A bit over a year ago, I originally mentioned that my best friend had purchased a Wildfire R8, 49cc motor scooter. Well, about a month ago, he was riding merrily along, had a sudden burst of power, then the scooter completely lost forward momentum. As some of my readers may have guessed already, the CVT belt had broken. With just over 3000 miles on the machine, this was not unheard of for a chinascoot.
It was easy enough for him to take the scooter to the dealer and have a new belt put in, and $40.00 later, he was back in business.
A week later, we were headed north on a back road outside Lititz when he again had a burst of speed, and suddenly there were little black rubber bits flying out of the opening on the back end of the CVT as I followed along behind him. He coasted to a stop and we locked the scoot to a nearby utility pole and I went to get my wife's car while he walked to a local mini-mart. I picked him up there and took him to get his truck, upon which we loaded the crippled scoot.
The next day, he took it back to the dealer, who was perplexed at the destruction of the brand new belt. He put another belt on and then, another week passed and the same thing happened again.
So now his scoot sits waiting for another new belt, perhaps of higher quality. The question also arizes, is it the belts, or something in the workings of the scoot itself that is shredding them. I will give more info as I have it.
At this point though, this story seems to illustrate that generic Chinese scooters and their replacement parts can be hit or miss. While it is in a higher class of engine, my People 150 has not shown any major mechanical issues, no parts have needed replacement other than the air filter and a spark plug (which wasn't 100% necessary, but I was too lazy to clean it and just popped in a new one), and aside from a few small issues, the scoot has been very reliable.
Could I have gotten a 150cc scooter for less than half the price? Sure, but would I want to? Given my observations, I think I will stick to scooters distributed by reputable companies, rather than risking the cost and agravation of messing with a faulty machine.
Winter is Coming… and I’m Riding My Vespa
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Cold Starts Looking out the window it appears to be a fine morning to ride.
Bright sunshine and no wind. Stepping out onto the deck provides additional
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2 weeks ago
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4 comments:
Agreed. Better to ride a used Schwinn bicycle than a Chinese scooter. At least the bicycle is predictable.
I suspect there is something that is abrading the belts. Maybe a rough spot on one of the pullies.
I'd had that thought as well. One other possibility is a loss of lubrication causing undue stress on the belt, though a rough spot is more likely.
A CVT belt should last a good 10,000 miles at least.
"Well, about a month ago, he was riding merrily along, had a sudden burst of power, then the scooter completely lost forward momentum. As some of my readers may have guessed already, the CVT belt had broken. With just over 3000 miles on the machine, this was not unheard of for a chinascoot."
OK, first of all, most China scoots will go about 5,000 miles on their first belt and then longer when the owner puts on a Gates Premium Aramid. As any good Scootdawg member will tell you he is having some kind of problem with either his variator or clutch. If his dealer didn't take apart the variator to clean and lube the rollers ongoing belt brakage is bound to ensue. Also blowing any debris from the clutch is a must. A belt can shed all sorts of chunks and threads that can prevent the machines equipment from working properly (even on a Kymco). It sounds to me like the variator is engaging too abruptly and stressing the belt. Variators cost all of $65 for OEM (if his dealer can't fix it) and more for Dr. Pulley. His dealer should be investigating the symptom, not throwing band aids on the problem.
Bicycles and scooters don't work worth a darn when the people working on them don't repair them properly. I've worked extensively on both.
While I don't dispute your points, bear in mind that my exact words were "not unheard of." I did not say it was typical.
As for your other points, I actually will have a post addressing them in a post tomorrow. You make a valid point of course, but, then, so will I. :)
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