The miles keep adding up By rks (Read 2,012 times)

[rks]

I know this is not a high mileage, 150cc scooter (yet), but it amazes me how well it runs, and that so far, it has been free of any breakdowns. After all, aren't all Chinese scoots supposed to be a big POS? 

[Guitarman]

They used to be POS but they are getting better. Just don't skip any maint or it'll go south pretty quickly.

[cyborg]

You're getting great service from the scoot,,,being regularly and correctly maintained is key,,,you're doing something right,,,

[rks]

I know this is like resurrecting the dead, but didn't think an update would hurt anything. My Chinese POS (Properly Operated & Serviced), scoot was due for an oil change, so when I returned from my morning ride I dumped the old, put in the new...and snapped this photo. Scoot is running as good as ever, it just keeps tickety-ticking along.

[cyborg]

Nice!!!!!!!

[richardv]

Nice! Hope this doesn't change soon with China's trading partner.

[cyborg]

Very good!!! Shows what happens with riding the scooter as intended and regular correct service,,,, excellent!!!!!!! There's a piston right there!!

[rks]

And another update....it's been a year since my last one. Still going strong, no sign of wearing out.

[cyborg]

Awesome service from that thing,,,,there's only one problem I can see,,,your not riding the rest of the fleet enough

[rks]

You are probably right......I try to divide my time equally, but doesn't always work out. Have managed to ride 1,200 miles on each of the BMW's this summer, 1,500 on the scoot, and a little more than 1,900 on the Ural. The wife has become quite fond of the sidecar.....so has our Boston Terrier. Season isn't over yet....hopefully, I will manage to put several hundred more miles on the group.

The scooter is still a wonderment to me. I enjoy riding it every bit as much as I do the 1200 cc bikes. Always look forward to the 36 mile scoot ride, for morning coffee and conversation at Micky D's.

[josht0227]

I have a 2006 Roketa with a GY6 50cc and I have 14,000 miles on it. I bought it new, gave it a nice easy break-in changed the oil after 500 miles and then every 2000 miles after that. I service the AF every time I change the oil and that's about it. I basically run the piss out out of the little motor. Full throttle all the time, I don't warm it up... just start it...and full throttle! That little motor is literally spinning 8 to 10k RPM all the time for the last 12 years. The only mods I did were an perf. exhaust and I drilled some holes in the stock air filter cover to allow better flow. With those simple mods I gained a lot of power and especially top end speed... topping out at 55mph... I've had it up to 60ph with a tail wind... tach buried, speedo buried ... that little 4 stroke sounded like a two stroke screaming down the road! I really can't believe it never exploded! About 6 months ago I started hearing a weird sort of rumbling rubbing noise from the engine. I checked the flywheel and stator as well as the variator but couldn't figure out where the noise was coming from. The crank spun smoothly and the bearing had no play at all so I didn't think I had a bad crank bearing. I thought maybe it was a timing chain issue? I parked my scooter because I didn't want to break something and I didn't time to dig into the motor. Finally this weekend I checked it out... the timing chain and guides looked ok so I decided to remove the engine and strip it down completely. The engine was in amazingly good shape inside... however when I got the crank out I noticed one of the bearing was a little noisy when spun fast. Turning is by hand it was smooth and quiet. Looking closely with a magnifying glass I saw that one of the balls was all chewed up and I found some metal particles at the bottom of the crankcase. Since I sell scooter parts for a living... I pulled a crank off the shelf and started putting the motor back together. The only other issue I found was the second ring on the piston was stuck in the groove. The end gaps were like new! It is incredible how little wear there was! The cam and rockers looked like new. The valves looked great, in fact, I never adjusted the valves... seriously, they were never touched since new! Since I have piston kits on the shelf and didn't feel like cleaning the old piston... I installed a new one. I toyed with the idea of installing a 100cc kit and new head but I decided against it (I didn't want to deal with carburetion). Also, I love the 150mpg I get... (no exaggeration). Also, the body is showing it's age and I just don't want to put more money or time into my trusty scooter than necessary. Yesterday my son and I button up the motor I checked the valve adjustment and found the exhaust at .004" and the intake slightly less at about .0035 so I left them alone!!! Amazing! We put the motor back in the scooter and I'm back on the road... no more noise! Bottom line... don't let anyone tell you that Chinese scooters are junk... I bought mine new for about $600 and it has served me well and with a new lease on life it will continue to serve me well for years to come.

[kz1000st]

The stories about the longevity of the 50cc GY6 engine continue to grow. It amazes me that anyone would spend the money for some of the brand name 50cc scooters over a similar sized China model. Yes, the suspension components are better but since any 50cc engine only gets you down the road generally sat 40 mph where's the sense?

[rks]

I think someone is spinning a pretty tall tale around here. I've made 71 trips around the sun, but my nose still works fine......and I smell fish.

[cyborg]

. What are you tellin us ? Spell it out for us will ya? We're kinda slow

[josht0227]

By opening up the exhaust and intake a bit... to let the engine breath (and make some RPMs) it will go well above 40. Mine gets to 55 every time I ride it. I'm not telling you it does the 1/4 mile in 4 seconds... it takes a while to wind up but I have had it to 60 on occasion and 55 is a daily occurrence with a bone stock engine with a free flow muffler and a few holes drilled in the air box cover and 14K miles on the clock. Don't believe me? Put some thick money on it and I'll post a video.