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Post by 90GTVert on May 16, 2019 20:11:41 GMT -5
I should have known it couldn't be that easy. Walked out to puddles under the pump area. There was water around the connection between the 2 parts of the pump housing. I did a pressure test and confirmed that it was leaking there. The coolant was nasty when drained. There's a black/grey sort of soot that coats things in the cooling system. I saw it before, but thought it was just from the head gasket leak. Possibly the mixing of different antifreezes. Whatever it is, it's hard to get out. I flushed and flushed and flushed and it's still there. I think I'd need to at least use an actual flush chemical. When it was in a container, I had to use a solvent to get the grey residue out. I just gave up after a long time. The pic shows how bad it started vs clean coolant. It's not that bad now, but still not good. The pump had a cheap chrome coating on it that was coming off so I ran it over sandpaper on glass till it was gone on the sealing area. Then I used Threebond on the o-ring and mating surface and put it back together. Never did get to the tires, re-tq, belt...
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Post by ryan_ott on May 16, 2019 20:21:29 GMT -5
I thought aftermarket parts are supposed to be better them OEM, said no one. One guy looks at another on a scoot and thinks he’s broke so he’s riding a scooter. No he is broke because he rides a scooter. Nothing is ever easy on these things, but on that slight chance that everything works well together - it’s so worth it!
Yay 200 pages!!!
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Post by 90GTVert on May 16, 2019 20:26:53 GMT -5
I was thinking along those same lines earlier.
That's it. I'm just gonna buy a sportbike and put T2's moped sticker on it and ride it in the bus lane.
I love it when it's right, but since I've gone to LC it feels like it's mostly wrong or at least not right. That said, it works so well when it works LC.
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Post by ryan_ott on May 16, 2019 20:41:18 GMT -5
Ok time to machine a head that screws on with no gasket. You’ve got time, right?
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Post by repherence2 on May 16, 2019 21:25:14 GMT -5
Never tried. When I was going LC, some suggested smearing with sealant and I've stuck with that. that's a trip. in the submarine world we only use grease on o-rings for static seals (axial or radial). for us, if it sees sea water pressure we use tourmaline grease. if it's a freshwater system, we use milspec roller bearing grease. 3000psi hydraulic actuators, rams, control valves and accumulators we use roller bearing grease (milspec Vaseline). the hydraulic components have static and dynamic o-rings. high pressure o-ring seals have Teflon back-up rings to prevent extrusion of the rubber o-ring. the only time we use sealant is metal to metal machined surfaces for steam turbines. for o-rings it's just a very thin coat of grease. however, the o-ring sealing surface is always RHR 63, equivalent to using 80 grit sandpaper to scuff the sealing surface. too smooth or smoother than RHR 63 results in leak paths. I have tested hydraulic components to 4500 psi, greased o-rings, no sealant.
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Post by 90GTVert on May 16, 2019 21:35:41 GMT -5
Got the belt changed. It was about 16.7mm vs 18mm new. Reconnected hoses, but didn't add coolant. Checked tires. Weather forecaster says up to 26MPH sustained winds tomorrow.
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Post by 90GTVert on May 17, 2019 10:46:29 GMT -5
T2's as ready as it's gonna get. I'm sitting around trying to figure out what the storms are gonna do. There's a band that's supposed to go through around 1PM so I may wait till after that to leave. Another band is supposed to come through the beach around 7PM so I'll prob get soaked and I'm not bringing rain gear. I could tie it under the frame brace, but since LC I have no front foot rests so the only way to move around is getting a foot on top of the battery under the brace and I think I'll need to move the leg that I broke for a long ride. Hopefully the rain misses at least in the evening. If not, I may be frozen on the way home because I don't have room for non-mesh gloves and thicker stuff under my jacket. I do have the usual tool kit and 2 belts, head gasket set, camera, thin jacket liner, thin glove liners, 28 extra GoPro batteries, ~10 memory cards, wallet, phone, and 4 8oz oil bottles under the seat. I washed out a rubbing alcohol bottle, filled it with water, and strapped that between the tail light and gas tank with zip ties. It's only 1qt, but could be enough to get me somewhere in an emergency. I tried other bottles, but that one fit the space the best. I will prob toss a plastic bag under the seat so I can carry more hanging from the bars if need be. Should be fun riding 70 miles home at night on back roads with lots of forests and fields thinking about deer. Not even gonna BS you, it's a little scary. Just have to remember that I've been to the beach tons of times and only once did I hit a deer, and that was in an area I ride through on 50% of my trips out of the house. To rip off AC/DC : So lock up your scoot coupes and lock up your TaoTaos. Lock up the rentals and get out now. T2 is back in town, and he'll be ridin' around. I'm kidding of course. 10 miles into the trip I'll prob be crying on the side of the road with coolant spewing out.
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Post by 190mech on May 17, 2019 11:54:22 GMT -5
What about camping out at the beach and ride home in the morning?Yeah,I know no room for gear.maybe even a cheap hotel..Worried about you traveling home at night with all those woods critters crossing the roads...
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Post by 90GTVert on May 17, 2019 12:53:03 GMT -5
What about camping out at the beach and ride home in the morning?Yeah,I know no room for gear.maybe even a cheap hotel..Worried about you traveling home at night with all those woods critters crossing the roads... No guts, no glory. Less ER visits too, but that doesn't sound as catchy. I appreciate the concern. I don't have the cash to hold up in a hotel room for the weekend. They get booked up so I don't think many/any even allow a 1 night stay during the car show or holiday weekends. I have thought about trying to get a room with a good spot on the strip so I could chill there and watch cars from a balcony when not riding, but those have to be reserved now for next year and it's not cheap. Plus, I love to ride and sometimes it's fun to push yourself (not to be confused with pushing the scoot, which is never fun). Kinda feels good to do stuff that most people won't do (because they're too smart?). I don't personally know any bikers that will ride 8-12 hours without even stopping to eat on a regular basis. Most of the dude's I know want to ride to a bar or take a "long" 2-3 hour ride on a Sunday.
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Post by oldgeek on May 17, 2019 13:08:52 GMT -5
Have a blast!
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Post by aeroxbud on May 17, 2019 14:32:08 GMT -5
Hope it goes ok, fingers crossed for you.
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Post by Jwhood on May 17, 2019 17:46:25 GMT -5
Be safe bro
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Post by 90GTVert on May 18, 2019 9:31:40 GMT -5
Much to my surprise, T2 ran well most of the time. Temps stayed low, in the 110s and 120s the majority of the time. As nightfall came and traffic picked up, the temp did get up to about 140 in an area where I just ride with traffic instead of the bus lane. I was nervous, thinking here goes another head gasket and waiting for 160... 180... 190... Didn't happen though. I did turn the fan on at about 140 and it cooled some even in traffic. Then I got back on the other road with a bus lane and it dropped back to normal. Repeated that a few times during the night. I noticed that when my coolant temp is low the idle is where I set it and can actually get a little low, dipping down to 1400-1500. When it gets up to 140 or so the idle was hanging around 1800-2000. I was on the highway on the way home for a bit cruising 55 and it was 120 out there. I did have one issue in town. I stopped in traffic on my last trip around the strip and it died on me as some guy was trying to get me to do a burnout or wheelie. I got off and it fired right up, as the guy taunted me about it stalling. Then it started breaking up. It was acting like a plug fouling. If I opened it up for a sec it would kinda clear out, but it didn't like idling and low speed so much. It also acts bogs sometimes after much WOT and was starting to feel like the belt was slipping when hard on the gas on the way home, but I'm not so sure that wasn't carb related. Nothing that worried me too much. I know earlier, when I could see the unlit CHT gauge, it was always at very safe temps. I had a few people asking what it is. I told one it's just a sh*tty Chinese scooter. One asked if I built it myself. Multiple people kinda poking fun. I pulled up to one light and a guy says "This guy's serious" or just seeing people laugh when I rolled up. Stuff like that. Had a guy in a Tundra ask me to race. I nodded and revved it up. The guys in there laughed, then the turn lane light turned green and he lunged forward thinking it was our green so I think he intended to race. Our light turned green and I left him so I guess he chickened out. I couldn't really get anyone to play. If I revved at the red light and looked at them they just thought it was funny. I took off at one light with a few cars. Then the next light the hot rod I think Malibu (can't recall for sure, but lumpy cam and big tires) and some Civic or something did kinda take off to stay with me. I'm not sure that the Civic wasn't actually trying. Not a lot of burnouts and stuff from other people. I did one burnout and didn't fulfill many requests for them. Mostly because people were asking at bad times like when I was really out in the open and cops could see or a light was about to turn green. When I did a burnout I heard "best one so far", but I got the impression that there hadn't been many. I didn't notice black marks all over the place like some car shows. There's plenty of time left though. I did do quite a few of my crappy bouncy wheelies. I don't like when it gets up much so I look like a bucking bronco. Some woman laughed loudly out loud when I did a wheelie in front of her. You definitely can't take yourself too seriously on the scoot, but I don't anyway. I know it's not actually fast and that nobody thinks it's cool, but I guarantee you I am having as much fun as anyone out there riding around. I rolled into a gas station late in the night and there was a group of bikes there. Big bagger Harleys and a sport bike. An older guy with an HD jacket came over and said something like "people must really like these toys. I see 'em everywhere now." Of course I replied like he'd expect with, "Yeah, I like it and I don't get stuck in traffic." He then asked me if it was a 2 cylinder. I said "it's a two-stroke but not a two cylinder". Then his buddies were paying more attention by then and chimed in that they'd have one of them things to mix oil automatically. Another said something like he'd have a pipe and all kinds of stuff on it if he had one. I didn't bother to speak up about how pre-mix sucks and that this one isn't quite stock. They were all nice, but I got the impression that they kinda felt on a higher tier than me because I was on the "toy". Meanwhile, I felt like I was likely on a higher tier when it comes to mechanical things. I can at least look at and listen to their bikes and have an idea of what's up with them. If you see T2 and think it's a stock scooter, you're kinda lost. Then they fired up and revved for no reason and cranked up a muddy distorted stereo about 4 times as loud as it ever should have been as they rolled off. My previous comment about hotels may be wrong. I forgot that they're killing the car show as time goes on. I think part of it is that people would rather fiddle with their cell phone than their car more today and part is that they put it on the news about the heavy fines and reduced speed limits and put signs out about it. Definitely plenty of cops there, but that's nothing new for car shows. I prob could have walked into numerous hotels and got a room last night. Some didn't even bother opening and are still waiting for Memorial Day weekend. The car show used to be how all of the hotels filled their rooms out of season. I rode for about 12 hours. I left around 2PM and got home just after 2AM. I did take I 2-3 5-10 minute breaks aside from gas stops because I was hurting during the ride. I'm hurtin' like hell even after about 5 hours of sleep. Knees, hips, butt, shoulders, hands... you name it. Not sure if I'll go back tonight or not. Random photo op at a "pit stop" in the swamp forest.
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Post by 90GTVert on May 18, 2019 10:03:57 GMT -5
Just checking out gas receipts from last night :
Average MPG : 31.6 Best MPG : 34.8 (in town) Worst MPG : 29.0 (open roads)
Not counting the fuel for the last stretch home, I spent $22.38 in gas and roughly $8 in oil. If you could ignore the money I spend on the scooter and the hair I pull out over it and all of the breakdowns I've had, and the risk of $1000 fines, this is cheap entertainment. lol
Trip Mileage : 260.2
Oh yeah, and I was slowing down every time I saw anything unusual in a field last night. Reflectors, tall tufts of grass. I did see one deer that came right to the side of the road and then walked back into the trees right near where the pic was taken in the last post. I was cruising 50-55 and then decided to slow down a little in what I consider the higher risk areas.
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Post by oldgeek on May 18, 2019 10:53:54 GMT -5
Great to hear you made the trip successfully with minimal issues.
It is Harley week here, and a very heavy turnout this year. For the most part they are relatively tame around here, but just south of here is where they have moved all the big parties and craziness.
I get the same stuff around here from people daily, mostly laughing out loud saying pop a wheelie, or do a burnout kinda stuff. There is the occasional educated comment, referencing 2 strokes. I tend to bring some of it on myself due to my addiction of needlessly twisting the throttle continually and the loud tone of the TK pipe on the blue Kymco.
I dont think I take myself too seriously either, but I do get annoyed eventually when people trash talk. I dont like when people run their mouths. I usually say something about a persons bike, car, whatever only if I like it. But it amazes me how many people feel the need to run their mouths and belittle me or anyone about a scoot. They usually get the GO F YOURSELF from me. Yup i'm getting older and less tolerant of BS everyday. Lately there seems to be a rash of idiots riding my ass when there is NO PLACE TO GO. I am on the upper part of the strip, traffic is heavy but moving at 20-25 MPH and they feel the need to ride my ass so close I can feel the heat from their radiator. In retaliation I have been pulling into the bike lane, letting them pass then jumping in right behind them and giving them a dose of their own medicine.
I tried to ride with a pack of Gromes last night, I was not received well, so I just moved on. No big deal to me. Also a few Harley riders felt the need to pass me in my lane (I ride in the left of my lane) even though there was nowhere to go. I guess they got tired of my 2stroke noise competing with their Harley noise.
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