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Commuting is the best part of my day!
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Post by trailheadmike on May 29, 2016 9:53:04 GMT -5
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Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Commuting is the best part of my day!
Posts: 213
Likes: 14
Joined: Feb 26, 2013 7:56:23 GMT -5
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Post by trailheadmike on May 28, 2016 13:39:18 GMT -5
spandi, rockynv, tortoise, crawford Thanks for the sentiments and for sharing your stories. I get a lot of stories from bikers who were mangled and lost limbs from accidents, and to a man they got back on their motorcycles if they were capable of doing so. I'll probably end up on something in the future, but I don't think I'll make it my main mode of transportation this time. Perhaps my odds are better if I am on the road less!!
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Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Commuting is the best part of my day!
Posts: 213
Likes: 14
Joined: Feb 26, 2013 7:56:23 GMT -5
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Post by trailheadmike on May 28, 2016 7:56:50 GMT -5
Hello friends. I haven’t posted since November and I’d like to share with you the reason why. On November 20th I was travelling on a local, 2-way traffic road, one lane in each direction, when out of the blue the car coming towards me in the other direction decided to make a left turn right in front of me. I had about two feet to react, and I crashed into the driver’s side front quarter panel and went flying over the car. I landed in the street, and when all was said and done I shattered my right tibia, fibula and part of the kneecap into “too many pieces to count” as my orthopedist put it, along with my right wrist. I now have rods, plates and screws throughout. There are a few pics below. I entered the hospital on November 20th and eleven surgeries later I left on January 12th. Since then I’ve gone from bed to wheelchair to walker to crutches to cane, but even with physical therapy its been very slow going. With any luck I’ll be walking unassisted by the summer. The kicker? The guy who cut me off was an Uber driver, with a passenger, who was looking at his GPS to see where he was. The moral of the story? Please always be alert out there, and remember to wear your gear. I was only travelling at 25 mph and still suffered terrible injuries. The front of my scooter is simply gone. Thanks to my helmet my head was uninjured, and even the light summer riding gloves I had on were enough to fully protect my hands. I’m not sure if I am going to return to scootering when I’m better, but I’m going to remain a participant on the site so I can live vicariously through the rest of you. I’ve always enjoyed the camaraderie on this site and the enthusiasm people have to help. Ride safely friends.    |
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Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Commuting is the best part of my day!
Posts: 213
Likes: 14
Joined: Feb 26, 2013 7:56:23 GMT -5
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Post by trailheadmike on Nov 3, 2015 22:21:45 GMT -5
Great post, thanks.
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Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Commuting is the best part of my day!
Posts: 213
Likes: 14
Joined: Feb 26, 2013 7:56:23 GMT -5
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Post by trailheadmike on Nov 3, 2015 22:19:47 GMT -5
I have a post on it somewhere - I'm burning about 1/3 liter every few hundred miles but you'd never know. engine is tuned in, exhaust is clear - I only noticed it when I went to do an oil change and there was almost no oil in the reservoir.
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Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Commuting is the best part of my day!
Posts: 213
Likes: 14
Joined: Feb 26, 2013 7:56:23 GMT -5
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Post by trailheadmike on Nov 3, 2015 22:16:47 GMT -5
Enjoy and congratulations. I love my GIVI, especially in the winter.
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Sophomore Rider
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Commuting is the best part of my day!
Posts: 213
Likes: 14
Joined: Feb 26, 2013 7:56:23 GMT -5
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Post by trailheadmike on Oct 31, 2015 17:08:22 GMT -5
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Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Commuting is the best part of my day!
Posts: 213
Likes: 14
Joined: Feb 26, 2013 7:56:23 GMT -5
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Post by trailheadmike on Oct 15, 2015 20:07:23 GMT -5
I second endless-sphere.com A really helpful and fun site. I got a small 300W scooter on craigslist that had two 12v batteries wired together, and I just took off the jumper wire connecting them and charged them both separately with my battery tender jr. and it worked fine until I got an actual charger made for the scoot.
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Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Commuting is the best part of my day!
Posts: 213
Likes: 14
Joined: Feb 26, 2013 7:56:23 GMT -5
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Post by trailheadmike on Oct 15, 2015 17:29:41 GMT -5
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Sophomore Rider
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Commuting is the best part of my day!
Posts: 213
Likes: 14
Joined: Feb 26, 2013 7:56:23 GMT -5
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Post by trailheadmike on Sept 28, 2015 20:55:15 GMT -5
tvnacman John - how ironic is it that I could have a bad regulator/rectifier after our recent email exchange. I'll have to open it up again and get out my meter.
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Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Commuting is the best part of my day!
Posts: 213
Likes: 14
Joined: Feb 26, 2013 7:56:23 GMT -5
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Post by trailheadmike on Sept 28, 2015 12:41:03 GMT -5
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Sophomore Rider
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Commuting is the best part of my day!
Posts: 213
Likes: 14
Joined: Feb 26, 2013 7:56:23 GMT -5
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Post by trailheadmike on Sept 28, 2015 10:25:08 GMT -5
I am changing the title and gist of this thread because a few guys correctly pointed out that the problem is not the battery, its that its not charging.
As I say below, voltage does not change when the scoot is running.
Not charging.
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Sophomore Rider
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Commuting is the best part of my day!
Posts: 213
Likes: 14
Joined: Feb 26, 2013 7:56:23 GMT -5
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Post by trailheadmike on Sept 26, 2015 11:19:09 GMT -5
oldchopperguy You are the master Leo. You have the knowledge and the tools - an excellent combination. funny, but I was spending a lot of time last night looking at aftermarket slip on exhausts to see how they are attached, and much like your solution, many had a bracket made to fit all three stock mounting points that then had appropriate spots on the bracket to attach the hanging clamps. I'll revisit this thread when I get my mojo up to dive back into this project.
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Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Commuting is the best part of my day!
Posts: 213
Likes: 14
Joined: Feb 26, 2013 7:56:23 GMT -5
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Post by trailheadmike on Sept 25, 2015 18:03:10 GMT -5
oldchopperguy horace - thanks for the encouragement! The only reason the old set up doesn't work in that pic is because the header pipe is not for the old muffler, it was for the double shot and is too short. I got the new header for the old muffler today so I'll be back to the complete old set up tomorrow. So quiet!! I think the exhaust would have been much better if it could have used all three mounting points instead of two. That third bracket up on the top is not supposed to be used and couldn't be (not sure why its there at all) - Its not even close to lining up with the hole. Also, aside from the general banging around, the fact that it only had the bottom two attachments meant it was top heavy and had some sway which certainly could not have been good for the brackets. If I went back to the old set up I would find some of those strap braces to hold the exhaust on. I think it would be more secure. Something like this: i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l559/trailheadmike/773_zps8ij6fkfy.jpgI'll keep it on the shelf in the meanwhile.
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Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Commuting is the best part of my day!
Posts: 213
Likes: 14
Joined: Feb 26, 2013 7:56:23 GMT -5
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Post by trailheadmike on Sept 22, 2015 15:42:04 GMT -5
Well, after 16 months, I am back to the original exhaust. About a month ago a  degree weld snapped on one mounting bracket, and while I was deciding if I should get rid of it or find a place to have it welded the actual mounting plate on the other mount cracked in half. No sense in welding it if the metal itself is going to fail, so I put on the old muffler back on and tied it into the Dragon head pipe. The head pipe is too short, so I bridged the gap with one of those clamps you use to tie together metal pipe to pvc. I ordered the correct head pipe and in the mean while this fix seems to be working fine. One thing I'll say is that it is very odd to have the scooter be so quiet again! The Dragon was very loud but in a good way. I loved the way it looked and sounded, but it never quite seemed to fit and needed regular adjusting. Here's a pic of my gerry rigged transition. You'll note the high tech aluminum foil used for gaskets at either end. i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l559/trailheadmike/001_zpsx3d2yf1o.jpg |
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degree weld snapped on one mounting bracket, and while I was deciding if I should get rid of it or find a place to have it welded the actual mounting plate on the other mount cracked in half. No sense in welding it if the metal itself is going to fail, so I put on the old muffler back on and tied it into the Dragon head pipe. The head pipe is too short, so I bridged the gap with one of those clamps you use to tie together metal pipe to pvc. I ordered the correct head pipe and in the mean while this fix seems to be working fine. One thing I'll say is that it is very odd to have the scooter be so quiet again! The Dragon was very loud but in a good way. I loved the way it looked and sounded, but it never quite seemed to fit and needed regular adjusting.