Do you think modding or money is better?

[jmkjr72]

you can mod and still have a rider
sure we may blow something up every now and then
but all you are doing is finding the new weakest link in your build
my zuma i have over 15000 miles on my stella well she only has about 5000 but i was ran over on that scoot then the crank failed (a known weak link even stock) and the i will admit i went a bit over board on the rebuild and killed the trans
and besides living here in the frozen tundra of wi how am i suposed to enjoy my scoot for the 5 months a year that riding is out of the question

mod the hell out of it during those months
but after a few more parts the z will be done and then its time for a race only scoot
and when i say a few more parts engine wiise the case will be the only thing oem yamaha on the engine

[bigkahuna427]

I am sure a lot of us would enjoy your build thread too. Nice Zuma dude. When I was in Florida last Feb. I just missed a Zuma for $300. I told him I would give him more than the guy that was coming over and pick it up sooner but he had some integrity and said no. I like the look of those and certainly the quality would be great being a Yamaha.

[aeroxbud]

After having bikes for years and lots of my friends modding theirs i think there are some people who just like modding. One off my friends will swap front and rear ends, port and big cams but when its finished loses intrest and sells it to fund the next one, its the challange that he enjoys like some on here. I like tuning my scoot but not really intrested in porting and stuff just like riding and you can get good performance by bolting stuff on. I think tuning can be addictive but it becomes the circle of diminishing gains you have to spend more to get less gains. I just know i get a big smile riding my scooter that i was not on bikes

[stepthrutuner]

Most of us bought scooters to save money on gasoline as well as on insurance and licensing. After experiencing the limitations of not being able to keep up with traffic or bogging down on hills many of us decide we would be safer being part of the flow rather than a rolling obstruction. Besides who wants to put up with jeering rude youths and such trying to impress their on board passenger peers as they pass.... not me! Thus is born the need for more speed.... in my book anyway.

To that end we don't want to affect fuel economy too adversely or spend as much or more than the scooter cost to get the speed capability we desire. That would be defeating the purpose of buying a scooter in the first place.

Speaking personally, I've read about people getting their 50s to do over 70 but when we look at the parts list and prices, well there you go again defying the reason you bought a scooter in the first place (you rarely hear the resulting fuel mileage of such creations and it usually ends up no better than that of a subcompact car) .

So to me the goal is adequate speed for you needs while getting at least over 50 mpg. Speaking from experience, most people don't do the research on their first scooter purchase and get one that is too far from the desired practical speed requirement to start with (a 4t for example) and get frustrated with their efforts and wind up trading up to one that does.

I used to be in the camp that once a speed goal had been achieved the goal got bumped up five mph. This is fine if all you want is a raucous, finicky, unreliable scooter and have a fat wallet or no credit consciousness. You can impress friend or foe alike as long as the scoot is running, anyway.

My present state of mind (I am a one scooter owner) concerning tuning is getting it to run fast enough and be reliable rain or shine, pavement or gravel day in and day out while maintaining storage and carrying capabilities and going close to 100 miles on a tank of gas with a cruise speed of approximately 55mph.

That's what blows my skirt up.

[jmkjr72]

i wish at any given time my zuma got 100 miles to the tank even before the mod bug started hard i was only getting 60 mpg

and yes i spent a fair amount on parts by the time my last round of parts comes in over the 3 seasons i have riden the zuma i will have spent as much on parts as i did the scooter new and im getting back where i should be for mpg with some fine tuning on the efi set up im hoping to get above 50 mpg again but even the mid 40s i was getting is better then the 18 of my truck

[stepthrutuner]

I might add that my Derbi has 1.85 gal fuel tank and I have converted my oil tank (1l. capacity) to a reserve fuel tank so I have over 2 gal. capacity.

[Fox]

So I guess the consensus is that modding is more fun but money is mo' better. Or did I misread?

[2strokd]

Money is better..... So i can mod more

[stepthrutuner]

Nov 16, 2011 16:18:48 GMT -5 Fox said:

So I guess the consensus is that modding is more fun but money is mo' better. Or did I misread?

I think it depends on whether you need to rely on your scooter for day-to-day transportation. If you have, say, three scooters one may very well be an eternal project for which the balance sheet is unimportant compared to your speed lust, ego or just enjoying getting out in the garage and trying and learning new stuff.

[jmkjr72]

Nov 16, 2011 16:22:03 GMT -5 2strokd said:

Money is better..... So i can mod more

this hits the nail on the head

[Fox]

Nov 16, 2011 16:22:03 GMT -5 2strokd said:

Money is better..... So i can mod more

Classic! :bestpost:

[WT100]

Well classic 2strokd, that's for sure!

For me most of the modding is cosmetic so it's not about achieving performance. And i've ridden a bit over 5,000 miles this year so i definitely fall on the "ride it" side of things.

But i do always have some little project in process on one or both of the bikes. So every few weeks when i roll up the garage door i have a slightly different bike to ride. Keeps it interesting and "new".

[2strokd]

Haha, ide like that WT100 A different scoot for the weather. Ide like to make one look nice!
Ive been wanting to "clean up" this Cobra for awhile now. I like the beater look too.

[Goosey]

Hmm, parts replacer who likes to take the parts apart and know what they do, how they do it. Same method in computers. Moderate modder. I like to make things look good, and improve performance without compromising the system too much. My brother claims I had the scooter in pieces more than I rode it last year though, I blame that on the trees. As long as your in there, why not improve something ya know.

[2strokd]

:thumb: :nana: