There's something funny about the oil that was in the crankcase from the factory.
It doesn't look burnt and it doesn't look beat up. But notice how cloudy it is. It almost looks as though there's a bunch of dissolved chalk in it. It did seem as if there were just about 3/4 liter in there. So they got the amount right at least.
And I think they put just plain old motor oil in the rear end. It looked like (clean) motor oil and it wasn't particularly thick. So I'm definitely glad I changed both of these before starting up the bike.
Maybe you've all noticed that filling the final drive with oil is a bit difficult. The fill hole is in a bad spot and it's not very large. I found that even a 3/16" ID fuel line didn't fit in there. So I stuck a short length of bicycle brake cable sheath in the fuel line. That bit of cable sheath went into the final drive fill hole very nicely. It went in about 3/4" or so before running into something. It took a bit of time to squeeze 110 ml of that thick oil through there. But the oil got to where it was supposed to go without making a mess.
Here's my wife getting ready to go on a scooter ride. Mostly for fun. While I had to work on
her new bike. Somehow it don't seem strictly fair. Oh, well.....
Then came the weather-proofing of the electrical connectors.
The dielectric grease in the connectors was no trouble, of course. But I soon figured out that I'm just a bit too clumsy to silicone the 'backs' of the connectors with any accuracy. So I did some improvising.
I got hold of some ziploc sandwich bags and, using a razor knife, I sliced off the zip and the seams along the sides. Opened up it gives a piece of plastic, a little bit more stout than Saran Wrap, measuring about 6"x8".
This wraps pretty nicely around a small handful of connectors with enough leftover on the ends for some zip-ties to hold it all in place.
I've ordered a few items from Amazon that I'll need in order to complete the PDI. New valve stems. New fuel line and filter. I suppose I'd better get a belt for that CVT. And I ordered a new carburetor. The reason for this is that I'm just going to run the stock carburetor for now. When the new one arrives I'll put that on my workbench and un-tamper proof it. When I get that done I'll swap carburetors.
At this point it was time to button that bike back up and get her out for a test drive.
First I hooked up the battery while the bike was still naked and checked that all the lights worked properly and that the engine would start. Everything was fine there. So I put the body panels back on.
This was not too puzzling. It was mildly aggravating. But practice makes perfect. This, by the way, is why I don't mind the thought of taking some or all of those body panels back off to finish the work I've started here. I figure the more I do it, the easier it'll become.
I got her all put back together just about sundown. It was getting cold by then and I had to go inside a bit and warm up.
Then my wife, my daughter and I all took turns riding it around the neighborhood a bit and I took it up to the gas station and filled it. The gas gauge seems to work okay. That's always good.
First impressions after, perhaps, ten miles of riding:
The gy6 engine certainly does vibrate more than a Honda or a Kymco engine. I'd heard that was the case and I'll testify. It's true. I'm not certain that I just hated it or anything like that. If I were to go on some kind of endurance run, then maybe it would be a problem. But after a few miles I didn't see it as any problem. My daughter talked as though it was a deal-killer for her. But she's got her heart set on a Kymco that she can't afford. So I'm not sure she was being objective about it. My wife didn't seem to mind. She acknowledged that it vibrates more than her Honda. But she also said she's perfectly willing to ride this bike.
The seat is harder and less comfortable than a Honda or Kymco, too. I didn't anticipate this. But it's not surprising. And it's not a deal killer either. If it were me, I'd simply add some padding and a seat cover. But I have the luxury of height. My wife, sister-in-law and daughters have less room to maneuver there. But my wife acts as if she won't care much about this seat one way or the other.
Daughter and SIL, by the way, are evaluating this bike because they're also determined to get a scoot. SIL was determined to buy a Lance Cali Classic this afternoon. While I was finishing up this bike they all went window shopping for scooters. SIL came back determined to buy a used Kymco Agility 125 for $1400 and some change. Quoted $1800 and some after tax, title, license. I told her that that bikes lists new at $1899 and she looked at me as though that didn't make any difference to her at all. Oh, well. I'm not going to fight her. It's not my purchase and she can do as she sees fit.
Anyway.....
I certainly like the feel of this bike on the road. Those wide 12" rims grab the road really nicely. My Kymco People 150 is a very nice bike. All except for the tires/wheels. They're narrow and 16". It just doesn't feel right on a scoot. Even with the mediocre, or worse, tires that came with this Taotao I like the road feel better than I like the road feel of my own bike. And that's even after putting brand new 4 season tires, with a grip like sandpaper, on the Kymco.
I might just have to get me a new bike. Here's one that looks pretty tempting.
www.megamotormadness.com/product/sco027-150cc-scooter