a vacuum operated petcock, it might not be operating either. I did replace mine with a simple manual petcock for a Briggs stationary engine, since it began to close down at full throttle due to lack of vacuum.
To narrow the possibilities between fuel-lines/petcock and such, I would try disconnecting the fuel-line from the carb, and connect it directly to a secondary "tank" you could make from a can with fuel-line out the bottom. Suspend it higher than the carb, and if the motor will run off that fuel supply, you'll know the problem is somewhere OUTSIDE the carb, in the tank or fuel-lines.
If it will not run off the secondary fuel source, you'll at least know the problem is in the carburetor itself... Something is blocked.
Before you can fix the problem, you need to know WHERE the problem is... Carb, or fuel-system?
Hope this may help,
Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jul 31, 2017 11:23:49 GMT -5
my son's (now in their mid and late 20's) were not excited about getting a drivers lisence. At 16, i was so excited about getting a drivers lisence that i couldnt sleep at night!
Wow! It's HARD to believe ANYONE wouldn't be excited about getting their license. I'm with you! I learned to ride at 12, on a fifties' Harley with foot-clutch and hand-shift. I started driving the family car at 13, having learned at 8... Dad trusted me to get groceries, take my little pals home, etc. by myself at 13. And, YES you could do that stuff back in the fifties. Especially if as a little nipper, the local police knew you weren't a jerk. Probably the lack of enthusiasm today is somewhat influenced by the cost... A crumby used junk today costs $5-grand, license tags $100 or so, and INSURANCE on a 16-year-old? I dunno... $500/month... $1,000/month? I can only guess, and it depends on the kid, and the car. A kid needs to hack credit cards and sell dope just to be "legal"... LOL!As a 10-year-old kid, I bought my first car (a "cherry" 30K-miles 1950 Chevy) for $7.50 from a church lady who stopped driving. License plates were pretty much "optional" and INSURANCE was unheard of. So... for less than ten-bucks, I was on the road. I had asked my Dad if I could have a car. He said ABSOLUTELY! I asked what kind? He said "any kind you can afford..." EEEEWWWWWWWWWW! That was a Saturday. Sunday I had my $7.50 I'd saved up toward a car (a decent used car actually DID cost between $35 and $150) and after church, I overheard this sweet lady saying she could no longer drive. I asked what she wanted for her car, which I was aware of, being mint... She asked how much I could afford. I proudly pulled out my money and showed her the five, two singles and a half-dollar. She winked at her friend, and told me that she was thinking maybe $10, but being a hard-working ten-year-old, and REALLY wanting a car, $7.50 was just fine... I drove her home, and proceeded to my own house, proudly parking the shiny old Bowtie in the drive. My Dad came home Sun. afternoon from selling real estate and asked WHERE did that nice car come from? I told him... Then, with his own family car (a totally trashed '47 Chevy) ready for the bone yard, he asked me if he could "borrow" it until I was 16, and had a license. So that ride became our family car for five years... How could I turn my own wonderful Dad down? LOL! The more I learn about modern times, the more I'd go back to the fifties in a heartbeat. Heck, I'd STILL buy that grand old Chevy "Master Deluxe" today... Even if I had to fork over the whole ten bucks!  With all this texting, pot-smoking and other brain-dead behavior I see young drivers lost into, perhaps it's better that some do NOT ever get a license... LOL!
Ride safe!Leo |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jul 28, 2017 23:59:04 GMT -5
I am new to scooter world. I purchased a 4 year old Xingyue XY150t-7 from a friend. It has about 400 miles on it and does not seem to be firing. I put fresh gas in take (pure gas - no ethanol), new ignition coil and new spark plug. Still not firing. I want to check the CDI, but I can't seem to locate it. Any suggestions?
My first scoot was a Xingyue "Eagle" 150. Probably the same bike as yours... My CDI went bad first year and I replaced it with an inexpensive "Red" no-limit CDI from eBay and it ran great. My CDI (and probably yours) was attached to the passenger-side top frame rail, accessed by removing the under-seat storage pan. That comes out easily by removing a few bolts and allows access to most all the engine. If I recall, there are two chrome bolts or nuts at the BACK of the pan, two more at the bottom of the front of the pan, and one big screw in the front wall of the pan. The CDI should be plainly visible on that top rail, held in place by a rubber mount. Replacing the CDI is "plug-n'-play" and very easy... You can also test-ride with the seat-pan removed for adjustments, and replace the pan when all is OK. Hope this helps. Ride safe! Leo in Texas
PS: Please note: These scooters do NOT like spray-washes!!! The electrics are FAR from "waterproof" so when cleaning the scoot, be CAREFUL not to pressure-blast water around the engine electrics (ESPECIALLY the CDI) and the dashboard area (speedo, gauges, etc.). I learned THAT the hard way after pushing the scooter 2 miles home from the local car wash... LOL! |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jul 27, 2017 23:04:47 GMT -5
Glad you found the time slips, Leo. You know we believed you without seeing them. A good forum needs plenty of disagreement, but Piston Guy went way beyond that. I wish more people knew how to argue and discuss ideas without hurling insults.
Thanks for the vote of confidence... Have a bone on The Old Chopper Guy!
You can't imagine how SURPRISED I was when I opened that rusty old toolbox... Suddenly it was 1965 again, and the memories came flooding back. This was LONG before the Japanese bike invasion and "crotch-rockets"... The fastest bikes from the factory probably were the Triumph Bonneville 650, the BSA Hornet 650 and the seldom seen Norton and Royal Enfield 750... All capable of no better than a 14-second quarter mile, at maybe 100-mph on a good day. Hop up one of these to the max, and they still would have to REALLY hustle to break into the mid twelves.
Modern bikes make our old builds seem downright slow, but in their day they were awesome. I was racing in a "run what ya' brung" class, facing whatever my competition might be that day. Ya call out the other guy, run yer' mouth, then, take it to the Christmas tree and see who gets bragging rights, and who gets a reality-check. I must admit I truly do LOVE cashing "reality checks"... My three elimination runs that day included beating a street-converted Anglia gasser, a wild scratch-built bike powered by a 6-cylinder 2-stroke Mercury outboard motor (which came VERY close to beating me) and another Harley. THAT one was actually a drag-bike they put a phoney license plate on and called it a street-bike. We watched as the crew did some major didling with the motor and fuel, and, switched the rider to a small, jockey-sized Asian fellow. My tiny "protégé" Jan elbowed me and said "... Hey Big Daddy, YOU will NOT beat that little guy! YOU are just TOO FAT. Better let me show him what a REAL lightweight can do..." Oh, YEAH!!! Ah, OUCH... How the truth hurts... HeHeHe... But I did weigh near 375 and Old Blue weighed about the same. Shaving 300 pounds off DID make enough difference to ensure the win!
I do believe she could shave a half-second off most any bike's best run because of her "near weightless" size, AND her type-A Alpha dog, totally fearless driving. She was an ANIMAL on the track... And that animal turned out to be a "flying squirrel"... If Jan is still alive, she's 76 years young and probably still known by that well-earned moniker... LOL!
Determined to give it 110% she raced in world-record run "Rollie Free" style... clad only in her skivvies... Yeah, you COULD do that stuff back then. She didn't wear sneakers either... Sometimes I wonder just how much psychological advantage her "undressed to thrill" technique may have provided... 
Rollie Free was an Indian dealer making a land speed-record attempt on a Vincent. He was one of our heroes back then, and all I can say is that little Janice looked a lot better in that state of undress than Rollie did... LOL! She ran that quarter just like old Rollie, but with her right arm wrapped around the base of Old Blue's ape-hangers and her left hand on the foot-shift. Throttle wide open and no clutch involved... I ground off every other tooth in the Harley tranny's 2n, 3rd and 4th gear and shifting without the clutch worked great! Of course, when she slammed the old hog into 1st sans-clutch, chin on tank... I suppose it WAS a tad "hard" on the tranny, but OMG, WHAT a LAUNCH!... Oh well, no apparent harm done!
Below is that famous pic of Rollie Free on his record run...
OK, in yer' mind, picture that Vincent with ape-hangers, and picture Rollie as a 2/3 sized version of Vanna White in bikini undies, with her hand on the foot-shift... Naah... I'm an artist with a good imagination, and even I can't fantasize THAT well... HOO-HA, WOO-HOO and LOLOLOL! 
Those days were very special, never to be seen again. I'm glad I lived in them...
Ride safe, and put on some clothes... and a helmet!Leo |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jul 27, 2017 0:42:19 GMT -5
Well boyz n' gurlz...
I'm realizing how old I really am, and I'm emptying out my storage, and went into an outbuilding I haven't entered in 30+ years.
Under some old parts was my Dad's vintage toolbox that accompanied me to the dragstrip back in the sixties. I've moved 8 times since 1970, and that old tin treasure always made the move, though long forgotten. My friends who enjoy my posts on ItIsTheRide know that most every time I make a post, another member trashes me, calls me "squid" maligns my lady friends and in general, insults and disrespects what I post. Says it can't be, impossible, I'm lying and so on.Inside that toolbox, along with some old Harley points, plugs and a wrench, were the TIME SLIPS from OSWEGO DRAGWAY right where I put them on a summer Sunday in 1964, or 65. They laid there forgotten for more than fifty years. Oswego Dragway was big-time back in the day. Sadly, the property is now owned by a nursing home. I wonder how many residents there RACED on that same property many decades ago?
These are the runs "Old Blue" made for which I've taken never-ending trashing from "Piston Guy".I wouldn't waste five minutes posting these for his edification, as I don't have to prove anything I've done to such a troll. However, his incessant insults on my posts wear my patience thin, and, have no doubt harmed my standing with my long-time pals on the site. So... For anyone who is interested, here are records of my three Sunday elimination runs of 11.21@122.3-mph, 11.06@128.6-mph and 11.4 @ 129.9-mph... AND, the day's final trophy-run with my diminutive 76-pound friend Janice aboard of 10.68@139.7-mph. And for the record, HER name is JANICE. Not "Oompaloompa". Please save such names for insulting women in YOUR own life, not mine.  These ancient timeslips triggered a renewed interest on my part to see just HOW unique "Old Blue's" quarter-mile times actually were, and, I got a surprise. In the mid-sixties, there were at least 10 street-driven choppers/bobbers turning in times in the low elevens, and high tens.
And, one notable Knucklehead set up much like my ride, with not much Harley left save for the heads... billet steel cylinders and hand-cast crankcase housing a monster stroker crank which ran a blistering 9.45@150+mph! THAT was near all-out DRAG-BIKE performance, and, Yes, THAT was a STREET-DRIVEN bobber, the run made at Pamona, CA. I know my incredible little Flying Squirrel went to CA and became a stunt-woman and pro-drag-bike driver for hire. I have to wonder if just maybe she was aboard that incredible 9-second Knucklehead in Pamona? For my good friends here, enjoy the nostalgia of pretty slick ride from the past. As for my caustic and insulting critic, no hard feelings, but YOU are as WRONG as you are OBNOXIOUS. You have some excellent skills and knowledge, and it's a real shame you don't use them to help and encourage other members, rather than to insult and disrespect them.
Enjoy...Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jul 23, 2017 23:55:23 GMT -5
Yeah Leo, but for a nation steeped in King Arthur & Merlin etc, depending on a wizard seems pretty in-line with tradition. You ARE right! I spent a week in London, and loved the people, but Cheesh! Talk about steeped in ancient tradition! If the commoner has a problem, remedies might include burying a toad at midnight, walking backwards over a creek by a full moon, and all sorts of "things mystical". Yeah, I suppose a wizard on a ship would be pretty "normal" so long as he "kept a stiff upper-lip, and all that tommyrot"... Pip, pip gov'ner... But say what you will, those Brits can FIGHT! They NEVER give up, and THAT is MOST admirable! |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jul 23, 2017 23:48:14 GMT -5
The P-51 escort plane was not successful until the Rolls Royce "Merlin" engine was installed. ABSOLUTELY! The magnificent P-51 Mustang wasn't even the first great American warbird that didn't cut it until receiving the "magic" of a foreign powerplant... If memory serves me, the "Brewster Buffalo" was a cool-looking pre-war fighter that almost looked "Russian". It was a complete flop, and most were sold or given to some obscure nation to get them out of inventory. The recipients repowered them with a better mill, and the little Buffalo grew teeth, giving a good showing against the enemy's more modern planes... Of course, no magic Merlin DNA attached to that one... LOL! Sometimes our national mentality eludes me... Duh... |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jul 23, 2017 23:38:57 GMT -5
This is 2017. Scooters should go 30,000 miles on one belt, not need rollers or a clutch.
I should have written "New Rollers and clutch". I understand the Piaggio BV-350 has some kind of a clutch pack for longer life which explains its price. Still the design on scooters is years old. I remember a Rokon trail bike from the mid seventies with a CVT. Eventually Dual Clutch Transmissions will replace them. The European Honda Integra is a scooter/motorcycle with it and is doing well over there. You're not just whistlin' Dixie! Even though I lived in the late forties, until recently I didn't know just HOW old the CVT tranny really is. "American Pickers" often discover "barn find" scooters from the WWII era, and... Yes, they often have primitive CVT trannies! The cheaper ones usually have a centrifugal clutch, or even a "belt-tightening" clutch with single speed, but the CVT pioneers ARE out there! Amazing! |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jul 22, 2017 23:16:20 GMT -5
I must agree with w650 about this being 2017, and ANY vehicle should last a L-O-N-G time... At LEAST 150K miles.
I think most 2-wheel riders in America simply do NOT put the miles on their bikes, as much as they do with their cars and trucks, so we may not really know just HOW long most will last. In other parts of the world, many scooter AND motorcycle riders use them as "family cars". I wish we had more members from Asia, India and other places where the family scooter gets HARD daily use... Often as a BUS or TRUCK... LOL! Obviously, we all have seen proof that a 150 scooter can pull a horse-cart with a dozen folks inside, and 5 or 6 riders ON the scooter... But HOW LONG will it last in THAT duty? Enquiring minds want to know...
I'm also intrigued by the growing numbers of automobiles using CVT trannies. Whew, WHAT are THOSE belts made of? Belting 30hp to a 400 pound scooter is one thing, but doing the same with a 250hp V6 to a 3,500 pound CAR is quite another.
I do realize from past experience, that it's difficult to plot a "norm" with vehicle longevity. Back it the old days, when American cars were deemed DOA at 50K or fewer miles, I drove a 1968 Cadillac (Coupe DeVille, 472cid motor) for over 400K miles with no more than normal maintenance! It still ran great with no oil or coolant use when I traded it in after many years of great service. On the other side of the coin, I bought a new 1971 AMC Hornet which absolutely FELL APART in 11K miles! And I had great service from other AMC cars... Go figger... All vehicles are better today than they were long ago, but in many ways, they are STILL a "crap shoot"... Yup... 
Ride 'em 'till they die...Leo I spent 55 years on "traditional" clutch n' gears big bikes and found maintenance to be not all that bad. Now, because of old age, arthritis and lack of funds, I'm firmly into scooters. Ah, I don't think mine will have to last all THAT long to outlast me. OH-KAY... Leo (getting older by the day) in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jul 21, 2017 23:39:34 GMT -5
w650,
I just read your post, and I think you're onto something!
That "maintained by the book" syndrome is surely FAR more common among riders of Italian scoots. They are more likely to be ENTHUSIASTS rather than DAILY RIDERS. Enthusiasts treat their rides better than most who just "use" them for transportation. And, better care means less problems!
I think (and this is just my feeling) that the average Joe does the minimum maintenance to keep his/her ride "functional". This brings out the worst in any vehicle. Chinese bikes may succumb to this quicker or more often, but with really good maintenance, as you've found out, they can be plenty reliable.
Japanese bikes tend to be more "bulletproof" and forgiving of "minimal" maintenance so they have a better reputation for withstanding abuse.
I know myself, 40 years ago, I was a true enthusiast and treated my bikes like they were family. I had very few issues, even though those classic oldies were probably WORSE quality than current Chinese makes. Today, I'm old, tired and admittedly do as little as possible beyond changing oil and keeping tires aired up. So far, my old Kymco seems happy without pampering, and reliable as the family Honda car, but the BEST maintenance will surely yield the best longevity with ANY vehicle...
I'm no judge of scooter vs. motorcycle longevity... In my "day" a new Harley was considered to be pretty well trashed at 50K miles, even with careful maintenance... A Cushman or Vespa was generally considered to be DOA at 20-30K miles. Everything is SO much better-made today, but for example, when I compare in my mind, a name brand scooter with a big Honda cruiser... well, I must admit I'd be surprised if the scooter would hold up as long. Fortunately, most scoots seem to last plenty long enough to really get your money's worth from them, and that ain't bad!
Ride safe for all the miles the little wheezers have in them!
Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jul 21, 2017 2:52:15 GMT -5
And Kat, How cool would it have been to run around a mighty warship in a pointy hat with stars and moons and such? Naah, I suppose the poor devil had to wear "approved" naval attire while conjuring up whatever he/she conjured up... LOL! You know, for a Christian nation, depending on a wizard in battle seems like a pretty sorry lack of faith...  |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jul 20, 2017 11:14:35 GMT -5
Good point. A macho ship should have a bartender. I suppose Back in the WWI days, or ever... (Just WHO served up the grog on windjammers?... LOL!) the Brits did NOT have a ship's bartender on naval vessels... However, at least in 1970, a British sailor told me English men-of-war DID still have a WIZARD aboard as a "traditional member of the crew!"Holy "Sorcerer's Apprentice" Batman! How Mickey Mouse Macho is THAT?That may be true, as it seems I do recall a side-note feature on TV news reporting the centuries-old Brit naval Wizard position finally being eliminated sometime back in the 1980's or 1990's...
They might have done better with a BARTENDER!Just an observation... LOL! |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jul 19, 2017 11:21:30 GMT -5
I too watched, and enjoyed "The Love Boat" a lot... pretty good show for those truly dismal bell-bottoms and white-guy afros days when TV was just learning to sugar-coat politically correct sleazy sex for family entertainment... LOL! (If they promote it on TV, it MUST be OK, right?). Anyway, all the soft-core bedroom gymnastics were mighty tame by today's standards... Heck back THEN, there were only TWO sexes to consider...
And yes, Eric Estrada is mighty macho! I'm a big "CHIPS" fan... Along with other guest stars, BUT... boat-for-boat, I've gotta ignore the crews and passengers and go with the battlewagon. Guns trump umbrella-drinks... I think? Maybe?
Oh well, just me...
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jul 18, 2017 20:27:15 GMT -5
Leo, dude. I myself was a little skeptical about your claims but assumed there was more to the story than a bone stock Accord. Given what you now say it all makes sense. Sometimes I read things on forums that have me pushing away from the computer before I write something caustic. The claims made occasionally are a little.....much. I could elaborate but you know what I mean. At 70 years old, I outgrew that sophomoric crap 50 years ago.
I congratulate you on your maturity though. At 65 years years old, I still let myself get sucked into a few "Discussions".
My sentiments exactly... Have a bone on the "old chopper squid" as "piston-slap" addresses me. Few things in life are more irritating than having a detractor who's never met you, seen your vehicle, etc. tell you something you did is impossible, and you're a liar.
I have a son-in-law addicted to this behavior. He's an aviation engineer and executive with Lockheed. As such, I thought he'd get a real hoot out of our company pilot in the 1990's looping our Aerospatialle helicopter after I shot photos of a land acquisition.
WRONG... He turned on me and let me know in the most pompous fashion that he's an aeronautical engineer with a doctorate in aerodynamics and it's IMPOSSIBLE to loop a helicopter. And I was a liar. I was younger and not so sweet-tempered back then, SO... I promptly presented him with several printouts and videos of looping helicopters, how to loop a helicopter and even inverted hovering. He told me face-to-face that all those articles were fakes, and I was not only a liar, but a Dr. Phil-style "right-fighter" determined to "prove" my lies. Of course, nowadays there are dedicated aerobatic helicopters doing most of the tricky fixed-wing maneuvers all over the world. He grudgingly admits THOSE copters can loop, but still insists I'm a liar. Some folks simply revel in their desire to make others miserable... I'm REALLY beginning to see how Donald Trump must feel most days... LOL! ________________________________________
When the missus and I bought the Honda, I had no idea ANY modern Honda car was collectible save maybe for the "Type R" Accord and Civic... and the factory-new, absolutely pristine condition of "Rhonda II" made me think she was simply a VERY well-cared-for "pet". Then, just for fun, I fooled around with some local "tuner-boys" and shocked them as much as I shocked myself with the fastest car I've ever owned... And I've had some slick old muscle-cars back in the day. Trust me, Lii' Rhonda would eat them for breakfast... 0-60, quarter-mile OR top-speed.I then began to track down just WHAT the car really was. Over the last few months, I've had numerous Mexican tuners stop me just to ask if THAT car is REALLY an '04 UEX? They tell me the lack of badging, the wheels and brakes are the giveaway to the savvy "Honda maven"... but the condition makes them think it's a counterfeit... Who knew? I just wanted a nice, clean daily-driver...They just can't believe the mint condition since most all of these spent their lives on the track, and even if drivable, are really trashed. Thank providence that Ms. Cassidy retired her before "swapping paint" took place in her short competition career!
Ride safe, and play nice, one and all...Leo in Texas |
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