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Post by Gary on May 19, 2009 15:13:33 GMT -5
Yes, there is no doubt I've gotten my money's worth out of the Bali. Its been tons of fun, and continues to be. If I were to get a new bike, I'd sell (or give away) the Tank 150 that my son currently uses and let him use the Bali. Got to stew on this...
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Post by Gary on May 21, 2009 22:14:22 GMT -5
Well, Ole Yeller is back on the road again. Its been a while. I received and installed the new fan pulley. Its an original Honda part. Not functionally different than the china OEM part but finished a lot nicer. Also installed a new muffler because the old muffler had a loose internal part that rattled like crazy. I'd been chasing a rear brake noise for a long time with no success. Turns out it was the muffler all along. Everything is quiet on the back end now.
The new Michelin tires handle really well. I notice reduced acceleration with the taller 130 rear tire. Its a combination of bigger OD (effectively reduces gear ratio) and more rotational inertia. I suppose I could drop roller weights to compensate.
Anyway, scoots running good again. Guess I'll pass on the Burgman for now. Gary
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Post by anhoa on May 22, 2009 8:46:54 GMT -5
Gary, Did you use any lock-tite this time to the variator nut?
Anhoa
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Post by Gary on May 22, 2009 8:52:58 GMT -5
No locktite this time. Torqued it down good and double-nutted it. If it comes loose again, something else must be wrong.
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Post by yarddogbbq on May 22, 2009 12:09:11 GMT -5
that nut takes
65 ft lbs to 70ft lbs.
on the variator.
the clutch takes 40ft lbs.
i think a few folks have over tightened the clutch nut and bent or broken the shaft.
use a wrench and have someone hold the brake to tighten.
ideally a tool to hold the variator would be nice.
i saw on a web site someone wedged a piece of wood at the top of the variator, and the cvt case, i would be careful of doing this.!
it could work or break something.
also i think you will like the boppers in the rain. they grip better than they look. (semi slick)
yarddog
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Post by Gary on May 22, 2009 15:18:45 GMT -5
Thanks YD. I'm really impressed with the Boppers. They handle marvelously; even the freeway grooves don't bother them at all. And if they do well in the rain too, that is awesome. Gary
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Post by Gary on Jun 4, 2009 9:27:51 GMT -5
Ole Yeller's been a kind of a PITA lately. First, the variator nut came loose, allowing the fan pulley to come off and self destruct. A few weeks later, it happened again. The the fan belt self destructed, and an internal part on the muffler broke loose, causing a horrendous rattle. I also had to put on a new set of tires. After replacing the fan pulley, drive belt, muffler and tires, I thought I would be all set but no, the scoot was very sluggish and acted funny at idle. There was also noise coming from the engine somewhere and the drive belt slipped occasionally.
I ordered lighter (17g) sliders to compensate for the bigger tires. Once they arrived, I opened up the variator and clutch bell to see what was going on. Whoa, I found a lot of collateral damage. First, one of the U-shaped bushings on the variator slide plate was missing, and another was badly cracked. The slide plate itself was heavily scored on the ID near the shaft and the sliders themselves had weird wear on them. The clutch bell was full of rubber dust. I was shocked. It's a wonder the scoot ran at all!
I cleaned everything out, installed the new sliders and new bushings, and put everything back together. Took the scoot out for a test ride, and yes, it was way better. Acceleration was good, idle was good, the scoot ran quietly. The belt still slipped occasionally - I attribute that to the worn slide plate (I have a new one on order).
So, you think I would be done. Nope, yesterday I started hearing noise from the exhaust. Poked around and found that the exhaust manifold was loose. Argh. Off with the muffler (again!) tightened the bolts (none of the snapped thank God), and reinstalled the muffler. Went out for another test ride and wow, I have China Stealth Scoot. Runs really quiet with no squeaks, rattles, or exhaust noise, only the occasional belt squeal if I goose it too much.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that nothing else goes wrong, at least not for a while.
Gary
PS: I can't express how big a difference the new tires (Michelin Boppers) make. They are awesome. I ride on the freeway frequently now and the handling is great - no worries at all. They handle road grooves and pavement irregularities with ease. And they weren't any more expensive than other brands - way cheaper than the Continetals I had on before and much, much better. I know everyone has their favorite brands, but I can't say enough about the Michelin's; they are superb.
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Post by breeze71 on Jun 6, 2009 13:30:07 GMT -5
Gary, Can you give me step by step DETAILED, pics?, instructions on how you did your valve adjustment? Did you take off the air filter canister and why does the seat have to be removed? This according to the Helix manual on Stan Jessup's site. Thanks, Dave
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Post by breeze71 on Jun 9, 2009 17:28:17 GMT -5
Already did it Gary. So far so good.
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Post by Gary on Jun 9, 2009 20:05:21 GMT -5
Sorry for not getting back to you Breeze. Hopefully you found the instructions in the "how to" section. Did you use the hot or the cold method??
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Post by breeze71 on Jun 10, 2009 15:46:24 GMT -5
Thanks for replying. I couldn't wait. I used the cold method. You can read my experience on "Valve location on a 244cc engine" by bagely61. So far so good but still in the experimentation mode with the MRP air filter restriction. If my trial and error doesn't work I'll first try to enrich with the mixture screw and if that doesn't work then I'll put in a 120 main jet. I'm hoping that restricting the air will enrich the mixture just enough. My plug will tell me.
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Post by Gary on Jun 10, 2009 22:53:21 GMT -5
Fixed the last item from my variator nut/fan pulley fiasco. This was the variator slide plate. Here's a photo showing how the back side was severely scored near the center. I replaced the slide plate with a Honda OEM part and installed 17-gram sliders to improve take off with the bigger diameter rear tire. The scoot had also been idling a bit rough so I replaced the spark plug - the plug I replaced (an NGK iridium plug) had been in since day one - so I certainly got my money's worth. Boy what a difference! The scoot runs great, finally. The rpms seem a bit high at mid-speeds, so I might switch back to 19-gram sliders. But other than that, I'm a happy camper again. Cheers, Gary
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Post by Gary on Jun 12, 2009 17:26:09 GMT -5
Scoot hit 14,000 miles today and is running like a champ. Not bad for a cheap china scoot.
Another 2007 Burgman 400 appeared on Craigslist today for $3,700. It is certainly calling my name, but honestly, right now, Ole Yeller is meeting my needs perfectly. With the new tires the scoot handles great; I'm routinely taking the freeway on my commute to and from work. The scoot still looks great too. The rustoleum yellow is holding up fine and I'm pleased to say that all the plastic and rubber parts still look new despite being out in the sun almost every day at work. All in all, there is little to suggest the scoot is over two years old, was laid down at 50 mph and has 14,000 miles on it. I'm pretty happy with the scoot at the moment.
Onward to 15,000 miles.... Gary
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Post by earlwb on Jun 12, 2009 22:24:59 GMT -5
Nice going and congrats and I wish you many more miles of good service out of your ride too.
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Post by Gary on Jun 13, 2009 10:09:50 GMT -5
Thanks Earl. The advice from you and others on this forum has been most helpful.
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Post by harrywr2 on Jun 13, 2009 13:09:26 GMT -5
Ole Yeller is gonna run forever.
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Post by jim63 on Jun 13, 2009 13:48:18 GMT -5
Congrats on the 14k milestone. Your scooter probably knows you were searching for a replacement and got with the program. I'd rename it "Christine". Seriously though I hope it lasts forever for you.
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Post by Gary on Jun 26, 2009 14:57:57 GMT -5
Ole Yeller just rolled thru 23,000 km (14,300 miles). She's running great. I dropped back to 19 gram sliders from the 17 gram I was running. The engine was revving way too much and too early with the 17 gram weights. Turns out the acceleration with 19-gram weights is just fine. I think the acceleration problem I had when I first switched to larger tires was due to the spark plug going bad. Replaced the plug a few weeks ago and the scoots been running like a champ. Its still a little slower from a dead stop than with the smaller tires, but overall acceleration is fine.
The frame holding up the trunk cracked a couple weeks ago. I've got a new part on order from Roketa. I'm surprised the frame held up as long as it did - I constantly overload the trunk.
I'm still thinking about another scoot. There's an '07 Burgman 400 with 9,000 miles on Craigslist for $3,700 and an '07 Sym RV250 with 2,400 miles for $3,000. Both these scoots have been on the list for a while. I might make a low offer just to see what happens. Maybe $2,500 on the Sym?
Good riding to all, Gary
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Post by 12string on Jun 26, 2009 20:02:03 GMT -5
Did you top speed come up with the installation of the larger tires? I know the speedo should read the same if you have the hp. to go faster. The larger tires should go farther per tire revolution.
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Post by Gary on Jun 27, 2009 14:16:37 GMT -5
Unfortunately I'm real unsure about the speed difference. When I changed out the tires I recalibrated my bike speedometer, however I had to make the circumference setting smaller for the bigger tires. This tells me the old setting was wrong. I checked the new speedo readings against a GPS and they are pretty close. The scoot tops out at about 70 mph or so. It seems a bit slower than before although that could partially be just perception because the ride is so much smoother. I also have to recheck the speed with the new sliders.
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Post by buckeyescoot on Jun 27, 2009 19:08:00 GMT -5
Hi All -
I put Dr. Pulley sliders on back in March. I thought you did not lub the sliders, they were self lubbing? I have not greased mine, but I have not pulled the varrinator lately to look at the ware. The scoot seems to run fine, smooth accelleration and good top end, around 72 on a flat road.
Hey Gary, BTW congrads on the miliage milestone. I just hit 13,263 before I decided to replace some much needed worn parts and ran into some issues. Look for my new posts on the muffler and front brake issues I have posted for assistance.
Hear in Cincinnati, Ohio, I try to ride if it is around 40 degrees or warmer, but I look like the Stay-Puff marshmello man with my layers on going to work. Takes me 10 mins to get everything on and off when I ride in the early spring in late fall, or even if we have a mild winter. 40 Degrees with a promise of warmer temps during the day and I suiting up and taking the scoot!
Buckeyescoot (Joe)
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Post by Gary on Jun 28, 2009 12:13:07 GMT -5
Hey Joe - Congrats to you too - you are really piling the miles on that china scoot. Certainly getting your monies' worth. It will be interesting to see just how long these scoots hold up. My scoot certainly is giving no indication that it is anywhere near worn out. Like yours, the engine seems strong with good accelration and good enough top end. The bearings, suspension, frame, body panels, etc, etc all seem to be holding up fine. Hopefully, nothing major will break any time soon.
There seem to be different thoughts on the sliders. I put a little grease on mine. Kiwiscoot uses graphite from an HB pencil. Others use no lube. All methods seem to work. I added a response on your muffler post. Not sure about the front brakes, since I've neer been inside the master cyclinder. I just wonder if you could have reassembled something wrong. Gary
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Post by Gary on Jul 28, 2009 13:09:38 GMT -5
Ole Yeller is back on the road again with a new water pump seal. Rode the scoot around a bit over the weekend. It was fun, and, so far, no indication of water in the oil.
The Bali is certainly not as refined as my SYM - noisier, not as fast, doesn't handle as well at speed. On the other hand, being about 100 lbs lighter, she is easier to "throw around" and a lot of fun to ride around town (not on freeways). I think she'll be my "going to the market" scoot, while the SYM will be my "going to work" scoot.
Besides the lower weight I like several other things about the Bali vs the SYM: The seat is lower; I can flat foot the Bali while on the SYM I on tippy toes. I like the Bali wind screen better - it blocks the wind great yet I can still see over it. Wind protection for the legs is also better on the Bali. I like the foot positions on the Baili - there are three - forward at an angle against the front bulkhead, flat forward in front of the seat, and flat back, just under the seat. This gives a nice variety of positions. The Bali has two positions, angled forward and flat forward. The floorboard is cut away so there is no flat back position. The Bali has a seat hook while the SYM does not. So if you want to lock your helment it must go under the seat in the SYM. And while the storage on the SYM looks big, the seat has ribs on the underside that reduce the storage volume. I think the effective storage volume on the Bali may be greater.
I plan to clean up the post on changing the water pump seal and post it in the how to section.
Regards, Gary
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