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Messages - Portland Steve

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151
General Discussion / Re: How do you start your scooter?
« on: February 11, 2011, 11:56:27 PM »
It sounds like fairly normal cold engine action to me. 
I have been riding in temps down in the 20's and it will start right up the vast majority of the time. 
The rear wheel is going to spin as the auto choke does its thing.
Letting it idle for a long time is a waste of fuel and is not great for the engine.  The air cooled engine needs air and it will cool down better if in motion.
I usually start it, get my helmet and gloves on and off I go.  When it is cold it will hesitate, but not for long.
If you feel like you are warmed up in a matter of seconds then you should have no complaints.
It has been my experience that most scooters and motorcycles take a real ten minutes of riding to truly warm up.
I have not been able to kick start the Super 8 yet...I need to figure that out.


152
General Discussion / Re: kids
« on: February 11, 2011, 11:46:45 PM »
It sounds like your son in law has some serious issues.  Has there been any counseling from a professional?
Obviously, you can't enable him, but he needs some help.  Can you get him involved with some kind of therapy, maybe group therapy, with you and your wife?
I get the feeling that this would be a difficult thing to get him to agree to.
From the way things are going, I doubt that you will be able to do anything to change him. 
It may or may not be drugs, but there must be some kind of chemical imbalance going on and it would not surprise me if he were self medicating in some way.
A psychiatrist/psychologist could help figure out if he is depressed or has some kind of mood disorder.
It seems like you need to make some kind of intervention a condition of a future relationship.
Sorry you are having such a hard time with this.

153
Technical | How To / Re: Problem..or just cold weather?
« on: February 09, 2011, 07:36:23 PM »
For best results, be sure to run the engine after you add the stabilizer to your tank.
Otherwise, the fuel in the carb is still the untreated fuel and will turn to varnish after a long time.
Check your spark plug and spark cable too.


154
Technical | How To / Re: Flat tire
« on: February 09, 2011, 07:32:37 PM »
Don't use the slime stuff unless it is your only option.  It makes a mess of your rim.
Do get a patch kit and a CO2 inflator.
That said, I still need to get a kit myself!!!

155
Technical | How To / Re: seafoam
« on: January 31, 2011, 07:48:31 PM »
I need more info on why you are cleaning all of those things.
Is the scooter not running properly?
Keep in mind that if Seafoam or some other solvent is working junk off your carb, bits of varnish may be going elsewhere.
I proper carb cleaning sounds like it is in order.

156
Technical | How To / Re: fuse blowing
« on: January 31, 2011, 07:39:52 PM »
Sounds like a short in you ignition switch relay.  Either open the thing up and check it yourself, or take it to a shop for a look.
Since you are smelling the short, it should be easy to find the problem.
Don't wait on this fix!!!

157
Technical | How To / Re: my agility wont start............
« on: January 31, 2011, 07:33:42 PM »
It sounds like the engine turns over when you try to start it.
I have never stuck my hand on the carb while starting, but fuel goes into the carb and mixes with air, so fuel on your hand is not surprising.
The wires are probably to a sensor for the auto choke, but can't see what you are talking about.
My guess is that your carb is flooding.  Try twisting the throttle while you start to clear out extra gas.
More info would help.

Cheers

158
General Discussion / Re: Cold Weather Gear Pics
« on: January 27, 2011, 05:35:02 PM »
The ski mask is nice to have, but try to get the thinnest one you can.  I also recommend a Fog City face shield insert to keep fog at bay.
The hands have always been the weak point.  At below freezing temps, even with large Gortex motorcycle glove, my finger still get cold.  I have tried grip warmers, which keep your palm warm, but the finger tips still freeze.

159
Agility 50 / Re: China regulators
« on: January 27, 2011, 05:26:20 PM »
Confucius says:
A wise man buys three.
One will probably not work at all
One will malfunction in a month or so and if you are lucky.
The third one might just last forever.

160
Technical | How To / Re: Super 8 150 belt change
« on: January 24, 2011, 04:37:09 PM »
I have had some luck with this problem.
I decide to get the impact wrench at Sears this past weekend.  This was after I had tried a few different methods to remove the clutch with no success.  Like may dad says "you can never have too many tools".  I have been wanting to get one of these anyway.
I got an air powered 400 ft/lbs Craftsman and it is a solid unit.
I had never used one before so I was curious what would happen. 
When it first spun the nut, the bell housing went with it, but it quickly loosened the nut and off she came.
I used some Emory cloth to buff the inside of the bell housing and the clutch pads, which were glazed a bit.  May I add that these are some wimpy looking pads on the stock unit.
I cleaned the dust off the parts and put it back on the bike.  I used the impact wrench to tighten the nut. 
I test drove it after this and was not overly impressed, but on my ride to work today, I was.  There is much less "slipping" and the scooter seems to have better pick up.

Has anyone installed a "performance" or "racing" clutch on their Super 8?  After seeing what the stock looked like, I may want to upgrade.


161
General Discussion / Re: What lane do you ride in?
« on: January 20, 2011, 11:30:07 PM »
Quote from: axy on November 11, 2010, 05:59:21 PM
It is hard for me to understand this.
With 125 cc scoot your speed is just about right for the far right lane: it is comparable to the speed of trucks.
Why was it spooky on FZ1?

I hate riding motorcycles of any kind on the freeway (granted, I haven't tried a Goldwing).  The FZ1 is a great bike for all occasions and has more than enough power to deal with freeway traffic, but I still don't like it.
Between the wind blast, noise and the droning on at the same speed, I get frazzled.  Add trucks and cars to the mix and it is "spooky".
In the past, when I could afford my FZ1, I would ride on the highway to get to a nice stretch of curving country road.
As for the 150 scooter, I still maintain that riding on the highway is not a good idea.  Highway speeds out here are in the 65 - 70 mph range, even in the slow lane, so you won't be "just about right" with your speed and the last thing that I want to be doing on a motorbike is hanging out with trucks in the right lane.

When I am on a motorbike on the freeway, I stay to the right or middle lane if a three lane road.  I try not to let myself get stuck between cars or trucks and will quickly accelerate into the left lane and leave the cages in the dust in search of a more lonely piece of highway.
You can't do this if your 150cc scoot is topped out at 55 or 60.  Don't get me started about the stability of a scooter vs. a motorcycle at highway speeds.

None of this is to bash scooters since I own one and it is a hoot to drive to work (no freeways thank you).  It makes me smile every day.



162
People 250 / Re: Aftermarket Muffler
« on: January 18, 2011, 05:59:10 PM »
I'm going to say no, unless your stock muffler is shot.
Performance gains will be minimal.
Spend money on tires and brakes, maybe a performance clutch.
What are your hopes for the exhaust?

163
Xciting 500 / Re: Winter battery experiment
« on: January 17, 2011, 10:52:10 PM »
Ok, read your post again and it sounds like you can't have the battery tender outside...
Engine heat then?
Like I said, it is working for you.

164
Xciting 500 / Re: Winter battery experiment
« on: January 17, 2011, 10:49:39 PM »
It sounds like a combination of trapped engine heat and potentially trapped heat (although probably minimal) from the Battery Tender.
Are you keeping the actual transformer on the floor of the scooter while the cover is on?
Sounds like you got something that works for you, in any case.

165
Grandvista 250 / Re: Tubed tires?
« on: January 11, 2011, 05:06:22 PM »
You don't have to remove the tire to put a plug in (assuming that it is tubeless).  A plug should not cost more that $20, if you can even get a shop to do it.
I would not recommend going too long on a plugged tire, but it works well to keep you rolling.
If I'm going to replace my tire (usually I replace both at the same time) I want to put on a good tire, not the cheapest one that I can find.
I figure $50 per tire at least and another $50 to mount, which gets the total up to $150 at least.
If your wallet is tight, a plug will do for a 1000 miles.

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