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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 15, 2016 22:47:54 GMT -5
JCL MP250A Lihai 257cc powered / Well, I'm in the same boat is Oldchopperguy now, No new scooter for a while now. My girlfriend / wife just came home from being put on furlough at the hospital where she "Worked" past tense as of this morning. Everthings on my measley check now. No new/used scooter for me now in the very near future at least. That really SUCKS. Along with all the other financial difficulties that this will cause. Back on the scooter subject. I wish I could get 5 or 6 honest hp more out of the scooter I have. That would sufice my wants for right now at least. Its just that a torque based moter like I think the Linhia 257 is is hard to effectively expand on. In other words they are what they are. A motor that is rev happy can be coaxed to put out more hp more easily. I could spend $600-700 on big shiny performance pipe and carberater a pod airfilter and go up to more than a $1000 with a big bore kit even and all it would do if I'm lucky is gain me 3 hp again if I'm lucky ! More realistically 1-2 hp. . Just not enough bang for my buck IMO. And make a big noisy, not much if any faster ride out of my scooter ! I would be more than happy to concede if anybody has done these mods to the 257 linhia and got a better than I said Dyno read.  JCL MP250A Lihai 257cc powered / I know what scooter I want now when the time does come though. I really like the Kymco Downtown 300I . If it doesn't fit me I would totally redesign the seat to give me more leg stretch if you know what I mean. I don't mind any wheels that arent below 13 inches. My JCL has 13 inchers with Pilots on them and I can ride the do do out of it. And I'm really not crazy about that modern Euro look that Sym and other Kymcos have.
My friend, I fully agree about the engine mods. CVT tranny scooters are quite different from motorcycles like I rode for 50-years... Many members including myself, have gotten far more performance improvement from tweaking the CVT transmission that coaxing more power from the motor. I think you might get almost what you want simply by switching the rollers in your variator with Dr. Pulley sliders. Next season, I plan to do that on my Kymco 250. Most riders here who switch to sliders are riding 50's and 150's but a few have done the switch on their 250's. Most got better acceleration, hill-climbing and top-speed/cruising speed AND better gas mileage too. Talk about a win-win-win situation!
Any riders who've done the slider conversion on a 250, PLEASE chime in here with WEIGHT recommendation. Getting the right slider weight is absolutely critical.You can usually do the change-out yourself with just hand-tools, and the sliders should cost less than $50. MUCH more "bang for the buck" than any engine mod. Usually you don't even need to change clutch springs. Keep in mind, a 250cc engine is only 15 cubic-inches in displacement. When I was young, the Italian-made Harley-Davidson Sprint 250 won races, and it had 15hp: one hp per cubic-inch. THAT was considered red-hot in the sixties! So even though many of today's 250's put out more, the least-powerful Chinese 250 still puts out that magic 15hp or better.
They have enough power. They just need a better setup getting to the rear wheel.You probably already have a pretty good scooter there, and just maybe, the right weight of SLIDERS could be your "icing on the cake". It's affordable enough to be worth a try. Just be SURE the weights are right for your scoot. ADVICE NEEDED HERE! For my Kymco slider weights too...Leo in Texas PS: And, yeah... That new fuel-injected Kymco 300 is the "cat's azz" for performance, and doesn't fit anybody... LOL! Except ME! LO not so L. Fits me like a glove... Wish I could afford one. The original owner of my old "Minnie Mouse" traded her on one. Oh well, no room in the budget, and the old mouse is a great scoot for me. At least when some Bozo bangs it in the parking lot at Wally World, he's not scratching new paint!  |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 15, 2016 22:19:45 GMT -5
Restore to look like what it is, a nice 50+ mph 2 stroke with maybe a mild not wild tweak to keep it reliable. The racers and tuners all over Europe really seem to love them. Don't rat/bob/etc it.
It's a neat bike. And, I'm a sucker for 2-strokes. That chamber pipe looks to be nearly identical to one I put on my first Chinese 150 GY6. They run GREAT on 4-cycles too... I learned that in my prehistoric karting days in the sixties... They won't do the "pull-through and ram-back" supercharging effect like on a 2-stroke, but they DO scavenge a 4-stroke BETTER than a straight-pipe... and a lot quieter... LOL! Mine was stainless, but yours should clean up fine, and look great finished in a heat-resistant finish.  If you keep it somewhat "factory" plastics and all, and do a bang-up paint job and re-covering of the seat, it will be a real head-turner. Maybe some anodized bar-end mirrors, maybe cluster-gauges in "cans" with a big tach... Lots of little things that add up to a great look. I'd keep it "Euro" in appearance. I probably could not resist some strategic black n' white checkerboard on it somewhere...
Please keep us posted with pix! Also, I'm not familiar with this one. How many cc's is the little buzz-bomb? I do like it! Even has disks fore and aft... Cool! Ride safe, Leo in Texas |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 14, 2016 23:34:54 GMT -5
hi heat ceramic or powder coat..i would do.. I've used "Gun Kote" with great success. There are others like Cerakote and Brownell's baking lacquer which I believe is Gun Kote under their brand name. The product must be sprayed on to a warmed metal, then baked at high temp for 20 minutes. Once done, it is virtually indestructible. To avoid disassembling my bike (an old Suzuki 250 "Hustler") back in the seventies, I first sanded the pipes and mufflers well. Then, slightly warmed up the motor and shielded areas behind the pipes and muffs with cardboard and tape. Then, I sprayed them with Gun Kote (matte black) and it comes in many matte and gloss colors including clear. Now the stuff including overspray can be quickly removed at this point with lacquer-thinner or by sanding. Finally, I removed the masking materials and rode the bike for an hour, getting the pipes plenty hot. (Actually, I did the entire engine) and after baking the finish by riding, it was INCREDIBLY durable. Gas, oil, engine-cleaner and even paint-remover will not touch it. To remove, it must be ground off and it is very hard. I've done many guns with it, baking the parts in an oven. It is DURABLE to the MAX! It's a GREAT, professional finish that's permanent. It used to be available in spray cans, but not anymore. Brownell's MAY still come in small spray cans. It can be applied with an airbrush or spraygun but MUST be cleaned thoroughly with lacquer-thinner. I'd use an inexpensive sprayer available on eBay. They have a glass jar and use disposable spray tips. These finishes are the most permanent and durable finishes I've ever found. Not the easiest to use, but well-worth the effort. Hope this helps! Leo in Texas |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 13, 2016 20:07:02 GMT -5
4950cycle,
I fully understand NOT being able to pony up 4 or 5K for a scoot... I'm seventy, and the missus is eighty-five years old, and we have to get by on $1,600 a month (of which nearly a grand goes to meds)... So... We are REALLY budget-conscious.
You can DEFINITELY find a GREAT used scoot for under $3K. Some members have found GREAT 250's for under a thousand bucks! Even NEW ones can be found under $3K at this slow sales time of year.
My old 2007 Grandvista cost me $2,500 delivered 8 years ago which was top-dollar, but came with backup from an EXCELLENT B&M store. I still feel I got my money's worth and more, but, you could buy one like it today for a thousand or less and be just as well-mounted as I am. Back when I was looking, I found a mint Kymco 500cc "Exciting" for $2,000. I loved it, but it was just TOO long and too heavy for my needs. I also found a mint Vespa 300 for $2,500 asking price. The owner only put on 2,000 miles, and was selling it because he felt it was TOO FAST! C'mon, now is ANYTHING too fast? LOL.. It was FABULOUS but just felt too small for me, but what a buy!
Point is, all these scoots I looked at would now be MUCH less than $2,500 today. And any good, name-brand scoot that's had decent maintenance with say 20K miles on her should be a great ride.
As the good-book says: "Seek and you shall find"... good advice!
Good wishes shopping, and hope you get yourself a swell, shiny Christmas ride! Remember, new is nice, but not absolutely necessary... Lots of happy miles left in some VERY affordable oldies.
Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 13, 2016 19:55:21 GMT -5
A Triumph bobber that doesn't leak oil and the lights work? I want one! Imagine hand-levers and twist-grips attached to NOTHING! All electronic. I well remember my first BSA: an early sixties "Hornet". Cheesh... cloth-insulated wires, bakelite circuit-boards with glass fuses (that were always blowing...) and no fire if there was even a heavy dew. And THESE bikes were designed in ENGLAND where "good summer weather" is 50 and raining? I'll bet these new "Trumpets" are THE bikes we longed for 50 years ago! Woo-HOO!  Leo in Texas |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 13, 2016 19:49:13 GMT -5
I'll take me the yam 950,,,,,I like a good yamer That Yamaha should appeal to anyone who likes the Harley Sportster, or any bike with a dirt-track look. It would probably also make a slick bobber!
So many bikes, so little time... or money... LOL!  Leo in Texas |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 12, 2016 18:53:00 GMT -5
I had to double check. We had a 59 but it had the 287 and from the previous model years and not the newer 389 so it was very good on gas and still a very sharp looking car. Similar to this one in Aqua with the Cream White Hard Top.  Ah... THE original WIDE-TRACK! If I recall, the "Wide-Track" Pontiac was about 6" wider track than typical full sized cars. Made them a problem at times on service-station racks and car-washes... LOL! But DANG, would they corner! Sort of dominated NASCAR for some time! Memories, memories... Thanks for posting! Leo |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 11, 2016 22:20:13 GMT -5
Well boyz and gurlz..Just as the riding season winds down, from across the pond comes a REALLY slick new ride from Triumph!
New from Triumph is the 2017 Bonneville Bobber!
Looking much like a vintage Bobbed Bonneville 650, this one is a full 1,200 cc road-burner. With Harley-style soft-tail frame, resembling a hard-tail, solo-seat, small tank and low OR ape-hanger bars, it's a clean machine. The motor looks air-cooled, but is actually liquid-cooled and the whole bike is computerized "ride-by-wire". Something that cosmetically appeals to old riders like me, and today's riders wanting modern features. Obviously, it IS bulkier than the svelte 650's of long ago, but still looks pretty trim, and it offers a LOT!
I remember as a kid in the sixties, thinking "if only Triumph made that Bonnie in a 1,200 cc version!".Only changes I'd make would be to lose the front fender, put hairpin springs under the cantilever solo-seat just for appearance, and add a pillion-pad for a passenger... Oh yes, and of course, red rims and wide-whites...  Ya gotta love the Brits... PR says it has "sawn-off 'pea-shooter' silencers" and an authentic bobber "hotrod-sound"... Pip, pip, cheerio and all that tommyrot...It also features "bobber-tuning" for low-end torque and acceleration. Hmmm... OK by me! Now, riders looking for something old-school but modern have an alternative to the Harley and Indian.  It's probably a tad "pricey" but looks like a HOOT to ride!
Enjoy, ride safe, keep a stiff upper-lip and try for that proper "hotrod-sound"... LOL! I'm afraid my "Minnie Mouse" missed out on that one... But she DOES produce a pretty good mouse-poot imitation at WOT! Leo (definitely feeling my Limey roots) in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 11, 2016 21:19:10 GMT -5
GM needs to reincarnate Ed Cole (designer of the original small block Chevy that debuted in the 55 Belair). Was that the 289 or was that in the late 50's Pontiac Catalina? That iconic little Chevy small-block which I believe was Ed Cole's baby, began life in the '55 Chevy as the 265". By '57 it morphed into the 283" which became THE standard of the V8 world... The early 'Vettes (and a few Belair models) sported fuel-injection... the fabled 283 cid, 283 hp screamers.I'd bet my bow-tie that Zora Arkus Duntov (the "father of the Corvette") of 6-cylinder 1953/1954 'Vette fame had some input into the 265 too... The 283 was around for a LONG time... I believe it also was the basis for the 327" and later 350's and other newer Chevy mills. Actually, a rare handful of the first 265's were factory-installed into 1954 Chevies even though those were designed strictly for the skinny "stovebolt" inline six. It's rumored that the flat, "tucked-in" ram's horn headers on the 265/283 engines came about to fit them into the 1954 bodies. Just theory... no proof...
Small-block Chevies ruled the hotrod scene for decades with strong performance in a small package. Way back, there WERE a few small-block Chevy-powered drag bikes running impressive times!
Anybody old enough to remember the 1953/54 Corvette WAGON "Nomads"? Many "experts" say they never existed except as "concept cars" but they did! Around my Childhood Chicago home, there were at least 5... a red one, a black one AND a white one... and a local speed-shop had TWO... One a gasser and the other a tow car for it. Getting old is strange... I can well-remember those, but can't remember what I did last week...
Ride safe, even if your bike has a big V8 motor!Leo in Texas |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 11, 2016 0:48:10 GMT -5
Thanks, rockynv, have a bone!
I'm not so hot for an iron push-rod car motor in a bike unless maybe a Boss Hoss... LOL!
I did like some of the few Corvair-powered bikes from the sixties... The lightweight aluminum air-cooled flat-six actually LOOKED like a bike motor, and seemed to have some frisky performance... Some had around 200 hp.
These days, it seems a motorcycle SHOULD have a motorcycle engine... And a scooter should have a, ah... well... an ATV engine I guess... LOL!
I still feel the "Iron Duke" is best left to the era of shuddering, shaking "econobox" monstrosities of the dismal past...
Ride safe!
Leo
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 11, 2016 0:24:28 GMT -5
For your needs, I must agree with rockynv...My guess is the Sport City 250 would meet your needs quite handily. My Kymco Grandvista 250 weighs 360 pounds, and has 19.8 hp which is "OK" (keeps up with traffic from a red-light and tops out about 80-mph) but not nearly as fast as the Italian 250. I wanted to get as close to a Chinese 150 as possible, but with better quality and "sort of" highway performance. The Kymco does it for me. You are right however about the lack of leg-room. I'm 6' 1" and weigh 230 pounds but have short legs. So it works fine for me but would not be for everyone. Most Kymco scoots seem to be made for riders with short legs. Mine actually seems made to order for those with "ape" body types... LOL! Fortunately for me, I seem to be not too far removed from tree-dwellers...  Two years back when I settled on the used Grandvista, I test-rode EVERYTHING I could. I found that as soon as a scoot hit 400 pounds, it became heavier than I wanted to contend with. I also found the long wheelbase "maxi-scoots" seemed cumbersome in tight traffic. I like the shorter bikes. That's just me, so I do recommend you also try out all the scoots you like. As for the way they perform, Italian scoots are almost unbeatable. And they can be found new at good prices, and used, even more affordable! Any of the Italian scoots should be good for you and you can find bargains! Especially now, at the end of riding season.
Best of luck, and, ride safe!Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 9, 2016 19:04:43 GMT -5
Rockynv,
Thanks for the update! Doggone, THAT monster SHOULD have had a Cummins Diesel in it! That MISERABLE little Chevy 4-banger I believe was dubbed the "Iron Duke" by GM and was originally used in the little Post Office right-hand drive "Jeeps".
I had one in a 1985 Buick compact and it topped out at less than 80-mph with the AC on, and couldn't get out of its own way. I could have beaten it from zero to top-end on my Kymco scooter!!! And it shook worse than a Harley 74. It DID give an honest 20 mpg which was "wonderful" gas mileage back then. Oh, yes... also, the alternator belt was SO long that if you tightened it enough that it didn't squeal, it tore up the alternator bearings... And Buick offered a top engine brace to tame the horrific shaking at idle. I put one on, and it helped... some. At 30,000 miles, it "spit" a head-bolt out onto the valve-cover. I had to rebuild the head and it was nothing but trouble. What a piece of junk.
I suppose the rumored monster weight of the Road Dog came from the urban legend that it had an 18-wheeler Diesel engine and tranny.
It was sort of a monstrosity, considering how nice the frame workmanship appears. I'd MUCH rather have a "Boss Hoss" with a 502" Chevy motor IF I wanted to wrestle a car-weight bike!
Thanks for posting... "Urban legends" don't usually equal their hype... Road Dog included... LOL!
Ride safe!
Leo
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 8, 2016 21:28:44 GMT -5
Gotta be Malt Liquor... The most hilarious and "politically incorrect" slogan had to be on "Mickey's Malt Liquor"... It featured a drunken Irishman (in leprechaun attire) hanging off a lamp-post and copy reading "MICKEY'S MALT LIQUOR GETS YOU THERE QUICKER"... Now THAT is MACHO... Ride safe and don't consume too much of either one while riding... LOL! |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 8, 2016 21:15:41 GMT -5
Well, I searched and found a picture of Wild Bill "Motorcycle" Gelbke and the original "Road Dog" motorcycle.
What a character, and what a bike... It was rumored to weigh in at over 7,000 pounds. You could get arms like Popeye just picking it up off the kickstand... Old Bill died young in a hail of police bullets after allegedly killing his wife, but that is "questionable" since local law enforcement took a REALLY dim view of Bill. There have been a couple of newer "Road Dog" bikes built since Bill's original, but his first one is now in a museum somewhere. I'm not sure just WHAT the monster used for power. I first thought it was a Diesel from a semi-truck but it looks more like a car motor of some kind. It would take a couple hundred horsepower just to get it down the road!
Any members planning to make one of these, please post pix!Enjoy...Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 8, 2016 21:06:48 GMT -5
I don't think RIDING it would be the big problem... Rather, STOPPING it!Leo in Texas I would think STARTING it all going  would be the big problem! And Unca'Leo, your swan way outclasses two cow horns and deer antlers any ol' day of the week.  >'Kat Kat, you are too kind! Have a bone from me and the electric goose! Leo |
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