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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 13, 2016 21:22:30 GMT -5
Oh brother... Hard choice...
But... I've gotta go with the hair... Years ago, I had a pal who WAS a hairdresser with the cajones to tell it like it is... LOL! A particularly nasty client, whose bad attitude was only eclipsed by her bad appearance (resembling a water-buffalo in a stained sweat-suit) shoved a picture of Farrah Fawcett from "Charlie's Angels" in his face... She growled: "I want ya to make me look like THIS!"OOHH-KAY... He responded. "I can do that."FIRST, ya get on a starvation diet for about two years, knocking off around 200 pounds. THEN, ya spend a year at a good FAT-FARM, and begin to resemble a human being. THEN, a couple years of rigorous workouts to find some muscle under all that fat... FINALLY, go see Farrah's cosmetic surgeon and see what he can do with what's left. THEN, come see me, and I'll do your hair.  Of course, he was immediately fired, after beating the bejeebers out of his boss. (This was his first job since leaving the U.S. Army Rangers)... HeHeHe... He went to school and WAS a licensed beautician. I'm not sure why he decided to trade his M-16 for a blow-dryer, and never asked...
He DID go on to become a great hairdresser, and somehow learned to "fit in" but last time I saw him decades ago, he was STILL pretty macho... Go figger...  Of course there WAS an old acquaintance who was a florist to the Chicago Mob... He was pretty macho too. Woo-HOO! I think there was more "macho" back "in the day" before the term "macho" was even in general use. Gotta close... I'm startin' to crave a new "doo" and considering a Vespa wicker-basket with flowers for Minnie Mouse's nose...Leo (not REALLY feeling all that macho on a scoot) in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 12, 2016 18:03:40 GMT -5
Now THAT looks like a rider who ENJOYS a scooter!
Even looks like a "re-purposed" old Harley-Davidson windshield on her nose...
Pretty cool ride!
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 10, 2016 15:05:32 GMT -5
Rocky,
You definitely hit it. Have a bone! At 9K rpm the diaphragm can't keep up, AND the vacuum portion loses its function too. Double-whammy! I think the fuel system is pretty clean, but I mostly need to keep the revs under 9K. Over 9K is only possible downhill anyway... Not an everyday thing... I can find no factory-suggested "redline" but I'm sure Kymco never meant the old GV to run faster than 8K. True, any 250 should be able to run the highway (even a 60 mph Chinese one) and I can cruise 70 all day long. THAT should be enough, but often it just simply is not. Rocky and Kat...
I love those longhorns... I worked with a rodeo performer who had a trained longhorn and it was amazing! Those horns spanned over 7 feet across! And that steer could whip his head around an pick off a fly on his butt! THAT is ACCURACY... but you did NOT want to be anywhere near the "arc" of those horns around fly season!!!
It's really hilarious, but even the young bikers seem to love my swan! Surprise, SURPRISE... Several (along with a couple of rat-rod jockeys) have stopped me to ask where they could get one... One REALLY young guy even wants one on his otherwise super-clean, no-frills crotch-rocket! I guess it's the light-up wings that get to 'em... They'd really like the "nekkid-lady" version! THOSE are nearly impossible to find!
Go figger...  At least I haven't run into any smart-guy remarks... AMAZING!Ride safe,Leo
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 9, 2016 20:08:15 GMT -5
Well, duh... I think I may have answered my own question.
When in doubt, check the MANUAL! My coveted, printed in Taiwan, in broken English "Grand Dink" shop-manual explains Minnie Mouse's FUEL PUMP is indeed mechanical, and, VACUUM-operated... Vacuum and crank-case pressure "blow and suck" (bad wording I suppose) diaphragm-operated somehow functioning off both intake vacuum, AND crankcase pulses. And... "extended full-throttle operation can cause less-than-optimum fuel-delivery"... and is "not recommended".
No kidding...  Well, I've never had a problem so long as the old Mouse stays under 9K rpm, so, READ the manual, and "live and learn".Even with the original, worn rollers, the old Mouse will run 70-75 mph at 8K rpm. Good enough for now for sure... I really do want to get some Dr. Pulley SLIDERS installed when I can though. I'm betting they will give me 80 mph at 8-grand, while increasing acceleration, gas-mileage AND top-speed at the same time. I've read good things about those sliders!
Once again, if you are able to get a shop manual, it's prudent to actually READ the thing!  Ride safe! ...and READ that MANUAL...Leo in Texas
PS: I do realize many guyz and galz will ask "Why DO you want to go 80 mph on a 250". Honestly, simply to keep up with the "slow lane" on local freeways. That's the ONLY reason.
 % of my riding is on local 40-45 mph limit 4-lane surface-streets, where traffic runs 55-65 mph and those are a JOY on the old 250...
I don't ride the limited-access often, but when I do, I feel INFINITELY better if traffic is NOT passing me on the shoulder... And THAT is what happens even at 70... The old scoot's handling, braking, suspension and all are easily up to 80 mph speeds, so if it's feasible, I'll go for it... LOL!
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 9, 2016 10:19:17 GMT -5
Rev limiters usually cause the engine to sputter and resume in a very small rpm band going off and on again right away so I would be inclined to think fuel pump not being able to keep up or exhaust valve sticking. Bike has been out of operation for a while during the light upgrade so it may be time for a good fuel system cleaning and possibly for some Mystery Oil. When was the last valve adjustment?
Rockynv,
I tend to think you are right. The shutdown seemed more like "no-fuel" than "no-ignition". The downhill allowed me to get to a speed much higher than the 70 mph top-speed listed in the shop-manual. Even with a 1-tooth up in the final drive, top-speed should really be no more than 75 or so, but on level road with little wind, the scoot will hit 80 mph with little trouble... BUT... This is usually at around 8K rpm. This time, with no tail-wind, and only the down-hill run adding to the speed, I was running around 9K rpm. I'm thinking this may have caused the engine to be consuming gas faster than the pump could deliver.
I had similar experience with my old Chinese 150 when the vacuum-petcock would close at high rpm.It seems like if the IGNITION was off, there should have been some noticeable popping/sputtering and a blast of unburned gas in the muffler when spark returned after coasting for a good 10 seconds with the motor spinning 8K rpm.
It seemed much more like the fuel was shut off, then fuel-flow returned again.I hate to admit it but I'm not even sure if the old scoot has an electric, or mechanical fuel-pump... Got to check the manual! One thing I know is that I really should not be running the motor that fast anyway... Another good reason to swap out the worn original rollers for new Dr. Pulley sliders.
I had the valves adjusted and a full tune-up, with coolant flush/refill over the winter, and the engine normally runs absolutely perfectly at any reasonable speed... This IS the smoothest single-cylinder engine I've ever had. The throttle-response and overall performance of this scoot is truly a joy. I figured a few miles at WOT would be good for the scoot, and clear out some of the carbon from city-driving, but 9K rpm is probably a tad much on the old girl... The manual says she's made for 70 mph tops, and with the up-tooth final drive, 75 mph is likely all I should push her to. I will be watchful for any further "hiccups" on the freeway... and, I'll be watching the TACH as much as the SPEEDO!
Thanks for the advice!
Leo (going to slow down a little...) in Texas |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 8, 2016 21:52:45 GMT -5
I have a quick question about rev-limiters...
Yesterday, I ran errands on "Minnie Mouse" my old Kymco 250 Grandvista. On the highway, I was running with traffic, near WOT for a couple miles, 80-82 mph. On a downhill stretch, all traffic increased speed as it often does, and the old scoot did likewise, nudging indicated ninety-mph (actual, 87 mph).
After a mile or so, the engine simply "shut down". EEEWWW!! Surprise! I quickly made it over to the right lane to go onto the shoulder, and when my speed dropped to about 75 mph, the engine started right up and ran fine the rest of the day.
I have run downhill with a tail-wind, well over ninety-mph in the past with no engine cut-out. This time though, the tach was up to 9K+ rpm. In past fast runs, it stayed below that.
My question is: Did I exceed a max-rpm limit, and the rev-limiter shut the ignition off, and it returned function when the engine got back down around 8K rpm? Or, is it likely the CDI or coil crapped-out momentarily... Or, is it likely my fuel-pump could not keep up with the engine's fuel-consumption at that higher-than-spec speed?
This is the first time old Minnie has ever acted up. I consider that the clutch was engaged, and the engine was spinning at over 8Krpm for a good while, NOT firing... And when the speed dropped down below 80 again, the engine started up smoothly with no "exploding wet gas" in the muffler, no backfire, etc. It simply resumed running smoothly.
I don't fully understand "rev-limiters" in the CDI. I'm thinking it might have kicked in around 9K rpm and then released again at a more "proper" rpm... But I just am not sure.
I rode for a full hour after the event, and the motor ran perfectly, though I did not get back on the limited-access, or exceed 65 mph the rest of the day.
Whatever happened, I either lost spark, OR fuel delivery, or BOTH for around 20 seconds at WOT, and then the engine ran fine after slowing down.
Any advice is welcome! I do NOT want to get stranded on the highway... It might be best to replace the CDI and coil as a precaution but I'm not sure it was electrical. Could still be fuel.
Thanks in advance for any ideas!
Leo in Texas
PS: I asked the dealer about it, and he had never heard of a Grandvista being ABLE to exceed the rev-limit, so he was not sure what the limiter would do to the engine. With my final gears up-toothed a tooth or two, and a downhill stretch, it DOES look like exceeding max rpm IS possible.
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 7, 2016 12:05:37 GMT -5
Mighty close! Both professions require nerves of steel...When going under the sea, or into outer-space, there is a LOT that can go wrong. I'll go with the astronaut, since it seems to me that even MORE can go wrong... Any major hiccup in EITHER job however, is likely to turn ugly FAST. I recall Clint Eastwood on Johnny Carson relating his first job as a youth, was at a zoo. On his first day, the boss told him to give a lion a suppository... Now THAT would be a MACHO job for sure, EXCEPT Clint apparently passed on the golden opportunity to pursue a much better career in acting, telling the zoo keeper to use his job as a suppository himself... LOL!  Between the drunks, texters, brain-dead, pot-smoking kids in stolen cars and gangsters, I'm beginning to feel like just riding the scoot to Wally World is more "macho" than I wish it was... Hardly a week goes by without having to dodge some moonbat who for no reason veers head-on, directly into oncoming traffic... The spirit of Kamikaze is alive and well in Texas... Interestingly, NOBODY seems to do that on a motorcycle... Probably too difficult to text, and roll a joint while riding a bike...
Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 6, 2016 18:53:18 GMT -5
Another car that Leo would like and you would not want to tangle on a bike with was the Big As A Whale 1967 Imperial Crown 4 passenger Town Coupe I had and wish I had never sold. Actually bigger and heavier than a Sedan Deville. While they called it a 440 it was really a 500 under the hood. Front and rear AC, walnut trim, Corinthian Leather buckets for all 4 passengers, telescopic and tilting steering wheel, reverb radio (made it feel bigger inside like a giant concert hall even though not stereo), power seats and mirrors. Thermostats for the Heat and AC had dial controls the set the temperature not just hot/cold sliders. Even the headlight dimmer, wiper delay, automatic headlight dimmer, rain sensor and cruise control were set by numbered dial controls with the cruise settings listed from 30 to 120 mph. With the torsion bar suspension the car was tight and did not wander all over like the GM and Ford/Lincoln/Mercury competition of the era. L series tires were expensive too and looked more like truck tires. Those were classy cars and if you owned one people automatically presumed you were a doctor, lawyer, corporate officer of a major company or high ranking politician
I forgot the Crown Imperial! Have a bone! What a car... Probably the nicest of the bunch. I didn't go for the styling as much as the other brands, but for sheer luxury and mechanical perfection, the big Chrysler WAS the "bomb" for sure. Today, some demolition derbies even ban them as they can destroy other cars, and don't stop from hit after hit. Quite a testimony for durability!If I recall, sometime around that era, there was also a full-sized Chrysler 300 which truly DEFINED "personal luxury car". Huge, yet fast and nimble it was truly one of a kind. I think Dennis Farina drove one in the TV series "Crime Story".
I guess today, the only cars which fit in that category are the mega-high-buck Euro imports like Mercedes, BMW, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Maybach and maybe a couple others. I can't think of one single American car in the super-size, big-motor, front-engine/rear-wheel drive anymore. I suppose the new Chrysler 300 sorta fits in, but it's still too "modern" and trim to match up with those great but extinct dinosaurs of the fifties, sixties and early seventies.
I did snag one last one, a 1970 Caddy Eldorado... 3-tons, 500 cid V8 and 3 mpg city, 5 mpg highway gas mileage. The engine compartment was SO huge, I could climb in and pull the plugs with a box-end wrench! ATROCIOUS gas consumption, but it was SO easy to work on!Great memories of times gone by, never to return... Sorta sad, like the great herds of American Buffalo, or paying jobs... Ride safe!Leo |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 5, 2016 20:13:49 GMT -5
He really was an inspiration. Whether one agrees with his views or not, there's no denying his prowess at his chosen profession. He was the BEST!
"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee: don't get in da ring with Muhammad Ali..."
Yup!
R.I.P. "The Greatest"
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 4, 2016 16:01:31 GMT -5
Leo - Mine was a 63 Olds Holiday Coupe with the 394 Hi Output Rocket V8. Friends called it the Vette Eater while we called it the Flying Brick. If your bike got hit by one of those that was the end. Despise when kids text at the dinner table instead of talking.
Those old full-sized boats were SO cool... Big enough to "live in" and some of the fastest cars around for the most part. Every now and then, you could even find one with a factory stick-shift! They were right in my heyday... I always liked the big Olds, Pontiac, Buick and Cadillac cars better than the Chevies... And preferred the Merc, Lincoln and Chrysler cars to the Ford, and Plymouth/Dodges.
Just a tad more class, and still plenty of giddyup!  There were even a few lesser-known marques that were VERY cool... Studebaker, Hudson, Packard... All available in their last years with big motors and lots of cool!
My only adventures in that era of car were a 1968 Rambler Ambassador coupe (343 4-bbl. V8 with 4-speed manual and FOUR bucket seats) and a 1968 Caddy Coupe DeVille with the 472 V8, with ported & polished heads, 3/4 cam, Holley NASCAR carb, massaged 4-speed Hydramatic, 3: rear end, Hooker headers and straight-through glass-packs. That 3-ton boat would turn a 13.5 mph quarter-mile with the AC on, and 13 flat @ 105 mph with all the belts pulled off!
I LOVED that old Caddy, and put on over 400K miles before she totally wore out. That behemoth was SO big a coupe that she had a passenger-side door-handle for the REAR seat passengers... And, fold-out rear foot-rests, limo-style. A passenger could enter/exit the rear seat without even pushing the front seat-back forward... As easy as a 4-door sedan!
I was already on my way to being a "big shot" in advertising (wish I'd been smart enough to KEEP some of my "success" in the bank... LOL!) and that gorgeous Caddy was my daily-driver. If I kept my foot out of it, she was even quiet enough so as not to irritate fat, cigar-chomping clients to and from "the club"... LOLOLOL! I can still smell spilled shots of Jack Daniel's, and the blue-haze of smoke from $10 cigars permeating the interior of that old Caddy... Ah, the sweet smell of success! ... I think... maybe... ah, probably not so sweet today... HeHeHe 
Great memories!Leo in Texas |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 2, 2016 19:46:45 GMT -5
Cool bike! Looks like those NASTY creatures from "Starship Troopers"... NOT a bad image for a bike! I do understand the "tall bike syndrome". Even though I'm over 6' tall, I have a 30" inseam. For decades, I rode choppers that sat less than 2' at the seat, and got spoiled. My first Harley bagger with HUGE sprung "buddy seat" made me use my toes when stopped, and that Hog was TOO heavy for such precarious "perching". So I put on a Harley seat from their "Night Train" pseudo-chopper. It looked GREAT and sat great... Looked better on a bagger than on that weird factory chopper wannabe, while putting my feet back firmly on the ground. With a multi-purpose bike like yours, you're kind of stuck with the tall seat so the bike can be what it's meant to be. I don't know what resides UNDER the factory seat, but just MAYBE you could remove it, and install a thin, solo seat, lowering your posterior by about 4". A nice, old-school solo seat usually looks good on any type of bike, but whatever is below the factory seat would show. I've even seen (bought one for my Schwinn) BICYCLE solo seats nice enough for motorcycle use. Lots CHEAPER too! Enjoy the new ride! Leo in Texas |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 1, 2016 22:57:43 GMT -5
My Dad gets my vote...He hit most every beachhead from Tarawa to Guadalcanal, to final assignment in Japan... The Japanese surrender eliminated the need to invade, likely saving hundreds of thousands of lives on BOTH sides. Our military is the BEST!  It's a sad, depressing atrocity that today, our fighting men and women must serve under such a pusillanimous, reprobate federal government which places "political correctness" high above the patriotism and decency that made America great for two centuries. On this patriotic and blessed Memorial Day, May God BLESS our troops, and may God SAVE our fallen nation.Leo (proud to be ex-Army) in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 1, 2016 20:52:22 GMT -5
Congratulations! Have a bone!
Everybody seems to like a Burgy... I test-rode a used 400 like yours in my quest for a larger scoot. The only reason I opted for the Kymco was because arthritis not only makes it hard for me to climb onto a big bike, but even the "semi-hump" on Burgman-style scoots is tough. That also kept me from buying a sweet Kymco 500...
Burgies are not only sweet rides, but actually have enough room for a full-sized PASSENGER! Not the case with most scoots.
Enjoy your new ride! And, RIDE SAFE!
Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on May 31, 2016 19:36:11 GMT -5
First, welcome to the site! Have a bone on the Old Chopper Guy!
I rode big bikes for more than fifty years. Like you, car maintenance was getting high, and I love anything on two wheels and arthritis is making it hard to climb onto a big bike. So eight years ago, I got a new Chinese 150. It was "OK" but required a LOT of wrenching. I finally got it reliable and did enjoy it... UNTIL local roads got re-designed and traffic speeds increased monumentally. Suddenly the 150 would not safely run with traffic.
I then traded my '07 Xingyue 150 on a well-used '07 Kymco Grandvista 250. I chose that outdated model because it was one of the smallest, lightest 250's and was as good as the old 150 in crowded traffic... BUT... it would still run 70+ mph when needed. And THAT includes on surface streets with 45 mph speed limits where traffic regularly runs 65-75 mph.
After nearly a decade of riding modern scooters, I really cannot recommend anything under 150cc except for closed-communities, or STRICTLY on side-streets where traffic runs slower than 35 mph. Even a 150 is "marginal" for safety. I'd ONLY go with a 50cc if there was a major reason to. The larger scooters are nearly as nimble as small/mid-size scooters (so long as you stay away from the VERY long "maxi" scoots) and they are affordable to license and insure. Even my old carbureted 250 gives better than 80 mpg fuel consumption.
There are new classes of high-tech scoots in the 200cc class which are light, nimble and have enough speed for safety, but they are pricey.
So... as for engine displacement I truly recommend nothing less than 150cc and preferably over 200cc.
For manufacturers, I recommend (new OR used) any major brand from Japan, Italy or Taiwan, but would shy away from Mainland China. (My old, used Kymco from Taiwan with 18K miles on the clock is LIGHT-YEARS ahead of many new Chinese scoots when it comes to reliability and heavy-duty construction).
Italian scooters of all sizes are EXTREMELY good, and can often be had for VERY affordable prices... Something to seriously consider.
To sum up my thoughts, go 150cc or larger. Go European, Japanese or Taiwanese (new OR used) and test-ride different models and styles before making up your mind.
Hope this may help,
And, whatever you get, RIDE SAFE!
Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on May 30, 2016 22:29:56 GMT -5
At MSF training they warn you that your vehicle tends to follow your eyes so if you are looking anywhere but where you need to be looking to stay on the road then your in trouble. It was not as big an issue on the older cars with an inch or so of play in the recirculating ball steering boxes however more critical with the newer tighter systems with almost zero play or on a bike.
Yup! STILL good advice...Not long ago, I was on the freeway behind a rotten old sedan which was weaving all over the road... cars on both sides swerving to keep from being hit. Drunk driver? Nope! The driver, AND all six other passengers crammed in that old car were TEXTING each other non-stop... The driver's eyes were glued to his phone screen. Woulda served him right if the 18-wheeler in front of him would have "brake-checked" him.  Even my own kids with Masters degrees sit on the couch next to each other, TEXTING. Has EVERYONE forgotten how to TALK to each other? 
I well remember "Seven Little Girls" on the Motorola "Golden Throat" AM tube-radio in my 1950 Chevy... Sitting in "King's Row" at the local McDonald's... Looking for a good drag-race. I still have fond memories of that old '50... Deep-sixed the 216 stove-bolt six for a '53 'Vette 235 "Blue-Flame" six with two side-draft carbs and factory iron dual-exhaust headers... Hooked up to the stock 3-speed stick and 3. rear end, the old Chevy would keep up with most anything in 1962...
THOSE were some GOOD days... And no distractions unless a sweet bike or street-rod cruised by. Cute girls were more rare than great rides... LOL! I can still see that "illuminated swan" hood ornament on her nose... Could actually be the SAME one (with new wings, of course) that nests on "Minnie Mouse's" nose today! I do like to think so anyway... It came from my home turf of Chicago, off eBay and the casting flaws are identical to the one I had as a kid... At least it must have come from the same production run!
Ride safe, and watch for distracted-drivers!
Leo in Texas
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% of my riding is on local 40-45 mph limit 4-lane surface-streets, where traffic runs 55-65 mph and those are a JOY on the old 250...
