2008-02-25
Brutal Winter
It has been a ridiculously brutal winter with lots and lots of snow in the valleys and so I haven't really had time to ride my scooter lately. Yes, that's right, my scooter still runs despite all of the tinkering that I have done on it. I still have a bit of an oil leak, but I think that I've got everything I need to get that taken care of. I plan on taking apart the scooter one last time sometime after KaeLynn's birthday. Then hopefully I will just be able to enjoy it for a while.
I did put new weights in the variator. They certainly helped with my top speed up hills. Unfortunately, I might have gone a little light. I might experiment with putting half of the old weights back in.
2007-10-29
Good News, Bad News
I realize before that I said I might not be working on my scooter, but clearly I didn't actually mean that. I am addicted to my scooter. In fact, I am starting to believe that I like working on my scooter more than I like riding it. It didn't take me long at all to come to the conclusion that a little bit of time spent fixing my scooter wasn't that big of a deal.
So when the cam chain tensioner part showed up, I decided to do a little digging to see if I could figure out how to actually install the darn thing.
Removing the Cylinder Was Not Helpful
My first thought was that I would have a better idea how the part was attached to the scooter if I removed the cylinder. In the off chance that someone is reads this because they had a similar problem and came across this page on Google let me state for the record that removing the cylinder was a bad idea. I wrecked the cylinder gasket, and I couldn't really see any better. For the record the bolt that I was looking for was behind the variator. It has a hex head. You can just see the bolt behind the variator if you remove the CVT cover. Unfortunately you probably can't actually remove the bolt without taking the variator off.
I actually found all this out for myself doing a little exploratory surgery on Friday. Friday night I ordered the gaskets I would need from Oregon Vintage. This included a CVT gasket, a cylinder base gasket, an oval exhaust gasket, and a new valve cover gasket. At this point I didn't have an impact wrench to remove the variator and so I wasn't sure the bolt that I could see was the right one, but I was sure that I needed all of those gaskets.
A New Impact Wrench
So Saturday morning found me at my local Harbor Freight on the hunt for an impact wrench. They open at 8:30 a.m. and I was there at 8:36. They had an 110v impact 1/2 inch impact wrench for $39.99 and a set of metric impact sockets for $9.99. I also picked up a cheap set of hex wrenches.
I spent the next hour (or so) removing the variator, and removing the mystery bolt. As I mentioned before the bolt was the one I was looking for, and I was finally able to remove the busted part of the cam chain tensioner mechanism. My new impact wrench is very cool.
Unfortunately, I didn't have the gaskets I needed to put the whole thing back together, and so I spent the rest of the day on Saturday making my wife happy so that I would be able to get permission to work on my scooter when the parts did arrive.
Parts, At Last
The parts arrived this afternoon, along with the Haynes Scooter Manual, and so after work I ventured out into the garage to put everything back together. Things went ridiculously well. It took me a little over two hours, but soon I had the entire engine back together. Even more interestingly, the thing actually worked. In fact, it idled beautifully, and sounded great when I revved it up. I absolutely couldn't believe it. Just to make sure everything was good I took the valve cover off and took a look at the cam chain. The tensioner mechanism was working perfectly. So I put the body panels back on and went for a quick spin.
Unfortunately, when I got the scooter back on the road I realized right way that I still had an exhaust leak. It turns out that my re-tapped bolt hole simply couldn't hold up to the task. I had a little trouble getting the bolt in, and apparently I stripped the new threads.
Yes, I am once again back to where I started. I have an exhaust leak and stripped threads on the exhaust port of my head.
So I have ordered a set of 6mm Helicoils and when they get here I am going to take the head off (again) and replace the faulty side with a helicoil. If that doesn't work I am going to try an 8mm helicoil, and if that doesn't work I am going to purchase another head. I might get another exhaust manifold as well (and maybe even a performance exhaust). Mine is a little bent where it attaches to the engine, and that might be part of my problem.
Either way I am pretty confident that I can take the engine apart and still get it back together. This next time I really am going to try and take pictures so that I can create a bit of a a howto (or a how-not-to as the case may be).
2007-10-21
More Scooter Drama
Thursday on my way home from work I noticed that my scooter was getting louder. This was reminiscent of my original problem with the scooter (the exhaust manifold unattached itself from the exhaust port on the engine), and so I decided to take a look at it. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to take a look at the scooter until after work on Friday. When I climbed under the scooter to take a look it was pretty obvious that one of the nuts was loose. I tried tightening it, and it wouldn't tighten. Next thing I knew I was pulling the stud out with the nut still attached to it with my hands. The stripped threads from the engine's head came right along with it.
I was devastated. I had no idea how you fixed something like that. So I spent a little time on the Internet, and I came up with two similar but slightly different fixes.
The first fix was to purchase a heli-coil. A heli-coil is basically a small spring-like device that replaces the original threads. You drill out the existing hole, use a special tool called a tap to create threads in this new hole that the heli-coil will fit into, and then finally you screw the heli-coil into the threads with a special tool. When you are done you have new stainless steel threads that match the original threads that were stripped out. Not only can you use a stock fastener, but your new threads are probably much stronger than the original ones. I looked on the Internet and I was able to find heli-coils of the right size for about $20.
The second alternative was to simply drill out the hole and tap it with a larger size of threads. This is a fairly popular fix, and, in fact, Stan at OregonVintage.com even sells 8mm replacement threads for folks that make this modification. In cases where a larger bolt still fits this is a very good solution. What's more, I was able to find a metric tap and die set at HarborFreight.com for $7.99 plus shipping and handling, making this a less expensive fix. What's more, I found out from KaeLynn that there is actually a Harbor Freight store here in Orem. I honestly thought that they were an online retailer.
So I went to Harbor Freight early Saturday morning to see if they had a tap and die set in stock. Not only did they have a set, but it was available for only $9.99. While I was there I also picked up an oil gun and a set of feeler gauges. Harbor Freight is awesome.
When I got back home I took a good long look at what it would take to drill and tap the stripped hole in the exhaust port, and I realized that I was probably going to have to take off the head. So I set to work breaking the scooter down. I carefully removed the seat, side panels, and under seat compartment. I then removed the engine shroud and the valve cover.
I was now in completely unchartered territory. Even after reading the manual that I had downloaded off of the Internet I still wasn't very confident that I knew what I was doing. I was especially concerned about getting the chain off of the cam. More specifically, I was concerned I wouldn't be able to get the chain back on the cam in the right place.
After more than a few wrong turns and quite a bit of trial and error I finally managed to remove the head. Actually tapping the hole was practically anti-climatic. I decided to tap it to 7mm 1.0 because that would save me from having to drill as the hole was already about the right size. The idea was that I would replace the stud and nut setup with a standard metric bolt. I figured if worse came to worst I could always drill and re-tap to 8mm and purchase a 8mm stud from OregonVintage.com or I could get a heli-coil.
I had a bit of trouble getting things back together. The only 7mm bolt that AutoZone had was a little bit too long and I had to grind it down. I also forgot to replace a couple of bolts. However, after spending nearly the entire day on Saturday working on my scooter I was able to get it all back together and running.
I actually was quite surprised.
Needless to say I went to bed on Saturday feeling like I was practically a scooter mechanic.
My Elation Was Somewhat Premature
My plan for Sunday was to wake up early, use my new feeler gauges to set the clearance on the valves and put the scooter completely back together. Unfortunately, when I opened the valve cover I saw that the top of the valve cover was coated with lots of little chips of plastic. Further examination showed that the plastic chips were coming from the cam chain tensioner guide. I didn't pay enough attention when I was putting this bit back together and instead of the plastic being between the chain tensioner and the chain it was alongside the chain. This caused the chain to eat through the plastic like a chain saw.
Even worse, it appears that I need to remove the head and the cylinder (and possibly some other stuff) if I want to replace the plastic guide. I ordered the part (it was $6.00 plus $4.60 shipping and handling). I have also ordered the Haynes Scooter manual so that I have a better chance of avoiding mistakes in the future. I was really disappointed when it turned out that I hadn't put the scooter back together correctly.
The real question is whether or not I am going to be able to make time to actually put the scooter back together.
2007-10-16
Much Smoother
At long last it appears that I have actually done something that improved my scooter instead of making things worse. Last week while KaeLynn was gone I ordered some tire balancing beads from Innovative Balancing and they were waiting for me in the mailbox when I got back last night. I was a little bummed at first because it turns out that I accidentally only ordered one replacement filtered valve core. However, it turns out that the replacement core didn't fit anyhow, and the sizing page even states that it isn't necessary for motorcycles and scooters, so I'm glad I didn't order two. If I would have been paying attention I wouldn't have ordered the first one.
At first I thought that I had also wasted my money purchasing a valve core removal tool and the applicator as the instructions that came with the kit stated that if I had a valve stem that was bent 90 degrees the applicator wouldn't work. This was especially disheartening because it was hard enough paying $2.50 for this high tech tool.
Tools are expensive, even if they look like ketchup bottles.
However, when I actually tried using the applicator tool it worked flawlessly. The magic beads went in slick as a whistle.
The real surprise, however, was how well the beads actually worked. The difference is like night and day. There still is a barely perceptible imperfection in the front tire, but my guess is that this is simply because the wheel was so problematic before. At 35 mph it used to wobble up and down like a jack hammer when the tire pressure was as high as it is supposed to be. From what I have read I also wouldn't be surprised to hear that the performance improves slightly with time. Either way, I am absolutely thrilled.
My boy Zachary helped with the install and we went for a ride afterwards. He was really proud to have helped fix my scooter. All in all I was excited enough about this upgrade that I don't begrudge the folks at Innovative Balancing the extra $0.99 that I paid for the unused valve core stem, nor do I care that I could probably duplicate their "applicator" for the price of a candy bar. Their shipment showed up at my house when it was supposed to, and everything worked as advertised. Better yet I got to spend some quality time with my little boy.
I highly recommend this product. Especially considering the fact that you can get a 4oz. bag (I used two 2oz. bags) for $6.59 + shipping and handling. Motorcycle shops charge ridiculous amounts of money to remove the wheels and balance them the traditional way. If you are really strapped for cash you could probably skip the purchase of the applicator, but I have to admit that it did make the installation basically painless.
Still Leaking Oil
After I put the kids to bed I did a little more work on my scooter to see if I could track down my oil leak. I finally was able to remove the bottom part of the plastic shroud around the engine. Unfortunately, I don't really know what I am looking for. It appears that maybe the oil is coming out of the head gasket and not out from under the valve cover. Either way I probably need a new gasket for the valve cover. I am somewhat concerned, however, of what will happen if the oil is leaking because something is wrong with the head. KaeLynn doesn't mind my tinkering that much, but if I start ordering expensive parts and tools on a regular basis she's likely to get cranky (and justifiably so). Plus, I am somewhat concerned about getting out of my depth with a machine that at least theoretically still has a warranty. The folks at Yocum's have been very reasonable. It's entirely possible that they would just fix the problem if I brought it up. I suppose that is all the more reason to get the right bolts for the valve cover. I'll ask them to take a look at it when I do the 500 mile tuneup.
2007-10-12
Big Mistake, and a Happy Ending
When I was in college I spent a great deal of time on a Specialized road bike. The bike was my only means of transportation for almost two years, and even when I finally did get a car I spent a lot of time on the bike.
However, as much as I enjoyed riding that bicycle I enjoyed working on it even more. I would regularly disassemble the bike down to the ball bearings, lubricate everything, and put it all back together. So when I started looking into getting a scooter the fact that scooters require more maintenance than cars actually sounded like fun to me. In fact, I probably would have purchased a Chinese scooter even if money was no object. I actually was excited about the prospect of having to do a little bit of maintenance.
So far my Chinese scooter has been more maintenance than I expected, but it has actually been quite a bit of fun.
Oil Leak
As I mentioned before my scooter has never really been 100%. I lost the nuts that connected my exhaust header to the engine, and then I had some performance problems that were solved (by the dealership) by replacing the spark plug. After I got the scooter back from the dealership I noticed that the scooter had a oil leak. The scooter could very well have had an oil leak earlier than that, but I didn't notice it. So I did a little research and I started taking off parts to see if I could find where the leak was coming from. I've got pictures, and I hope to get them up later.
The oil appeared to be coming out from under the valve cover and so I removed the valve cover. Sure enough the gasket had problems. It looked like it didn't quite get set correctly and when the cover had been tightened down the gasket was badly pinched. Since I didn't have another gasket, and since I was really more concerned about finding out what the problem was than in actually fixing it I simply finagled the gasket so that it was back in the groove, and put everything back together. This is where things started to go south. I don't own a torque wrench (I have ordered one) and I have no idea how much torque 7 foot pounds is. I just knew that I didn't want the valve cover to come off. So I over-tightened the bolts. Two of the bolts I rounded substantially without noticing it. I then went on an extensive ride. When I came back from the ride the oil leak looked a lot better.
For the Want of a Torque Wrench
So the next day I rode the scooter to work, and then after work I went for another ride. When I came home it was pretty obvious that I was still leaking oil, so I took off the panel under the front of the seat to tighten the valve cover bolts a little more. While tightening the last bolt I heard a snap, and I learned why people own torque wrenches.
Worse, when I went to remove the other bolts One of them was so rounded that I couldn't get it off. I went to bed on Wednesday night more than a little discouraged. I really liked tinkering with my scooter, but I didn't want to break it.
My family went out of town Thursday morning (I am going to join them later today) and so Thursday night after work I launched into action. The first thing I needed to do was to remove the rounded screw so that I could remove the valve cover and see what the busted bolt looked like. So I checked online and it appeared that the first tool to try for badly rounded bolts was a Vice-Grip. I didn't own a Vice-Grip (like I said, I don't have a lot of experience as a mechanic). So it was off to Wal-Mart for Vice-Grip.
The Vice-Grip worked perfectly. Unfortunately, when I got the valve cover off I found that the bolt was snapped off level with the cylinder head. I may not be experienced, but I was pretty sure that was bad. A little bit of online research turned up several interesting things to try, and so I was back to Wal-Mart (the only store likely to be open by this point) to see what they had. Wal-Mart didn't have any left-threaded drill bits, nor did it have the special-purpose tools that I had seen for removing broken bolts. I had read about welding the head of the bolt back on and using it to twist the bolt out. As you can probably imagine a scooter mechanic that doesn't own a Vice-Grip also doesn't own (or know how to use) a welder. Still, it wasn't like the bolt was rusted in solid or anything like that. I figured that maybe that I could get the head on solid enough with a little adhesive.
Glue: 1 Jason: 0
So I purchased some super glue and some J.B. Weld. I hoped that between the two adhesives I could get out the bolt. The glue idea looked like a good idea on paper, but the reality was that both adhesives left a lot to be desired. The reality of super glue is that the only stuff that it sticks to is human skin. I don't think that I have ever actually fixed something with super glue, but I have stuck my fingers together on any number of occasions. J.B. Weld was new to me. The package talks a good game, and it looked a lot more promising mixed up than the super glue did. I wouldn't be surprised that it would have worked too, if I would have been willing to sit there holding the top part of the bolt for six hours while it set up.
I Own A Drill
I had also read about using a Dremel to cut a slot in the top of the bolt and using flat head screwdriver to screw it out. So I went to Wal-Mart to see if I could purchase a Dremel tool and some sort of cutting head. Wal-Mart had Dremel tools, but it didn't have anything that looked like it would cut a slot in the bolt without cutting the top of the cylinder head.
At this point I wasn't sure what I was going to do. I had read, however, about drilling out bolts, and I thought that with the right technique I could make what that work for me. Besides, by this time it was nearly 11:00 p.m. and I was going out of town after work the next day. I was running out of time. I really wanted to have the bolt out of the head before I left.
So I got a 1/16 in. drill bit and I drilled a tiny hole in the middle of the bolt about two millimeters deep. I then to the 5/32 bit and made it a bit wider. At this point the hole in the top of the bolt was big enough that I thought that I could maybe get something in it and turn it out.
I then found a torx bit for my cheap interchangeable screwdriver set that looked like it would just fit in the hole. When I put the bit in the chuck of my drill it sank clear to the bottom. I knew that I was going to have to put some pressure on the bit, and so I but a small carriage bolt in the chuck first. The bolt was small enough that it kept the bit from sinking to the bottom of the chuck, but it didn't keep me from being able to tighten the chuck completely.
When I pushed the bit into the hole in the bolt it fit tight enough that I had to give it a little bit of a shove. For the first time all night I actually got a little excited. When I put the drill in reverse and tried it the bolt spun right out.
I wish I had pictures, but my wife took the digital camera with her when she left.
I was so excited that I changed the oil in my scooter before calling it a night.
Back Together At Last
I started my day this morning with a trip into Autozone (they open at 8:00 a.m.) to replace the bolts that I had misused. Autozone did not have the special bolt that replaced the ones I wrecked, but they did have a standard 6mm 1.0 25mm metric bolt that fit.
Actually that's not entirely true. The standard bolts on fit in three of the four holes. Fortunately, there are several spots on the scooter that use this same bolt. I used the bolt that holds on the bottom of the fan assembly. A standard metric bolt worked fine there.
Using my new bolts I put the valve cover (gingerly) back together. I then put the rest of the scoot back together and I drove it to work.
2007-10-08
Tire Pressure
I rode the scooter in to work on Thursday night to get my laptop and on the way back I noticed that the handling was a little squirrelly. In fact, it felt like the front tire was loose or something. But I was in a hurry to get back home so I didn't worry about it too much. Then I didn't even start the scooter up on Friday (crazy day), and we spent the weekend in Oakley and so I hadn't really had a chance to take a look at the wheel to see what the problem was. In fact, I wasn't entirely sure there was a problem. It was dark and I thought that perhaps my front tire had simply found a groove in the very worn pavement.
However, this morning I took the kids down to the bus stop and I noticed the problem again. After I got home I took another look at the front tire and it was so flat that I could depress it with my thumb. I may not be the world's foremost authority on scooter maintenance, but I am pretty sure that having the pressure that low is dangerous.
My first reaction was to look to see if I had picked up a nail or something, but the tire appeared to be fine. I then wondered if a can of "Fix a Flat" would work. Unfortunately, the can said that it wasn't to be used on motorcycle tires. However, the can did come with a tire pressure gauge taped to the side of the can, and so at least I had the tool I needed to test to see if my tire would hold pressure. I don't own a compressor, and I didn't feel like borrowing one, and so I got down the crappy bicycle pump that I do own, and I set to work. Interestingly enough the bicycle pump worked just fine. Next thing I knew the tire was inflated to its specified 33 psi. So I checked the back tire and it was also low. Although at 22 psi it wasn't as ridiculously low as the front tire. I then threw the tire pressure gauge in the trunk because I clearly need to check the tire pressure more regularly.
On the drive in to work the scooter definitely handled differently than it has in the past. I was also able to get up to 55 mph indicated against a stiff headwind coming out of the canyon. So I believe that the tires were probably under-inflated the entire time that I have owned the scooter. Hopefully the tires will now maintain pressure. One thing is certain, I am certainly going to pay more attention to this particular detail in the future.
I am currently at 396 miles on the odometer, and so I will break 400 miles on the way home tonight. Yes, it does appear that my odometer measures in miles. It even appears to be fairly accurate. With a little luck I should have the time to change the oil tonight (I probably should have do so earlier). If I am really lucky filling the oil to the correct level will stop the oil leak that the scooter currently has. Apparently if you overfill the oil on these scooters it leaks out.
2007-10-06
Addicted to Scooters
I am up in Oakley, ID for General Conference, and while it is always nice to visit the in-laws, I am really missing my scooter. Quite frankly, I think that's insane. I realize that I really like scooters, but it is ridiculous to like my scooter more than a trip to Oakley.
Part of the problem, is that I am still having a lot of fun troubleshooting the little issues with my scooter. For example, my scooter had a very annoying squeak coming from the rear end. After a bit of searching I found out that the squeak was caused by the gas tank shifting up and down and rubbing against its support. So I took a little bit of time on Tuesday and I removed most of the plastic on the back of the scooter and I tightened the support for the gas tank. This helped a lot, and it was really educational. However, even when I was done the gas tank still made a bit of noise when I went over bigger bumps. I finally fixed the problem by wedging a ball point pen underneath the support. What I probably should have done was remove the support and bend it so that it was more supportive. This was easier, and you never know when you might need a writing utensil out on the road. Either way you can't see the pen unless I drive over your face and you just happen to be looking at the right spot.
One thing is certain. Next time I take off major parts of the tupperware I am going to take pictures and spend more time making sure that I know where all of the screws go. Not only do I want to make sure that I get everything back together correctly, but I would also like a better journal of the work I have done. I want to guarantee that I actually remember what I learn, and I would like others to be able to learn from my experiences (and mistakes).
Mostly, however, I am just obsessed with my scooter.
2007-09-26
Scooter's Fixed
Yocum's called today at about 2:00 p.m., and told me that they had figured out the problem with my scooter. It turned out that the spark plug needed replacing. I wanted to ride the bus down and then ride the scooter back to Orem, but KaeLynn needed me here. So instead I borrowed Cortney's truck again. BJ and Tony at Yocum's helped me get the scooter into the truck and they did a much better job than I had of tying it down. Oddly enough I didn't even really start the scooter up until I got it home. So I was really glad when I fired the scooter up and it worked perfectly. It was much quieter than it had ever been, and it accelerated better as well. Apparently at least in my case opening up the exhaust did not improve performance. I noticed that the two acorn nuts had been replaced with lock nuts, so that should help keep everything together.
I couldn't be more happy with the folks at Yocum's. I sort of expected to have some problems with the bike. I did not expect the dealer to take care of all of the problems. The folks at Yocum's sort of have a website, so I am going to change all the "Yocum's" to links.
2007-09-25
No Scooter
I realize that I just dropped my scooter off yesterday afternoon, but I am already anxious to get it back. Maybe Yocum's will call tomorrow.
2007-09-24
You Have Got to be Kidding Me
I was driving my scooter around yesterday (in the rain) and I started having problems with the engine bogging down. I checked the scooter boards again and there were a lot of things that could be wrong. At first I considered tackling the job myself, I am really sort of interested in getting my hands dirty with this bike, but I was really starting to feel that perhaps Yocum's had not done a very good job prepping the bike for me, so I decided to take it in and get them to sort things out. I called them up and they told me to bring it in. So I borrowed Cortney's truck and I loaded it up (by myself) and drove it to Sandy. When I got there Tony started it up and immediately commented that it still had an exhaust leak (so much for my exhaust fix). He said that they would take care of that. He also tried the throttle and noted how it bogged down when it was given more gas. He told me that they would look at it and call me when they had it sorted out.
I miss my scooter already.
2007-09-20
Exhaust Problems
I drove my scooter into work this morning and on the way in I had a bit of an incident. As I was heading down University Ave. at top speed I heard a loud pop and all of a sudden my scooter was quite a bit louder. It turned out that I lost both of the acorn nuts that secured the exhaust header pipe to the engine. It is an understatement to say that I was really disappointed. I checked on the scooter bulletin boards, however, and it turns out that this is fairly common with Chinese bikes.
So I called up Yocum's late at 7:30 p.m. expecting to get an answering machine. Instead I got the receptionist who put me in touch with Tony, the guy that sold me the bike. Then he did something that I thought was pretty cool. He told me I could either bring the scooter in and they would take a look at it, or that, since I was in Orem, I could come down and he would give me the parts I needed to fix the scooter. I opted to fix it myself and so he waited around and gave me the parts I needed even though it was 8:30 p.m. by the time I could get there.
I thought that was pretty cool.
So while I was obviously disappointed that something had happened to my scooter I was impressed (again) with the people at Yocum's.
Putting the exhaust back together proved to be fairly straightforward. By the end of the day I was riding around happily again.
2007-09-19
My New Scooter
I called up Yocum's and they assured me that the scooter would be assembled and ready to go by 2:00 p.m. KaeLynn needed to be home by 3:30 p.m. because the kids were going to be back from school and so I left work early and we headed up to Sandy at about 1:30 p.m. When we got there the scooter was all set to go. I paid the rest of the money that I owed (I had to remind them to charge me for the inspection fee) and then we measured the scooter to see if it would fit in the van. After a few measurements we decided that it would be better to just ride it home. Since that is what I wanted to do anyhow I was thrilled. Fortunately, I had printed out some directions from Google Maps before I left and so I at least had some idea of how to actually get home without getting on the freeway.
KaeLynn's original plan was to follow me, but she quickly realized that my scooter ride home was likely to take a while so she headed for home without me. It was fortunate that she did because it took me nearly 2 hours to get home. I got lost several times and I probably spent more time backtracking than making headway, but in the end I made it safe and sound.
The only problem was that after two hours on the scooter I was addicted to the machine. Riding around on the scooter was way more fun that I expected it to be. For the first time since I started looking at scooters I started to regret that I hadn't looked more closely at the 250cc water cooled machines. I really wanted to take my scooter on long trips.
2007-09-18
Registration and Insurance
Today I took the papers that the folks from Yocum's gave me and went down to the DMV. I waited in line for about a half hour and then handed my papers over to the nice lady at the counter. Ten minutes later I had a license plate and tags. Total damage was something like $71 dollars. I find it a bit funny that my scooter has apparently passed inspection despite the fact that I am pretty sure it is still in the box, but I am sure it will pass inspection when it is done.
I am starting to think that dealing with a local dealer was a very good idea. My buddy Todd got a Roketa scooter from a buddy (for free) and he still doesn't have the MSO and so he can't get it registered. Yocum's provided exactly what I needed to get the scooter registered.
2007-09-17
Buying A Chinese Scooter
Recently I was able to trick my brother into trading me his 150cc Vespa Scooter for my Honda Civic. He apparently had some errands to do that required a little more cargo capacity than a scooter supplied. Originally I thought that I was just doing my little brother a solid. Little did I know that I would soon be addicted to scooters.
My father in law was in town, and he coincidentally wanted to look at and so for several days Floy (yes, that's his name) traipsed around town looking at scooters and ATVs. At first we looked at name-brand vehicles. In fact, the first scooters that we looked at were at the local Vespa dealership. I soon realized that scooters were simply too expensive for me to justify purchasing one. After all, I already have a perfectly good Honda Civic to commute around in. I was having too much fun on the Vespa to give up entirely. I was just about to start doing some research into used scooters when Floy mentioned he had heard good things about Kymco machines. So we looked on the Internet and we found a local car dealership that just happened to carry their machines. It turned out later that the dealership did carry Kymco scooters (someone else in town had the ATV franchise). More importantly, however, the dealership also carried several lines of Chinese Scooters.
The next thing I knew I was spending all of my time comparing Chinese-made scooters that I found on the Internet. All of a sudden there was the definite possibility of being able to actually purchase a new scooter. After all, there are any number of sites offering to drop ship these scooters "mostly" assembled right to your door. Some of them are selling scooters for as low as $1000 shipping included.
I could afford that, and the idea of putting the scooter together myself actually sounded like fun.
My father-in-law was not so sure, but the idea of being able to actually purchase a new scooter instead of looking at used scooters was compelling. Besides, from what I had read about these Chinese scooters if you were willing to get your hands dirty they actually were a pretty good deal.
Then, just as I was about to put in an order KaeLynn found an ad in the newspaper for a local dealer of Chinese Scooters. So today, instead of purchasing a scooter over the Internet, I drove down to Sandy to take a look at Yocum's ATVs (Chinese ATV Specialists).
My first impression of Yocum's wasn't the best. It certainly didn't look like the scooter showrooms I had been to. Yocum's is pretty clearly a small auto mechanic that decided to sideline in scooters and ATVs. BJ and Tony didn't look like salesmen either (no offense intended) they looked like mechanics, and not the gussied up corporate mechanics either. Still the prices were competitive (The price was $1250 and was within $50 of the reputable online dealers), and they offered to fully assemble the bike and replace the fluids. They also showed me around the shop and parts room and it was pretty clear that they would actually be able to service the scooter. So I put down the $100 deposit (they didn't have any of the model that I wanted assembled), and they gave me an MSO, a vehicle inspection report, and some other stuff that they said I would need to register the scooter and they told me that I could pick the scooter up on Wednesday. They also gave me a free helmet. They only had ATV helmets, and really funky ones at that, so I look like a Power Ranger with the thing on, but with the helmet the total price is within $10 of what I was going to pay online. That's not much extra to pay for assembling the scooter and having a place to take it for repairs.