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Post by tplasek on Oct 24, 2009 17:29:51 GMT -5
My wife and I are going to Garner State park next month for a few days of riding. I installed 8 12gram Dr.Pulley sliders in her Linhai 260 today in anticipation of some of the steeper grades around that area compared to the Houston flatness which we normally ride. Here is my first impression of the setup. I just got the bike put back together and took it out for a spin. I can immediately tell it hits much harder from a dead stop up to 15 mps. What I would call a noticeable improvement. After around 20mph it seems to pull the same as beforee thereafter but seems to be a little flatter on the 60-70 chinometer range and will not go past 72chinometer mphs today. It used to go up to the upper 70’s in cinomiles per hour. Seems like I may have lost a little on the top end, but I didn't expect that from reading other experience with the 8 weight Vog – Linhai style variators and the 8 weight 12 gram sliders. I was expecting the same top speed just at a few more rpms. It doesn’t seem like it is reved up any more at the top end, it just seems like it doesn’t want to pull in 60 on up range.
One a side note, today I did notice the air intake hose from the filter to the carburetor had pulled off the carb. I pushed it back on and retightened the clamp. Could this have given a slight boost in top end power that I choked off today after I pushed the hose back on. hmmmm
I installed the weights mostly because of the praise JRRYAN gave them. I have not been in the hills yet, and I have only been on one test ride, but right now I just cant say for sure if I’m happy and going to leave them in or switch back to the stock rollers. I’m also eager to hear what wildhide runs in his Vog since he rides in the hilly Austin area.
Any comments, positive or negative, are welcomed from others who have made this same change.
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Post by allworld on Oct 24, 2009 17:50:20 GMT -5
hello tplasek: In general with lighter weights you gain in the take off but loose on the top end. Since you will need more torque than speed to go up hill you may want to go a little heavier. The fact that the air intake hose was off would effect the engine performance, but the air fuel mixture is also part of the equation. In my Linhai 300 I put 8 11 gram sliders and was pleased with the performance. Make sure that the belt is not worn and the air filter is clean.
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Post by JR on Oct 24, 2009 18:08:14 GMT -5
Woe there when going up the hills lower weight sliders or rollers give you more torque due to the fact when the engine loads up to increased elevation the lighter weights will allow for more rpms of the engine as the belt goes to a lower gear ratio! If you stay heavier then the variator will not shift down to the lower rpm as easy therefore losing top end speed going up a hill.
The oppostie occurs when on flat terrain as the lighter weights or sliders will not hold the variator out as well for more top end and if it does it requires more rpms to do so.
There are other variables to consider also such as altitude, weight of the scooter and rider and in my case I have put larger tires on my scooter also. Now in the Houston area you're around sea level or a tad higher, if memory serves me correct the VOG is heavier than my 250B and I'm not sure of your tire size either! I do know that Earl has a 250B and lives in Grapevine Texas and he runs 10 gram sliders in his and loves them!
Due to my different variables such as higher altitude and larger tires and I'm pretty sure a lighter scooter I did not lose any top end but I do a lot better on the hills which is mainly where I ride!
On my recent trip to Dallas I could feel the difference in the power in the lower regions mainly starting in the Red River valley area and coming home as I got closer to these old Arkie hills she picked up and ran better!
BTW what weight came with your scooter? MIne came with 14 gram rollers and also remember there is another varible to consider as sliders have a slight different performing level than rollers! JRR
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Post by tplasek on Oct 24, 2009 18:23:59 GMT -5
I may have the wrong interpretation of how the variator works. My interpretation is the weights sit in the retracted position at idle and the variator pulley is fully opened. As you increase the rpms, the centripetal force pushes the weights outwards, closing the pulley and making the belt ride higher in the variator pulley. Now since my factory weights were 14 gram (I haven't mesured them yet) and I stuck in 12 gram weights, the engine would have to be at a slightly higher rpm to achieve the exact same variatior slider movement as before with the 14gram weights. I think I have this part figured out. Here is I may be a little fuzzy. I would think at some said rpm, the weights should either roll or "slide" all the way to the outside of the variator and fully close the pulley. One would think if you had 14gram, 12gram, 11gram, or 10gram weights, ALL at some said rpm would fully slide to the outside of the variator and fully close the pulley. This is where I don’t understand how you can loose top speed unless you are bumping the rev limiter. Others input on this would be greatly appreciated.
Now for the important question. Allworld, how can you tell if the belt is worn or not? The belt was the very first thing I looked at after I took the cover off, but I did not know how to tell if it was worn or not. How do measure or look for stretched or worn belts? The scooter has 1800 miles on it.
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Post by JR on Oct 24, 2009 20:00:06 GMT -5
I presume it's the 856-23 Gates Powerlink belt? If so then measure the width of the belt and I would replace it at less than 22.5mm. But at only 1800 miles I can tell you unless something is major wrong then it should be fine! www.scootershopsc.com/variatorexplination.aspA good variator explanation! If you notice also that Allworld used 11 gram weights on his Linhai and again each person has different variables. You are correct on the way they slide out but at a lower weight even though you increase the RPM's the variator in some instances may not push the belt all the way up to the outermost part of the variator with lighter weights! But with the increased RPM when you start up a hill you don't lose the top end near as bad due to the simple fact that the weights will allow the belt to go in and thus giving a better ratio and with the increased RPM's more pulling power up that hill! With heavier weights yes the variator will max out but when you start that hill climb you lose top end because the RPM's decrease and the weights try to stay out at the outer most part of the variator. Loss of RPM and the belt not shifting down to make the ratio better results in a slower hill climb! JRR
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Post by JR on Oct 24, 2009 22:04:37 GMT -5
Found the weight specs for the VOG 260 and the net weight is 374 lbs and gross is 462 lbs.
Weight for my 250B is 319 lbs. net and 340 lbs gross!
Deffinitely a heavier scooter! JRR
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Post by ♣Luke♣ on Oct 24, 2009 23:17:56 GMT -5
my assessment is a lighter scooter roller weight requires higher RPMs to push the rollers outward through centrifugal force and begin changing your CVT's gear ratio. Heavier scooter roller weights need lower RPMs to begin changing gear ratios. Lighter roller weights = faster take-off acceleration, lower top speed. Heavier roller weights = slower take-off acceleration, higher top speed. For stop-and-go city driving, lighter roller weights may be preferred. For long-distance highway driving, heavier roller weights may be preferred. Dr. Pulley sliders offer long lasting durability while providing outstanding acceleration. " xxxxxxxxx
I think the advice being offered to change stock 12 gram weights for 14 gram weights may not prove to be a best situation for many city scooter drivers who would may want a bit more acceleration without killing top end speed. Going from 12 to 14 grams will hurt acceleration and not give much more than maybe a couple MPH at the top end in return due to the engine having somewhat limited power output. My tall windshield limits top end to 77mph anyway.
As the weights in one's stock scooter slowly wear away, acceleration actually improves just like using slightly lighter roller weights, but top end will also slowly decline. New stock weights along with a new, full width belt, get things back to normal, stock configuration. Using slightly lighter weights with a new belt will improve get up and go off the line and when lightened with moderation, the top end of about 82 mph won't be much affected. Belth width plays into the gear ratio equation, too. Older, slightly worn weights combined with a new belt will accelerate nicely and retain the original top end pretty well for many miles.
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Post by tplasek on Oct 25, 2009 1:09:20 GMT -5
I never thought about the weights just not being heavy enough to push all the way to the outside. I can see how wind resistance and lack of horsepower limits the rpms from getting high enough for the light weights to push all the way out. I guess my theory only works on the service stand with no wind.
Thanks for the input guys. I need to do the following: 1: get the size of the belt (It is stamped on it) and measure its width and 2: weigh my factory rollers to see if they are indeed 14grams.
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Post by JR on Oct 25, 2009 7:36:36 GMT -5
Luke my man ya hit it on the head, and are indeed a scholar!! Well put a bone for you!!!
TPlasek you are right on, weigh those original rollers and measure your belt. Luke even reminded me of the old belt thing, I now have over 4k on this belt of mine.
I just recently made a long trip to that old Texas of yours 806 miles round trip!! Have worked in Houston town, a long time ago! LOL
One other factor to remember is that the sliders will push the variator a little more closer and the belt out more due to their design and if you can get it up to the outermost part of the variator it will give you that little tad of top end.
What's funny is a stretched belt will get further out on the variator but if it is wore badly too then you don't gain anything.
Also to note since you have 12 sliders if you do decide to order a different weight I would suggest 10 gram because that will give you 3 weights to work with because you can mix the 12's and 10's to get the same equation as 11's!! Or you can get 14's and mix the 12's for a 13 just depends on what you want! Just a thought JRR
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Post by widehide on Oct 25, 2009 11:17:11 GMT -5
tplasek, I don't know what my weights are, they are stock, I never changed them and never weighed them. I Know Garner Park very well and the route to it, Are you talking about riding all the way there, or trailer it and ride around the area. I think which ever weights you use within reason you should have no problem, Oh be sure to take the ride to CAMP WOOD out of Leaky Tx, that is noted as the best ride in Texas. Oh be careful, I met my first wife camping at Garner, and I met my second wife camping at Garner, I'm not going back.
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Post by JR on Oct 25, 2009 12:43:57 GMT -5
tplasek, I don't know what my weights are, they are stock, I never changed them and never weighed them. I Know Garner Park very well and the route to it, Are you talking about riding all the way there, or trailer it and ride around the area. I think which ever weights you use within reason you should have no problem, Oh be sure to take the ride to CAMP WOOD out of Leaky Tx, that is noted as the best ride in Texas. Oh be careful, I met my first wife camping at Garner, and I met my second wife camping at Garner, I'm not going back. Wait a minute Wait a minute !!! Two wives??? Something funny going on here!!! ;D LOL JRR
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Post by widehide on Oct 25, 2009 15:15:38 GMT -5
jrryan, sorry but true, but they were 17 yrs apart, what happens at Garner does not stay at Garner, just took a sweet 50 mile cruise, great weather Adios
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Post by frank on Oct 26, 2009 5:20:18 GMT -5
Just a quick question. speaking of the sliders, I have 7000miles on my 250B roketa. If I take them out and weight them How do I know what the stock weight is. as the sliders have worn down and lost a lot of metal. What I mean is if they were 14gram and lets say the I take them out after 7000 miles they might weight 11 or 12 or even 13gram. Is there a way to find out what is the stock weight of the sliders from the factory is?
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Post by JR on Oct 26, 2009 6:15:04 GMT -5
I really don't think they will be worn that much as if you've never opened the variator on the scooter. Generally from the factory it has way too much grease in it to have too much wear! I removed mine with 2500 miles and they weighed right at 14 grams! Like always one needs to weigh them but at least I can say that everyone that I've seen list the weight for the 250B has said 14 grams! JRR
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Post by frank on Oct 26, 2009 19:10:57 GMT -5
Thanks. I don't plan to change the rollers yet but when I have to. I just wanted to know what size they were, so that I could replace them and make scooter like new. Bike has ran so good that I don't want to change a thing.
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Post by tplasek on Oct 29, 2009 10:42:14 GMT -5
I weighed the roller weights which were in my wife's 2008 Linhai 300. They weigh in at 11 grams each. I am not the original owner of the scooter, but I kinda doubt the 40 year old lady that owned it before us changed the rollers to from 14 grams to 11.
So now I have gone from 11 gram rollers to 12 gram sliders. I think I may have gone the wrong way for riding in hilly areas. Maybe this is why I lost a little off the top end. I am going to order a set of 10 gram sliders and see how those act. They are cheap and easy enough to install that I don't mind getting a few different ones and maybe even running one set for flat Houston and another set for the rides we do in central Texas.
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Post by JR on Oct 29, 2009 11:53:19 GMT -5
Woe I'm confused! You said you had a VOG 260 which is the 257cc engine! Now you say that your wife's is a Linhai 300 with 11g rollers? The 300 is a totally different animal than the 260 in fact it's actually only a 275cc engine and I'm sure the weights will be different on it than on the 260 for several reasons as mentioned above! Again I'm confused (born that way LOL) did you not weigh the rollers in your 260 because if they were 11g then you would have gained top end with the 12g sliders! Very confusing and again you can't compare the two. The rule of thumb is for every gram of weight you increase the rollers/sliders the more top end and less RPM! Decreasing the weight increases RPM but loses top end! I am doing some winter PM work on my scooters and just yesterday I changed the 14g (weighed them) rollers in mama's 250A to 12g sliders just like in my 250B and she will hit 75MPH at 6900 RPM! Saaaaaweet! Generally speaking reducing roller weight will increase the RPM by 500 and it's the opposite when increasing the weight! There are some differences in slider RPM gains/reduction as in my dealings the RPM swing is about 350. One needs to also consider that when changing from rollers to sliders if the gram difference is only 1 or maybe 2 grams the top end will not suffer as greatly because the sliders will push the variator plate closer and making the belt go to a greater OD on the variator plate thus keeping some of the lost top end if you go to lighter weights. vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=31718625I will say this too if the linhai 300 does indeed have the 11g rollers in it then I bet the RPM's on that scooter are a cranking! Man that's low for a 300 engine IMO JRR
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Post by tplasek on Oct 29, 2009 12:48:03 GMT -5
I guess I started the confusion because a thought a Vog 260 and the Linhai 300 were the same scooter just traded under different names. My reasoning for this was when the ECM (spark controller box) went out on the Linhai, ScooterTronix recommended the VOG-260 ECM because it was the same box with a 9k rev limiter rather then the 7200 rpm rev limiter on the Linhai. Somehow in that short telephone conversation I got the impression the scooters were the same, I guess not.
Anyways, my wife’s scoot is a 2008 Linhai 300 with 8 weights in the variator. I ordered 12 gram sliders thinking I had 14 gram rollers from the factory. I am the second owner, so there is a chance they changed them, although I doubt it. They just didn’t seem the type. I brought the original rollers with me to work today and they are all with .1grams of being 11gram rollers.
With this said, I now know why the bike feels flatter on the top end, like I stated in my original first impression of the sliders. I see your reasoning in why I should have gained a few mph by increasing the weight to 12grams sliders as well as the benefits of their geometry, but I don’t think the scooter is in a happy rpm range (no tach on the scoter) in the 60 – 70 mph range. It “feels” like it is one gear too high and just doesn’t have the power to push the wind. I compare this to a feeling of climbing a hill in overdrive in a car. My senses tell me the scooter used to have a few more rpm’s around 70 and was in a happier rpm power range to push into the upper 70’s on the chinometer. Now is just gets to 71 chinomiles, which is OK, but the flat power after 60 isn’t. It takes longer now to get from 60 -70 then before I installed the sliders. I see your logic and agree, I’m just expressing what my experiences are so hopefully this will benefit someone in the future.
So, where do I go from here? The trip to hilly central Texas is in 3 weeks. At the very least, I will put the 11 gram rollers back in. I hope Allword will chime in here as he too has a Linhia 300 with 11 grams sliders. I would like to know if he weighed the factory rollers. Also, my wife’s sister has a 2008 Linhai 300 she purchased brand new. I think I will ask her if I can weigh her variator weights. Option two is to go ahead and order a set of 10gram sliders and see how those perform compared to the 11gram rollers which were in the scooter when I got it. I like to tinker with stuff so I may go ahead and order the 10’s.
I may have a set of eight 20x12x12grams sliders for sale soon.
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Post by JR on Oct 29, 2009 14:46:42 GMT -5
Ok now you are making a lot of sense and I'm not so confused and let me make a suggestion as in go ahead and buy the 10's and if you don't like them you can mix half 12's half 10's and the total = 11's!!! You have already tried 12's and don't like them so by getting the 10's it will give you 3 ratios to work with instead of two! JRR
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Post by tplasek on Oct 29, 2009 15:33:04 GMT -5
I LIKE the way you think. You are like a "used car salesman" and I couldn't resist your pitch. I just ordered the 10's. That is a great ideal to mix them. Tim
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Post by JR on Oct 29, 2009 21:31:55 GMT -5
Well thank you glad you bought the pitch! LOL JRR
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Post by tplasek on Nov 7, 2009 17:43:35 GMT -5
Here is an update. While I was waiting for my new 10 gram sliders to arrive, my sister in law gave me the ok to take her variator apart and weigh her2008 Linhai 300 rollers. They were indeed 11 grams rollers and were identical to the ones which were in my wife's 2008 Linhai 300.
Ok, today the new 10 gram sliders arrived. I quickly disassembled the variator and immediately found a problem with the 12 gram sliders I installed. One of them had rolled over during the installation process and the flat slide was no longer riding against the plate. It was rotated 90 degrees to the way it was supposed to be. That probably upset the variator, and skewed my results and first impressions.
Anyhow, my entire mission was to make the scooter pull better in the hills for our central Texas ride in two weeks. I did NOT want to increase the weights, I wanted to decrease the weights so no need to mess with correctly reinstalling the 12’s. Out with the 12's and in with the 10's. It took approx 20 minutes to complete the swap.
All I can say is WOW!!! What an improvement over the factory 11gram rollers and my incorrectly installed 12 gram sliders. That scooter really "scoots" now. It launches off the line, pulls great all the way to 65, slows just a bit there and keeps going up into the upper chinese 70's, just like it did the factory weights, just MUCH faster. Now, when you are moving along and gas it, it almost feels like it downshifts, like a geared bike. It seems to rev up and go. Before, it just made a little more noise and slowly accelerated. I am very happy swapping 11 grams factory rollers for 10 gram sliders.
Now if I wanted to continue to play with different ratios, how can I mix and match the 12 and 10 grams sliders together. Do you have to do 4 and 4 for centripetal physics and balance, or could I start with just 2, 1 one each opposite side of the variator. I guess what I am saying here is I know how it ran with 11 gram rollers, so I don’t really want to do 4 10’s and 4 12’, because it would run very similar to the factory 11’s. I would like to play with the ratios between 10 and 11 just for fun and to satisfy my curiosity
Thanks for all your input guys….
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Post by JR on Nov 7, 2009 23:23:19 GMT -5
Just put 4 and 4 opposite of each other and off to the races! Now if you go to the 11 gram set up with four of the 12's and four of the 10's it will balance out to 11 gram. Now remember even though a 11 gram roller is the same exact weigfht as a 11 gram slider the sliders do not lose as much top end when going to a lower weight as a roller will and this is why; vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=31718625Watch the video. I just knew something had to be wrong on your first try and glad ya found it, just one put in wrong can sure mess things up! JRR
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Post by knowone on Dec 15, 2009 22:48:03 GMT -5
I'm looking for 8ea 10gr sliders for my 250B, (like Earl has). All the sources I've found show a set of 6ea. Does anyone have a source for a 8ea pkg of DP sliders for the 250B. I believe they may be 20X12X10gr.
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Post by JR on Dec 15, 2009 23:30:30 GMT -5
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Post by als01seville on Dec 16, 2009 0:02:00 GMT -5
OK, here is my .02, to get the same rpms out of Rollers and Sliders you need to go 1 gram heavier with Sliders. Rollers will effect your rpms by 500-600 rpms for every gram. Sliders will effect your rpms by 250-350 for every gram. But with the Sliders you get smoother acceleration and a little more top end due to their design. So pick your weights using rollers first then buy the expense Sliders but 1 gram heavier than the rollers you like and you will like the smooth transition as you accelerate plus you will gain some top end to boot. Alleyoop
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