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Post by rubicontx on Oct 9, 2008 20:31:40 GMT -5
Another Rocketa is sold... Last week I decided to sell the Roketa Cypress 250. It had been working great since I bought it in June. The only problem I had with it was with the valves gaps being almost shut. A quick adjustment and everything was working great again. The reason I decided to sell it was that I needed to do some highway riding. I also wanted to do some 2up riding with the confidence that I could speed up to pass when needed. I placed in on Craigslist and in one day had an interested buyer via email. I thought wow.. this is great! Then after reading the email completely I figured it was a scam... One day later another email that looked like a scam. The old English words that they use is a dead give away. Then on the third day I get a legitimate email inquiring on the scooter. I reply and get a call right away from an interested party. That same day they come over to see the scooter and they really liked it. The next day they return with a mechanic friend who is riding a very nice Buell motorcycle. We meet at a the local high school parking lot so that they can test it out. He gives a once over then I start it up for them. Everything checks out. To make a long story short... The scooter left my garage on Saturday... It was really sad to see it go... But tomorrow a new to me 460cc scooter will be parked in my garage!
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Post by cstephen on Oct 9, 2008 21:07:16 GMT -5
Just curious, but how much did you get for it?
And also, what brand is the 459CC scooter? Congrats on being able to sell it when you wanted to!
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Post by rubicontx on Oct 10, 2008 8:08:45 GMT -5
The new scooter is an 05 Aprilia Scarabeo 500 GT.
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Post by dean on Oct 10, 2008 8:22:26 GMT -5
That's a nice touring scooter. They are not made anymore which keeps them unique. Congrats! Makes a big difference on the highway, doesn't it?
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Post by widehide on Oct 10, 2008 8:34:04 GMT -5
rubicontx,
Good news for us who hear the Roketa is impossible to sell, I did see your Ad in Craigslist and thought of getting it for my wife. Yesterday I finally used your valve adjustment process and my exhaust valve was 0-clearance, It now starts and runs smooth, It took me 6 hrs and was a pretty hard process due to the bottom valve. thanks and have a great maintenance free ride on the Scarabeo.
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Post by rubicontx on Oct 10, 2008 9:09:51 GMT -5
I will take my first real ride today on the highway. Took it for a spin yesterday but just around the block. It is heavier than the Roketa but very well balanced.
Aprilia got bought out by Piaggio in 04 or 05 and the new 07-09 Aprilia Scarabeo 500 is a copy of the Piaggio BV500 but they both use the Aprilia 460cc engine.
On selling the Roketa: As long as you price it appropriately it should not be hard to sell. The problem with the scooters being sold here in the Austin area is that people are asking way too much for them.
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Post by rubicontx on Oct 22, 2008 15:18:22 GMT -5
Some pics of the new scooter: Its a little naked without the side boxes (I took them off before taking these pics): Some pictures are a little dark. 16" Wheels front and back The dash: Picture with the side boxes attached (not mine): I'll take some pictures today of the scoot with the boxes attached. I opened her up this past Saturday to do an engine and gear oil change. I also replaced the spark plug with an NGK Iridium plug. It was very easy to remove the panels. It uses hex screws instead of the philip screws.
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Post by Kiwiscoot on Oct 22, 2008 15:38:20 GMT -5
Congrats on a very nice scoot. Hope you have "miles of smiles!!" ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D X 10 000's of miles
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Post by allworld on Oct 22, 2008 18:07:16 GMT -5
Hello rubicontx: Congratulations, that is a real good looking scooter. I wish you many happy trouble free miles.
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Post by scooterollie on Oct 22, 2008 18:14:30 GMT -5
Great looking scoot! Congrats.
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Post by jeja on Oct 22, 2008 18:43:18 GMT -5
drool drool
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Post by rubicontx on Oct 22, 2008 21:13:17 GMT -5
Thanks guys, So far its running very well. No complaints. It has the power to run comfortably in traffic all day. The storage is really enhanced with the side bags installed. Unfortunately it has no space under the seat. The gas tank and air box take most of the space down there. (pictures taken with my phone) The rear storage can store two helmets. The side bags are really specious. Here is my Garmin eTrex Vista Cx I used the same mount on my Cypress 250 Upgrades: 1.)I replacing the variator weights with some Dr. Pulley 28g slider weights. 2.)Wired the front lights to so that the low beam lights stays on when the high beam is turned on. 3.)The rear case has an LED brake light that for some reason was not connected in the US version. All the wires are there but not connected. A small piece of wire is all that's needed to reconnected them. 4.)Replaced the air filter with a k&n As for MPG, I put in 3.5 gallons and was able to run it 215 miles before the gas light came on. That's about 61mpg. The tank is supposed to have a 4 gallon capacity (3.5 main and .5 reserve).
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Post by scootzilla on Oct 23, 2008 19:11:52 GMT -5
Rubicon..Are those side bags stock? or did you purchase them seperately. Very nice scoot or should I say "cruiser", with those bags and wheels it lookes like a "BIG" cruiser..Gorgeous! Looks like you are set to go touring!
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Post by rubicontx on Oct 24, 2008 7:56:36 GMT -5
Thanks scootzilla, The bags are stock but I think you can order them from the dealers. If you look at this picture you can see the the black bracket where the boxes attach to. It sits under the grab handle with two screws on top and two screws on the bottom. In the picture above you can see a round black tab (on the upper right corner) that you pull to release the bottom of the bag. Easy on easy off. Here you can see the complete bracket.
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Post by mp250ajcl on Oct 24, 2008 17:12:36 GMT -5
Congratulations! That to me is one of the best looking scooters out there. How is the ride compared to the 250? Is it better build quality overall?
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Post by scootzilla on Oct 24, 2008 18:20:09 GMT -5
Rubicontx, thanks for posting the brackets and how it mounted for the hard saddlebags. The saddlebags blend very well with your scoot and does looked stock. With the information from you I think I can mount the brackets somewhat, the colormatch will be tough. Unlike yours it really blends in..nice bike!
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Post by drhat on Oct 24, 2008 19:46:49 GMT -5
Congrats on the up-grade Rube ! sounds like a nice scoot your valve adj. post on the 257 Linhai motor certainly helped me out . i hope you continue to contribute to the ScootDawg world with all your Mad Skills ! drhaft
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Post by rubicontx on Oct 24, 2008 23:37:13 GMT -5
Congratulations! That to me is one of the best looking scooters out there. How is the ride compared to the 250? Is it better build quality overall? Thanks mp250ajcl, The built quality in the 500 is a little better than the 250. The panels fit a little better and the plastics are made from thicker material. Quality fasteners: In the 250 it was phillips screws with speed nuts, in the 500 its hex screws and the speed nuts are threaded. You can torque the screw a little better with the thread built in. With my 250 the hole in the nut would sometimes open too big and not hold the screw in place. As for the ride, I think the bigger tires makes it a lot smoother. Its very well balanced. In the beginning it was a little hard to handle at slow speeds just because of the added weight. But now that I have gotten used to it its just as easy to maneuver as the 250. The biggest improvement has to be the fuel injection and the increase in CC. After working with both bikes though, I have to respect the Cypress. It was really built very well considering the price difference. No complaints.
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Post by bobpt on Oct 25, 2008 11:21:12 GMT -5
Ahh..so that is what the scooter is. I was stopped about 5 cars back in traffic when a scooter looking like yours turned the corner at the light. I was hoping to get through the traffic to catch up to them but they must have turned off onto a side street and I lost them. It was a light yellow cream color. Now I know the general area where the person might live so I will cruise the area and see if they want to come out to play .
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Post by ♣Luke♣ on Oct 25, 2008 11:42:46 GMT -5
rubs, that''s a nice looking scoot, i like the unique design.looks very comfy to ride on too. happy scooting!
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Post by rubicontx on Nov 21, 2008 15:22:42 GMT -5
The scarabeo is running great! No problems to report. I already put 887 miles since October 10. Weather is great for riding. It was 42 driving to work on Monday, 49 on Wednesday and 38 this morning. It gets a lot warmer on the commute home. I added these to make it faster:
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Post by rerun2 on Nov 21, 2008 22:46:48 GMT -5
I hate you and will steal your bike!! ;D
Seriously, that is the only scooter that I am absolutely in love with as far as looks goes, one super handsome machine!
*Lust, Envy, Desire, Lust again*
Congratulations on the dream machine, I hope you ride forever and a day, and NO putting it in the bed at night, we leave that to the big DAWG!!! ;d
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Post by rubicontx on Nov 24, 2008 10:41:35 GMT -5
Seriously, that is the only scooter that I am absolutely in love with as far as looks goes, one super handsome machine! I feel the same way. Its something different that you don't see too many of out on the road. I actually loved the hard side bags when I first saw it. It made it look like a bigger bike.
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Post by haakon59 on Nov 24, 2008 21:46:08 GMT -5
Wow, that is a nice looking machine, congratulations.
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Post by anhoa on Nov 26, 2008 11:57:40 GMT -5
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Post by rubicontx on Nov 27, 2008 12:31:56 GMT -5
Anhoa thanks for the link. The recall is about a small fuel line that is inside the fuel tank, starts to crack. It looked like they used a fuel line not rated to be submerged in fuel.
Since Piaggio took this long to make the recall, many owners had already done the modification themselves (including me). Since my scoot is an 05 it does not fall inside the recall but some of the 04-05 models also have the problem.
When I got my scooter, the prior owner had already done some of the fixes. I went ahead and replaced the line even thou it looked good.
Happy Thanksgiving all!
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Post by rubicontx on Jan 5, 2009 14:25:38 GMT -5
Just an update, the scooter is still working great no problems to report. After almost 1000 miles it keeps making me smile. Sometimes a little too much. I was at a stop light last Monday on the way to work. Since it was a nice day and I decided to see how fast I could take off from a dead stop. After moving away from traffic I looked down only to see my speedometer was reading 80 which is about 75 in real speed. About that same time from the corner of my eye I notice something on the other side of the road. After looking closer I notice its two motorcycle cops ! I let go of the gas and start to drop my speed but I knew it was too late. As I passed the cops I was just waiting for the lights and the siren but, they just looked on as I passed by. Maybe they were dumbstruck that a scooter could go that fast and just ignored it as a malfunction radar gun. I kept looking back but to my surprise and relief they did not move. I did not want to press my luck so I kept to the speed limit all the way to work after that.
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Post by Gary on Jan 6, 2009 10:46:52 GMT -5
Rub - Congrats on the "sobering" experience. I've had one or two like that.
Your scoot really does look great. To me, it has the look more of a fine motorcycle than a scooter. Anyway, very nice and elegant.
Do you split lanes at all, say at traffic lights, and do the side boxes affect that? Thanks, Gary
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Post by drhat on Jan 6, 2009 17:15:31 GMT -5
hehehe ;D i bet they were thinkin' "no way ..."
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Post by rubicontx on Jan 13, 2009 8:32:39 GMT -5
Rub - Do you split lanes at all, say at traffic lights, and do the side boxes affect that? Thanks, Gary I really try not too split lanes, but I can see where the width might be a problem. This scooter is really wide even without the side cases. For a while I drove the scoot without the cases but then I started to miss the extra storage they provide. Now I just leave them on all the time. hehehe ;D i bet they were thinkin' "no way ..." That's what I was thinking, they either gave me a break or just could not believe I was going that fast.
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