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Post by monjeri on May 24, 2007 16:23:35 GMT -5
Hi All, New here, and very much appreciate your messages. I have learned much in the last week. I purchased a roketa Bali 250. Everything works great. I bought from a dealer in NW Wisconsin who is a cycle collector and seems to know his stuff. My only problem was cutting out at 50/55mph. But he took care of it, and works great.
My first concern is when to change the oil, and how often. And how much oil to use. Not sure how much to put back in. And what kind of oil, 10-40, or synthetic.
Thanks much.........any reply helps!
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Post by luciano136 on May 24, 2007 17:10:16 GMT -5
Some recommend 15w-40 but the second number is actually the one that's more important as that indicates how much the oil will thin out when hot.
Either way, 10w-40 is a good choice. I bought Vavoline 10w-40 motorcycle oil, works great.
It takes about 0.9 liter or just a little under a quart. The oil change interval is between 1000km and 1000mi. I read gear oil is good to change every other oil change...
Oh, if the scoot is new, change both oils after the first 300mi...
Also, all of this is based on the 172MM engine, which I think yours might be. Double-check though...
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Post by monty57 on May 24, 2007 18:54:43 GMT -5
If you look at the stickers on the engine, you will find they say 15-40w. This particular weight is a specifically made for high temperature and the dirty condition of diesel or marine engines. It is a much tougher oil the 10-40w and made to suspend contaminents longer that a 10-40w. My personal opinion and that of every mechanic I spoke to about this subject say as hard as these little engines work it is prudent to protect with the better oil (15-40w) desing for tougher conditions. Luciano is correct in his statement that about the second number. It means the oil protects like a straight 40w at running temperature. The primary number reflect how the engine sees the oil at start. A straight 40 would be too stiff to flow when the engine is cold and would make the engine hard to crank. That is whole idea behind multi weight oil. Ease of starting and start-up protection and how well it will protect once the engine reaches its operating temperature. This is thread I posted several weeks ago on how to change the engine and gear oil on Roadrunner but I believe the you have the same engine and drive so it should help you through the process. scootdawg.proboards59.com/index.cgi?board=200cc&action=display&thread=1178828285 I would also strongly suggest you change the oil and gear lube and coolant at 300KM and then every 1000 km as the factory recommends. Here is the basics for changing coolant. scootdawg.proboards59.com/index.cgi?board=200cc&action=display&thread=1178307399I hope this helps.
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Post by luciano136 on May 24, 2007 19:28:49 GMT -5
Hey Monty,
The oil thing is still something I'm struggling with. When cold you want something that's not very thick because cold starts are hard on the engine. That's why certain cars recommend 0w-40. The higher the 2nd number, the better it is for heat.
So, taking this reasoning, why wouldn't 10w-40 be better than 15w-40. It's better for a cold start and should be just as performant when hot? I don't really understand this... Certain high performant engines like the M engines from BMW seem to follow this reasoning and recommend 10w-60 engine oil.
Oh, just for the record, the 10w-40 I used is not regular car oil. It is specifically designed for 4-stroke motorcycles and offers better protection against heat and high rpm's.
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Post by monjeri on May 24, 2007 22:24:05 GMT -5
If you look at the stickers on the engine, you will find they say 15-40w. This particular weight is a specifically made for high temperature and the dirty condition of diesel or marine engines. It is a much tougher oil the 10-40w and made to suspend contaminents longer that a 10-40w. My personal opinion and that of every mechanic I spoke to about this subject say as hard as these little engines work it is prudent to protect with the better oil (15-40w) desing for tougher conditions. Luciano is correct in his statement that about the second number. It means the oil protects like a straight 40w at running temperature. The primary number reflect how the engine sees the oil at start. A straight 40 would be too stiff to flow when the engine is cold and would make the engine hard to crank. That is whole idea behind multi weight oil. Ease of starting and start-up protection and how well it will protect once the engine reaches its operating temperature. This is thread I posted several weeks ago on how to change the engine and gear oil on Roadrunner but I believe the you have the same engine and drive so it should help you through the process. scootdawg.proboards59.com/index.cgi?board=200cc&action=display&thread=1178828285 I would also strongly suggest you change the oil and gear lube and coolant at 300KM and then every 1000 km as the factory recommends. Here is the basics for changing coolant. scootdawg.proboards59.com/index.cgi?board=200cc&action=display&thread=1178307399I hope this helps.
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Post by monjeri on May 24, 2007 22:25:56 GMT -5
Thanks much............ I appreciate the info. Also, just curious how many miles do you think I can get from this scoot? Any idea?
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Post by luciano136 on May 25, 2007 0:54:03 GMT -5
Thanks much............ I appreciate the info. Also, just curious how many miles do you think I can get from this scoot? Any idea? I have been wondering that too. I read somewhere that a well maintained scoot might be over 50k miles. Wonder if it's true ...
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Post by WarrenS on May 25, 2007 8:43:23 GMT -5
I know of a guy who has a Honda Helix with over 130,000 miles on it. That is probably the reason the Chinese clone of this engine is so popular with manufacturers.
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Post by Gary on May 25, 2007 10:38:14 GMT -5
Warstein - Thats really cool. I'll bet though that by the time my chinascoot hits 50K or 100K miles, all of the body parts will be replaced by duct tape .... This, by the way, would be just fine with me. Cheers.
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Post by monty57 on May 25, 2007 10:41:04 GMT -5
Not to keep beating this horse but even though everyone is sort of right about what the first and second numbers mean, there is much more to the 15-40w rating that just the viscosities. This particular rating is used in marine and diesel applications. Both of which put much higher than normal stresses on the engines. This type oil has many other positive qualities that help it protect these high stress engines. Plus, that's is what the CF Moto people recommend as you can see on the engine sticker. Although this is not the best picture, I can assure you that the sticker as well as the engine manual states 15-40W oil as the recommended weight. I know the warranty is not worth much but if it came to an engine failure issue, using an oil that is not the recommended weight would certainly be grounds for them not to honor it. Just my opinion but I have been working on engines for over 40 years and while working as amechanic in ashop for short time, I was exposed to a couple of classes on engine lubricants by Shell and Mobile. The classes went into great depth about the weights as well as the classes, their uses and there abilities to protect in different applications.
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Post by linda on May 31, 2007 20:13:58 GMT -5
I just changed my oil and I read about a mesh filter. I purchsed one from oregonvintage.com and just recieved it. I thought it should go in the second oil drain next to the dip stick, were the spring is. Now that I'm looking at it, it looks so elongaded. I don't know where it goes, or what end goes where. I have a new roketa bali 250.
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Post by monty57 on May 31, 2007 20:43:36 GMT -5
Linda,
Did you look into the hole where you removed the plug and spring? The screen goes in there and it is longer than it's diameter by a small amount. When I changed my oil, the screen did not come out with the spring. I had to go into the hole and gently pull it out with needle nose pliers. Yours may still be in there too and you did not notice it. In any case, the screen, spring and plug should go back without a lot of pressure. I would check before installing the new screen just to make sure the original in not still in the opening.
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Post by monty57 on May 31, 2007 20:46:03 GMT -5
PS,
The screen goes in first with screen point into the engine. The white washer end is against the spring.
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Post by WarrenS on May 31, 2007 21:57:09 GMT -5
That sounds backward to me. The open end goes in first. Then the spring and then the cap goes on.
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Post by monty57 on May 31, 2007 22:16:07 GMT -5
Linda,
Warstein is correct in his description. The screen sort of fits inside the spring with the white ring resting on the spring. I described it wrong. The screen points toward the cap, not the engine. So the white ring end goes in first with the screen facing you, then the spring and then the cap. Sorry for the confusion.
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Post by scooterollie on Jun 1, 2007 21:23:42 GMT -5
Monty has the scoop on the diesel grade oils. The difference is in the additive package, not the viscosity. The additive package has anti-wear chemicals better suited to hard working, high revving engines. These oils are also formulated for protection of high temp. components like the turbo chargers found on many diesel engines.
If a person keeps their scoot outside in the cold weather and they are concerned about cold cranking, they can use the synthetic version of the diesel grade oil - 5W40. The price on 4 qt. containers of 5W40 diesel grade oil is better than the price on regular car synthetics. Just saw Shell Rotella synthetic at WalMart today in 4 qt. containers that worked out to about $4.08/qt.
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Post by jwinri on Jun 1, 2007 21:50:26 GMT -5
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