Hi Scootfiends ',;~}~

Mark Emerson Trentham · Jul 29, 2014

ReverendSkipper said: ↑

(Warning: The following post is quite long and may have powerful sedative properties).

I'd been thinking these past few days about the 'new' engine I'd got sat in the shed - since I first got this old scoot years ago and had flat battery and starter motor problems, I desperately wanted a kick-start on it, just never got round to doing the retro-fit, but the new engine had one on already. PLUS my centre stand was bent to hell meaning I had to park on a slight slope, the right way round or the scoot would just fall over, and it was stuck on solid from a slightly bent and very rusty bolt pin - the one on the new engine was in perfect nick etc (you see where this is going don'tcha?!)

',;~}~

BUT, I was concerned with my lack of experience of scooters, and with the fact the breakers told me they couldn't start this one when they tried, not to mention the effort and risk to my poor f'd-up old back ',;~{~

Yesterday after finishing work early at around 1 p.m. I decided 'balls to this!' and went to swap the engines over anyway, figuring if I got stuck I'd throw a plastic sheet over the whole affair and try to elicit some help from a friend and/or ask questions here.

About 1/2 past 1 after unblocking the fuel vacuum spigot on the intake manifold (don't ask me how I came to check that right away! Heh... ) I got stuck in removing the standard exhaust and back wheel (stock tyre) from the 'new' engine, removed the back wheel (my personal choice Schwalb Weatherman white wall on it) and my Sito Plus exhaust from the old engine and started to peel off the bodywork up to the footwell where the screws are rusted '1/2+1/2' (half 'away' and half 'solid'!), removed the seat and helmet storage and aluminium tail plate, back shock, then with the centre of the frame held up on 2 bricks and a thin plank made all necessary disconnections, took carb off etc. then dropped the engine and pulled it out from behind.

Put my wheel and exhaust on the new unit, fired it in under the frame, wiggled it into place and started to bolt it up (NOT easy on the crooked stone flags outside our house, all on me lonesome - took some weid contorionist exploits to get it all in place), replaced rear shock (mine was rusted silly and hardly worked at all) and new aluminium tail plate (mine had no paint left on and was badly corroded), wired it all back up and reconnected all the plumbing and such then fired it up - started immediately and sounded really well too <g!>

Went round and refastened all the bodywork, put the new seat on (I'd made that swap a couple days ago), fired it up using the new kick-start for the hell of it and went for a test ride at about 6:30-7:00 p.m. - it was miles better than it ever had been - The engine revs higher before the drive kicks in now, so it squirts away from junctions etc. like a trouper and overtaking is a (comparative) dream, rather than a nightmare of grit-toothed calculation, forethought and then mostly resignation to staying where I am for a while lol!

Acceleration all round is notably improved and you can now feel the scoot trying to 'sit up' when pulling away, and I don't think I've lost more than ~1 mph on the top speed either, and 60 mph now feels a lot slower and more civilised than it did no doubt partly due to having functioning rear suspension and new swing arm linkage, mounts and rubber - my shoulders didn't ache from hanging on for dear life round the twisties like they had before either lol.

This engine also sounds a tad quieter to me for some reason - the other was quite 'thumpy' and this seems more 'fizzy' even on the stand, and listening to the difference in the engine bottom end esp. just after firing it up, it now sounds like the big end on the old engine was knocking quite a bit - I think the old one must really have been fairly tired after all even after only 10K.

So excluding a couple of fag and brew breaks here and there I got the whole lot done in 5 or 6 hours and well impressed myself - given me the confidence I need to not feel so worried about swapping the other goodies over in due time, and my plans for a few couple hundred mile round trips to the lakes or wotaveyou, seem far less daunting esp. now she has a kickstart heheheh. I also think this engine's quite a bit less thirsty but I'd need to do a proper mpg check to be sure.

OTOH my back is f'n killing me and I'm now waddle-walking worse than John Wayne with bleeding haemorrhoids and vinegar down the pants heheheh... but I'm an all-round happy bunny that's for sure ',;~}~

Cheers folks - just knowing this forum was here if I got stuck was more help than you know.

Shaun (now wondering a) what this scoot would feel like with the full legal amount of BHP and b) best way to achieve that heheheh...
Click to expand...

Short & sweet,nice -
weight lifting belt,works for me.on occasion...

deRox · Jul 31, 2014

Hi

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Hi Scootfiends ',;~}~

Mark Emerson Trentham Well Known Member. Staff Member

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Hi Scootfiends ',;~}~

Mark Emerson Trentham Well Known Member. Staff Member

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