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Someone I work with has a Honda Metropolitan, and they have either lost or locked the key under the seat. The only local dealer wants a fistful of money to remove the ignition in order to have keys made. How hard is it to remove the ignition from the scooter so that I can take it to a local locksmith if I source blanks? I know of a smith that can do the keys, they just don't stock blanks.
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Oct 1, 2010 15:08
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| # ? May 4, 2024 02:14 |
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Pvt. Public posted:Someone I work with has a Honda Metropolitan, and they have either lost or locked the key under the seat. The only local dealer wants a fistful of money to remove the ignition in order to have keys made. Check here for blanks: http://www.motorcyclekeys.com/ There are 4 alternative blanks that can be used. Ilco and JMA both makes blanks that fit. Any competent smith should be able to make a key without removing the lock.
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Oct 1, 2010 15:23
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Pvt. Public posted:Someone I work with has a Honda Metropolitan, and they have either lost or locked the key under the seat. The only local dealer wants a fistful of money to remove the ignition in order to have keys made. I'm not sure about the Metropolitan, but on some scooters there are funky ways to pop the seat open if you've locked the keys inside. My girlfriend's Genuine/PGO Buddy/BuBu has a secret trunk opening method that can be nearly lifesaving. Have you checked the service manual?
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Oct 1, 2010 18:26
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Couldn't they just have a locksmith pick the lock to get the key out? Then just make a few spares.
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Oct 1, 2010 21:06
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Well, no way that I could find to open the seat without the key, and I couldn't manage to pick the lock so I decided to just take the front cover off and remove the ignition cylinder for them. Got the cover off, but the goddamn ignition cylinder is held on by a screw that has some weird head on it and that I can't seem to find a driver or bit for. So they are just going to take it to the dealer and have it done, I guess. No locksmith said they would cut keys for it without the code or without the cylinder removed. Whatever. Thanks for the ideas, guys.
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Oct 1, 2010 23:01
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Is it a security torx? You can pick up a set of them for around 10$ at your local autoshop.
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Oct 1, 2010 23:04
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Possibly, but that means my set in my toolbox is incomplete. I've never seen a head like it before. I told them it would be easy to just get a Screw-Off from Sears and replace the screw with a normal head but apparently that was too much effort. So, they took it to the dealer today.
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Oct 2, 2010 23:26
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Has anyone ever taken MSF with a scooter? They are giving me the option to take my own scooter (Piaggio Mp3) should I or would the class be better learning on a two wheeler or even a motorcycle?
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Oct 3, 2010 18:52
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its like lava posted:Has anyone ever taken MSF with a scooter? They are giving me the option to take my own scooter (Piaggio Mp3) should I or would the class be better learning on a two wheeler or even a motorcycle? I think you'll get jealous glares on The Box. In all seriousness, if you ever plan to own a regular scooter or a motorcycle, I'd use one of their bikes. Even if you never use the shifting skills, most of the course should still be useful to you.
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Oct 3, 2010 19:00
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Terminal posted:In all seriousness, if you ever plan to own a regular scooter or a motorcycle, I'd use one of their bikes. Even if you never use the shifting skills, most of the course should still be useful to you. Exactly this. At first, I had no intention of ever buying a motorcycle, and was thinking of taking my MSF on one of the Buddy scooters they had lined up. I ended up taking it on a motorcycle thinking that having that experience will only help my driving skills even more, and it's done exactly that.
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Oct 4, 2010 20:32
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How convenient, I just finished my MSF yesterday! I would take it on a motorcycle just to know (which is what I did). Yes, a scooter would be easier, but a motorcycle is quite different and I'm glad I know how to use one in case I ever want to switch or ride one.
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Oct 4, 2010 20:37
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its like lava posted:Has anyone ever taken MSF with a scooter? They are giving me the option to take my own scooter (Piaggio Mp3) should I or would the class be better learning on a two wheeler or even a motorcycle? I'm backin' up everyone else and saying take it on one of their bikes. It'll be lighter than your MP3, you won't be the odd one out in class, and you can learn shifting and stuff which is just handy for when you inevitably end up with another two-wheeled vehicle. And if you want to later you can take the Intermediate Rider's Course on your MP3.
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Oct 4, 2010 22:03
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its like lava posted:Has anyone ever taken MSF with a scooter? They are giving me the option to take my own scooter (Piaggio Mp3) should I or would the class be better learning on a two wheeler or even a motorcycle? I took it on a scooter that the class offered, and looking back, I kind of regret it. It made some of the tests easier, sure, but I'm thinking if I ever want to go to a motorcycle, I'll probably take the class over again so I can learn how to shift and all that fun stuff.
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Oct 6, 2010 19:25
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Take it on the bike if you can, everything you learn on the bike will transfer to the scooter or be useful if you ever get a motorcycle, but not vice-versa.
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Oct 6, 2010 19:46
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Okay, my girlfriend's scooter died last week. Turns out the engine seized because it ran out of oil (turns out she never actually changed it. Guess I'll have to teach her proper maintenance). She has some friends that can work on it, but I'm not sure to what extent. They say that the engine is totaled and needs to be replaced. Money is a bit tight, so we're looking at options: would it be cheaper to replace the engine (2007 Vespa LX50) or pick up another 49cc off Craigslist? Alternatively, would a non-Vespa engine be cheaper and would we be able to mount it with little to no fabrication?
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Oct 8, 2010 03:25
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Pope Mobile posted:Okay, my girlfriend's scooter died last week. Turns out the engine seized because it ran out of oil (turns out she never actually changed it. Guess I'll have to teach her proper maintenance). You could probably take this opportunity to move to a performance kit. The bottom end of the engine and transmission and everything is probably fine, just the piston seized in the cylinder... maybe something like this?? Though I'm not the most knowledgeable here.
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Oct 8, 2010 03:48
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Pope Mobile posted:Okay, my girlfriend's scooter died last week. Turns out the engine seized because it ran out of oil (turns out she never actually changed it. Guess I'll have to teach her proper maintenance). Throw kits, son. If it seized, its probably only the top end, which is simple on a 2-stroke.
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Oct 8, 2010 06:04
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Phat_Albert posted:Throw kits, son. Those LX50s are actually 4 strokes.
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Oct 8, 2010 07:50
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Thanks for the responses. I'm pretty sure that if she can get a stock part for cheaper, she'd go for it. All I can find is that Malossi kit you linked to when I'm searching for cylinder kits, though.
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Oct 8, 2010 14:11
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Gay Nudist Dad posted:Those LX50s are actually 4 strokes. Oops, didnt even notice the cam chain slot in the cylinder. Is it still called throwing kits when its a 4-stroke? If not it should be.
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Oct 8, 2010 15:22
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Pope Mobile posted:Thanks for the responses. I'm pretty sure that if she can get a stock part for cheaper, she'd go for it. All I can find is that Malossi kit you linked to when I'm searching for cylinder kits, though. $50 cheaper here if that helps
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Oct 8, 2010 22:42
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Looking at a P200E (1980) on Friday, wish me luck. Alright, got it:  A little dent on the right floor area, and it needs the brakes adjusted, but aside from that, it's pretty drat decent. It's hard to get old Vespas around here, the local dealer buys them all up and they end up in a warehouse, but I won't get into that. SpannerX fucked around with this message at 17:45 on Oct 18, 2010 |
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Oct 13, 2010 21:39
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Update on my scooter purchasing planning My co-worker got a gts 250 and I got to try it out a bit. Man its a fun scoot! I also got to try a Piaggio bv 250 and after trying both I made my decision. I'm going to go for the bv250. It has power and it just felt right. (also its cheaper!) So now I gotta finish saving the money so I can get it by dec/jan. Anyone ever do any longer trips on a BV that could tell me how it went?
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Oct 19, 2010 20:47
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Had the scoot out to pick up some 2T and gear oil today. I have to say, compared to my KLR, it definitely the bike for in town stuff, much less of a hassle on a hill or at lights, It might not have the guts to go on the freeways, but it's fine on the major routes around town, and I can shoot ahead of the cars at a stop light. I have to get the throttle adjusted, but I guess the brakes are really as good as they get, which is a little strange to me.
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Oct 20, 2010 18:33
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SpannerX posted:Had the scoot out to pick up some 2T and gear oil today. I have to say, compared to my KLR, it definitely the bike for in town stuff, much less of a hassle on a hill or at lights, It might not have the guts to go on the freeways, but it's fine on the major routes around town, and I can shoot ahead of the cars at a stop light. I have to get the throttle adjusted, but I guess the brakes are really as good as they get, which is a little strange to me. Scooters really are the best city bikes. Have you considered changing brake shoes or anything? The bike's 30 years old, if the previous owner hasn't done anything with them lately I bet there's more you can get out of it. You could also do a disc brake swap if you feel like dropping a few hundred... my Stella has excellent brakes. Grats on the purchase... hope you wrench yourself because these P/PX/Stellas will need your attention. Now throw on an expansion pipe and a kit and start embarrassing Harleys.
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Oct 20, 2010 21:48
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Gay Nudist Dad posted:Scooters really are the best city bikes. I fouled the plug yesterday, and thinking it might be something else, I tried bump starting it down a hill. I didn't want to push it back up, so I said, screw it, swap the plug, see if that makes a difference. Sure did, got it back home. I'm thinking I need to adjust the carb. Air mix screw first, then throttle lock, right? Working the throttle over the last few days has helped the sticky tendency, but I should take a look at the guides/cable.
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Oct 21, 2010 12:47
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My avocado Stella is finally being delivered tonight, I can't wait. For the Stella/PX drivers out there - how long did it take for you to get comfortable with the twist shifting? I've driven motorcycles and dirt bikes before so it was strange to twist-shift. I live in Boston so it will be all city driving. Thankfully I spoke to the parking people at my work and they didn't care if I parked the scooter at the bike racks. *edit: I also picked up a Haynes Vespa service manual in preparation of getting down and dirty. Tupac shot Cobain fucked around with this message at 15:38 on Oct 21, 2010 |
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Oct 21, 2010 15:36
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mrwrong posted:My avocado Stella is finally being delivered tonight, I can't wait. For the Stella/PX drivers out there - how long did it take for you to get comfortable with the twist shifting? I've driven motorcycles and dirt bikes before so it was strange to twist-shift. I live in Boston so it will be all city driving. Thankfully I spoke to the parking people at my work and they didn't care if I parked the scooter at the bike racks. Not too bad with the shifting, though I have to go easier on it than my KLR, obviously. What I'm having issues with is if I'm over reving it. I'm kind of paranoid of holing the piston or something, and it being a 2T, I'm not sure if I'm doing damage. But then I've read where people are going WOT on them all the time, so I guess I'm just a puss.
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Oct 21, 2010 16:25
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yay more Stella/P/PX riders  SpannerX posted:I don't wrench, well, outside of swapping out my summers for winters on the cages, but this is my bike to wrench on, the KLR on the other hand isn't. Too complicated for a noob like me. My Stella's proving to be a pretty great thing to learn basic wrenching on. Very simple in every way, requires few special tools (none unless you start doing transmission work), and has a tremendous wealth of information out there. Everything that could be upgraded, rebuilt, broken, and repaired - there's a thread about it on StellaSpeed. The only time I've fouled a plug I had left the bike idling on uneven ground, tilted slightly towards the engine side, which makes it run richer. Air mix screw is the place to start, after that you get into jetting. Depending on the riding you're doing, you might want to change plug temperatures - hotter plugs are less prone to fouling, so in stop-and-go low-speed city riding they're better. Familiarize yourself with this thread. Mostly, though, always keep a spare plug or two in your glovebox. If you're throttle is sticky yeah check the cables but also check the throttle tube itself. It's easy to open the headset, take out the throttle tube, and put some lithium grease on there for smoother action. Hell, you might just replace all the cables, since your bike is 30 years old and who knows when, if ever, they were changed. mrwrong posted:My avocado Stella is finally being delivered tonight, I can't wait. For the Stella/PX drivers out there - how long did it take for you to get comfortable with the twist shifting? I've driven motorcycles and dirt bikes before so it was strange to twist-shift. I live in Boston so it will be all city driving. Thankfully I spoke to the parking people at my work and they didn't care if I parked the scooter at the bike racks. I got used to it right away. What took learning was avoiding false neutrals, which happen a lot with these transmissions. You have to be very quick and decisive with your shifting. Gay Nudist Dad fucked around with this message at 21:59 on Oct 21, 2010 |
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Oct 21, 2010 21:55
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Gay Nudist Dad posted:yay more Stella/P/PX riders Okay, alot of that makes sense, especially the leaning part. I may just have to stop parking it where I do, when I kick it over, it has a tendency to dig into the gravel/sand that it's sitting on. Though that doesn't explain the bogging out in 3rd, but it does explain the fact that it's kind of hard to start. Anyway, I changed out the old air filter for a new one that came with the bike ( just got it last Friday, hell it came back 400km in a rain storm on the back of a truck) and it is idling better. Well, I did tweak a few things, and cleaned the jets. I'll give it a run up and down the block tomorrow, ran out of time today.
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Oct 22, 2010 02:43
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What is the proper way to do a tuck on a scooter? If you tuck how deep is your tuck?
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Oct 24, 2010 21:55
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its like lava posted:What is the proper way to do a tuck on a scooter? I usually ride my scooter like a hog, all laid back. 
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Oct 27, 2010 11:01
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I had my first ride into work on the Stella today. It was a blast, especially riding across the Mass Ave bridge (in Boston) early in the morning. I ran into a problem though - I stopped at an intersection about a block from work and the Stella stalled out. No big deal, I just walked it to the side of the road but it wouldn't start. The engine wouldn't turn over, totally dead. I tried to kick start it but there was no compression, only a whirring sound. I pushed it the last block to work and locked it up. I did put one gallon of gas in it on my way to work this morning and I was wondering if I somehow gave it vapor lock. I just went down and opened up the gas cap to release the pressure but didn't hear any sort of 'woosh' so I'm not sure if that was it. My local scooter shop doesn't open until 11 so I'm going to let it sit until then before I try it again when I call. It rained last night, so maybe I went through a puddle without noticing and .... no idea. Thoughts?
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Oct 28, 2010 14:22
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mrwrong posted:Thoughts? Fuel tap?
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Oct 28, 2010 14:25
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cheesebot posted:Fuel tap? It is set to ON, unless it is somehow broke inside. It was one of the first things I checked once I stopped cursing (FINE-C!). I tried moving it back and forth between the three settings but no dice.
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Oct 28, 2010 14:33
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Oh wait, I missed the no compression part. That's more serious if you're sure about that - definitely a warranty item if you got it new (I'm assuming you got it from scooters-go-green). I also forgot that those Stellas have an electric start too, so when you hit the starter button there's no turning at all? Howabout the kill switch, maybe there's a short somewhere or a new CDI box is needed. Maybe a battery cable came loose. It's all about whether you still have power at all on one hand and the compression is another story. If it just died suddenly I'm gonna guess it's an electrical thing and the compression is a red herring.
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Oct 28, 2010 15:03
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cheesebot posted:Oh wait, I missed the no compression part. That's more serious if you're sure about that - definitely a warranty item if you got it new (I'm assuming you got it from scooters-go-green). Yeah, I'm thinking it is an electrical thing since it was running fine up until it stalled. I'm not 100% on the compression part as I was a bit frazzled when it happened. Maybe the amazing Boston roads knocked something loose. When I hit the electric start I get nothing at all. No clicking, no engine turning over, nothing. I'll check the battery in a bit. I can't really get down and dirty with it because I'm at work so it may just be a call to roadside assistance and get it towed to SGG. *edit: called the scooter shop, they think it is a bum battery because nothing lights up when I turn the key on. Pretty annoying that the battery died so soon after I bought this. I kind of figured they would check stuff like this before they sent it out. Now I'm just waiting on roadside to come and tow it. Oh well, hopefully they'll give it a good once over before they give it back to me. Tupac shot Cobain fucked around with this message at 17:43 on Oct 28, 2010 |
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Oct 28, 2010 15:13
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Could also just be loose battery terminals! Sometimes they don't get tightened down properly and some jarring will knock them loose.
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Oct 28, 2010 17:54
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Z3n posted:Could also just be loose battery terminals! Sometimes they don't get tightened down properly and some jarring will knock them loose. I checked them and they were still on tight. Couldn't really do much else other than try to wiggle them around because I don't have my tools and I can't really get dirty.
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Oct 28, 2010 17:56
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I'm also having problems with starting my bike  Lately it has sometimes been very hard to start. It's a kick start and with every kick it runs for maybe half a second and dies. It dies too if I try to give it some throttle. It has also stalled on me twice recently, something that did not use to happen. This is quite terrifying in heavy traffic. However, once I do manage to get the engine running it runs fine, no need to keep revving it. What's weird is that the starting problems only happens sometimes. Sometimes it starts on the first kick. I really don't know what's going on :/ Also I've only owned bikes with electric start before so kick starting is new to me but I've managed to start the bike on the first or second try until this happened. Halp me, what is wrong? (Bike is a fuel injected Honda Wave 125i if that helps)
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Oct 28, 2010 18:20
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