Bummer ride day...

[WT100]

Well the Twisty Riders headed out on what was going to be "Springfield, Long Way Round". Were going to hit 5 lakes and rivers which surround the city. Probably about a 100+ mile ride. But about 70 miles into it things went downhill for my little scoot fast...

To the best of my memory this is how things went bad.

First, i came up fast on a rough transition from paved road to dirt road i hit a bump hard. Trying to regain control i slammed all my and the scots weight onto my left leg and torqued my knee good. Now i have a nice limp going. The hard hit may have caused what came next...

A little later after a short rest stop i hit the starter and it just spun like it was not grabbing and turning the motor over at all. I let it sit for a bit and hit it again. Held it and finally it grabbed and started. Sounded good so we headed on.

About a mile down the road lost power and died. Vince pointed out the plug wire hanging off the bottom. I re-attached it and we headed on until it came off again. This time i realized the little cap on the plug was loose. Borrowed some wire from a farmer and wrapped it around the tip of the plug, jammed the cap on, and wired it in place so it CAN'T come off.

Fired up easy as could be and we headed out.

Maybe 5 miles later i lost power and died. Plug still attached. Hit the starter and it just spun. Held it till it finally caught and started. But now when i hit the gas no go because THE BELT IS GONE!

At this point we chain it to a fence post and head off to get a truck, riding day done.

So now i'm kind of discouraged. Wondering if 4000 miles is the best i"m going to get out of this scoot.

[duosport]

I think it points out one or two of the fundimental differences between a scooter and a motorcycle. For one the small wheels of the scooter may have been your downfall on the intial jolt from the pavement. But the main thing is that the motor on a scooter is taking a lot more punishment than a motor on a cycle. There is no cushioning for the scooter motor. It is feeling every bump and rattle.

[drawkward]

When it rains, it pours

Sorry to hear about your misfortunes today. Sounds like you just need a couple new things. New belt, new plug, new boot, new starter idle gear/starter? My dad's starter on his 150 made that grinding noise then would catch randomly until it finally wouldn't catch anymore. The gear on the starter was very very slightly worn down, you could hardly tell by looking at it. Ended up finding a good new starter for under $30 shipped. Another thing is, it might just have bent the little plate that holds the starter idle gear thing on (number 8 in this diagram www.partsforscooters.com/Vehicle-Type/50cc-2-stroke-1E40QMB-Starter-Motor-Kick-Starter-Parts). That happened to me once. I just took a hammer to it and hit it back into place while it was still attached. Juice the starter with the CVT cover off and check out whats going on in there. It's not very complicated at all.

So the engine died on you because the belt snapped and jammed the variator causing a stall? I'm confused as to why it would die then have a snapped belt on restart.

[WT100]

Aug 8, 2010 20:42:01 GMT -5 drawkward said:

So the engine died on you because the belt snapped and jammed the variator causing a stall? I'm confused as to why it would die then have a snapped belt on restart.

I don't think so. It died when i was cruising at 50mph and maybe the engine breaking from that speed did it.

It is the second belt to go in a couple of hundred miles so maybe there is something up with the Vari?

[duosport]

I am kind of wondering if your sideways initial "Jolt" bent your whole crakcase or something. On that you suddenly lose starter gear contact and then also shred a belt. If everything no longer lines up properly seems that could cause both of those problems. I think some very slight change in the pulleys lining up can cause the belt to shred.

[90GTVert]

Sorry for the string of bad luck. Most importantly, I wish you a speedy recovery from the leg injury.

The starter could be something that Josh mentioned, or possible a starter clutch. As he said, an inspection should reveal the culprit. You're gonna have to pull it all apart anyway to clean everything out from a belt snap.

Your engine can die if the belt snaps and grabs. Sometimes the grab is very brief and you don't even notice (your wheel doesn't lock up). I've done it before. Just riding and the engine dies. Start and free rev... son of a...

I'd suggest an NGK cap to replace your old one.

Don;t be so down on the Triton. It's possible that something is really wrong, but it's likely that your harsh jolt just caused you some other issues and maybe soem stff was bound to happen anyway. Get it all checked out before you worry too much Tim.

Remember, 3 of 4 of my scooters has been wrecked fairly hard and ridden afterwards. A crash and a few mechanical failures don't have to be the end of the road.

[Goosey]

Ah, a fellow limper. Hope your second day pain isn't as bad as mine was 3rd day was much better. Twisted knee syndrome is going around.
A good jolt can bring out a lot of gremlins in these things, one thing at a time. It doesn't sound like any big things, you just may have to deal with a few small ones till you sort it out. I know that the tree landing on the Baron loosened the relay wires, and knocked the valve adjustment off..things to keep in mind. Heal better!

[WT100]

Well to be honest i did not pull the cover and verify that the belt is gone. Just herd the motor reving with no go. From what you are saying maybe the power was not even getting to the belt.

Gonna pull the cover in the morning and see what i can see.

[drawkward]

A few scenarios if your belt did NOT snap, and you are free revving...

1. Belt some how came off of the variator.
2. Variator face plate some how came off, and belt came off with it.
3. Clutch is stuck and won't engage.
4. Transmission gears stripped.

I'm thinking a broken belt

EDIT: Now that I think about it, maybe something IS going on with the variator. The variator holds the starter clutch and gear in place. This MIGHT explain the belt problem as well as your starting problem. Doubtful, but possible.

[WT100]

Thanks guys, your comments are helping me relax a little.

I love my "little Rocker" and doubt i'll move on just yet. I am really hoping to do a long solo ride before the winter and need to get some confidence back in it.

[duosport]

Well the assumption is that the jolt caused the starter to not engage and also the drive somewhere along the line, not to engage.

[WT100]

And Goosey i can tell already tomorrow is going to be a lot more painful. Since i did it in a panic stop i'm gonna have all the adrenaline fueled muscle "freak out" to deal with.

But hey, i could have gone down hard so i really should probably stop being a baby about it all ;D

Ibuprofen is my friend.

[drawkward]

Aug 8, 2010 21:39:53 GMT -5 WT100 said:

Ibuprofen is my friend.

I refuse to use anything else for a headache. Great stuff, it is.

[Goosey]

Ibuprofen is my friend.

Sadly I discovered that Ibuprofin makes me stupid. Can't do the math or think as quickly when I work the cash register at work under the influance, is that wierd?

[2strokd]

Sorry to hear of your bad day Tim . Just remember, it can always be worse my friend! You could have come back to no Triton at all when you went to get a truck .
Take it easy and get all healed up well buddy . My weekend sucked too. I was sick all weekend .
As far as the scooter goes, i agree with the other fine members here.
I think a good plug boot is in order (NGK). Pull the CVT cover and do a good inspection. It sounds to me like something might have come loose? Vari nut maybe? What brand of belt are you using? Is your cover vented?
Hope ya already have it fixed by now ;D