Fly Scooters, il Bello 150 retro!

[NashBill]

I've put over 700 miles on mine riding it to and from work (12-15 miles each way, depending on route). I have not had any problems. It is a fun and easy scooter to ride. I have already had 2 oil changes.

[firstlast]

Apr 9, 2009 16:32:03 GMT -5 NashBill said:

I've put over 700 miles on mine riding it to and from work (12-15 miles each way, depending on route). I have not had any problems. It is a fun and easy scooter to ride. I have already had 2 oil changes.

nice. how long have you had it?

[NashBill]

I purchased mine back at the end of February. Right around 2 months now. Not that long, overall. But I have been riding it a ton. I am also a big dude (6ft, 285 pounds) so I'm definitely putting it through the stresses. Ha.

[mee7ha7lee7]

Hi,
I don't know if i'm in the right place to ask info ,( I'm brand new to this site,)
I'm hearing a real strange noise coming from my front brake pads. It sounds almost like the jake brake on a semi-truck, but weird enough the noise stops when i apply even just slight pressure to the front brake lever. There is only 80 miles on the 2008 il bello 150 retro. Any suggestions from anyone?

[cprevost]

Warped rotor....? Lift front end and spin wheel.

[jendow]

Hello to All!

I'm jendow from Sacramento, and I've got a few comments (and questions) about the il bello.

I'm new to scooting, only been at it for about two months but I've got 1700 miles under my belt, 1100 of that on this guy:





Note the air freshener. ;D It's a Znen scooter from Innovent Motors. They call it the Tuscan. Going by Rich's initial description, I think this is a slightly stripped down version of the il bello: It came from the dealer fully prepped, w/ top box for $1600.

I LOVE the way it rides! Very smooth - unless the tires are fully inflated to recommended 36 psi (but since I'm not carrying the max weight, I figure what's a few psi among friends?). I do a lot of 2 up riding (still well under the max weight) and maneuvering is a joy!

I installed the top box and found that it rattled horribly. Then I installed it properly, and that seemed to help. I also put some weatherstripping around the front for a little more "support" and I'm pretty happy with it now.

It was delivered off the dealer's truck with 1 mile on the odometer (5/21/09). I did an oil change at 311 mi (5/20/09) and another one at 788 mi (6/4/09). For the record, I pretty much blew off the "break-in period" recommendations. Not that I was running it WOT all day, but it's been my main mode of transport, and I'll be darned if I'm riding in the bike lane. (All those miles in such a short amount of time, combined with what I've read about Chinese scoots is why I've been all over the oil changes.)

Unfortunately, I was riding around today on my local twisties, and the belt broke. Nothing too scary, minding my speed and all, I was able to coast to the shoulder with no problem, just a few choice words that would get me banned - so I shall not repeat them.

The bike has a total of 1129 mi. Luckily, this happened early enough in the day that the dealer could come out and haul it back to the shop for inspection/repair. This is the only mechanical issue I've had with it so far, but then again it's only been a month. I'll find out tomorrow what the inspection found, though it's still under warranty (1 year; 6,000 mi) so I'm not too worried. *fingers crossed*

Question for Rich: What windshield did you use? I've found one from Scootertronics that they recommend specifically for the il bello, (CF40) but it's 20" tall. They also have a CF30 that's about 17". Taller than I want, but none of the "scooter" shields will fit this bike because it's so wide. I'm seriously considering a motorcycle windshield.

Thanks for reading, and "hello" again!

[ootscoot]

I have an '08 Flyscooters iL Bello, 5,800 miles on it, enjoy the ride - a little low in traffic - would like a higher profile, but it runs well. Changed the oil every 1000 mi. (after 1st two changes @ 20 and 300) adjusted valves @ 1200 mi. Fun bike. I checked out the '09 version, and it looks like they have been down graded a little - no top box, and the seat is harder (funky foam?). Nice new color schemes. Overall impression of the ride was not as comfortable and a little more rattles than mine. Hope they tighten things up...

[jendow]

Hi again.

Thought I'd post an update. Since the Chinese scoots have such a bad rap I'll keep posting on the longevity (or not) of mine.

I'm not sure what the difference between the il bello and the Tuscan are, but since my scoot was sold under the name Tuscan, that's how I'll refer to it from now on.

The dealer repaired the broken belt. (Apparently, you're not supposed to let your scoot run out of gear oil. ) The dealer repaired it at no cost, and did a 1,000 mile checkup to make sure everything was okay. I'm happy to report the Tuscan got a clean bill of health.

It now has almost 1700 miles on it, in less than two months. I've got my very first groupscoot tomorrow, so it did a little PM. I changed the oil to full synthetic, topped off the gear oil, and most importantly - gave her a bath.

Since switching to the full synth, the engine is remarkably smoother. The mirrors no longer vibrate at idle, and someone at work asked my today if my scoot was electric because it was so quite. I know nothing about engines, but the difference in feel and sound was immediately noticeable even to me.

I also figured it was time to pimp my ride, so I did some customizin'.

I added a clock from Formotion:



Tiny, yes, but it doesn't interfere with the handlebar; and it's not like I need to read the second hand. So far, it's still sticking on (even over some very rough roads) the bezel is still on, and there's no condensation under the glass - which I can't say about the gages.

I added a Throttle Boss that I'm (so far) very pleased with:



And of course, the Pine Tree:



Why the pine tree? Because fuzzy dice would be stupid.

My thoughts after 1700 miles:

1. Never again will I buy a scoot with a 1 gallon gas tank. I keep a gas can in the garage so I don't have to stop at the gas station every other day, because...

2. Filling up is a joke. I have use two hands on the gas nozzle because the "lip" on the scoot that is supposed to allow gas to flow just doesn't cut it. I may buy a 5 gallon gas can and just fill up from home from now on.

3. Condensation in the gages. Not something that inspires confidence in the QC.

4. The turn signal is iffy. When signaling a left, you have to find the "sweet spot" on the signal the blinker to turn on. I'm used to it now, and every vehicle has it's quirks, but it's another sign of poor QC.

5. The dealer support. When I can get hold of them, they're great. It's a small enough operation that the owner himself has helped my a few times. But leaving a voice mail is useless, and no one ever answers the phone.

Positives include:

1. The scooter I got for the price I paid ($1500). I'd absolutely buy it again.

2. The ride is excellent. Comfortable, smooth, powerful, and fast. It accelerates like a dream and the top speed is about 62mph. I also do a lot of 2 up riding, and it's great for passengers!

3. Gas mileage is 55-60mpg with aggressive, windy driving. Boring trips net about 70mpg.

I haven't taken it on any long trips yet, but I'm gaining confidence that it's very possible. Mostly I'm afraid of my inability to fix any issues that come up, rather than a fear that the scooter will actually brake down. We'll see what the next 1700 miles will bring.

jendow

[jayhawk]

jendow - I'd take that puppy right back to the dealer if it's still under warranty. You should not have to top up gear oil - it's like transmission fluid...it should all (or the vast, vast, vast majority) be there when you do the next gear oil change. You've got a leak somewhere.

Eric

[jendow]

Eric -

I park it in my garage nightly and I've never noticed a leak, either on the floor or the scoot.

I thought, and the dealer thought that putting 1,000+ miles on it in less then a month caused it to run low. Not knowing anything about engines that seemed reasonable to me, but I greatly appreciate any other advice or opinions you guys are willing to offer! This is something I will keep a closer eye one from now on.

I will say that when I did my most recent oil change (just a couple of days ago); there was plenty of gear oil, and it looked pristine. My plan for the future was to top it off at the next oil change, and then replace it at the one after.

jendow

[jayhawk]

You shouldn't lose any gear oil simply by putting 1000 miles on in a month. Replacement on my current scoot is every 5,000KM. On a prior scoot (Honda Aero I abused, significantly), I changed gear oil at 5000 miles and hadn't lost any noticable amount.

Was this the initial gear oil that came with the scoot? Normally, that should be changed at 300KM or so...that's dicey stuff...usually not real gear oil. If it was your initial gear oil and the oil was crud, I could see it disappearing.

It's good to hear the new gear oil is still in there...you're probably fine, but do keep an eye on it for a few weeks until you're sure it's not losing any oil.

Enjoy the scoot!

Eric

[jendow]

Jun 30, 2009 10:45:07 GMT -5 jayhawk said:

Was this the initial gear oil that came with the scoot? Normally, that should be changed at 300KM or so...that's dicey stuff...usually not real gear oil. If it was your initial gear oil and the oil was crud, I could see it disappearing.

Yup, it sure was. Thank you for the insight!

For anyone who disses Chinese scoots outright, I have to say that mine was a warrior for me on Sunday. I had my first group ride: a 60 mi. trip around the Sacramento delta (cruising pretty consistently 45-50 mph). We left @ 10:30 am and by the time we got back at 12:30, it was about 103F.

Right afterward, I had a "ladies only" event at the local Harley Davidson dealer and because Mom borrowed my car, I had to scoot down there - right after the 60mi ride. It took 45 minutes, and by this time the scoot was pissed at me. Common sense told me that it was too hot and the poor thing needed a nap in a shaded garage, but I wanted to get a free keychain and sit on all the motorcycles; so onward we scooted.

Once I got there, it sat for 3 hours (in the hot, hot sun) while I sat through a H-D fashion show and learned how to pick up a 600 pound bike.

By the time I was ready to head home, it was now 5:00 and 108F (which broke a record from 1976 - yay, us ). The poor thing kept wanting to die at red lights almost all the way there and home (as per Murphy's Law, we hit every red light).

But we did make it home, and in one piece (although by then I was nearly the same shade of red as my bike because I am the kind of idiot that would forget to take sunscreen on the hottest day of the year). I let it sleep thru the night and when I had to go to work the next morning; it started like a dream and has continued to run great.

I have named him The General. Next weekend, we will jump flaming Vespas. At least the weather will be nice.

[shoeboy69]

No one's posted since July...What's the thought on Your Il Bello now? Has it kept up? From what I'm reading it seems most people are happy, but occasionally there's a lemon out there...Like any other vehicle. I'm strongly thinking of picking one up, but like everyone I want to know the reliability of this scoot and what to expect of it's lifetime.

Scootermundo in Glendale, CA is having a sale...i so very tempted...what do you think?

150cc w/ free helmet + 1 year warranty parts and labor - $1599

[jendow]

Sorry bout the lack of updates. Just moved, new position at work, life, etc.

Things have not gone well with the scoot. A few months ago, I was riding with my daughter, just a leisurely ride around the neighborhood, when the scoot began doing something weird. It started "surging" like it would start to loose power, then kick in again. It's like it was gasping for fuel... or air.

I tried calling the dealer, but got no answer. Finally, after about a week, it died altogether. Wouldn't even turn over (although I have lights and gauges). This happened in November and I haven't gotten it fixed yet because the dealer ran out on me. Just closed up shop and left.

My (car) mechanic thinks it's a kink in the fuel line, but I don't see anything amiss. I'm thinking carburetor. I don't know why, I know zero about engines, but it sounds like as good a guess as any.

So, I found a couple of places close by that sell and service Chinese scoots (NO ONE else will tough them). In the next day or two I'm going to call and make an appointment to have it checked out.

Other than that, it's great.

[gmoney]

Jendow it could be something as simple as the fuel filter stopped up or a kinked or pinched fuel or vacuum line. You might PM usfmarine since he also has one and he could give you some guidance on yours. Good luck!

Gary

[NashBill]

I figured I might as well post here again in case anybody is looking for into on the il Bello. I've now owned mine for a year and put 3500 miles on it. It has trouble starting in the cold (below freezing) but otherwise is running good. The mechanic at Red Dog (my dealer in Nashville) removed a lot of the extra emissions hoses yesterday and it was running really well after that. Still couldn't start this morning (it was 25 degrees out). But soon the warmer weather will be here and I'll be riding every day like last season.

[usfmarine]

Have you adjusted your valves since the purchase? .004 intake .005 exhaust. It's a bitch to get to on the il bello.

[NashBill]

I actually had my valves adjust by the dealer. I am comfortable changing oil and gear oil and that's about all the tinkering I do. Ha.

[jont]

Very nice review of what seems to be a very nice scooter! Thanks for the time you took to inform all of us.

One question: has break-in protocol been overlooked? I saw in an early post time trials that showed the scooter going full speed, and it only had (I think) less than 200 miles on it. And in a post by another reader he/she said he/she drove a friend's scooter home from the dealer and checked the speedo at 54mph. Is it proper to run a new scooter up to these speeds before a "proper" break-in?

Jon

[gmoney]

Jont, probably not a great idea to run a brand new scooter at top speed, especially for any length of time. I did the hard break-in method, ran it up hard to 40 mph several times letting it coast back down to a stop. I did this 5-6 times, came home let it cool off, then repeated three more times. This is intended to get the rings seated and will actually not harm your motor. I now have 450 miles on my scoot, I drive it normally now, and I've had it up to over 55 mph for a short length of time with no ill effects. There have been many many people that have done the hard break-in, some do it some do the standard break-in, it's a personal choice.

Gary