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Post by oldchopperguy on Aug 6, 2016 17:14:26 GMT -5
Floridagull, CONGRATULATIONS! You can't go wrong with a Kymco. I'm not familiar with the Super-8. I'm sure however that it will provide as much performance as you're likely to get from a 150. Should be heavy-duty and trouble free for many years! Enjoy!    Leo in Texas Sorry... Don't know how I posted this twice! Getting old I guess  |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Aug 6, 2016 17:13:28 GMT -5
Floridagull, CONGRATULATIONS! You can't go wrong with a Kymco. I'm not familiar with the Super-8. I'm sure however that it will provide as much performance as you're likely to get from a 150. Should be heavy-duty and trouble free for many years! Enjoy! Leo in Texas |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Aug 6, 2016 17:04:24 GMT -5
Mrsunsett,
Hmmm... First, welcome to the site!
Now, I've been riding for over a half-century and ONE time had a similar experience. It was around 1972 on my ex-wife's Honda 500cc 4-cylinder bike. That bike had original equipment Bridgestone tires, and they were hard as rocks. You couldn't wear them out, but they were truly awful when it came to handling. They'd lock up and/or slide sideways on dry pavement WORSE than most tires of the day would do on wet pavement.
I replaced them with Dunlop tires and all was fine.
I agree (especially today) that Honda isn't likely to have made any big mistakes in tire choice. You may have hit something unseen on the road, or, your tires may be "past their prime". Could be hard, or maybe just not the best choice for your particular ride.
When I bought my current scooter (old 2007 Kymco 250 Grandvista) the dealer had installed new Kenda J-rated tires (similar to those on my Xingyue 150 which I traded on the Kymco). On my 150 the J-rated Kendas were fine. On the heavier, faster Kymco however, they were truly awful.
I had the dealer immediately replace with a Shinko up front, and a Michelin rear. The reason for the mix was to obtain whitewalls. Shinko makes a 120-70-112 whitewall for the front, but NOBODY makes a 140-70-12 rear, so I went with the dealer's recommendation of the Michelin Power Pure rear for the mix, and painted the whitewall.
After two years of mixed city and highway riding, I can say BOTH tires perform perfectly.
The secret may be more the RATING (92-mph P-rated) rather than the brand. I'm so impressed that I would upgrade to P-rated tires even on a 150 that can't approach the P-rated speed. The tires are only a little more costly than budget-priced tires, and the increase in riding comfort and traction is amazing.
Ride safe!
Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Aug 5, 2016 12:12:15 GMT -5
Took a pic of the handy thermometer on the scoot. Just figured out how to "extract" it from my cheap cell phone. Rotten resolution... I'll stick with a real camera.I took this right after the highway run where "Minnie Mouse" ran SO well... The previous owner added this neat little thermometer to the scoot, along with a matching clock, and in the shade, it always agrees with the official DFW Airport temp, so it's pretty accurate. It was officially 102 in the shade...  111 in the sun, on the freeway is right. I think the old scoot likes this heat a LOT more than I do... LOL! Ride safe, stay cool!Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Aug 4, 2016 9:44:11 GMT -5
A correct assumption ,,probably a sum of what you stated,,rollers swell a tad belt a little stickier clutch grabbing a little tighter,,,,and I'll also agree with you on another point ,,the taiwanese build one he!! of a scooter engine,,,and I'll throw another log on the fire,,,tires getting hotter than hades may be softer and the circumference is getting bigger so you're running a sympathetic altered final drive cause the tires are bigger around
Absolutely on the money! Have a bone on the Old Chopper Guy...My old Kymco has had a one-tooth-upped final drive done by the original owner for highway use. That upped her top-speed from the shop manual listed 67-mph to over 75 while still retaining decent acceleration. However, "Minnie Mouse's" top-speed and cruise is noticeably faster during this 100 degree weather.
Just goes to show HOW much these CVT trannies affect the performance of our scoots. Being an old-school biker, I have over 50 years riding Harley, and other choppers and cruisers. When I went with a Chinese 150 scooter eight years ago, I thought I'd have a hard time "transitioning" from manual shifting to the "twist-n'-go" CVT. Turned out to be the opposite. In ONE DAY I was completely comfortable with the CVT and really would not like to go back to manual shifting again. When I was young, an engine putting out one horsepower per cubic inch was considered super-hot. An Italian-built Harley 250 Sprint got around 15 hp out of its 15 CID 250 motor. And it won races! My outdated Kymco 250 puts out over 19 hp from its 15 CID. Even Chinese 150's squeeze around 10 hp from their 9 CID. This would have been RACING performance in my youth. Horsepower is not a problem with our scoots... Granted, the CVT transmission DOES lose a LOT of top-speed in scooters compared with a solid-hookup manual tranny and chain-drive... But... The ease-of-operation, convenience and simple maintenance makes up for it. On my old 150 I obtained a LOT of improvement in performance by tweaking the variator. This surprise "hot-weather-hop-up" tells me my 250 will also respond to similar tweaking. Considering the small-displacement scooters (300cc and smaller) I would not potentially compromise reliability by modding the engine, but rather spend my time and money tuning the CVT. Even the teensiest change in belt-movement in the variator, and just WHEN the movement takes place, makes for REAL changes in performance: totally different from clutch-n'-gears bikes where the final drive is "etched in stone" save for changing final-drive-sprockets. My old mind is thinking I should be able to duplicate this surprise performance by playing with sliders in the variator. I've heard great things about Dr. Pulley sliders. The secret will be getting the right weights. The 250's with more hp and torque are a little more forgiving than the 150's, but the weights still must be correct. I found that SO true with roller experimentation in my 150. Original "performance" was a top speed of about 48 mph, with poor acceleration. Switching to 11 gram rollers gave INCREDIBLE acceleration and hill-climbing but a top-speed of only 45-mph at 9,500 rpm! Replacing with 12 gram rollers gave me a top speed of 65-mph at only 7,500 rpm, but with zero acceleration... I finally mixed 3 ea. 11's and 3 ea. 12's for effectively an 11.5 gram mix. THIS did it! GOOD acceleration, and a top-speed of 62-mph. THAT is about as good as a 150 is going to get... Unfortunately, still not enough to keep up with changing traffic, which prompted me to trade it on the old Kymco. The Kymco could still use a little more "go" so when I can, I do want to try sliders... At any rate, it is very likely we can improve overall performance of our scoots with simple and affordable changes to our "twist-n'-go" trannies. Ride safe!Leo in Texas |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Aug 2, 2016 22:07:37 GMT -5
Well, boyz & gurlz...
Today I ran into an INTERESTING phenomenon likely related to HOT weather...For the last two weeks, it's been VERY hot here: most afternoons over 100 degrees. Today, I rode the scooter to a local store to get some items; my outside air-temp showing 110. First time on the freeway in a while... It's a few miles down the Interstate and I take that route often. Traffic runs fast, and I'm usually relegated to the slow lane. Today, I entered the freeway and ran right up with traffic. Hmmm... I thought traffic must be running slower than usual until I checked the speedo. Hmmm...  -mph indicated (actual 81)and some throttle left. Level road, no tail-wind, no downhill... VERY unusual. Running 80+ as smooth and easy as 70 usually would be. We all know ENGINES usually put out more power in cool, damp air. NOT hot and dry. But, I've noticed my old Kymco REALLY likes HOT weather over 100 degrees. But... rpms haven't changed, overall performance hasn't changed EXCEPT for a considerably faster than normal high-end. I'm thinking SOMETHING in the CVT tranny is reacting to the very hot weather. Could be the variator/rollers are expanding a little, squeezing the belt tighter, or, maybe the belt is expanding a tad, riding a little higher in the pulley... Whatever it is, it does not seem to be the ENGINE. It seems to be the tranny. The engine runs SUPERBLY in all temps, hot or cold. The plug shows a perfect burn, not rich or lean. So long as it's 100 degrees or hotter outside, I'm getting a significant increase in top-speed and cruise at a reasonable rpm. It REALLY is sweet to run with 75 mph traffic for a change...
Now, I really am interested in trying sliders when I can!This hot weather hop-up seems to be a phenomenon of the CVT transmission, not the engine increasing power. Anybody else out there have a similar experience? Little old carbureted 250, little wheelbase, little 12" wheels and the old mouse is running 80 at 7K rpm and staying right with the soccer moms and redneck pickup boyz. OOOH, LOVE them smooth-rollin' P-rated TIRES... Talk about a "good hair day"... It's almost enough to make me wish it stays hot... Well, almost... but not quite... LOL! Leo (enjoying a little extra giddyup) in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Aug 2, 2016 12:15:15 GMT -5
Know what? Screw the silence. Get the cash and have a friend take you out there. He who is first drives home happy on a Piggy! >'Kat Be careful though. If you DO go there with cash, bring a friend, and a weapon. Too many local buyers around here ambushed for the cash, or, the seller robbed of the item for sale by fake buyers. This one really gets to me because of the saddlebags... "paniers" for the Euro-mavens, but still "saddlebags" in Texas... LOL! Never seen any like them before. If you can't snag THIS scooter, you might want to look for a similar one. Can't beat Italian rides! Stay safe, Leo |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Aug 1, 2016 22:14:36 GMT -5
Being dumb as a post is not macho. Advantage Froggy. 
You said it bro!!! Or, as "Buckwheat" might have said... "Oh-Tay"... LOL! Have a bone. Leo in Texas |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Aug 1, 2016 22:05:39 GMT -5
2 inquiries as to whether it is still available have been met with silence...  I guess it isn't...it has only been up 4 days... THAT would be a GREAT scooter. More hp than my 250 and bullet-proof Italian build. LOVE the trunk and saddlebags too... I'd keep checking on it. Probably just what you need! When searching for my own scoot, I also found an amazing number Italian scoots for VERY low prices. Don't know why, but Italian scoots often turn out to be MAJOR bargains! Before meeting my dealer (Moxie Scooters) and falling in love with my old Kymco, I nearly bought a minty Vespa 300cc from a private seller. Lots of bargains out there! Leo |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Aug 1, 2016 21:57:57 GMT -5
Floridagull,
Well, I checked out your link... That 150 surely looks good! And I really like the 13" wheels.
Have a bone for really digging into the research. It pays big dividends in getting the bike you will like best!
It should certainly be as good as most any 150, with my only reservation being will it be adequate for your 2-up riding? Its specs are basically the same as my original Xingyue 150 which I loved (after working out the bugs) for all my solo riding up to 50 mph.
While experimenting with roller-weights DID get me an AMAZING increase in acceleration and hill-climbing, AND an honest top-speed of 60 mph, 50-55 mph was the realistic top-speed when little hills and wind came into play. I believe that is about the most one can realistically expect from a 150.
If that performance is enough for your needs, then there is no reason to go with the larger-displacement rides. And, from personal experience, I can recommend buying from a seller whom you can contact for help if needed.
And it surely LOOKS good!!!
Whichever ride you do settle on, "keep her hid and lock her up"...
Please keep us posted... Especially if you go with the Baccio VX 150. Many members will be interested in just how good a BRAND NEW Chinese 150 is today. I'm hoping they have come light-years from ten years ago.
Ride safe!
Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jul 31, 2016 10:03:57 GMT -5
Floridagull,Something to consider... It looks nice (similar to the Honda Reflex).However, it's a LONG wheelbase "tourer" and from your posts, it seems that like me, you prefer the more compact, shorter, nimble versions with step-through frames: the "classic" scooter format. And, I must agree with others that the Chinese scooters of that era tended to be MUCH more problematical than they are today (and they are still a tad "jicky" even now). It might be fine with just nominal "refreshing" but if I were considering it, I'd expect to spend many hours dealing with potential issues with all the fuel and coolant lines, carb, CDI, coil, brake hydraulics... ALL the typical irritations associated with older Chinese scooters, but possibly MAGNIFIED several times from two years of sitting. You might get lucky, but best to err on the side of "reality". I'd think this one would be a great buy for someone ready and willing to do a LOT of wrenching and tweaking BEFORE ever riding it farther than he's willing to push it home. Just me, but after seven years of learning more than I ever wanted to know about even a brand-new Chinese ride of THAT era, to replace your 150, I'd really try to snag a clean, used 250 from Taiwan, Japan or Italy.
I realize I'm a little prejudiced. My long... L-O-N-G term experience with truly SUB-STANDARD Chinese factory parts reliability on NEW scooters from that era was SO dismal... While my trouble-free, enjoy, ride-NOT-wrench experience (third season now) with my 2008 Kymco with 18K hard, wide-open, 2-up, coast-to-coast highway miles by the original owner, has been SO encouraging...
The original owner rode the bejeebers out of the old gal, and... Even the SEAT UPHOLSTERY shows ZERO wear and tear after 9 years of hard use! These things were made to LAST under hard use.I may have a little overly optimistic view of Taiwan-made scoots. I've worked on mine enough (only for my own edification... NOT to fix problems!) to MARVEL at the heavy-duty parts, thick frame-tubing, overkill welds and gussets... Comparing to my first '07 Xingyue, the old Grandvista is like a Diesel 18-wheeler compared to a Ford Pinto... I hear the same reaction from riders on early (affordable) '05-'09 era Hondas (and ALL things Japanese) Kymcos, SYM's, Vespas (and ALL things Italian).
I fully understand needing to stay on a tight budget. Staying under a thousand dollars is tough. But... now that the 250's are all becoming 300's you can find new Chinese 250's for around $1,500 and clean used Japanese, Taiwanese and Italian scoots in the same price range... Kymco Grandvistas like mine have become totally "outdated" in the eyes of modern riders, so they can often be found at true, bargain-basement prices. Actually, probably most carbureted 250's are declining into that "genre"... Over the hill... So prices are falling on anything with a carburetor, or under 300cc. THAT is fine with me... LOL! My stone-age ride will go "over the hill" at 70 mph, giving near 100 mpg while doing it. And I'll bet a similar outdated Honda, Suzuki, SYM, Vespa, etc. will do the same.
I'm old and outdated myself, and find the older, well-made scoots are still just fine... My Kymco got traded in a new Kymco two-cam, fuel-injected 300. Lots of others with money to spend are "upgrading" the same way. This is producing a nice, sort of AFFORDABLE ($1,000 to $2,000) selection of well-maintained old-school 250's. As for the Craigslist find, it would probably be a great "project" for the ambitious wrencher/tweaker, but likely not one you could gas up and head for the state line on. Just my thoughts...Ride safe, Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jul 30, 2016 19:41:43 GMT -5
Floridagull,
I too went through the "2-up" problem with 150's. They are fine for the 5' 8" 130 pound guy and his 5' 2" 100 pound gal, but as you found, they're just not up to carrying two "full-size" folks. Seven years back, I occasionally rode 2-up with my missus. I'm 6' 1" and 230 pounds, she's 5' 1" and 130 pounds and it was CROWDED on the Xingyue 150. SLOW, also...
I get the impression you are like me, in liking the overall size, style and handling of the "generic Chinese step-through 150" scoots. That was a major factor in my choice of an outdated Kymco Grandvista 250... It's nearly identical to my old Xingyue in size and configuration, just a tad heavier... But, it has a big, comfy seat for two and the power to haul two adults.
Today, there are very few liquid-cooled 250/300 step-through scoots still in production. They are just not popular, but for us who like the concept of a Chinese 150 in a heavy-duty version for 2-up at 65 mph, and also at slow city-street speeds, they just fill the need to perfection.
Off-hand, the only scoots like this I can think of are either from Taiwan or Italy. My old Kymco Grandvista with 18K miles on the clock has proven to be reliable and nearly "bullet-proof". They quit making them around 2009, and now can be found in great shape for around $1,500 or even less.
I also found some nice Vespas for a little more. I think you would be MUCH happier with a 250 for your tandem riding, and, you CAN find (especially older used ones) that mimic the Chinese 150 in look and feel. Maybe 100 pounds heavier but that is negligible and steadies the scooter. And the 250cc power and torque is REALLY pleasing (especially 2-up on a hill...).
I'd really encourage you to check out old-style used 250's from Vespa, Kymco, SYM and similar. They're not the least bit intimidating to transition to from a 150... They all hold up well, and have a lot of life left after 20K miles. And now, they're getting quite affordable.
Just a thought, from my own experience.
Ride safe,
Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jul 26, 2016 6:03:41 GMT -5
Leo, that just goes with my belief that the biggest macho-iest men are also the gentlest nicest ones when not pushed. Thanks for sharing! One question though--did Tiny prefer the didgeridoo, or the bassoon?  Have a bone on the Old Chopper Guy! Ah, back THEN, we probably didn't actually KNOW just what instrument that musically flatulent sound in "Peter and the Wolf" came from... LOL! And we SURELY didn't know what a didgeridoo was... "Crocodile Dundee" was decades in the future... SOUNDS like something one might smoke... "Hey, bro, take a chaw of this Skoal and roll me up a didgeridoo..."
I think Tiny's favorite instrument probably was Bo Diddly's cigar-box guitar... I leaned more toward Chuck Berry "duck-walking" his axe... And, yes, I must agree with you that the most macho guy or, God forbid, gal (enter Tiny's AWSOME 500 pound Mom!). EEEWWW!... is the half-ton behemoth who can uproot trees, but still coochie-coo a kitten, or an adoring little nipper gently to sleep in his/her fearsome bear-paw... the lovable side of the "Gentle Ben" syndrome at its best!
HMMMM... Not being well-versed in Spanish, is a hard-case kick-butt gal "Macha"? Me thinks " Macho" in the Hispanic tradition, most likely totally sexist and reserved for guy-types. Well, ride SAFE, if not MACHA... LOL! Hey! I may have coined a new word to describe my "Minnie Mouse"! I think she's a tad "Macha" at least in a pointy-nosed, floppy-eared, rodent-like sort of way...  Leo in Texas |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jul 26, 2016 5:41:10 GMT -5
As a long-time Our Gang/Little Rascals fan, I've gotta go with Froggy... Butch was nasty, but Froggy was macho... LOL!
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jul 25, 2016 7:28:15 GMT -5
Never seen Walking Tall. Did see San Andreas where the Rock tore a door off a car! Okay, sure, it was probably rigged but there was still effort (watch his muscles--oh yeah baby watch those muscles!!  ) Nothing simple about keeping those muscles, guys. That takes some serious work. Now, keeping a belly, that's different .... >'Kat
You brought back some fun memories of my outlaw biker days 50-some years back...One of the most memorable of my riding pals was "Tiny" who actually COULD tear a car door off. His family owned a junk yard and I've seen him do it. I also saw him many times lift the front (heavy) end of a sixties sedan over his head, and fold a quarter in half like a taco with his fingers... Same fingers he could remove and tighten car lug-nuts with... tightening them until they squeak without a wrench!
This is a portrait I did of him around 1962 for a cycle magazine... A poor kid, I had no camera... LOL! Probably better, as I cleaned up his less-than-handsome image some from "real-life" by leaving off some of his scars and face-tattoos...
Old tiny was 6'11" tall, and his weight varied from a svelte 650 to 750 pounds in "taco season"... We were a friendly bunch of bikers, all things considered so real altercations were few. One time however, a HUGE trucker, determined to find out just how "macho" Tiny was, pushed the envelope too far. To keep from possibly killing the jerk (and he was a plenty big fellow too, around 6'6" and 400 pounds) with his bare hands, old Tiny hoisted his 450 pound Triumph bobber overhead and threw it at the guy, hitting him dead-center in the gut...  He got a standing ovation from bystanders, and the guy starting the trouble got the mother of all belly-aches. Now, back then, we had not heard the term "macho" but I do believe it applies...Good old Tiny... Simple, effective and needed no gimmicks. Just gorilla muscles.
He had no trouble maintaining the muscles... His daily work day included plenty of pulling car engines, rear ends and trannies from the junk cars, using just his own hands...
I need to note that while somewhat "intimidating" to adults, little kids adored him, and he loved kids too. I've seen him pick up a new-born kitten in a foot-wide hand, and give it a gentle "nose-nose" and the kitten squeal with delight cuddled up in that monstrous hand... A true genetic giant, but a very nice one most of the time.
One of my favorite memories of Tiny was his teensy  -pound gal-friend. She wore his class ring on her WRIST as a bracelet.
Ya jus' gotta love the good old days!Leo (still happy with the not-so-macho little Minnie Mouse) in Texas PS: Back then, Tiny got some flack asking "why the Nazi helmet"? His answer always was "My uncle took it off a Nazi he killed. I had it chromed and wear it to honor his memory... You got a problem with that?" Golly gee, nobody ever seemed to have a problem with that... |
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-mph indicated (actual 81)and some throttle left. Level road, no tail-wind, no downhill... VERY unusual. Running 80+ as smooth and easy as 70 usually would be.
-pound gal-friend. She wore his class ring on her WRIST as a bracelet.