scooter racing tips n tricks

[3strokeengine]

I dont know if there is any real interest in scooting racing on this forum but at the shop I used to work at it was a regular occurrence on Friday nights.

Id figure I would start this thread along with the 232 thread to give some tips and tricks on performance mostly 4 stroke gy6 world but some of this will apply to 2 smokers aswell.


SO you wanna win that race and bragging rights against your buddy? Well if you aint cheating you ain't Trying!

1: Air up your tires! More PSI is less rolling resistance, use your judgment on if overinflating is worth the risk

2: Get rid of that gear oil, thats ride get rid of it. Drain it out and put some regular 10w40 engine oil that you use in the engine. The lighter weight means less powerloss through the final drive. You won't hurt any gears trust me

3: With CVTs transmission tuning is just as important as engine tuning for optimal power, tune the transmission before you figure out your best carburetor main jet for best power

4: Disconnect your stator right before you race. Generally your stator has separate connections for the charging system portion and igniton / crank trigger portion. If you disconnect only the charging system wires the scooter will still run but won't charge the battery. Without the electrical load on the flywheel the engine will make slightly more horsepower to the tire.

5:on gy6 engines running the engine oil half full on the dipstick will cut down on crankcase windage

If any one else has any "cheats" they want to add to the thread by all means


DISCLAIMER: All information posted above is use at your own risk, if not done correctly you can destroy your scooter or hurt yourself in the process.

[90GTVert]

Oct 24, 2020 0:20:22 GMT -5 3strokeengine said:

2: Get rid of that gear oil, thats ride get rid of it. Drain it out and put some regular 10w40 engine oil that you use in the engine. The lighter weight means less powerloss through the final drive. You won't hurt any gears trust me

Thanks for posting.

I have to disagree with this one a bit. You really won't accomplish much this way IMO. It's well known that race teams in various motorsports make use of low viscosity lubricants either for racing or sometimes just to get a quick qualifying run in. That said, most recommended gear oils are actually very close to the viscosity of engine oils. They are just rated different in a way that makes engine oils sound like they'd flow easier.

"Gear lubricant viscosity grades should not be confused with engine oil viscosity grades. A gear lubricant and an engine oil having the same viscosity will have widely different SAE viscosity grade designations as defined in the two viscosity classifications. For instance, an SAE 80W gear lubricant may have the same viscosity as an SAE 20W or SAE 30 engine oil and SAE 90 gear lubricant viscosity can be similar to that of an SAE 40 or SAE 50 engine oil"
www.farmoyl.com/resources/sae-viscosity-grades

What you do get with gear oil is the proper additive package for the job. Plenty of people do use 10W40 motor oil regularly without issue though, and some owner's manuals even specify it.



I'd add to your list that ignition timing is very important as is having the clutch, cvt and carb on point. For a drag race, the carb tune mostly needs to focus on WOT and throttle response.

Also, if your launch isn't great, channel Fred Flinstone till you're moving well or at least get one good push off the line.

Adjust seating position as needed. If you make much power, you'll probably find that you have to sit all the way at the front of the seat and lean forward to not wheelie on launch.

Prob the easiest way to win a close race is to be on point with the starting system.

If all you care about is winning a drag race and not rideability, you may be able to use a smaller diameter and more narrow rear tire. Most scoots don't have big traction issues, so the scoots with stuff like 130/70-12 rear tires can drop some rotating mass and weight in general with a smaller rear wheel/tire and have less resistance from the smaller contact patch. Plus, smaller diameter tires act like numerically higher gears so it may be beneficial in that respect.

Weight is huge. If you're 300lb like me, don't think you're gonna line up with someone light on a comparable setup and win. 50-100lb can make a big difference in acceleration.

If you really want to win and that's all you want, you can obsess over all sorts of things.

[CrankingWithCG]

Any tips on dragging knee? Or rather leaning in turns? Sometimes i actually lean off while trying to keep the scooter as upright as possible, but sometimes i stay upright and lean the scooter away under me. Any thoughts?

[jackrides]

Knee dragging is a useful gauge to not lean further once you've got a (painful) handle on where that is. Hanging off the seat, pioneered by Brit Paul Smart in the 70's, looks spectacular and requires a perfectly set up suspension. I've tried it and felt I had much less control, but what works for each person is what is right.