My scoot's winter mod.

I decided to install a windshield on my scooter for winter. It was a bit of work since I did not have the proper mount adapter for the mirror and the windshield. My solution is simple, I measured and grounded the metal on top of the screw thread and just added or extended the screw thread on the mirrors. Then added an extra nut at the bottom so that the windshield bracket will be in a higher position and not touch the upper cowl. I have been using my windshield for two months now and have no problems with it.

Why ride scooters?

This may sound harsh but before I thought that scooters were lame or gay. I always prefer riding something with a manual clutch but as I got older, I slowly found myself riding scooters more. Manual clutch bikes are fun but scooters are convenient and economical. I was in the bike business before so I have rode and owned different bikes but I didn't ride scooters until my son told me that he wanted to ride. He was 4 years old and tried my Honda ATC200 (3 wheeler) which was too big and powerful for him. My next step was to convert one for him using an old Honda Tact 50cc scooter.

Honda Spacy 100cc repair.

This is the Spacy 100 when I first saw it at my friend's bike shop. I had a hard time choosing between the Honda Spacy 100 or the the Yamaha Axis 100. I like the Axis 100 more than the Spacy because I like 2 strokes more but gave it a thought and decided on the Spacy. I looked at the pros and cons and the Spacy won. First I wanted a maxi scooter like a Yamaha Majesty (will still get one in the future...) but I need something more maneuverable in tight spaces, lightweight that I can easily load on the truck, comfortable for me and my passenger, silent, fuel efficient and is something not flashy and wont get stolen. The Axis is good but since it's a 2 stroke and my main aim is to save some fuel money and I want to go stealth during my midnight convenience store run, the Spacy won.

For my biker buddies
I went to the beach (alone as always. I'm not a pervert OK! lol).
Duct tapped my Xperia phone on the left mirror on my vibrator-like shopping bike and went for a slow ride
Sound is very noisy because of the wind. Video is fuzzy because of the vibration (bike fitted with "Trials for competition use only tires... very sticky), bike is wiggly because of heavy unbalanced luggage plus front tire likes floating off the ground :)

I finished restoring and repairing my Monkey bike.
It was dead when I first got it but brought it back to life again.
I wrenched the engine, repaired the tires and stripped everything and painted and polished it. Now it looks sweet again :)

iPhone 4 Home Button DIY Quick Fix.

This quick fix might not be appropriate for this blog but since I use my iPhone's map a lot, I will share my DIY fix here in hope that fellow bikers could benefit from this somehow... 

Using a small truck as a workbench

 

My back gets weaker as I get older and using my small truck as a work table makes life easier for me. Here I was doing an engine swap on this 250 Honda scooter.  There is not much to say because the photos shows it all. Bike tie-down straps and two folding car jacks helped me secure and lift the bike. 

If you don't have a bike lift but have a small truck or a sturdy table, you can use them though it may not look very professional it'll save you for back pains.

Improvised A-frame, lol!

There are times that we may need to pull an engine out but lack resources or tools. I've removed engines from big bikes several times using an aluminum ladder. There were times that friends gave me a bikes that were stored at the back of their garage or warehouses where moving the bikes was impossible because of all the crap around the bikes and all I needed was the engine (same here with the jet ski). Here I've used several bike ratchet straps to lift the engine and pieces of wood to pry it out :)

Using an aluminum ladder as an A-frame is a bit of a balancing act but it does the job well as long as you know your ladder's weight capacity, plus it will be best or a lot safer if you have someone to spot/hold/guide you when you are removing or installing the engine especially if you are working on unstable grounds. The ladder may topple and fall once you've raised the engine because the legs of the ladder might sink or dig in the ground causing the ladder to fall. Make sure that you have secured your ladder on something solid like strapping the ladder on a wall, a car, a strong fence, etc. before raising the engine. Many people have done this and it works.

Just be careful, work slow and use common sense. Stay clear of the engine while it is lifted and if your engine is falling, don't be a super hero trying to catch it because you can't. 

Tubless Tire Air Leak

Have you ever experienced getting a flat tire (tubeless) and couldn't find anything wrong with it. No cracks, no nails, rim looks good, have dipped the whole tire in water but can't see no air leaks but is gets flat over night or after a few days. 

Based on my experiences with using old 2nd hand crappy tires (cars and bikes) that the tires are often OK but the air valve's body crack due to age (rubber) causing air to leak. Sometimes the crack is very small that we couldn't see it even when we dip the tire in water. The easiest way to know if you have a failing air valve body is to spray some liquid around the base of the air valve's body, twist it around and look for air bubbles. Just be ready with your spare/emergency tire (for cars) because twisting the air valve's body might fully break-up the crack and you might be pushing your car or bike home if you don't have a spare or if you are kilometers away from a repair shop.

I always keep new spare air valves (around 25 pieces/ pack) and I do use them all, lol! Just recently I have used 2 on my truck, 2 for a big bike, 2 for my wife's car and 2 for this scooter. This is why I keep spares :)

How to change the air valve is not for beginners. You have to know how to remove the tire from the rim to get to the air valve. You'll need levers, bead breaker, air compressor, etc. and working with tires can be dangerous for newbies so I strongly suggest that if you are a newbie and have detected that you have a leaking tire air valve is to get proper help from a pro. If you can do the replacement/repairs yourself, I suggest that you keep a few spares in your tool box.

Biker's Eyeglass Cheap Repair

My eyeglasses are my best friends. I couldn't go out without them plus I always have to bring a spare because there are countless times I forgot where I removed them and have stepped on two of my eyeglasses while searching for them. Another biggest problem is that my MX helmet is so tight that I have broken one the arms of my eyeglasses twice while trying to pry it inside my helmet. I tried contact lenses but they were not for me...