Texas Winter Riding

[Scooter Dan]

Got the Kymco out this weekend for about a 20 mile ride in the low thirties. This is about the coldest I think I could take without heated gloves as that was the only part that got cold.....Not cold...Numb. The large windshield really works well and could have ridden much further if only my hands could take it. This week we climb back to the high 60's but that usually means rain too so finding those perfect ride days can be a little tricky, even in balmy East Texas. My new First Gear Winter riding over pants worked like a charm as I think all I need is some of those battery operated electric inserts Stig's got and I'll be good to go. One of our saving graces here is they don't salt or sand the roads except occasionally at bridges/overpasses. So we don't have hazardous road conditions to contend with when temps warm up.

[Stig / Major Tom]

Got the Kymco out this weekend for about a 20 mile ride in the low thirties. This is about the coldest I think I could take without heated gloves as that was the only part that got cold.....Not cold...Numb. The large windshield really works well and could have ridden much further if only my hands could take it. This week we climb back to the high 60's but that usually means rain too so finding those perfect ride days can be a little tricky, even in balmy East Texas. My new First Gear Winter riding over pants worked like a charm as I think all I need is some of those battery operated electric inserts Stig's got and I'll be good to go. One of our saving graces here is they don't salt or sand the roads except occasionally at bridges/overpasses. So we don't have hazardous road conditions to contend with when temps warm up.

Good for you....Yep, cold hands  were the only thing stopping me from going for extended rides. Had to warm hands over fires, and on mufflers !
 Then i got the heated liners ...!
After snows here i have to wait for rain to get some of the salt off the roads....a little I can rinse away with garden sprayer.
Stig

[Mr. Paul]

I put heated grips on my scooter. One of the best purchases I have made!

[ole two wheels]

Here in the Memphis area the weather is gonna be about like yours Scooter Dan. It finally got warm enough today  the put my stop light/start switch on and the cover back on the bars, so if I can dodge the rain the next few days I'll get me a bit of saddle time also.  Spring will be here before we know it and it'll be kick stands up all over.



Mac

[Scooter Dan]

Crazy southern winter weather as we're back up to the seventies today but with 15-25 mph winds. Yep electric inserts and heated grips would be nice and probably would do too if I had to ride everyday as a scooter commuter. Otherwise, wait a few days it will be warm again. Yep, we're starting to bark at the heals of Spring. Yipee.

[ole two wheels]

Had a BMW motorcycle with heated grips and heated seats several years ago and add to that a full fairing with lowers and a electric adjustable windscreen and I had me a real all-weather bike. I could ride in a hard down pour and as long as I kept rolling the only thing that got wet was the boots and my elbows. If I had to stop for anything, I got wet all over. I rode that bike at interstate speeds below 20 degrees and was warm enough. It was a 1200 R C, if I remember right . If you revved it up
it would tilt to one side and if you applied to much throttle in a roll-on, the rear end would lift up. Those horizontally opposed/shaft driven bikes took some getting use to, but it was a very good ride.
Oh I forgot this about scooters.....Please forgive me. The older I get the more I reminisce.

[Scooter Dan]

Had me one of those high powered bikes too, a Honda 919 Hornet. Didn't have heated grips or a fairing either. In fact it had no windshield as they call these naked motorcycles as there's no plastic. I installed a windshield though as the wind wanted to rip me off the bike at higher speeds. It was an impractical bike for me as it was a poor man's Ferrari. It would do the quarter mile in a tad less than 11 seconds at 125 mph. After a year I decided that scooters were really what I loved more and sold the Hornet and bought a Silverwing. I had no regrets.

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[ole two wheels]

I tell folks I did all that crazy stuff when I was young and crazy, but now I'm not young anymore. Got a 1 hour ride in today. It was sunny and 70 degrees. Really enjoyed it until I say rain drops on the windshield, so I cut-a-choggie for the houch.. The weatherman said 72 tommorow with scattered showers. Hope you got in a little saddle time as well Dan


Mac

[Scooter Dan]

Hi Mac and yes, with 74 degree temps, no rain and a full tank of gas and finished up for the week with our business.....I'm out on the BW. Just had breakfast with Deb at the Egg and I and headed over to my favorite coffee shop; Brady's. Weather forecast for the next week is temps in the 70's. I can see more saddle time ahead with weather like this. I might even get daring and change out my carb too. Bike's running OK but still a bit sluggish. Ran some more seafoam in the gas today but I suspect I'll need to replace fuel filter and carb to get better throttle response.

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[ole two wheels]

Have you thought about taking it off and cleaning it out good Dan? Haven't even looked at mine, but I'm 90% sure it's a CV carb. Very easy to disassemble and clean. You just have to be very careful to remove All the rubber parts and gaskets. If you are careful in getting the gaskets off, you can usually reuse them.  Carb cleaner will ruin rubber and gaskets Check the diaphragm in the dome on top for tears. Spray cleaner in all the small ports, remove and clean the jets, blow out with compressed air and reassemble. No need to remove the Welsh plugs. About an  hours' work and most of that is on the bench. You can also get a step by step off the internet.
Let me know what you decide to do.


Mac

[Scooter Dan]

Hi Mac, when I bought the BW last month the owner included a new in the box OEM Kymco carb which he had intended to replace. If I install the new one I'll clean the old one too and keep as a spare. It appears that access to the carb is through removal of the seat pan?

[ole two wheels]

That is correct. You know I wasn't thinking clearly about that carb. Is it fuel injected? If so then that adds another dimension to the cleaning. I think you have the right idea. If you swap out the carb and that doesn't fix the problem then you might have a dirty injector or a problem with the emc. Any way let me know what you come up with. Scooters and motorcycles used to be simple to diagnosis, but they have gone the way of automobiles. Technology has left me behind. 

Mac

[Scooter Dan]

Not fuel injected, old fashioned carb. Pulled the center cover in the seat pan that exposed the carb or most of it but could not see the fuel filter. I suppose with the entire seat pan removed this will expose more of the mechanicals as I assume it's forward of the engine between the engine and fuel tank. Have now put nearly a thousand miles on it since last month. Tomorrow may tackle carb and filter replacement unless it rains as predicted.

[ole two wheels]

Yes the filter will be between the fuel petcock, under the tank and the carb fuel inlet.  Don't know if you BW is gravity feed or if there is a fuel pump. Probably the later. Since you already have the new carb, it should be a snap to swap them out. You will have much better access with the seat removed. Then as you said, you can then take the old carb. down and give it a good cleaning and keep it as a spare. My DT 300i has a slight flat spot during high speed roll-on when the throttle cranked open quickly but it isn't bad enough to mess with at this time. Doesn't affect performance that much, as I don't ride it hard anyway.
Back to mid forties here today, but mild days are forecasted  so hope to ride some. Take care and let me know how it all goes.

Mac

[Scooter Dan]

Installed new carb and replaced fuel filter but runs much worse now. As soon as I accelerate it acts starved for gas and wants to die. Found a fuel filter at a True Value Hardware that"s also a Stihl dealer. I suspect I bought a weedeater filter. Tomorrow will reinstall old filter and see if it run's differently. I thought a new OEM Kymco carb would be plug and play however I may need to adjust it?