My Roketa MC54-250B Experiences at 13,200 miles

[earlwb]

I thought I would start up a thread on my experiences with the Roketa MC54-250B maxi-scooter.

First it is a close copy of a Honda Reflex, except they used a Yamaha engine design manufactured by Linhai. So a number of body parts are Honda compatible. The windshield comes to mind right off the bat.

The specs show a 3.9 gallon fuel tank, but at about 1/4 full, I filled it up with a shade over 2 gallons, so I don't know for sure yet. It may be actually around 2.5 gallons.

It uses 130/60 by 13" wheels front and rear. These are low profile tires that tend to ride a little on the harsh side, but they are rated to around 100mph or so.

Riding around on the scooter is great, it is fairly roomy, sits up a little high, which I like, but if you are a short person, you might have problems with the seat height. It is a large scooter with a really long wheelbase, and it has a lot of rake to the front forks. So it tends to handle and track like a large scooter of motorcycle. Bumps aren't bad handling-wise. But at first I seem to be cutting the turns shorter than I expect to, so it is a lot more nimble than one would expect.

The front and rear disk brakes are working really good. No complaints in that department.

My scooter is not overheating and the temperature guage so far hasn't gone over the 1/4 mark yet. But it is cool outside still. So maybe it'll read higher as summer approaches. The fan cuts on and off when you are at low speeds or idling for a while.

The turn signal beeper is not a buzzer, it beeps with the typical garbage truck backup beeping, which can get annoying at a stoplight, where you wait for a left turn or something for a while.

I have not determined if the speedometer is accurate yet. That'll happen later, when I check out the speedo accuracy.

The rear trunk box is huge. But it rattles like a drum corps playing their drums. I tried to dampen the rattle with some foam weatherstripping and that helps, but it still rattles anyway. So I guess I'll just have to get used to it.

So here are some pics of the scooter and what I was messing with on it so far.

Right after I got it back home:


Here I am on the scooter:


I discovered that the Remote Fob has a switchblade spare key blank on it, you push the little chrome metal protrusion button.
I
I'll have to drop by the locksmith soon to have these made up for me.




The instrument cluster pic:


The under the seat storage area, is sort of disappointing, I was hoping for a cavernous maw under there.


With the battery cover removed, you can see the engine compartment, radiator filler cap, battery and fuse adjacent to the battery.


It uses a 15 amp automotive blade fuse:


I removed the lower left side panel so I could get access to the CVT unit.


Don't forget the center 8mm bolt either.


I found a nice little collection of leaf debris in the outer CVt air intake cover.


The foam filter over the CVT case.


On my scooter, it uses a 19mm Socket to fit the Variator bolt.


The CVT drive unit exposed, you can see the CVT belt, the Variator and Clutch and pulley unit here.


The CVT Drive belt size is 871x23 as shown here.


Where do they get these names from? I suspect it is a rip-off of the Mitsubishi name to make it look good for the sales.


My new homemade Variator Tool for the MC54-250B.
It uses M8 bolts and nuts as the variator holes for the tool to fit into are larger than on a 150cc GY6 engine, which uses M5 or M6 bolts depending on whose variator you are using.


Note that you use two different size bolts adjusted to be the same length where it mates with the variator fan cover.


Here is how you use the tool. Note that they typically use a air impact wrench to install the nut, so it takes a good breaker bar wrench to get it loose. Use some Blue Locktite on the nut when you reinstall it.


I still have to come up with a clutch torsion spring compressiontool, as I cannot sqeeze the clutch pulley out to let the CVT belt drop down inside, so I can change the belt. So I need to design a compression tool for this as the spring is just too stiff for me.

I ran across this clutch too, but I haven't figured out how the thing works yet. Sort of a Chinese puzzle of a sorts.
www.bikebandit.com/product/1580

I guess I need to fabricate something like this too, for taking apart clutches from time to time. I'll also need a castle style wrench for holding the clutch still to get the nut off as well.
www.slp.cc/catalog.cfm?pageID=detail&catalogID=3&catID=24&productID=227

Oh, yeah, here is a photo of the Linhai engine all by itself.
So you can see what it looks like without all the plumbing, wires and stuff in the way.

[tomtom]

Earl -
I've never tried it, but I imagine that a two-legged gear puller of the appropriate size might work. Or maybe two big pair of vise grips! They are good for anything you know. ;D

[earlwb]

On my Fiji 150cc scooter I can use a long nose pair of vise grips to good effect. But on the 250cc clutch the torsion springs are a more strong or stiff. So I don't know if it'll work.
Also the outer pulley half is tapered outwards, so normally a regular gear puller will slip off and not hold. You don't want to scratch the pulley face either. Maybe changing the hook profile on a gear puller or making new arms might work. But you also need to fabricate some locking cross bars to prevent the arms from sliding off the pulley half as you increase the pressure.

So I am probably looking at fabricating something like a gear puller with customized arms on it.

[scooterollie]

Earl;
Mitsuboshi is a known brand name company that manufacturers a wide line of high quality belts - definitely not a knock off name. No need to run out and change that belt!

[earlwb]

Thanks, that is nice to know.

[Showme]

Nice write up earl. The pics are really good. You seen to be enjoying the scoot and I wish you the best of luck with it. If your scoot is like my mc 250 and you want to sleek it up a bit, those decals peal right off. Of course the paint might have faded some and the numbers would still show. I got to admit, these are really nice rides after the pre-work is done.

[Gary]

Nice writeup and great pics. Also, nice work with your variator tool.

[wireburn]

Nice ride. I hope it does well for you. When you say that it tends to oversteer do you mean oversteering as in the racecar oversteer where the rear end wants to get loose?

-Mike

[earlwb]

No it seems to want to turn more tightly than I want it to for that amount of turning input when you lean into a turn.
I think the "oversteering" statement is a misnomer, i'll have to correct that.
Sorry

The rear isn't getting loose on me like a race car might do.

[WarrenS]

I know exactly what you are talking about. I had a Honda Pacific Coast motorcycle. When turning a corner I would find myself cutting the corner short and I would have to make a mid corner correction. You sort of get used to it.

[scooterollie]

It is interesting how different ones handle. Each scoot I have had, had it's own distinct handling characteristics. You get familiar with one then change to another and it feels strange. Ride that one for a while and go back to the last one and it feels strange. I am developing a preference now for what I want in handling, ride and performance after the last three scoots. Of course, your current scoot is always the best!!!!! (LOL)

[earlwb]

Today we had one of those windsurfer days called a "Nuclear Tuesday", with the winds starting out from the south gusting to 50mph, and later in the afternoon the strong Norther blew in with winds gusting out of the North at around 40mph. In the morning riding into work at 7:00AM, the temps were 58 degrees F, but at 6:00pm the temps were down to 40 degrees F.

The MC54-250B seems to handle the winds amazingly well. I think the heavily streamlined front end cuts through the headwinds and crosswinds really good. I was buffeted around some but not as bad as on my Fiji 150, which is really light and small. My Harley Sportster would have been blown all over the road in the crosswinds interestingly enough. Yeah I have ridden it on "Nuclear" wind days too.
So I am quite impressed as to how well the MC54-250B does on super windy days. The headwinds aren't to bad to ride into either. You can feel the drag, but it cuts through the headwinds pretty good.

When I got home, and was ready to cover the scooter for the night I had a heck of a time finding my motorcycle cover as the winds had blown it all the way into the back yard. We had some door mats get blown into the street from the South winds and my motorcycle cover got blown into the back yard by the North winds. So it was a pretty wild day. Power failures all over the place in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex area from the high winds.

The other nice thing is my backside doesn't go numb after 15 miles like it does on the Fiji 150. So the seat is pretty good too.

[earlwb]

I was able to get my first miles per gallon measurement yesterday.
It looks like the scooter is in the zone with a measurement of 70.99 mpg.

The tripmeter looks like it doesn't go over 100 miles though. It appears to stop working when you hit 100 miles.
I rode it for 159.8 miles and used 2.251 gallons of fuel to do it.

["Big Guy"]

70 is pretty good. I'm getting about 60 with my 2007, and the 2006 got around 58-66, depending on the weather(?) maybe not, but that was the only thing I could guess.

In the summer it got around 64-66 and in the fall and winter, about 58-60... The 2006 was a commuter, so the traffic, route and conditions were pretty much always the same, and I always use the same gas station. The only thing that changed were the seasons.

[WarrenS]

Earl, That picture of you sitting on the scoot looks like it really fits you. I bet you are liking it more every day.

[mcrofutt]

Earl, A question for ya'. Does the windshield on yours rattle? Mine rattles unless I put some pressure on the top of it. I'm thinking some weatherstripping will do the fix. Whaddya' think?
Mark

[earlwb]

Nope the windshield is OK, but the rear trunk sounds like a drum corps out practicing.

["Big Guy"]

mcrofutt said:

Earl, A question for ya'. Does the windshield on yours rattle? Mine rattles unless I put some pressure on the top of it. I'm thinking some weatherstripping will do the fix. Whaddya' think?
Mark

My original shield rattled like crazy. I put two strips of weather strip on the inside of the cover and it worked like a charm. Couldn't see it once the cover was back on.

It was a bit tricky getting it back on though. I had to fist put in the two front bolts, and then with a quick bang of the fist, pop the side tabs in. The sides would keep popping out if I put them in first.

["Big Guy"]

Oh, and the new shield I got from ceebaileys.com was about 3 times the thickness, so it doesn't need the stripping anymore.

[mcrofutt]

Thanks for the info guys!
I'll make a mental note to grab a roll of that next time I'm in Wally World.
I'm starting a new thread about my scoot, got it back from the ATV shop today.
Again many thanks!
Mark

[rusty]

Good info, I'm looking to get a Roketa MC-250B from extreme scooters in GA, from looking at all the threade it seem to be a good scoot, I'm also wandering about the new MC-62, dose anyone have any newes on the yet?

[earlwb]

Don't know about a MC-62 yet. As far as I can tell it is the same as a MC54-250B except they put on some slightly different front panel body work.

[earlwb]

I decided to see what kind of a air filter the engine had. In looking at various sources they might have a round paper filter element, or it could be a rectangular paper element. So I pulled off the air cleaner box and opened it, and much to my surprise, they had a wire screen and a thin foam filter element. Unfortunately the thin foam was not oiled like it was supposed to be. Not oiling the filter element could be normal as in shipping cartons the oil vapors could be a fire hazard. So you all need to check your air filters as soon as possible and oil them if they aren't oiled. The oil also helps water proof the air intake, so any water spray is less likely to stall out the engine.

It is important to use some air filter oil and spray a little on the foam filter and smush it around to even;y spread it out. So I suggest everyone needs to pull their air filter box and ensure the foam filter is oiled up OK. Apparently they don't oil them at the manufacturer or at least not all of them.
In a emergency one can use 30w motor oil but air filter oil is much better. Air filter oil is extra sticky and does not evaporate fast.

How to remove the air filter box unit. First there is two 10mm bolts mounting it to the CVT case cover. Remove those two bolts. Next remove the bottom bolt on the left rear shock, so you can get more clearance to get the air filter box out. Then loosen the air intake rubber boot on the carbuerator and slide off the air filter unit carefully. After getting it out, you'll see the crankcase breather tube, now you can easily slip off the spring clamp and pull the breather tube off. You should be able to extricate the air filter box for easy access now.

There is a center screw inside that hole in the middle, don't forget that screw either. Inside there is a wire screen and a foam filter. You need to oil the foam filter if it isn't already oiled. Oil up the filter and squeeze out the excess as you only want a light film of oil inside and out of the foam, evenly spread about.

here is a pic of the filter box after pulling it off the scooter:


Here is a pic of the foam filter and support screen:


Here is a pic of the insides of the filter box. As you can see, without the oil on the filter, it let dust and wet crud through into the part that is supposed to be clean. All I can hope is not too much dust got ate by the engine, as the dust will be hard on the piston, cylinder sleeve and rings.


Now the outer half was clean interestingly enough.


Anyway, I got to studying it and realized that a larger angled K&N Filter unit for a Volkswagon single barrel Weber carb would fit just right like is shown here, so since I had one already, what the heck.
You know I got to thinking about that air filter, and it could be one for a Quarter Midget racer or a high powered go kart, I am not sure now.
I think it might be like this one here:
cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/K-N-Style-Angled-Air-Filter-Go-Kart-Quarter-Midget_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ46092QQi hZ019QQitemZ290205499691QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW
I had gotten it quite a while ago, for some project I didn't get around to doing.


Using some good ol'K&N Filter Oil sprayed on the filter unit does the trick:


After spraying on the filter oil, note the oil has a reddish tinge to make it easy to see if you missed a spot. Yeah I gotta spray a little bit more here and there:

[oldog1984]

great post and pics earlwb they help a lot.. ;D thanks Alan

[tvfritz]

Earl,,, great idea.. since my 257 is identical (different badge) as yours.. gonna go to the parts store and get a K&N for mine...Thanks..

[earlwb]

Thanks,

Evey now and then when I would brake just right, it felt like the front end steering headset was loose. But when I looked I didn't see or feel anything was wrong. This morning I happened to have the scooter up on the centerstand facing uphill slightly, Then I could rock the handlebars carefully back and forth and feel some looseness in the headset, I took the top front two side panels off the handlebar and sure enough you can see the loose headset when you move the handlebar back and forth.

Sigh, that is going to be a major effort to get in there to the lock nut and castle nut to tighten it up some more. It appears I have to pull a lot of the plastic panels off to reach the steering head.
So I'll have to save that for the next weekend as it looks to be a all day process. At least for me the first time, as I haven't had to pull off that much body work yet.

There are two screws that screw in from the bottom on the inside on the top handelbar plastic cover piece. So to get to those two screws you have to pull the front plastic panel off, maybe the rear front panel as well. But I won't know until I get in there. If the two screws were more easily accessable, it might have been doable without pulling off lots of panels.

I am hoping I get next Monday off as a holiday.

[earlwb]

You know I got to thinking about that air filter, and it could be one for a Quarter Midget racer or a high powered go kart, I am not sure now.
It might have been like this one here:
cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/K-N-Style-Angled-Air-Filter-Go-Kart-Quarter-Midget_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ46092QQihZ019QQitemZ290205499691QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW
I had gotten it quite a while ago, for some project I didn't get around to doing.

[earlwb]

I finally got around to correcting the problem with the loose steering head or steerer.
Here is a pic of the naked scooter without the front panels. Poor baby.
Anyway it is all tight now. But if you do this you want little to no play in the steerer tube, but you still need it loose as if it is stiff, you will go crazy trying to ride the bike as the handling will be pretty weird with it stiff.
Oh yeah, this also took be about half a day too. I had to remove something like 30 screws and bolts, and when I got done, there were no extra screws and bolts left over either. So the operation was a success.


You can see here as to how loose the steerer was, the upper bearings are visible under the seal. Actually after tightening it up, the bearings still show a little, but it doesn't wobble around about 1/8 of a inch now. Or feel really weird and loose when you brake just right.


I had to use a 32mm service wrench, as all my other wrenches are box end and you can't get them on the lock bolt. I had to use a 5 pound sledge hammer to loosen the nut. Scary stuff as one slip and you bash the plastic parts and mangle them.


Here is a rear shot of where the lights are mounted. If you need to change a light bulb, you do it from the inside.


Here is a pic showing one of the two hidden screws holding the main handlebar cover on. You have to remove the front panel to gain access to the screws from the inside up.


Oh yeah, here is a pic of the FM radio that came with the scooter. In my opinion, it is sort of useless, as you can't hear it while crusing down the road anyway.

[scooterollie]

Earl,
I thought we covered this before. A job isn't well done UNLESS there are some parts left over!!!!!

Good pics and instructions. I have been wondering just how many of our scoots out there have or will develop this problem. Not just poor assembly and/or wear but poor quality bearings. Most I have had so far is steering not centered.

[earlwb]

In this case it looks like the factory worker just locked down the steering nut without checking to see if it was OK. So it had like a 1/8" of play in it, when you jiggled it.

I thought I would mention that this scooter was something of a horror story from the first day it was received by the original owner. The internet dealer was all communicative until after the scooter was delivered. After that it went downhill fast. I guess there are still lots of victims to fleece out there in the USA as the dealers seem to be able to get away with it still.

When the scooter was delivered, the crate had fallen over onto its side in the truck. The owner called the dealer and he stated to go ahead and accept it, get a list of damaged parts that need replacing and email it to him, and he would send out replacements right away. it is amazing how emails work before a sale, but after a sale the emails are never received anymore. The dealer would always insist that he never received any emails after the fact. By then it was too late to file a claim with the trucking company.

The scooter wasn't severely damaged, it is all cosmetic for the most part. Basically every plastic body part has some scuffing rub damage on it. Only the trunk box has a crack in it. The rear wheel rim has a ding in it where it was rubbing up against the metal crate frame. The left brake reservoir has rub scratch marks on it as well. The air filter oil catcher drain nipple has a crack in it. The air filter foam was not lightly oiled as it should have been. One of the tabs on the windshield was broken off. The rubber cushion grommet on the center stand was missing.

While riding the original owner had problems where it would stop working if it rained a little. One day just before he got home, the engine died and would not start. He later found that the spark plug wire had fallen off the spark plug boot. So he more or less repaired that the hard way. He had soldered some copper braid onto the spark plug wire end, and jammed it down into the spark plug boot socket.

The original owner had bought a couple of small ceramic buzzers at Radio Shack and wired them into the turn signal circuits so the scooter has the dump truck backup sound when you activate the turn signals.

Anyway, the original owner discovered that no one wants to work on these scooters and you can't really get any parts, that the few brick and mortar dealers for these Chinese scooters seem to have incompetent mechanics, and the internet dealers aren't any good either (at least all the ones he dealt with). So it left him with a really bitter aftertaste and attitude. He went out and bought a 650cc Burgie and never looked back at the horror stories with the Chinese scooter. He didn't have the time or the interest in turning it into a hobby of fixing or repairing the scooter all the time. He just wants it to work, no fuss, no mess.

So I got the scooter from him after all of that, as he didn't even want to see it rotting away in his garage or backyard even. Here in the Dallas - Fort Worth Metroplex area, you pretty much cannot sell a used Chinese scooter to anyone. The last few scooters were all given away to the first one to carry them off. They have that much of a bad reputation. Plus most of those were not running either. The owners just gave up on them.