My Helix Experiences, pics

[Dennis D]

I started looking at the LX-250 specs about 8 or 9 days ago, because I had been getting interested in a 250 that my wife could ride on with me, so we could use a scooter to replace using the cars even more than we already do. Very frankly that design sure wasn't my first choice because of its' looks, because I think the Helix and Helix clones are butt-ugly.

However, I saw a conversation that Aaron had with Jim of Bandit, posted on an obscure Honda Helix forum, and started looking the specs over more than casually. In that conversation, Jim told of people coming in with their heads set on purchasing a UC-250, and deciding to ride a LX-250 just for grins and a comparison. A number of people changed their mind after actually riding a LX model, decided that there were more important things than looks and top speed, and opted for the comfort of the cushy seat and suspension of the LX-250 Helix clone. He said that as far as the ride was concerned, it was the Cadillac of the various chinese 250 scooter models.

Besides the seat, the suspension travel of over 3" front and almost 4" in back, plus the suspension design really makes a difference. I wanted to know I could ride for several hours at a sitting without having to wear a back brace(something I actually did when my wife and I travelled a few times on a Honda 550 four cylinder. I have been looking at the Bandit, the QLink Commuter, and the CFMoto Fashion... and decided that it I was to buy a Helix clone, it would be the Bandit... because with either of the other two, you pay more, and what you get for it is a am-fm cassette radio and a luggage rack and a trunk with holes cut in it for speakers. I don't have any use for a radio on a scooter, and if I had to have one for some reason, I have one built into my phone which I could listen to with ear buds inside my helmet.

I talked to Linda about it, and she said to see if there might be a used Honda Helix in this area in good shape. After checkong Craigslist, newspaper ads, an area FreeAd paper, and calling all the motorcycle and scooter shops in the area, all I could find in the 250cc range was a 250 Vespa, a Piaggio MP3, and a 2001 Helix on consignment at an area Honda shop. It has 16,000 miles on it, and the owner wanted $2800, a bit high since KBB says $2900 for a 2001 if it has 9000 miles on it. But the new bikes were out of the question. We have good credit, but don't use it on cars or bikes anymore... we pay cash or wait!

Well I went and rode it... feels a little weird at low speeds since I'm not used to it, and probably won't be quite as much fun in the twisties as the Strada, since it sorta "floats along".... certainly not what I'd call a taut suspension. Put a foot down doing a tight u-turn... 64" wheelbase with the low center of gravity, it doesn't do u-turns anything like the Strada, that's for sure. Very solid off the line... lotta low end torque. Doesn't really go from forty to the upper fifties any quicker than the Strada, at least it didn't feel like it, but there's more throttle left, and given more road it was obvious that it would keep going to a greater speed than the Strada. A bunch of throttle left at a 55 mph cruise on the Helix, maybe 15-20% max left on the Strada. The faster you go the more stabile it feels... seems like it will go straight down the road easy as pie. Braking was much better than I expected and it seemed easier to control under moderately hard braking than the Strada. The foot brake will take a little time to readjust to, it's been awhile!

I talked to them about it... they called the guy who owned it and he wouldn't budge off the price. They wanted it sold because then the money will go toward a new bike the guy has picked out. So they gave me a $50 store credit, and I wrote em a check. They're going to detail it for me tomorrow and weather permitting, I'll pick it up tomorrow night.

[WarrenS]

I owned a Helix for 18 years. You are going to love it. Everybody who has had one has fond memories of it.

[natefromogden]

Congrats Dennis! I'm going to have to catch up, I'm still only a 1 scooter guy.

[Aaron]

Dennis that's great! I hope it's all you hoped for. I love the Helix.

Aaron

[Dennis D]

I hope so too, Aaron. It's going to require a somewhat more relaxed riding style I think, but that's probably a good thing!

It had been 20 years since I had worked on my own bikes, and CVTs were a whole new thing for me. So after the three chinese scoots I've had in the last couple of years, including Linda's and the one I had before the Strada (and sold to my son, who thinks I'm his mechanic.... except he only pays for parts :, I feel qualified to work on it if a problem does arise. So at least I won't have to pay Honda shop rates! ;D

Having the chinese scoots has been a good education. And once I sell the Strada, I will probably buy another 49cc chinese scooter, just for zipping around this end of town with Linda,,, cause she loves riding hers.

[banditms]

Seeee? Sometimes I can write pretty decent opinions... even on such topics as scooters... ( - ;

Thanks, Jim J...

[Dennis D]

Warstein, how often did you replace your drive belt? The Honda shop said that my scoot has the original drive belt and that it shouldn't be a problem. I've been looking at various Helix forums, and one guy went to change the drive belt at 24,000 miles and said when he looked the original over and measured it, comparing to the new one, he couldn't tell the difference so he kept the new one as a spare for when it's needed.

Another guy bought his Helix new and said he was still using the original belt at over 33,000 miles. Is that typical?

[90GTVert]

I worked in a Harley dealer years ago, and we removed a drive belt that had several holes in it from rocks going through the drive pulley, but the belt had 110,000 miles on it and the guy rode it in for the replacement. Now, this is a different type of drive, but you can see that belts can be very durable. Harley tried enclosed drive belts at one time and had miserable failures with them, so they were discontinued.

Now, go for a ride on the Helix and then place your hand on the CVT cover and I'll bet it's just warm. Try this with a GY6 and you'll get burned. My Linhai powered RR250 is also just warm. The CFMoto powered TT250 is very warm, but the GY6 is just plain HOT. That is part of the reason the Chinese scooters will never get the belt life of the Japanese scooters. Stan

dennisdh said:

Warstein, how often did you replace your drive belt? The Honda shop said that my scoot has the original drive belt and that it shouldn't be a problem. I've been looking at various Helix forums, and one guy went to change the drive belt at 24,000 miles and said when he looked the original over and measured it, comparing to the new one, he couldn't tell the difference so he kept the new one as a spare for when it's needed.

Another guy bought his Helix new and said he was still using the original belt at over 33,000 miles. Is that typical?

[12string]

Pix Dennis, Pix of the Helix please.

[Dennis D]

I've been evaluating the storage capacity on the Helix and decided that even though the rear trunk is large, it doesn't equal what I could carry on the Strada with its' flat floor, limited underseat storage, ane a 28 liter trunk.

So I ordered a luggage rack and 40 liter trunk... I don't think the trunk that I had on the Strada would look right on the Helix. I also ordered this headlight modulator from JC Whitney:

tinyurl.com/3br7ax

[Dennis D]

kentalexander said:

Pix Dennis, Pix of the Helix please.

Soon as I paint the faded and slightly rusty muffler with hi temp black... and maybe get the luggage rack and trunk, if they come fast enough ;D. I took pics of the Strada today after I got the trunk off of it... also a couple of pics of the last mod I did to it(manual fuel petcock) so I have them for people wanting pics of the petcock and how it's attached.

[Dennis D]

Thanks Stan, I'll try that. Yeah the Strada was getting hot enough to get burned on the CVT cover just touching a finger to it. I toook the rubber hose restricting air intake off, and just put a piece of screen over the opening, and can now lay my hand on it... for about a second. Still HOT but not like it was!

[WarrenS]

dennisdh said:

Warstein, how often did you replace your drive belt? The Honda shop said that my scoot has the original drive belt and that it shouldn't be a problem. I've been looking at various Helix forums, and one guy went to change the drive belt at 24,000 miles and said when he looked the original over and measured it, comparing to the new one, he couldn't tell the difference so he kept the new one as a spare for when it's needed.

Another guy bought his Helix new and said he was still using the original belt at over 33,000 miles. Is that typical?

I replaced them according to the schedule which was about 12,000 miles. They still looked good. Did you run across the guy who has over 130,000 miles. He said he changed the fuel filter at 100,000 miles. How do you like it so far? The trunk would hold 2 gallons of milk or 4 six packs. I could put my attache case in there.

[Dennis D]

No I didn't run across that guy. The mechanic just dismissed the 12,000 mile belt change. You'd think it would mean $$ for them if they said to follow the maintenance schedule. He said "Honda says to change plugs every 4,000 miles, too... Haha, snort, snort".

Definitely delivers on comfort. I'll have to see what kind of air pressure they put in the tires(It rained today)... maybe that was affecting it, but I don't think I'll be doing much riding in 30+ mph winds like I did with the Strada. Seems to get moved around easily by crosswinds. Maybe I'll adjust to the feel of it, but I don't know. So much for "road holding weight". I think maybe being able to ride in stiff winds is more about aero. Felt kinda spooky in only 15-20mph crosswinds riding it home from the rur-burban area the Honda shops's in.

40 to 55mph I think maybe the 150 Strada in it's current state of tune is pretty close to the Helix in acceleration, but it feels like it has a LOT more low end up to 40, and beyond 55 just keeps on going, where the 150 Strada starts to drop off in acceleration a lot.

Brakes impressed me, very stabile, and seemed to stop it much more positively than the Strada, which starts getting crossed up pretty easily. And I automatically jumped my right foot over on the brake once on the way home when a light changed as I was getting close. So I don't think adjusting to that will be any trouble.

I think I'll get a drive belt and new rollers before I take things apart to change the gear oil and just change that stuff out on the theory that preventive maintenace is more prudent for things like that than "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

[WarrenS]

I put a Helix manual on the board. The link is under Best of Dawg, Manuals. This thing is slick because you just click on the section you want and it takes you there.

When I first got my Helix it seemed to handle different because of the length. You will get used to it. Just pretend you are riding a hog. ;D Then it will all come together for you.

[Gary]

Dennis,
I thought it was "if it ain't broke, fix it till it is."

Just kidding of course. PM is a great idea.

Congrats,
Gary

[Dennis D]

Well, so much for the Honda shop "checking it over". The back tire was several lbs low on air and the front was several pounds over. That wasw really contributing to the wierd feeling. Feels much more stabile now, but I still "feel" modest crosswinds very easily... but as long as they're not actually moving me around, I can get used to that.

That Helix manual is going to come in handy,,, and a honda-helix forum I found has quite a bit of info., also. The currently most active Helix forum seems to be the one at Yahoo... but the message format of Yahoo Groups is so annoying that I seldom bother to check there, even for groups I belong to.

[Andi]

dennisdh said:

I also ordered this headlight modulator from JC Whitney:

tinyurl.com/3br7ax

The headlight modulator I've heard mentioned once before already, didn't know what exactly it was until I checked out your link. I it makes the headlight work a bit like a strobe light, therefore making the front of the bike more visible? Any potential problems with the electrical of the bike or possibly blowing bulbs more often due to this?

Seems like a great idea, might try that on my wifes scoot.

dennisdh said:

Well, so much for the Honda shop "checking it over". The back tire was several lbs low on air and the front was several pounds over.

Guess they figured the combined total was important ;D.

Andi

[Dennis D]

johannesmell said:

The headlight modulator I've heard mentioned once before already, didn't know what exactly it was until I checked out your link. I it makes the headlight work a bit like a strobe light, therefore making the front of the bike more visible? Any potential problems with the electrical of the bike or possibly blowing bulbs more often due to this?

Seems like a great idea, might try that on my wifes scoot.
Andi

I've seen it on quite a few bikes, and it always grabs my attention. I've talked to a few people who use them, and bulb longevity hasn't come up. I would think that since it isn't turning the bulb on and off, but only cutting power down each time it pulses, that it might increase bulb life.

The only problems I've heard of is that people say to carry a copy of the federal statute that OKs headlight modulator use, in case it attracts the attention of local police who aren't aware of the law.

The other problem is, a guy here in town who rides to work says that(only on the way to work in the mornings) a couple times each week on the way to work, someone who he's coming up on will pull off the road to let him go by! ;D

[Andi]

Thanks for the feedback Dennis have a Karma on me.

I think I may try that on my scoots, I've seen it on some dressed up vehicles here and it does grab your attention, certainly should make other drivers (cages) more aware. Also does give it that Highway Tropper appearance.

dennisdh said:

The other problem is, a guy here in town who rides to work says that(only on the way to work in the mornings) a couple times each week on the way to work, someone who he's coming up on will pull off the road to let him go by! ;D

Its nice to hear there is still some courteous drivers out there, they must have realized he was late for work and let him pass ;D.

Andi

[Dennis D]

I got my luggage rack and 40L trunk installed, all fluids replaced(engine oil, gear oil, and coolant) and got the headlight adjusted much better while the maintenance cover was off to service the radiator. I adjusted the rear shocks one notch stiffer, got the tire pressures sorted out, and got the brake switches/pedal for the rear brake adjusted. I also put a new plug in, though I'm not sure it needed it. I got some scuffs on the plastic touched up, and painted the faded and rusting muffler with some Hi-Temp black paint.
Got my cupholder installed... but I'm not too confident about installing the headlight modulator. All the wiring is "hidden", routed through black rubber tubes that I'm hesitant to cut into in order to gain access to the wires and sort it all out. So if I decide not to go there, I'll put the headlight modulator on Linda's scooter, which is much smaller and less noticeable, and doesn't have a H4 headlamp, which I leave on Bright during the day.

There's an obvious HUGE difference between the quality of the metal used in the Helix engine and the Strada I had! When I changed the oil, I had an extremely hard time getting the drain plug loose, as the previous owner had apparently tightened it as hard as he could. I was afraid it would take the threads with it like the left side drain plug on my Strada did, which had been severely overtightened from the factory. The oil screen plug was also extremely overtightened.... so much that a 6 point socket on a 3/8" wrench began rounding the corners off when I tried to loosen it! I tried a different socket that seemed a little tighter, but it just kept rounding the 17mm hex head. I got out a 16mm hardened socket for my air impact wrench, and was able at that point to beat it onto the oil plug "hex" head. After some pounding with the impact wrench, I finally got it broke loose. Amazingly, the threads appeared to still be in perfect condition. I replaced that oil screen plug with a spare I just happened to have for the 150cc Strada. The oil screen had been pushed into the passage it was supposed to seal against, and the rubber "gasket for it was all distorted out of shape! Lucky I had a spare one of those too. I guess some people shouldn't even try to maintain their own vehicles!! What was that guy thinking!

That was the previous oner, who only did one oil change on it and rode it about 200 miles in a year. At least he didn't have it long enough to screw anything up for good. ;D

Got everything done... and took it for a ride after dark yesterday evening to check my headlight adjustment. Much better but still needed to go up a just a tic next time I got the maintenance cover off. That ended up being sooner than later ...when almost home, my high beam burned out, turned a wierd sort of dim bluish color for a second or two, and then No more High beam! Oh well it's always something... at least I know I have a new headlight bulb now, I had been assuming it was the original(it was) and wondering when it would go. Thinking that way probably caused it to blow out... too much negative energy!!

I'll try and get some pics taken this weekend.

[Dennis D]

Oh, yeah... before I did all that other stuff, I changed out the rollers with ones that weighed 3gm less (23.6gm stock vs 20.6gm each) and put a new belt on it. Now it goes putt, putt, putt, instead of putt-slap,putt-slap, putt-slap as its' sound going down the road. The old rollers were flat spotted badly and the belt had lots of bad cracks on the teeth, looked like it coulda began "chunking out" at any time! The foam filter for the CVT was totally plugged with bugs and grime, and the engine air filter was the original one.... very nasty. All new now!

[Dennis D]

Finally took some pics of my Helix.

The Helix looks pretty wierd from this angle.


This is a good view of the massive built-in trunk, and add-on luggage rack with $85 40L box.


I like the stretched out ride... easy on the knees.

[Aaron]

Nice looking Helix Dennis. You can never go wrong with black as a color. Looks super comfy. I want one all the more.
They make a Chrome Package aftermarket for it. It would look sharp on the black.

Aaron

[monty57]

Dennis,

Good looking Scoot. Looks like you have the "Cadillac" of a drivers area. I like the room you have to stretch out. Also looks like you got plenty of storage.

Enjoy!

[WarrenS]

Where did you get that luggage rack from? I am thinking I may be able to adapt it to the Morphous.

[scottfla]

That is a nice looking Helix.....wish I had mine.

[Dennis D]

I found it on EBay by searching for Helix Luggage rack. Here is a link where you can see pics of all the parts and how it fits on the Helix. The holes and screws seem to be Helix specific, so I don't know if you could make it work or not.

[Dennis D]

Thanks guys... I wasn't really an admirer of the Helix till I sat on one, and even then wasn't convinced til I read Jim's(Bandit Motorsports) narrative of how many he sold to people who thought it was stupid looking, once he convinced them to take a ride on one(Helix clone) for comparison. And those were more often than not folks that came in with their heads set on getting a different 250cc until the ride and comfort of the Helix clone changed their mind. I guess I already said all that before.... it's just funny how things work to change our perceptions. Goes to show that I hold Jim's words and advice in very high esteem!

[scooterlizard]

Hey Dennis,

it's amazing what a strange looking scoot will do to ya. the scoot fits you perfect. lugage rack and trunk add the finishing touches to the looks of it. all you need now is Warstein's morphs caddy fins and fuzzy dice hanging of the handle bars and sticker that says "Scooter Cadilac". Congrats on your new ride. Ride safe, keep on scootn'.