150cc motor bikes

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1. Scooter Wheel & Tire Size

   Motor Scooter wheel size varies from a minimum of about 10″ to a maximum of around 16″. Most are either 12″ or 13″. This is the size of the metal wheel itself and doesn’t include the tire. The measurements is the diameter of the wheel rims The tire may add 5″ or 6″ to the diameter. My scooter has 13″ wheels (rims), but the tire measures about 19″ across in total.

   So what are the advantages and disadvantages of different sized wheels?

   Well, the smaller the wheel the more maneuverable the scooter can be. The smaller wheel has less of a gyroscopic effect making it somewhat easier to turn (though this also depends a lot on steering geometry). So in general, scooters are more maneuverable than motorcycles (which have larger wheels). The converse of this is that larger wheels may give better stability at speed.

   The downside of smaller wheels is that they don’t roll over obstructions in the road as well. Just think of a pothole in the road. If it’s a large hole and a small wheel, the wheel could fall into it! Even if it’s a raised obstruction like a tree branch or a curb, a larger wheel will roll over it with less effort than a small wheel. That’s one reason why off-road trucks often have monster wheels. When you’re driving over rocks a big wheel makes life easier. Similarly, if you’re riding over roads filled with potholes (for example New York City!), you’ll value larger wheels.

   While a few scooters have 16″ wheels (e.g. MC_X1507) and a few have 10″ wheels (e.g. MC-U1504), most scooters have a 12″ or 13″ wheel which is a reasonable compromise between maneuverability and stability.

   Scooter tires come in all sizes of course, with a typical 13″ wheel scooter tire having a designation something like “130/60-13″. The “13″ refers to the wheel rim diameter. The “130/60″ part indicates that the width of the tread is 130mm (5.1″) and that the tire has an aspect ratio of 0.60 (or 60%), which means that the sidewall height is 60% of the width of the tire. Some tires are designed for front wheel use, some for rear wheel use and some can be used on either wheel. Though most tires today are tubeless, there may still be a few tires which require an inner tube, especially on older scooters.

   Comment by master — 05/12/2010 @ 3:15 pm

2. How Much does a Scooter Cost?

   Japanese and Italian scooters which are sold through authorized dealers, the price goes up significantly. For a 50cc scooter expect to pay around $3300 for something like a Vespa LX 50, which is a “classic” small scooter or something like $3000 for an Aprilia SR50 (fuel injected two-stroke) which is a little more sleek and modern looking. The classic Honda Metropolitan 50cc sells for around $2000.

   Going up to a 250cc, for something like an Aprilia SportCity 250 expect to pay around $4600, or $5400 for a Honda Helix. If you go to larger scooters like the Honda Siver Wing (580cc) you’ll pay $8100 ($8600 with true APS braking). The 400cc Yamaha Majesty sells for around $6100 and the Suzuki Bergman 650 will cost you $9000.
   How fast do Scooters go?

   Small 50cc scooters (“Mopeds”) are good for about 30 mph, maybe 35 mph in some states without speed restrictions. They will just about keep up with urban traffic, but you have to ride them WOT (Wide Open Throttle) do to that. This can be good for novices and young riders because in most of states the rider does not need a motorcycle license to operate a 50cc less scooter, but the inability to keep up with faster traffic can sometimes be a hazard as cars try to “squeeze” past you when there really isn’t room.

   150cc Chinese scooter. It might look fast, but it’s not really very happy above 60 mph. Mid sized 150cc scooters are good for 55-65 mph, though with a long enough run at it they may get up to 65+mph, especially if there’s a tail wind or slight downhill grade. 45-50mph is enough to keep up with most urban and suburban traffic, though it’s really not enough to flow with the traffic on a freeway, where speeds of 65-75mph are more normal. We?ˉd certainly recommend a 150cc scooter over a 50cc scooter for commuting unless you live in Manhattan. Most of the 150cc scooters cruise quite comfortably at 45-50mph.

   If you want a high speed machine, you would probably be better off with a motorcycle.? 250cc scooters are just about OK for freeway use and should be able to cruise at 60mph and get up to speeds of 70mph or more if pushed. We wouldn’t recommend riding anything less than a 250cc scooter on the freeway, you might want to check on our 300cc motorcycle that is listed on our website.

   Comment by master — 05/12/2010 @ 3:15 pm

3. If you do have a spark, you need to check the gas. Make sure there is gas in the tank first! If there is you need to check the fuel valve. Most scooters use a gravity fuel feed by locating the fuel tank higher than the carburetor. The fuel usually then flows through filter and then through a vacuum operated valve. The valve has three hoses connected to it. One if from the fuel tank and is for the gas going in, one is connected to the carburetor and is for the gas coming out and one goes to the engine manifold which provides a vacuum. If you disconnect the hose from the carburetor, fuel should run out when you crank the engine (be careful to catch the gas if you do this and don’t do it with a hot engine). If you don’t see gas the fuel valve may be faulty. You can try applying a vacuum to the control port of the valve and see if the fuel flows. Sucking on the line is one way to do this (but make sure it’s the vacuum line, not the gas line if you try this!).

   If you are getting a spark and you are getting gas to the carburetor and the engine is turning over on the starter OK, it’s possible that the electrically operated automatic choke has failed. It’s supposed to operate when the engine is cold, but if it’s stuck or burned out, the mixture will be weak and the scooter probably won’t start. The automatic choke is usually a black cylindrical object attached to the carburetor with a couple of wires coming out of it as shown on the left. It’s the only electrical powered component attached to the carburetor, so it’s usually not hard to spot. If you have a voltmeter you can measure the resistance across the leads of the choke. It should be somewhere in the region of around 10 or 20 ohms. If it’s an open circuit, it’s burned out and will need to be replaced. If it seems to be OK it may be stuck, or the wiring to it may have a problem. Check to see that it’s getting voltage.

   It’s also possible that there is a problem with the carburetor and if so you may need to remove it and clean it out. If the scooter has been sitting for a few months with gas in the carburetor, the gas may have evaporated and left a sticky “gum” behind that will prevent the carburetor from working properly and which must be removed.

   If the automatic choke is OK, the starter cranks the engine, there’s gas and there’s a spark then there may be an engine problem. You need to check the cylinder compression. You need a compression tester to do this. It screws in instead of the spark plug and measures cylinder pressure. When you crank the engine you should see a reading of around 150 psi or more. If it’s 100 psi or less there’s likely and engine problem (bad valve, bad piston, failed piston rings) which will need the engine taken apart to find.
   Probably the most common problems are a dead battery or carburetor problems due to bad adjustment or build up of gummy deposits. Carburetor problems usually come on slowly though. If a scooter is OK one day and refuses to start the next day, I’d first suspect an electrical problem.

   Comment by master — 05/12/2010 @ 3:15 pm

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