"Chuckles" (chucklesw37)
01/28/2020 at 07:50 • Filed to: two wheels good, Riva125Z
5
26|
"Chuckles" (chucklesw37)
01/28/2020 at 07:50 • Filed to: two wheels good, Riva125Z | 5
| 26 |
My scooter as it sits today, waiting for warmer weather.
The plan was to buy a scooter in the Fall, park it in the garage, and have it ready to ride by the time Spring arrived. Winter in Pennsylvania isn’t really the best time to ride a scooter. A few months ago, I bought a 1987 Yamaha Riva 125Z. It was in pretty good shape other than needing tires. I didn’t expect to ride it much right away. As it turns out, I’ve managed to go on 7 (or 8) rides already, and only 3 of them involved riding it or from the shop. I’ve covered something like 50 miles, and used about half a tank of gas. According to Yamaha, the tank holds 1.8 gallons, so that’s not too bad.
The tires might be in rough shape, but look at those gold wheels!
The first ride was from my brother’s house (where the seller delivered it) to the shop. My brother did the riding for this portion of the trip, as he’s an experienced rider. The tires also needed to be replaced and he’s much lighter than I am, so it seemed like the safer bet (at least for me).
A set of fresh Pirelli tires set me back about $95
Getting the rear wheel off of a scooter is kind of a pain
With a fresh set of tires, it was my turn to ride it home, through a few suburbs and the city where I live. Just for reference, at this point my collective two wheeled vehicle experience was 3 hours on a 50cc scooter at the beach, and a 10 minute test ride of the 125Z. I’m pretty sure that I stayed under 40mph that day, but I was having a blast the whole time.
Once I got the scooter home, I figured that’s where it would sit until Spring. But as I described in an earlier post, I ended up going for a ride on Christmas Eve, one that left me stranded at a gas station.
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
One drawback of the 125Z’s design is that it turns on all of the light as soon as you turn the key. I had foolishly turned the key to on, spent 5 minutes getting ready, and then when I tried to start it, no luck. A quick Uber ride to the local Cycle Gear store and one booster pack purchase later, and I was able to scoot back home, feeling only slightly defeated. My hope was that the battery was only sightly dead, and that I could avoid this problem by starting the scooter as soon as I put the key in.
A week or two later, and I decided to go on a ride to enjoy the rare warm January weather. I actually needed the booster to get going, so I only went for a short ride around the neighborhood, trying to stay uphill from my house in case I needed to coast it home.
Scooting for the ‘gram
It survived the short trip, but I knew that something was not working properly in the charging system. A multimeter quickly confirmed that the battery voltage was dropping any time I’d rev the engine. Not ideal. The next weekend, I attempted to ride the scooter back to the shop. It was rough. The scooter nearly stalled out every time I stopped, and the power felt way down. I had to jump start it twice. Once back at the shop, my friend confirmed that it needed a new regulator. I ordered one from Part Shark, and it showed up about two weeks later. Not exactly overnight parts from Japan, but I’ll take it considering this scooter was manufactured in December 1986.
Remember to add a Warren G lyric here before hitting “Publish”
In addition to needing a new voltage regulator, we found the source of the stalling issues. The gas tank vent tube was being pinched shut, creating a vacuum in the system. The 125Z doesn’t use a fuel pump. Instead, the gas tank sits above the engine and gravity does the job. But without a vent, the tank develops a vacuum as the gas is used, which restricts the flow to the engine. It was an easy enough problem to fix.
At this point, I had to ride the scooter back across the city again but I was starting to feel more comfortable making that trip. I got the scooter home without any issues. On Saturday we got some heavy rain, which means that the roads were salt free on Sunday. I took the scooter for a short ride and everything seemed in order. Cold temperature and strong wind kept the ride pretty brief.
The scooter now sits in the garage, with the battery hooked up to a trickle charger. There’s a decent chance that I won’t get to ride it much for the next 8 weeks or so, but I’m glad that I got the chance to get a few miles in while I could. I expect that I’ll do a more thorough review of the scooter in the Spring, when it isn’t so cold that my hands go numb after 10 minutes of riding.
RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
> Chuckles
01/27/2020 at 19:28 |
|
I reallllyyy have to get my bike license and get a cheap scoot...
|
Chuckles
> RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
01/27/2020 at 19:32 |
|
You absolutely do. It’s hard for me to put into words how much fun I’m having just scooting around town without ever breaking the speed limit.
|
RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
> Chuckles
01/27/2020 at 19:44 |
|
Part of the reason I want to import a FIAT 126p....could drive it literally everywhere with your foot welded to the floor and not break the speed limit unless you really try. :P
TheJWT
> Chuckles
01/27/2020 at 19:45 |
|
Welcome to the old Yamaha s of Oppo club ! It’s a small but growing congregation.
Khalbali
> Chuckles
01/27/2020 at 19:47 |
|
Looks awesome! Storage is an issue for me but I'm planning on getting my license this spring.
|
Chuckles
> Khalbali
01/27/2020 at 19:55 |
|
Nice! I don’t actually have my license yet but I do have a permit. The only restrictions in PA are you must wear a helmet, no passengers, and you can’t ride at night.
The scooter was a reward for hitting a personal goal. When I hit my next goal, I’ll get my license.
I'm definitely spoiled by my garage. I'd be sad if my scooter had to sit outside in the winter.
|
Chuckles
> TheJWT
01/27/2020 at 19:57 |
|
I remember when you posted about buying that. My brother had a yellow FZR. I love the look of those bikes. I'm plenty happy with my 125cc scooter (for now at least).
|
Chuckles
> RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
01/27/2020 at 20:08 |
|
You should still get your 126p, but buy a cheap scooter too. Part of the dun is that you aren't sitting inside a metal box.
shop-teacher
> RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
01/27/2020 at 20:16 |
|
Yeah, you really really do!
|
shop-teacher
> Chuckles
01/27/2020 at 20:17 |
|
That's great that the scoot should more or less be sorted come spring. Then you can really put some miles on it!
|
Khalbali
> Chuckles
01/27/2020 at 20:21 |
|
There’s a facility with motorcycle parking for $40/month nearby, I think it’s indoors too, just kind of a pain to store it somewhere else. I just don't enjoy driving much here in Illinois and that was my main hobby so I'm gonna give scooters and motorbikes a try instead.
|
Chuckles
> Khalbali
01/27/2020 at 20:27 |
|
Illinois you say? You need to get in touch with Shop-Teacher. He's in your part of the world and seems to have a blast riding scooters. He's commented elsewhere on this thread.
|
Chuckles
> shop-teacher
01/27/2020 at 20:28 |
|
I look forward to being able to ride for more than 10 minutes without my hands going numb, or to be able to see a damp spot without wondering "is that ice?"
|
Khalbali
> Chuckles
01/27/2020 at 20:35 |
|
We've talked I promised him the vinyl my wife and I don't want anymore, he's only 20-30 min away from me, haven't met him in person yet but only because I'm an antisocial codger.
|
shop-teacher
> Chuckles
01/27/2020 at 20:38 |
|
Definitely. When it's cold I ride in full on winter work gloves.
|
Chuckles
> Khalbali
01/27/2020 at 20:43 |
|
I live like 2 miles from a fellow Oppo and we haven’t met yet. I’m sure that we will once riding season properly starts in a few months.
If you hang out with Shop Teacher, you'll probably wind up buying a scooter :-)
|
Chuckles
> shop-teacher
01/27/2020 at 20:47 |
|
Decay was telling me about some heated grips that he just bought. Said they work great.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B018K5XYPE?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
> Chuckles
01/27/2020 at 21:32 |
|
As the owner of a bike with heated grips I can tell you they are the best thing evar.
atfsgeoff
> Chuckles
01/27/2020 at 21:38 |
|
Scooter is looking great! Can’t wait to see it in person.
|
Chuckles
> atfsgeoff
01/27/2020 at 22:00 |
|
Thanks. I’m starting to feel more comfortable on it. A little more seat time and I’ll definitely be in touch about riding once it warms up. I don’t recall, but what kind of road going bikes/scooters do you have?
|
atfsgeoff
> Chuckles
01/27/2020 at 22:03 |
|
I have a 2005 Yamaha FJR1300 and a 2008 WR250R.
|
Chuckles
> atfsgeoff
01/27/2020 at 22:09 |
|
Is the 250 street legal? Because I'm pretty sure your 1300 won't be happy when I top out around 45mph. They both look great though.
|
atfsgeoff
> Chuckles
01/27/2020 at 22:11 |
|
Yeah the WRR is fully street legal and plated. It tops out at 70 with the current gearing, and much prefers cruising between 35 and 45 anyway. The super knobbies I have on it aren’t very good for street riding though lol
The FJR prefers much higher speeds, the faster the better. It’s a chore to keep it under 80 on the highway.
SiennaMan
> RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
01/27/2020 at 22:13 |
|
This is exactly the same thought I had.. even if I just had it as something fun for a weekend morning scoot..
|
Chuckles
> atfsgeoff
01/27/2020 at 22:14 |
|
35-45 is a good spot for the 125Z as well. Maybe if I lose a few pounds I can hit 50. I do think I can get there on a long enough road. Yesterday I was on susquehanna street at the 7-11. Took off going up the hill and got to 44 or so, and that's up an incline. So on a long, flat road I think it'll do 50, but I'm not sure I'd want to keep it pegged there for long.
|
Chuckles
> SiennaMan
01/28/2020 at 01:15 |
|
Go for it. I won’t be using my scooter for commuting or errands, just tooling around on a Saturday morning, maybe going out for a nice cup of coffee.