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Post by oldchopperguy on Apr 23, 2016 23:29:27 GMT -5
If your gas tank is in the floor, it must have a fuel-pump (which could be acting up). If your tank is up high, with gravity-feed, your vacuum petcock may not be functioning correctly.
I would first try Yelloscoot's trick of running with the gas-cap off, or loose. If that doesn't help, I'd try running a fuel-line directly from the tank to the carb. If that fixes it, replace the vacuum petcock with a manual one.
I had a Chinese 150 for seven years, and fuel-delivery was one of the problems I had. Mine had a gravity-feed, and the vacuum petcock would not stay open. The engine would die at speed. I installed a Briggs & Stratton manual petcock in place of the vacuum unit.
It really does sound like a fuel-delivery issue.
Hope this may help... Nice scoot though!
Ride safe!
Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Apr 23, 2016 10:01:50 GMT -5
Rockynv,
Sounds like the design of your engine may have helped you "dodge the bullet"!I'm a big fan of dry-sump oil systems on bikes. It indicates honest pressure bearings and oil distribution rather than resorting to "splash-oiling"... Even the old, OLD Hogs had dry-sump... I well remember changing the oil in the monster-size 4-quart oil-tank, and replacing the "classic" Harley-Davidson horsehair filter on my 1957 choppeer... Yup... HORSEHAIR... And, that (again) "classic" left-side crankshaft no-seal engineering... Giant acme-threads on the crank, back-threaded to catch the oil as it blew out the "hole" and sling it back into the crankcase... THAT explains the old-school Harley "leak" when the bike was on the side-stand...
Not a leak at all, just good old horse and buggy era oil conservation... LOL!  I figured you could use an "oil-system chuckle" about now... I don't imagine Aprillia would think too much of horsehair filters and threaded-oil-flingy-backy stuff with no seal... But heck, that old Hog would still haul the mail! I really hope you get the scoot buttoned back up without further dismantling needed... Almost riding season!
Ride safe!Leo
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Post by oldchopperguy on Apr 22, 2016 22:07:37 GMT -5
OK, I jus' gotta go with GRITS...
I never got into a fight over OATMEAL... But while on KP at Fort Bragg, I got SO tired of brain-dead troops eyeing the oatmeal, scratching their heads and grumbling "Hey, boy, is them GRITS?"I finally lost it completely after around 20 such inquiries, and in my best Deep South accent told the guy "NO... Them's NOT grits, THEM is OATMEAL, you Red-Neck Peckerwood...".
That did it... A "John Wayne" style brawl erupted in the mess-hall... LOL! Ouch! My jaw still hurts from that one on damp days...
Now admittedly, "political correctness" had not yet been conceived in 1968, Ethnic/racial slurs were part of everyday conversation... AND, I consider myself pretty much a self-styled Red-Neck "Cracker" anyway... So I didn't see any reason for my Peckerwood Peer to take offense... Nope! None at all...
But he did. Along with a couple dozen of his pals... 
And THAT makes me think them GRITS is more macho than OATMEAL.Yup!
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Post by oldchopperguy on Apr 22, 2016 21:54:18 GMT -5
Started the first major repair in 30,000 miles on my Sport City. Belt shredded on the interstate where traffic was flowing at  + mph and the belt shards blew through the crankshaft seal behind the variator ramp plate pushing the seal inside the engine. The belt had less than 2,000 miles on it and failed 10,000+ miles too soon. Bought this belt local and found later on that the dealer had kept it on a hook for several years so it was dried out and sun damaged when he sold it to me. He is a nice guy but has no clue how sun and heat deteriorate rubber products when left exposed. He has a brand new Piaggio BV 350 that I thought was a used one its so sun faded with the aluminum cases all oxidized which he stores outside in a fenced in compound under an awning. Even has brown rot spots on the tires and he wants full new bike price for it. Tried to support a local business and it backfired on me. On the plus side the drive faces at 30,000 miles have much less wear on them (should be good for another 20,000 miles easily) than the ones I had to replace on my Lance 150 at 6,000 miles and the clutch pads along with clutch bell both look like new. Bottom line I have the new style seal plate on mine which you replace as a unit instead of replacing two seals and a chain tensioner on it but based on the year I purchased the three separate parts so I will be waiting for the new seals plate to come in. Thankfully you do not have to split the case to replace this seal or retrieve what got pushed inside the engine. Those Italians sure know how to build a scooter engine.
Rockynv,
Cheesh! You REALLY got "hosed" with that belt dilemma! Hmmm... Can you actually get HOSED by a BELT? I once unloosed a hydraulic line, and got BELTED by a HOSE... LOL! You are SO right about sunlight and rubber parts. My family cage is a 1995 Honda Accord and it sits under a car-port. The left-front wheel ends up in direct sun in the evening. And... A new Kumho tire DRY-ROTTED to shreds in 2-years! I now put a garbage can by it to block the sun... Good Red-Neck engineering! I REALLY hope you don't have to pull your motor, or split the cases to retrieve the errant seal pieces. Not sure if there's any other way, but HOPE so! I gotta agree about the Italians making swell engines! Years ago, I extensively rode a buddy's Ducati Darmah, and later on, a boss's Ferrari Testarosa... I fit on the Duck MUCH better than I shoe-horned into the Ferrari... LOL! Still not quite sure WHICH one was faster! Both Spaghetti-burners mighty danged quick!!! But cheesh... That Ferrari was NOT meant for anyone over 5' 8" or over 175 pounds...I think your dealer ought to write-off the sun-baked 300 (sounds like it's LIGHT-YEARS away from a road-ready, new bike) and give it to you to resurrect for your troubles caused by the belt... But I suppose THAT is not going to happen...
All my best wishes on getting your scoot back on the road!Ride safe! Leo |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Apr 22, 2016 21:35:38 GMT -5
I didn't realize your new scoot is made by Genuine. My dealer Moxie Scooters (where I bought my used Kymco) is a dealer for Kymco, SYM and Genuine. I've looked over all the Buddy models and just LOVE the cosmetics, features and quality. Genuine products seem to be top-notch for sure!
If I could get by with a smaller scoot, and could afford it, I'd certainly consider a Buddy. Their Stella scoots are also very tempting... Especially if you can find one of their out-of-production 2-strokes!
I'm betting you will be VERY pleased with your new bike! Please do keep us posted over the riding season...
Ride safe!
Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Apr 22, 2016 21:25:46 GMT -5
Kat,
Paladin had a good idea! If your battery IS over the hill, you can just replace it yourself with a new, ready-to-go one. I did that with "Lil Bubba" my old Chinese 150.
It should take few tools, and only minutes to install. Just hook up as Rockynv said and you're ready to go!
Best wishes, and RIDE SAFE!
Leo
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Post by oldchopperguy on Apr 22, 2016 21:17:13 GMT -5
Happy Birthday VESPA!  Think I'll have me a family-size pizza to celebrate! |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Apr 21, 2016 13:55:54 GMT -5
This June 7th I will be ninety years old...WW2 Marine and I ride my Roketa 257 every day that it don't rain. I have a 2008 Chevy Malibo LT with only 33,000 on it 'cause I ride my scoot as much as I can.....I love the ride. Taildrag,
Welcome to the site, and an early HAPPY BIRTHDAY!Have a bone on the Old Chopper Guy... At ninety, you are certainly one of the more senior riders here. I turn 70 next October, and feel every year... I've been a biker all my life, and 8 years ago rediscovered scooters. Arthritis really hampers my ability to climb on and off big bikes, or even scooters with a center hump.
The step-through, flat-floor scooters are GREAT for me. I rode a Chinese 150 for many years, until local roads changed, and traffic speeds got too frisky for the 150 to safely compete. So... I traded on a well-used Kymco Grandvista 250 and am really happy with it. It's similar to your Roketa, so I understand your enjoyment of the scoot! Even after a half-century of riding Hogs, I am very pleased with the 250 class scooters all round performance... And, I'm a firm believer that riding adds years to your life (just do NOT crash)... And we can use all the extra years we can get... LOL!
Enjoy the ride, and RIDE SAFE!Leo in Texas |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Apr 21, 2016 13:40:15 GMT -5
Good grief Leo. I haven't been posting like I used to but then I read what's been happening with you and I just couldn't believe it. I'm sorry for the loss and the pain you must be going through, and wish a speedy recovery for your "one and only" also you might want to take the Mouse out for some long rides in the country and let her work better magic that any medicine.
Thanks much! It HAS been a really rough few months. The old mouse is apart for installation of my LED driving lights. I removed the whole front just a day before the unexpected passing of our son. It's all finished now, and ready to reassemble. The missus having a stroke put everything on hold... The weather has been rotten lately too... It's clearing up now, and the wife is pretty stable, so I hope to get the scoot back on the road soon... It WILL be nice to have plenty of light to see those pesky potholes, rusty mufflers and unpainted left-turn curbs... Life goes on... Ride safe! Leo |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Apr 21, 2016 13:21:01 GMT -5
Rockynv,
Great item, AND affordable! Should be perfect for the rider who doesn't ride all that often. It's true that a trickle-charger will sometimes run "too much"... Like as in ALL the time... LOL! My old Chinese 150 took quite a bit of riding to get a weak battery charged back up. If the battery in my "new" old Kymco 250 is a tad low when starting the engine, it seems to charge back up VERY quickly with a short ride. Probably the charging capability varies from one scooter to another. Ride safe, and... CHARGE!Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Apr 20, 2016 20:57:12 GMT -5
Jdmsoldier,
My own battery charger is from around 1955... So my "expertise" is a little "dated". It was used in Chicago winters to maintain the battery on my old Harley (6-volt) and my 1950 Chevy (6-volt) and dad's 1955 Chevy and 20 or so more cars and bikes (12-volt) ever since. I even use it for color-anodizing aluminum parts... Yes, it is SO old it has a switch for 6 or 12-volt use...
I still use it on my Honda car, and old Mercury car which don't get driven often, but have not needed it on the scooter yet. I don't ride too much, but so far the old Kymco 250 has not experienced a to-low-to-start battery in the two years I've had it. (New battery installed when I bought the 2007 scooter 2 1/2 years back).
I've never had a problem charging a battery while hooked up. My old Chinese 150 battery would get low some times, and I'd charge it overnight while connected. I actually installed a cigarette-lighter (power-port in today's language...) so I could just plug in a male plug with wires, and connect the charger to the wires... The battery was UNDER the floor and hard to access. The lighter socket was also handy to plug in a little compressor to air up the tires.
My old charger is great for small batteries as it only charges at a max of 3-amps. I'd suggest getting as low-output a charger as you can find so as not to put too much juice into the battery. (Probably modern chargers automatically adjust their output to the individual battery's needs anyway...)
You also might consider a low-amp "battery-tender" to leave hooked up when not using the bike. These are VERY popular with vehicle owners for bikes, boats, cycles, lawn-equipment, custom cars... Anything that sits for a month or so without use.
I think any modern charger/tender would work well. Mine is 62 years old, and was a cheapie from a drug-store! Can't be all that complex or trouble-prone. I doubt if any brand would be of poor quality.
OK... Now how about some good advice from some younger riders with newer than horse and buggy/Harley Davidson experience?
Ride safe!
Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Apr 20, 2016 20:36:44 GMT -5
Urbanmadness,
You're most welcome! We all need a bone sometimes... LOL!
Gotta agree on the Aprillia quality. All the Italian rides I checked out were top-notch, even if older and lots of miles on them. I think Aprillia is about the only maker with the cajones to make 140 mph scooters!
The old guy's Harley trike sounds sweet! Those are getting really popular nowadays! Hope it works out well for him. I'm 69 and I don't think I'm as young as he is at 72. He may fall in love with the old Hog and go "2-wheels" before he's done! Much depends on how much arthritis he has to deal with... LO not so L!
Tell him the Old Chopper Guy says "ride on!" and "it needs whitewalls and straight-pipes!"
Ride safe!
Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Apr 20, 2016 1:03:15 GMT -5
Leo - There are a handful of folks here that I wish were down the street and in arms reach to assist and indeed you are on that list. My scoot is down and I am going through withdrawal however I got the call today that the seal I lost when a defective belt shredded is finally at the dealership. At 30,000 miles I too am impressed with the quality of the Aprilia such as you are with the Kymco. Good is good regardless of the country of origin. Keep hoping for the best with your wife and be sure to take care of your health and mental state so you can give her the best possible care. You won't be doing her much good if you let yourself get sick and grumpy. Don't forget to pray for and about the doctors and nurses who are caring for your wife as they are often overworked and need all the help they can get. You should have seen the look on a tired doctors face when after some prayerful consideration we told him we wouldn't mind if he thought it would be better to take care of one of my mothers surgeries the next morning after he got a well deserved good nights rest instead of squeezing it in at the end of the current day. He was bright, chipper and on top of his game the next morning instead of fighting fatigue and heading to the O.R. after 12 + hours on the go making his rounds. If the situation allows for it a little consideration for the docs human condition can be very beneficial for everyone.
Rockynv,
Trust me, I KNOW all about "scooter-down withdrawal"... LOL!Thanks much for the advice about the doctors, nurses and technicians. We use HEB Euless Hospital, and EVERYONE there is top drawer. They go the extra mile for all patients! We pray daily for all of them. And it certainly helps!With help from the Lord, and good weather, I should have Minnie Mouse back on the road in a week or so. It will be great to be back on two wheels again! Many thanks, and, HAVE A BONE! Leo |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Apr 19, 2016 21:11:39 GMT -5
JR,
Gotta try this out soon! Great idea... Have a bone on the Old Chopper Guy!
Ride safe!
Leo
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Post by oldchopperguy on Apr 19, 2016 20:56:11 GMT -5
If I was in Texas, I'd put the scoot back together for you, Leo... Ride safe, and I'll pray for your wife, and you as well.
Urbanmadness,
Thanks so much for the caring thoughts! Have a bone!
All the folks on the site have been so kind. The old scoot has been apart now for over a month, as I lost my Son a few days after dismantling. Then, the missus had a stroke 2 weeks back. Grieving, funerals, medical tests and such have taken my life over for a month. And the weather has been terrible too.
The Wife is doing well (especially considering she turns eighty-four next week). Doc says give her a month and she'll be "hot" again... LOL! She did well in cardiac rehab after a heart attack last July, and she is going into stroke rehab in a week. Doc says with the meds she's on for the stent she received to repair the blocked artery which caused the heart attack, she's in a good place to handle this stroke. Just needs lots of TLC! She gets that and more from this old geezer...
I now have all the lights, relay, switches and such mounted and ready to go. I've run battery-power to "Minnie Mouse's" nose for the lights, and wired in the little relay-switch through the factory lights so the new LED's can't be turned on unless the ignition is on. So, the nose is ready to go back on, and it's actually pretty easy on this Kymco. These little beasties from Taiwan seem to be MADE for the RIDER who keeps them forever and does his/her own wrenching! Pretty sweet!
And yeah, I did mount the "illuminated swan" ornament. Tacky? yeah, looks outta place? Yeah... (It's a CAR hood-ornament, and is HUGE on a SCOOTER) but heck, golly GEE! It's an original 40's/50's Packard "goose"! Took me YEARS to find one. I had one on my first couple of cars (this could actually be the same goose; came from Chicago where I grew up) and the memories she rekindles when her beautiful repro wings (the original celluloid wings were "dust" and the repros are GEORGEOUS Lucite) light up make up for all those "hey, THAT stupid bird SUCKS" comments I'm bound to get from those younger than 65...
When you're OLD, you can get away with doing stupid fun things and not give a rat's butt... LOL! And hey, how cool is it when your SCOOTER gives the world THE BIRD anyway?
Before buttoning up the nose, I want to go over all front-end nuts and bolts while they're easy-to-reach, just for safety... The old mouse has 9 years and 18K miles on her clock...
I removed the tarp, and inspected the mouse today... Hit the starter and Minnie fired-up on the third revolution just like she'd been run every day! I get more sold on Kymco long-term quality/durability all the time.
Getting my mind on having the old mouse back on the road is good "therapy" for the Old Chopper Guy. Plenty of riding opportunities coming, running down meds and such... LOL!
Thanks again, one and all for your kindness, prayers and good thoughts!
Ride safe!
Leo
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+ mph and the belt shards blew through the crankshaft seal behind the variator ramp plate pushing the seal inside the engine. The belt had less than 2,000 miles on it and failed 10,000+ miles too soon. Bought this belt local and found later on that the dealer had kept it on a hook for several years so it was dried out and sun damaged when he sold it to me. He is a nice guy but has no clue how sun and heat deteriorate rubber products when left exposed. He has a brand new Piaggio BV 350 that I thought was a used one its so sun faded with the aluminum cases all oxidized which he stores outside in a fenced in compound under an awning. Even has brown rot spots on the tires and he wants full new bike price for it. Tried to support a local business and it backfired on me.
