Transformation of a Chinese scooter

[rollingbender]

Don’t know what I think about this…

[jackrides]

Don't think. Ride and Be Proud!

[rollingbender]

Went for a late night full moon cruise tonight and happened by a truck scale at a feed mill. Pulled the bike on for a quick weigh-in. Nearly impossible to make it out in the photo but it says 220lbs.



That’s about 20lbs more than my Zuma, 40lbs more than the wife’s 50cc Vino and 20lbs less than my 125 Vino. Now we know.

The really fun thing about riding this is that I get the “low wave” from all the Harley guys and gals. I wonder if they regret it as they go by and get a closer look???🧐

[rollingbender]

A bit of a step backwards over the weekend. 2 solid days of rain gave me the opportunity to do some backtracking and fix a few wiring issues (previous shortcuts) and hopefully result in a more tidy wiring job. It doesn’t look so tidy at this point but hopefully I can straighten out a few cludges and make it possible for someone in the future to go in there and understand what is going on.




I also took the opportunity to crank up the adjustable rear shocks to keep the license plate from hitting the rear fender when loaded down (had to bend the plate to preserve the fender paint). I also opened up the CVT for a 300 mile checkup. Based on some things I saw in there, I ordered a new variator, belt and some slider weights. I re-routed the rear brake cable for a smoother action and re-torqued a bunch of things.


Big family scooter event planned for next week! We are hauling the scooters out to the Black Hills of South Dakota and will be riding Iron Mountain Trail, Custer State Park wildlife loop and Needles Highway.

[rollingbender]

New variator came today. I installed it with the new (lighter) sliders. I didn’t like that… it felt like I should be shifting to a higher gear all the time. Then I put in the rollers that came with the new variator (heavier). I didn’t like that either… it felt like I should be shifting down a gear all the time. I put my original rollers in the new variator… Goldilocks… just right.

Then some stuff fell apart and I fixed it. 🤪

Spent much of the day installing new wheel bearings in the scooter haulin’ trailer. Now I’ll feel much better about 400+ miles each way there and back at 80mph.

[Lucass2T]

Looks like you can fit a nice two stroke engine in the big gaping hole below the gas tank!
That would be a first too, a twin engine, 6 stroke 2 wheeler!

[rollingbender]

A few days ago, I noticed that I was losing a bit of power. Specifically, WOT seemed to make it bog out and backing off the throttle a bit actually gave the most performance.

First thing I thought of was all the crud that could have made it’s way into the tank during fabrication ( I admit I was not very careful with keeping things clean ) or even during the painting process. I pulled the petcock and there was some crud in the screen so I blew that out and reassembled. I also replaced the fuel filter. Very minimal improvement.

Next, I guessed maybe some crud had made it past the petcock screen and the crappy filter that was first in there and possibly clogged something in the carb. I had another new carb laying around so I swapped that in. No improvement.

Then my thoughts turned to air. I poked around a bit under the saddle bag and noticed that the air intake snorkel (looks like a short piece of vacuum cleaner hose on this air box) was getting pinched. I re-routed where the snorkel was sitting so it was safe from being compressed. Big improvement but not cured.

Maybe more air yet. I temporarily removed the cover from the air box. More improvement but still not cured. And it’s louder🤨

Just for fun, I removed the air filter. Almost cured but not quite there. And it’s even louder yet 😡

I plan on modifying the air box to accept a filter that is not so restrictive and modifying the air inlet to let more air in. But, the problem remains.

I’m not really much of an engine tuner guy so I’m at a loss on what to check next. Advice from the experts is desperately needed. Leaving in 1 day for the family scooter vacation.

[aeroxbud]

You have tried the obvious stuff. Perhaps it's worth checking the valves, just to be sure.

[jloi]

well, since I've been back here lately on the forum I've finally taken the time to see every post on this thread and I concur with everyone else - this is an absolutely beautiful work of art ; and this thread is a testimony to your skill and talent .

[rollingbender]

Aug 13, 2023 2:23:06 GMT -5 aeroxbud said:

You have tried the obvious stuff. Perhaps it's worth checking the valves, just to be sure.

Yes, I should probably check the clearance. Motor is now right at 500 miles.

[rollingbender]

Regarding the “obvious stuff”… besides valve clearance and what I have already done/checked, what exactly is the “obvious stuff” (asking for a friend🤪)?

[aeroxbud]

Change the fuel in case it's contaminated. new spark plug and clean/replace carb and air filter. Check the fuel flows freely from the petcock.
When you check the fuel flow. If you leave the fuel in a clear container for a while. If it has water in it, it should separate and be visible as bubbles in the bottom.

[190mech]

If it runs better with less intake restriction,it could be running rich..Is your auto enricher working properly,how about the float level?

[rollingbender]

Changed the oil.
Checked valve clearance. Intake was a bit over spec. Exhaust was <=0. Adjusted to spec.
Replaced original Chinese spark plug with new NGK.
Put air filter back in and air box cover back on. Circumcised the breather hose so it wouldn’t get pinched.
Startup is way better. Took it for a drive and the bogging at WOT was back. Drilled 3 big holes in the back of the air box. Still that bad spot at WOT but it’s very small now. It’s running so that with me and my daughter on board, we can still easily outrun my wife’s XC50 Vino so we will be fine for the trip.

Did some more work on the scooter haulin’ trailer. Added a side porch to hold up the back wheel of the hotrod, put a “jog” in the tire chock for the hotrod so the front wheel hangs over a titch, added a couple boards down the length of the bed and bolted in “D” rings for tie down attachment points. (And, yes, I did hit the bed of the trailer with the floor sander I rented to refinish some floors in the house🤓)



Then the OCD kicked in. I have 4 orange straps which I cut down to all the same length. These are used for securing the front wheels and with the shortened straps, there will be no need to tie up the floppy ends. All the other straps are blue. Once I determine a workable universal length, I will shorten all of them too.

Loaded up, fueled up, and ready to roll in the morning (might rain overnight so I parked the trailer in the garage.

[rollingbender]

CDI?