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Post by w650 on Feb 10, 2018 6:18:29 GMT -5
Recently I got on a certain Italian scooter owner about the quality of Piaggio products. My contention was that in the long run they weren't much better than a China scoot. Over at Modern Vespa the owner of a Piaggio 500 bragged about reaching 100,000 miles. While it's praiseworthy that he did it, I'm not so certain that his mechanical ills were so great. modernvespa.com/forum/topic158280Here is a list of all the maintenance and parts it took to get to 100,000 miles.
18 - Oil and filter changes
6 - Belt and rollers
10 - Back tires
5 - Front tires
5 - Left front brake pads
2 - Right front brake pads
Front rotors both
3 - Rear brake pads
2 - Rear rotors
6 - Spark plugs
Replaced exhaust valves due to me using 87 octane gas for the first 38,000 miles
1 - Top and bottom steering bearings
1 - fuel injector (electrical connection broke)
1 - fuel filter
1 - fuel pump (replaced the recalled hose between filter and pump, twice)
1 - Variator, both sides
1 - Battery
1 - Voltage regulator
1 - Stator
1 - Low beam headlight
3 - Bulbs in the dash
1 - Side mirror (due to crash)
And just this year I had to replace the batteries in the fob that opens the seat.I won't quibble with the wear items but the second list is not so hot. A broken fule injector? A fuel pump and a couple of repairs to it? Stator and voltage regulator? Now I'm glad he likes his scoot and is getting his money's worth but in the 21st Century I think the repairs list is a little much. I'm betting if he had a Silver Wing or Reflex his list would have been much shorter. |
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Post by w650 on Jan 25, 2018 15:53:08 GMT -5
I ride because my Dad is/was a dedicated motorcyclist and he taught four of us to ride. I passed it along to my late Wife who passed it along to my stepson. I also taught my daughter.
Yes, street riding can be dangerous but consider this. Eight years ago I had a pretty good car accident having a head on collision with a State snow plow. No one came to me and said, "Now that your damn car nearly killed you are you going to quit driving?"
I consider my bikes just as important as my car in my transportation scheme. I only hope motorcycles continue in the future after I'm gone. I've loved every minute on a bike.
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Post by w650 on Jan 15, 2018 12:41:23 GMT -5
Having ridden Japanese motorcycles for fifty years I never had to endure jabs from Harley guys. My favorite was blowing oily smoke on Loud Sportsters with my 500 triple Kawasaki as I blew away from them.
I think there's blame on both sides though. At Modern Vespa anytime somebody says the word Motorcycle the page oozes with contempt. Jerks who dump on scooters should get a life. Since I have both I don't get the hate. My motorcycles stir my soul, my scooters are both practical and make me smile. If I had to get my herd down to one bike the last two would be the 1991 Nighthawk 250 and the CF Moto Fashion. I would be torn badly about which one would be gone and probably regret it for a long time.
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Post by w650 on Jan 10, 2018 12:23:48 GMT -5
I'm fine with gears-I have driven everything from a LS650 to a semi with a 10-speed road Ranger. Though I do figure I will forget to pull the clutch at least once. Been there, done that. |
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Post by w650 on Jan 9, 2018 17:56:34 GMT -5
Many people make that decision Kat. Sara drove a stick shift car so shifting was no big deal. She didn't find any excitement in a scooter. Especially after learning on a shrieking, unmuffled two stroke dirt bike with gears. Now maybe if I gave her a BV-200 to ride first, or a Vespa 150, she might have decided otherwise. I just knew her well enough to know that a bike was in her future when she blasted off on her own on the little Honda.
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Post by w650 on Jan 8, 2018 15:46:54 GMT -5
I still have yet to ride a motorcycle by myself. Been on the back of a few but that’s it, lol. Once you ride a scooter for a while picking up how to ride a bike is fairly easy. My late wife needed about a half hour to master clutch/shift on a bike. The Rebel came two weeks later. |
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Post by w650 on Jan 6, 2018 20:47:11 GMT -5
The Evo is just a refinement of a string starting with the 1951 KH 750. Either way the Sportster is faster, lighter and more reliable than the separate crankcase/transmission F motors. Frankly if I had to buy a Harley it would be the 750 Street, non Street Rod. It is a modern, international design and just looks right.
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Post by w650 on Jan 5, 2018 20:20:59 GMT -5
Now that the engine is rubber mounted the Sportster isn't rattling fillings anymore. After sixty years of refinement the motor is bulletproof. With the Tour Package it will chase the sun without a hiccup. Good choice.
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Post by w650 on Jan 1, 2018 19:51:50 GMT -5
Not only is it hovering around single digit temps here but the roads are white with salt. Better days ahead.
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Post by w650 on Dec 28, 2017 20:24:27 GMT -5
If I remember correctly the 200 engine is a Taiwan built Piaggio motor.
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Post by w650 on Dec 24, 2017 22:34:19 GMT -5
Hardly obsolete Leo. Most under 300cc scooters still use the same mechanical architecture today. About the only change is fuel injection, ABS and different bodywork.
I had the same issue with my 150cc scooter tires. I went to ride it in the Spring and the bike was all over the place. I discovered the front tire valve core was leaking and the rear tire was at about 22psi. I replaced the valve core, filled the tires and rolled off happily.
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Post by w650 on Dec 23, 2017 14:48:04 GMT -5
It will probably be the bike I keep. I gotta tell you though. The 750 Spectre just takes my breath away when I crack the throttle and feel the pull. Also the Fashion gets high marks for practicality.
The Nighthawk will probably win the elimination contest. It just feels right. Just like my W650 but without the crankiness.
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Post by w650 on Dec 22, 2017 17:41:54 GMT -5
I had my Kymco worked on by a local snowmobile, ATV, lawn tractor, snow blower, mower repair shop. They got a big bore kit off EBay, replaced the stator and handed it back. There are people out there who'll work on anything, you just have to find them. My Honda directionals were fixed in another local place that did likewise.
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Post by w650 on Dec 6, 2017 19:45:41 GMT -5
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Post by w650 on Dec 4, 2017 17:08:12 GMT -5
We had a warm day last week and the Fashion got the nod. I bought a new battery tender for it and it fired right up. It was good to be out on it. The bike really makes even a short hop mystic.
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