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Post by bluegoatwoods on Feb 1, 2020 20:57:25 GMT -5
It's sad, isn't it?
I'm about to turn 60 and my oldest friends are now dead and gone. Family has dwindled pretty badly, too.
There's only one point, actually, in my even mentioning those things. You're not alone, if that's any help.
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Post by bluegoatwoods on Jan 19, 2020 12:21:10 GMT -5
From what i researched, it is because nitro methane has available oxygen in it. It makes sense. A little bit of fuel and an eager oxidizer mixed in a hot combustion chamber might not need an ignition system at all.
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Post by bluegoatwoods on Jan 13, 2020 20:50:05 GMT -5
A dieseling scooter, huh?
I guess this world hasn't given up all of it's surprises yet.
Though this one does sound as though it was under pretty special circumstances.........
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Post by bluegoatwoods on Jan 13, 2020 20:40:10 GMT -5
Aahhh.......A nice garage with a row of scooters........
You're livin' the dream, wiscootsin!
And I'll bet you won't have much trouble squeezing that pesky van out for good.
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Post by bluegoatwoods on Jan 13, 2020 10:54:58 GMT -5
I'm not in disagreement, actually. I'll even go along with the evaluation of "cute in an ugly sort of way".
Plus I do prefer function over style. If I have to choose just one, anyway.
And I'm a big fan of cargo capacity. I've been known to over-do that. I once mounted hard-sided Harley saddlebags, plus frame, on a pedal bicycle. (That didn't last long. Though nicely functional, they were very clumsy. And heavy.)
The C3 obviously has nice cargo room. And that even brings it into the 'good looking' category in that respect.
Yes. I would even be happy to have one.
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Post by bluegoatwoods on Jan 12, 2020 9:32:14 GMT -5
I've been told to be scared of places where there's cars on blocks......... Oh, no!!!
My work space doesn't look like a chop shop, does it?
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Post by bluegoatwoods on Jan 10, 2020 19:13:19 GMT -5
She sure does look really good.
The mirrors are intriguing. I spend a lot of time adjusting mirrors to avoid looking at my own forearms.
Those low-mounts might just be worth a try.
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Post by bluegoatwoods on Jan 10, 2020 17:47:19 GMT -5
Man, oh man! Great score!
Nice looking bike, too.
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Post by bluegoatwoods on Jan 10, 2020 17:31:56 GMT -5
Well the above scooter my son GAVE ME has now decided to take his cbt and start using it again. Funny that now its working Nothing puzzling there. That's exactly how these things go.
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Post by bluegoatwoods on Jan 10, 2020 17:22:45 GMT -5
Well......ain't that cool?
A Lambretta? Or a copy?
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Post by bluegoatwoods on Jan 10, 2020 17:11:00 GMT -5
I started some of the actual work on the red Tao Tao today. Pulled some of the plastics and started trying to diagnose just what all might be wrong with it.
When this bike was brand new I tried to be thorough about tying up loose ends in assembly and all that. Here's one spot where I tried to protect wiring connectors from the elements. I didn't get around to all of them. I ought to try to get all of them on this teardown. One reason I made my daughter surrender the scooter is that the exhaust was making a really frightening and aggravating high pitched rattle. (Not to mention that it's running so poorly you can't even ride it!)
I know most girls figure that they shouldn't need to wrench on their vehicles. But......when they just keep on riding when it's making noises like that, then........well........they're just not capable of handling the machine.Compression test. All of this stuff today is really just preliminary. I've still got the problem of not getting enough fuel to the carburetor. I'll figure it out and it probably won't even be all that hard. Though the weather is supposed to get worse tomorrow. Oh, well......
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Post by bluegoatwoods on Jan 10, 2020 12:04:27 GMT -5
I've searched for the perfect bar mitts for some time now and haven't had much luck. It was easier in the days when I rode a simple manual bicycle. I would make bar mitts that were little more than a rectangle made from cheap tarp and lined with soft foam rubber for insulation. My hands were usually just fine at even 0 deg F.
But it's more difficult on e-bikes and motor scooters, isn't it? You need some more dexterity in your thumbs and..........on e-bikes anyway.............it's good to be able to see the buttons you need to be pushing. Some bar mitts restrict your thumbs too much. Others are just so big and open ended that they let too much cold air in and don't do their job very well at all. I've found some that are pretty warm and comfortable.........with some tailoring at least.............but aren't weather-proof at all. Others are stout enough for rough weather but aren't warm.
It's discouraging. But I've found something that holds promise.
It starts with cheap heated hand grips.
Maybe this pic tells their story a bit better.
I got these for twelve or fifteen bucks........something like that.........from Amazon. They're USB powered so that you can power them from those extra batteries the kids carry around for their cell phones. I've only had minimal cold weather to test them out yet, so it's early. But they do appear to work well. I use a battery that's not much larger than a cell phone, but thicker. It might be 3/4 inch ..........75 mm.........thick. I think it's capacity is 20,000 milli-amp/hours. It has one output capable of 2.4 Amps of current. That seems to be the minimum for these. On a 1 Amp outlet they don't get very warm at all. Some reviews say that they get good and hot on a 3 Amp output. But I haven't been able to confirm it since I don't have a 3 Amp output. But I did some riding on a scooter in 30 deg F............-1 deg C.........with the 2.4 A out plus brown Jersey gloves and my hands were just fine. Gauging battery charge loss on that short ride I'm estimating that battery will give me 90 minutes of warming power. That's actually good enough. I doubt I'll ever ride longer than that when it's genuinely cold out. Maybe not even when it's warm, these days. But that's another matter.
But I still need bar mitts. I want my hands and arms protected from rain and wind plus the grips themselves need protection too. I found some that work pretty well for an e-bike.
These are pretty good at about 20 bucks a set. I dislike that price. But it's not too far over the top, I guess.
But these do need some weather protection. Left to themselves they'll let rain and wind in. So they have to be covered.
I'm counting on the greenhouse effect to be helpful with these. The clear plastic stitched together with twine probably won't be regarded as stylish. And I'm considering making something that doesn't look like Ziploc bags. But I probably won't bother. I'll always sacrifice looks for practicality when needed. As long as they don't have some fatal flaw I haven't yet perceived.
Those mitts might even be pretty good on a scooter. But I haven't tried that yet. I've got something different on the scooters.
These are another twenty dollar bar mitt made with very cheap plastic and faux fur. They are pretty warm if you can seal up the end. But they're not weather-proof at all. But never mind. The plastic cover seals up the end and protects everything from rain.
Naturally the plastic will eventually weather and crack. But it's so easily replaced, of course, that that's no issue at all.
The only question left is how to carry the battery. The solution below will need to be only temporary. I'm gonna have to figure out something that's more water proof than that. And if I can make it look more polished....well.....that'd be good too.
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Post by bluegoatwoods on Jan 10, 2020 11:10:24 GMT -5
.........You may be thinking of the Yamaha C3, which is also a great bike.......... That's the one!
I've never met a Yamaha I didn't like. But......still........where looks are concerned that was not Yamaha's finest hour.
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Post by bluegoatwoods on Jan 10, 2020 7:51:13 GMT -5
I vote for making it as close to stock as you can manage, but with home-made.......almost crude........cargo racks and other accessories. Now, that's a good looking bike.
But don't mind me. I'm abnormal.
I was surprised a bit by the lines on that bike. It's not bad looking at all. But I had thought of the Zuma as a boxy looking thing. Almost Cushman-ish.
Either the Zuma did some changing or I'm mixing up my models.
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Post by bluegoatwoods on Jan 10, 2020 7:39:16 GMT -5
Yes. I have one of those jump-starter handheld battery things, too. They're impressive, arent' they?
But one thing it will not do for you is to top off a battery that is losing charge by sitting during the winter. And that is important. So I'd get a Battery Tender as well. Batteries that sit in a discharged state for very long suffer damage.
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