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Post by ZootScootRiot on Apr 13, 2009 21:13:35 GMT -5
I am trying to get the best info for my brother who is going to have to decide between a non-name ZNEN for $1300, or a Lance Vintage for $1400. Without knowing the differences under the hood, it sure feels like guesswork. I believe my il bello had an upgraded stator, that is why I had no issues after installing an electric fuel pump that pulls an additional 2 amps. The biggest difference between all the companies you have mentioned is warranty. Fly will probably have the best warranty, with Lance being second best. I have had some minor issues with my Vintage and my dealer & Lance has been great to deal with. I wouldn't get a no-brand Znen unless from a local dealer who was going to back it with their own warranty. (FYI - Thanks for serving, did just under 10yrs myself, most of that as an AF C-130 loadmaster. Have dropped off/picked up you guys in some of the worst areas of the world)
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Post by ZootScootRiot on Apr 13, 2009 21:22:52 GMT -5
I'm going to do the 2-mile oil change today, I have a quart of 10w-40 Valvoline conventional here, I used that in my scooter since day one, does anybody have good cause to recommend a different type of oil? After my performance upgrades on my scoot, I think i'm going to start using Mobil 1 now. This has been debated many times. It's personal preference. I like Shell Rotella (has more "stuff" for high heat, hard-working engines like ours - and not as much "crap" as a lot of other oils out there. I also prefer Shell high octane gasoline or at least a "top-tier" gasoline). Ran conventional all last year (1st yr of scooter ownership), but will switching over to Rotella Synthetic shortly. Used to be people/companies would recommend conventional for the first 1,000 then if you want to switch to synthetic do so after that, but I've recently read recommendations from several scooter companies and a lot are saying you can run synthetic from the get-go.
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Post by ZootScootRiot on Apr 13, 2009 21:43:29 GMT -5
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Post by Cookees on Apr 14, 2009 19:45:02 GMT -5
I hear John at Valley Scooters is bringing in his own spec'd Znens under the Motofino badge. He tells me he has his own people on the ground in China and they are checking each of his shipment. motofino is not znen. i think john is playing salesman My Bad.... it's Motorino not Motofino
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Post by usfmarine on Apr 14, 2009 21:07:32 GMT -5
Thanks zootscootriot, timmyjane, cookees, and others. I'm feeling more confident in my brother's no-name ZNEN scooter purchase. I did an oil change for him after 2.5 miles. There were quite a few metal shavings in his oil filter. Hmm... I used a conventional Valvoline 10w-40 oil; it was what I had lying around. I never had any metal shavings in my oil. Hope his engine is ok. In other news, because of my upgrades to a 28mm Mikuni flatslide carb, 1.25" custom exhaust, removing my airbox, and cruising in excess of 60mph for many miles, my mpg dropped to about 50mpg from 74mpg previously. OUCH. This caused me to run out of gas today on the way to work. I don't trust the gas gauge so I use mileage to judge how much gas I have left. Well, that definitely hurt me this time. Luckily, a nice older retired couple offered me the 3 mile ride to work. I was about to take off my uniform and do a "boots and utes" run. I can't stress how embarrassing it is to drive the only scooter on base and then to have that scooter break down on the side of the road. It isn't embarrassing to drive it, but when i'm stuck on the side of the road with it, oh man. I heard about it from co-workers all day. Oh well, won't make that mistake again
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Post by ZootScootRiot on Apr 15, 2009 16:26:59 GMT -5
Don't sweat the Valvoline oil. They're considered one of the better brands (stay away from PennzOil & Havoline, supposedly they suck). MPGs - Sounds like you're running rich. Check your plug. Though with your airbox removed & custom exhaust I would of expected you to be running lean. Maybe carb needs adjusting. Personally I left my airbox on, but removed some of it's restrictions. Seem to run better than when I removed the airbox & had a K&N-type cone filter on. Definitely better than stock. You'll have to be honest with us though and admit you were running it harder to test out the mods...hahahaha! As far as fuel gauge, with mine it reads "E" but I usually have about a quarter of a gallon left. I usually just start looking for a station right away. They do make an emergency mini-gas bottle/can to keep under the seat, and I know some people improvise their own. I wouldn't recommend it but to each their own. I just keep a 2 gallon can in my garage full - it's like having my own personal refueling station. I do wonder about the shavings. That might be one of the ways Flys are different. Maybe they're ran longer at the factory, drained and refilled. If he's had shavings, I would recommend him changing his oil on a weekly basis until they're gone (depending on how often he rides it). It's been a while since mine was new, but I think I did an initial change right from the get-go, then at 20 miles, 50, 100, 250, 600, and 1000 or at least something like that. After 1000, I plan on every 1000 miles. I also mix a little MiliTec in with the oil every change. I think they still offer a military discount. www.militec1.com/automotive1.html Good stuff!
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Post by phaze on Apr 15, 2009 17:27:03 GMT -5
usf , i havent had coworkers in years, but thats funny thinkin about them blowin dust in your face on baby blue. lol
i hope your not worried your mods cost you a whole 1.12 a ride lol
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Post by usfmarine on Apr 15, 2009 17:58:12 GMT -5
phaze5: I just like telling people that I got 75mpg. It seemed to legitimize my ownership of a sky blue scooter somewhat. I want to stay way above Prius-land. Thanks for the advice zootscootriot. I haven't checked my plug because my engine was running so smoothly with my carb setup. If I was running rich across the board, wouldn't I feel it at some point when riding the scoot?
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Post by timmyjane on Apr 16, 2009 20:10:09 GMT -5
phaze5: I haven't checked my plug because my engine was running so smoothly with my carb setup. If I was running rich across the board, wouldn't I feel it at some point when riding the scoot? Not so much as if you were running lean. You would really only be robbing a little performance and wasting fuel.
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Post by upstate240 on Apr 17, 2009 22:02:00 GMT -5
My wifes bike is a BMS Heritage 150 and seems to be the same as the Lance. It is a branded ZNEN and seems to have all the same upgrades as the Lance... better hardware... well finished... aluminum floor/trim... chrome CVT cover... The little BMS scoot is built mighty fine. It has just now hit 1000 and has a little putter issue @ WOT... but we will get that smoothed out (probably vacuum pump). Supposedly the scoot has 12 months warranty from BMS... but the b&m dealer gave us 30days. The dealer has been fantastic with a couple minor issues when it was new... out the door for $1500. Fit and finish is way better than my Roketa mc54-250b with much better quality screws, bolts, turn signal switch etc.... Fuel gauge is fairly unreliable but she manages. lol Here are a few pics...
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Post by usfmarine on Apr 17, 2009 23:43:03 GMT -5
Looks good upstate. The only thing that makes me cringe is the "ABS" sticker on the front brakes. It is customary to disable the pressure valve on those things.
Thanks for sharing.
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Post by scootwes on Apr 18, 2009 22:25:38 GMT -5
Whoa! Let's back up here . . . what do you mean, "it's customary to disable the pressure valve on those things."?
I've got a Lance with the same setup, so: 1) Why disable the pressure valve? 2) Where is the pressure valve? 3) How to disable it?
Thanks for enlightening me on this subject . . .
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Post by ZootScootRiot on Apr 21, 2009 19:18:35 GMT -5
Some people don't mind the ABS, others hate it. I still have mind on, though I want the sticker off. There's a write-up somewhere on this forum about it in more detail. In the end, they were a little shocked at how well it was manufactured. It does make for a spongy feel but if you ever let other people ride your scoot, might be a good idea to keep it on. Keeps them from hitting the front brake too hard. It is also adjustable to the point where it doesn't influence braking at all.
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Post by gtbike on Apr 24, 2009 11:24:07 GMT -5
Late to the party.
I'm a sales guy so I did some serious homework before buying and when I pressed and pressed both the Local Lance and Fly dealers they finally admitted differences were just cosmetic. Mirror choices, floorboard finishes trim choices etc... The rear disc or drum choice was just an ordering option prior to leaving the factory that affected the price.
As for Oils I was running Mobile 1 synthetic. Then I had an odd leak and decided to see if it was serious and had the shop look at it under warranty. It turned out to be the valve cover gasket was off kilter.
They did an oil change and added AMSOIL scooter/motorcycle oil. I drove off and did my 500 miles and drained the oil only to see it looked clean and clear with none of the darkening the Mobile 1 had in it on previous oil changes. I went back and bought the Amsoil. They say they do oil changes 1000 mile intervals because it's so good and 100% synthetic not just sufficient additives to be able to be legally called synthetic.
So far the color and consistency of the oil is still clear each time I check it.
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Post by ZootScootRiot on Apr 28, 2009 11:18:34 GMT -5
gtbike - threw ya a bone for the cool checkered reflective stripes! Have heard/read good things on Amsoil too. Didn't know they have a "scooter" oil now. Might have to check it out.
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