SBF Scooter Community Info Hub

[Brembo]

Hello fellow scooterists and fellow bikers...

I am honoured that our forum boss have given me the chance to start this scooter community. ok I do not want to sound like some thank you speech in some award ceromony...so let's get on to the point

 

I was thinking and thinking how am I gonna give a starting message? I spent a few weeks studying the rest of the bike communities from Phantom Knights and from Issac and Daniujie's posts...so I decided to modified their messages...(hope there are no copyrights procedures involved!)

ok let's start....

 

When were we formed?

 

I do not quite remember when the idea came to my head. I know that the moment it came to my head, I PM our forum boss, Andy…and he is in for it as well, as he is riding a Hexagon too. We did a few PMs, he did gave me some pointers on starting a bike community and I was taking my time to read up the threads from other veteran bike community starters like the Phantom Knights, Issac and Daniujie and learn some ropes from their thread too….see, the format of this piece of message is somehow modified from Daniujie’s format…hehe

 

So I would say the idea of this scooter community is officially generated on Fri May 16, 2003 and the community is officially born today...1st June 2003...we really hope to have a 1st year birthday bash next year this date

 

 

What the club is about?

 

Just like Phantom Knights, the Crusier group and the Female biker group, I am hoping to form an organized scooter group and gather as many scooter riders and lovers together so that we can share our passion.

 

Our club name?

 

Tentatively named SingaporeBikes.Scooters for the time being.

I have a lot of respect for Andy and Dawn on their Singapore Bikes forum. So most likely the title should hold “Singapore Bikes” in the front before our designated name of this scooter community. As of course, like all other communities in SBF, we will hold a poll to find the best name.

 

What is our objective?

 

Scooters are becoming more and more popular in the local biking scene and it is ashamed that we used to think that they are only for ladies!!!

(2 reasons for being ashamed...1st for having the narrow thoughts that female riders are only confined to scooters, which obviously they are NOT! and 2nd for scooters are only restricted to ladies! Which oso they are not! haha)

Scooters recently came out of the shadow where all the major motorcycle brands came out with their latest scooters to hit other bike categories face on in the open competition.

 

Well, that is the intro paragraph, haha…ok, due to the above situation. There will sure to be an increase of scooter riders. So we hope to organise a place for the scooter riders to mingle, exchange views, sought help and help other scooter riders, organise trips….etc etc…the list goes on. Imagine what we could do!

 

Long term goal?

 

Our beloved female boss of female biker group, Daniujie, have a long term goal….that is to be registered with ROC so that we'll be recognized in public and to do charity rides for different organisations. Wow…Today’s women are indeed ambitous and aren’t to be trifled with!

 

I believe our group would be working closely with Daniujie and her gang of angels to achieve this goals. Considering a noticable part of the female riders are scootering too. Not forgeting the other bike communities (I do not want to be called a “chee hong kia” for nothing!), we would love group outing by ourselves and with other bike groups just the same. Guess the goal is to bring the upmost welfare and enjoyment to the local bikers and most important to our members in the SBF. (Wah…sound a bit “three legged” hor? Hi Andy! )

 

What are the bikes in the club?

 

As I have mentioned in the thread “Gathering all scooter riders”, this community is not about just riders who own scooters. We would love riders on other type of bikes but yearning to be scooter , riders or planning in the near future, to own his or her ultimate scooter, or even learner that are interested in scootering as well. Not forgeting all the rest of the bikers from SBF.

 

Hope I gave a nice "speech". Lets hope all the communities work together and have one thing in common. That is to bring upmost welfare and previleges to our members in this bike forum...cheers!

[ronnyz]

Scooter Reviews

(will change periodically based on popular scooter models)

 

Burgman K1 to K#

SBF Burgmans Cafe 2007 - K1 to K#

 

Benelli Adiva 150

SBF Benelli Adiva 150 Cafe

 

Piaggio MP3 125RL, 250RL and 400RL

SBF Piaggio MP3 Cafe 2007

 

Gilera DNA

SBF DNAs Cafe 2007

 

Gilera Runner 200 VXR

SBF Runners Cafe 2007 - FXR/VXR/RST

 

Italjet Dragster 180 SP

http://www.singaporebikes.com/forum/index....showtopic=20605

 

Sym Joyride and GTS

SBF SYM Cafe 2007

 

PX150, PX200 and Classic Vespa

SBF Classic Vespa's Cafe 2007

 

Aprillia Atlantic 200

SBF Aprilias Cafe 2007

 

Aprilia Sportcity 200

SBF Aprilia Sportcity Cafe 2007

 

X9 Evolution 200

SBF X9 Cafe 2007

 

Vespa Granturismo 200L , LX 150, GTV 125 and GTV 250

SBF VespaNet Cafe 2007

 

Vespa ET8 150

SBF ET8 Cafe

 

Piaggio X8 200 and 400

SBF X8ers Cafe 2007

 

Honda Silverwing 400 and 600

SBF Silverwings Cafe 2007

 

Yamaha Majesty YP 250

SBF Majesty Cafe 2007

 

Honda NSS250 Forza

SBF Honda Forza Garage

 

Gilera Nexus 500

SBF Nexus Cafe 2007

 

TMAX 500

SBF Tmax Cafe

[Fass]

Article on CVT, basics every scooterist should know

 

What is the CVT?

 

Article originally by Ian Sim from Twist & Go No3 (December 2000)

 

Tuning the transmission

 

The workings of a modern scooter transmission are all a bit of a mystery to most owners. We know there is a belt in there somewhere, but how does it fit into the equation. Unlike a car which does actually change gears in a gearbox for you, Variomatic systems work using a belt that rides on different positions on two pulleys to provide a change of gear ratio. Like most things the 'variomatic' auto transmission system is not a, new idea but has a long history. Although a rolling road (Dyno) is very helpful in tuning the transmission to optimum performance it is possible to be able to get it in the ballpark by the seat of your pants. A little experience is also a great help, and learning by your mistakes is a good way of learning.

 

The Parts

 

The basic parts consist of two pulleys a belt and a small gearbox. There three basic sub systems of the transmission system. Starting at the front and work backward to the rear wheel - The first part is known as the 'variator' and sets the way your scooter changes its gearing. The main part of the variator is the moveable half pulley; it is called this because it moves along the crankshaft as opposed to its other half, the fixed half pulley that is bolted to the end of the crankshaft.

 

The rear of the moveable half pulley has ramps cast or machined into it in which the roller weights roll up and down; it is these ramps, along with the rollers, that control how it changes gear. The rear most plate is sometimes called the calotte and is used to give the roller something to press against. The drive belt, used to transmit the power from the crankshaft to the rear pulley and ultimately the rear wheel is a bit more than just a fan belt, although it does look like a rather big fan belt.

 

The rear pulley has the clutch bolted to it, which is a centrifugal clutch, meaning it needs to be rotated at speed to operate. The remaining two pulleys work opposite to the front pair in that they are forced together naturally, when the engine is at rest by a spring known as the torque spring. The shaft that the rear pulley/clutch is mounted on is also the input shaft to a small gearbox.

 

The gearbox that is sandwiched between the rear wheel and the rear pulley is not like a car gearbox in that there is any way to change the gears. These gear ratios are fixed and cannot be changed while the vehicle is in motion; they are there to reduce the high rpm of the clutch to a suitable speed to turn the rear wheel.

 

How it all works

http://www.solidah.com/mystuff/pulleys.jpg

The variator is the scooter's gearbox, in that it alters the ratio between engine and rear wheel speed. The variator's moveable half pulley (front pulley) houses the rollers and acts against the drive belt. The paths that the rollers run in are called, ramps' and are normally cast into the pulley. They are not a straight line e.g. at 45°, but are in fact a carefully calculated arc. The arc is a very gentle incline for the rollers to move up at first then as the rollers move toward the end of the arc it ramps upward quite steeply, this tight arc is carefully designed to try and maintain a constant (though usually slightly rising) engine rpm while the gearing changes. The aim is for the variator to hold the engine at the rpm where peak power is made as the gearing changes. If the engine were not producing peak power, at this point it would make for a very sluggish acceleration and limit the overall top speed of the scooter.

 

Getting the rollers in the correct place on the ramp at the time when the engine is producing peak power is done by altering the weight of the rollers themselves, and to some extent the 'torque spring' in the rear pulley assembly.

 

http://www.solidah.com/mystuff/howitworks2.jpg

As the rollers are affected by centrifugal force, the heavier we make them then they will try to fly away from the centre of the rotation - the crankshaft - at lower rpm. Equally, making them lighter will take more rotational speed (rpm) to make them move outward. If the rollers were too light then the engine would always be over-revving, similar to being in first gear when you should have changed to second, and thus we may in all probability have gone beyond the revs when the engine was producing peak power. If however the rollers were too heavy, the opposite scenario would have happened in that it would be like being in third gear when really second gear was the best. This would make the engine sluggish and the revs would be too low to produce enough power until the variator has adjusted fully. To a lesser degree, the 'torque' spring has a role to play; its main function is to apply pressure to one-half of the rear pulley so the drive belt is sandwiched between them. If the spring were too weak for the job at hand then the belt would slip between the two pulley halves, causing loss of traction and accelerated belt wear. Too much spring pressure would make it hard for the variator to change gear and cause pulley and belt wear to happen prematurely. Honda have chosen the spring tension to suit the characteristics of the Silver Wing, and it should be well up to the job at hand. Only if tuning work is done might the spring require substituting for another.

 

With a car, most people change their fan belt when one of a number of things happens.

 

1. It breaks.

2. They notice it is about to break.

3. The squealing becomes unbearable.

 

When do you change the drive belt on your scooter? How much can it wear? The service sheet that comes with most scooters states a recommended life span for a drive belt, and from my experience this is just before it starts to loose its edge. One millimetre of wear on the width of a belt can cause the belt to slip so low in the pulley that it grips the crankshaft and not the pulley when you pull away from a standing start. If you can rev the engine and hold the scooter on the front brake without it trying to move forward or the rear wheel spinning then chances are the belt is well past its best. How much a belt can wear before it needs replacing is up to you. If you like very slow starts and a top speed that is 10 mph slower than it used to be, then be a miser and carry on, but 1 would stick to the service schedule if using a standard belt. As the belt wears down it gradually becomes thinner and thus you loose the ratio between the front and rear pulley. This then affects your top speed and can be one reason why your scooter does not seem to go as fast as it did when it was new.

 

There are not really any parts in the back pulley apart from a few clutch parts, the clutch shoes and springs. As the rear pulley spins, the shoes fly out under centrifugal force grip the clutch flywheel, which is a lot like a brake drum. Checks have to be made periodically as to the condition and thickness of the linings on the shoes. Badly worn linings can cause poor performance as the shoes must travel further to engage, which allows the engine to rev higher and thus cause the linings to wear even quicker. Clutch springs hold the shoes in place opposing the efforts of centrifugal force that tries to throw them out against the clutch flywheel.

 

Tuning

 

If you look at dyno graphs, (which show power vertically compared to road speed horizontally) it can be seen that the perfect set-up is a line rising rapidly to almost the peak power output, then after peaking keeping as horizontal line as possible. After the variator runs out of movement, the line then starts to drop as the engine revs rise and power drops off. The flatter the top to the plotted graphs the better the set up. So how do we arrive at a scooter that produces such a curve?

 

Variators

 

As with most advertisements these days not everything is as good as manufacturers would have you believe, so you have to use your head when buying 'go-faster' parts. What makes one scooter go like fast may make your scooter go no quicker at all. The simple answer is, it's all down to how well made and well designed the original part was in the beginning. For example lets look at the Suzuki Burgman 400, as this shows a radical ' difference between original part and aftermarket product. Owning a Burgman for a while, I thought acceleration from a standing start was a bit lacklustre. You would open the throttle fully to leap forward three feet, and then pause for a second, then accelerate again. I thought 'this is never how a 400 is supposed to be' and after investigating 1 found that a lot of the bigger CC scoots seem to have a torrid time passing noise and emission regulations. As a result these scooters are 'calmed down' to pass the various regulations, which is tough for the owners of said scooters. The good news is a mechanical 'Viagra' is available to pep up your limp scooter; I put a Malossi variator on the beast and took it on the road. The result? Much happiness on my part as the thing was noticeably quicker off the mark, up to about 60 mph when it felt the same as the standard variator set up. Now I'm not much of a person for dyno charts as they can sometimes mislead you (i.e. look better than they really are), From my viewpoint if it actually feels better or faster then it's an improvement. Some people want proof on paper, so I had it dyno tested and it's a whopper of an improvement to say the least. Virtually 6hp initially is classed as a healthy improvement in my book, but don't let this mislead you into thinking that a variator is the miracle cure for all scooters because it isn't. An Italjet Dragster 180 was just as happy running a standard variator and performed as well as an aftermarket (Malossi) one which produced no extra power. Even if and when you buy a variator do not expect it to perform 100% efficiently for you straight away, you may well need to tweak it. The reason being a lot of after market products are made for racing, and as such may have been made with the view that other performance enhancing products would be used long with it. If your set up does not work initially, don't worry. You can still get it to work by trying various roller weights to obtain an optimum set up.

 

Variator roller weights

http://www.solidah.com/mystuff/variator.jpg

Before we start on the rollers, note that they tend to be marked in different colours so you know what weight they are. Don't just choose yellow because it's your favourite colour! Equally if you think your rollers are too heavy, don't start taking them out one by one. You need to keep six in the variator to maintain balance. Engines have a speed at which they produce peak power, an example of this is normally found in manufactures brochures e.g. 30hp @ 500Orpm. To be able to judge what weight the rollers need to be we need to know at what RPM the engine produces its peak and there are two ways of obtaining this value. The first way is to connect a rev counter to the scooter, drive it from a standing start, and try to estimate at what RPM the engine was pulling the strongest. The second and most accurate is to lock up the variator so it cannot move and then using the rev counter again drive the scooter, this time it should be a lot easier to judge the point at which peak power occurred. With tuned 2-stroke scooters the point at which peak power occurred is likely to be within a very narrow RPM window e.g. 7000 -7150rpm as opposed to standard scooters that will have a larger window e.g. 6000 - 660Orpm thus making it easier to choose the correct roller weight. When we have found the point of peak power we can then go about choosing the correct roller weights. Try using the weights that are already in the variator, connect the rev-counter and ride the scooter at full throttle from a standing start (do not do this on the open road unless you can look at the rev counter and the car you are about to drive into at the same time) and notice what RPM it rises to. If we ascertained peak power to be at say 600Orpm and on are first run it never reached 600Orpm on the rev counter, we need lighter rollers, on the other hand, if the rev counter shot past 600Orpm we then need heavier weights. Please note that these rpm figures should be noted while the machine is accelerating hard, not when it has obtained top speed.

 

The weight of the rollers decides what gear ratio the scooter will be in, hence if the scooter is in say the equivalent of forth gear when we should be in second gear this will be because the roller weights were to heavy and moved the front pulley halves together too soon. The same is true of rollers that were too light and didn't move the pulley together quick enough. This set up can be done without a rev counter or the ability to lock the variator up, but it will take a lot of time and patience or the necessary knowledge and ability to judge peak power by the seat of your pants.

 

Drive belts

 

When it comes to belts, Silver Wing owners currently have no choice: original type only. Smaller scooters are being offered Kevlar type belts that come standard on the 'Wing. If you have a standard scooter then a standard one is fine BUT yes there is a but - Kevlar replacements can in a lot of cases cost the same or even less then OE versions, and they usually last longer as the Kevlar woven in to it gives better wear resistance. This wear resistance is necessary if you tune your scooter to any level, and helps grip those pulleys better when it gets hot.

 

Clutches

 

Replacement clutches are made for nearly all small tuned scooters, as the power increases that can be made to some small CC scoots can soon destroy a standard clutch. Racing linings fitted to the shoes of these clutches can handle the extreme friction and heat that can be generated even on the road by racing kids on their 50's. On some bigger scoots, replacement springs are available to enhance initial acceleration, these work by holding the clutch shoes back until a higher RPM is reached thus letting the engine develop more power. To set the clutch correctly it should be engaging when the engine revs are nearing peak power thus giving maximum acceleration, or before peak power for smooth acceleration and longer lasting transmission parts. However, you may not be able to find the correct springs for the task

 

Gear up kits

 

On small CC engines you find that you cannot use a gear up kit, the reason is the engine just hasn't got the grunt to pull the taller ratios e.g. a bit like trying to pull away in third gear in a car. So when can you use them? If you use you scooter for open road riding then these kits can be a top add-on giving you better MPG and saving your engine by keeping the revs down a touch. You really have to decide what is best for your needs, good acceleration or a good cruising speed with reduced engine revs, or for that matter an even better top speed with your engine still screaming. If you have enough tuning work done on your engine to increase its power output then maybe when you put a gear up kit on the acceleration will be similar to that of before but you then get a better top speed. At the end of the day it's all down to personal preference, and what you use your scoot for. For most 50cc scooters fitted with a 70cc: kit, a gear-up kit is vital, in order to take full advantage of a hike in power for a good top end speed.

 

Over range pulleys & Torque Drivers

 

Over-range pulleys normally have a greater diameter allowing for a larger range of gear to be obtained, but you have to use the complete set-up, not just parts of it. Alternatively, the outer half of the rear pulley assembly can be bought as a tuning product and are normally called torque correctors or torque drivers; they are supposed to improve acceleration after the variator starts to work and keep the engine revs more stable. Do not expect performance miracles, also resultant improvement may vary depending on what scooter you own, and whether it has had any tuning done to it already. Torque Drivers come with one or sometimes two extra sets of helical grooves cut into them; these grooves provide more variety of ramp angles to choose. To remove your original torque pulley you first have to remove the thin metal sleeve which both retains the grease and small pegs that the torque pulley twists on, this sleeve can be a bit of a 'pig' to remove as it is held in place by two small rubber 'O' rings which keep a tight grip on it. Try not to use any grips that may damage it but maybe put some rubber on the jaws of a large pair of water pump pliers, best of all find someone with a good grip and get them to twist it off. When you have moved it a little you should be able to get a flat bladed screw driver under the bottom edge and work it slowly off, then the small pins can be pulled clear with long nosed pliers letting the two pulley halves come apart.

 

Torque Springs

 

The 'Torque Spring' is used to keep the two rear pulley halves bearing down on the drive belt and therefore prevents any belt slip. So can you just whack the strongest spring you can buy in there? No, firstly too much pressure is going to cause heat, and sap power. We are trying to get rid of the heat not make more. Secondly the more pressure we have the quicker the belt will wear away or even the pulley halves, and we don't want that. Another consideration to take into account is that the variator is trying to pull the belt further down in-between the rear pulley, so putting more spring pressure there will make it harder for the variator to work. The net result is that heavier roller weights will be needed in the variator to move the belt, so you can see the relationship between roller weights and torque spring. If you found that you needed heavier roller weights but none were available in the weight you require, then a weaker torque spring would have the same net result, assuming the belt didn't then go and slip. Therefore when choosing a torque spring go for the weakest that will comfortably stop belt slip or you may need to adjust the roller weights, also if you purchase a variator, don't always assume that a spring provided with it will work best on your machine. As before these variators are normally made for tuned scooters and if yours is not tuned much then the torque spring may well be too strong for your requirements.

 

Further improvements

 

One thing I noticed after tuning my own Speedfight was that after altering the clutch for a faster 'take off' the clutch drum or flywheel went blue, this was due to the amount of heat generated. Looking around at other small CC scoots I noticed that few have worthwhile ventilation in the transmission cover.

 

On some scooters no ventilation at all is provided, and the transmission parts are going to cook when tuning is done to these scooters, so what's the answer? Some tuned scooters have vented the rear part of the transmission cover. Before you ask, no, water does not affect it at all. This modification works very well and the air circulation was vastly improved, but be careful how much metal you remove as this case cover is part of the engine structure. Some remove the aluminium from in between the cast ribs.

 

Maybe you don't want to attack your scoot with a drill and file, so how about an air scoop? Behind the scoop the case is cut away but you can't see the damage, plus the scoop helps direct the air to where you want it; namely the clutch. For scoots that have neither variator or clutch ventilation you may have to provide some sort of air supply or it's going to get mighty warm in there. If you do not have the tools or skill to vent your cover, then maybe a larger CC scoot using the same engine may already have a vent in it, therefore providing you with a simple alternative by just swapping transmission covers.

 

Setting up the transmission by the seat of your pants

 

This is a basic run down of how to set-up your transmission without any fancy tools, and will get you in the ballpark. Once again don't do this on the road were you are likely to run into cars etc. - Firstly leave the clutch alone, if you have an adjustable clutch on leave the springs in a weak state of tension. Then on a level road or track open the scoot to full throttle. As it accelerates you have to sense two things; acceleration at low revs and then as it reaches top RPM, how it is pulling. There are two extremes and we are looking for a point in between. If acceleration is good initially but we never reach the terminal speed the scooter is capable of and the engine is screaming its nuts off, then the roller weights are too light. On the other hand poor acceleration initially and a scooter that pulls well as it reaches top speed suggests roller weights that are too heavy. If you find one of these scenarios then you will have to find the appropriate roller weights. If you take a look at a roller weight chart you will find that they go up in very small weight increments, so when choosing them take small steps. If you know the rough weight, some tuners sell kits with a few different roller weights around the one you require. With the rollers sorted on smaller scooters the clutch has to be set. Basically a soft setting on the springs gives a leisurely take-off while a hard-set spring gives you a screaming engine and a front wheel in the clouds. Your choices are, springs of various strengths or an adjustable clutch. - DON'T expect to get it spot on first time and if you are fitting new belts and clutches let them bed in before making them work for a living.

 

 

the above info is at least 85% percent relevant to scoots using friction CVT.

 

More informative stuff

[Scarab]

Scooter facts and definitions

 

Scooters originated very early on in the development of motorcycles generally to address problems that some felt were inherent to common motorcycle design. Foremost was covering of the engine compartment. This was done to avoid inadvertent contact with hot engine parts, which is a common concern for motorcyclists. This concern went further with the covering of the rest of the body, along with a front legshield, meant to protect the rider from mud, water and road debris that might drift up from the road below. The common step-thru design initially was so ladies could wear dresses without compromising their modesty, but it has come to be welcomed because it allows the rider to sit on the seat much like a chair, instead of straddling the vehicle, as is common on motorcycles. This tends to be a more comfortable riding position for the short distances that most scooters were designed to cover.

 

Further, the smaller wheels give faster turning response (which usually shocks first time riders used to larger wheels) and many scooter designs mount these smaller wheels on one side only, making removal extremely easy (unlike most motorcycle wheels) and making it feasible to carry a spare tire. The smaller tires also allow enough room so that underseat storage is possible for one or more helmets. Scooters by their nature also have far more bodywork available for custom paint schemes, and therefore lend themselves more to personal expression in their customization. Scooters also typically are easier to learn to ride than many motorcycles and scooters often have a more acceptable social image.

 

To be fair, there are some disadvantages to scooters, but most are related to them also being motorcycles. This means you are more exposed to the elements like wind and rain, and dangers such as cars and trucks. Most scooters have smaller engines than most motorcycles, and thus you may have problems keeping up with the speed of traffic. This is why it's so critical to have a scooter engine larger than you really need, to give you the power to pull away from trouble. The wheels are also smaller, so there is more of a concern with going over potholes, for example. Scooters also have more bodywork than motorcycles, so you'll have to maintain that. Retail prices of scooters are generally higher than the same size capacity of motorcycle, so that's a factor also. Because scooters tend to be so lightweight, they are often easier to steal than many motorcycles, so that's a concern too.

 

There is a very important technical distinction between engine designs in the scooter world. "Two-stroke" engines burn the gas and lubricating oil together as part of the combustion process, which results in greater lower end torque, fewer moving parts and greater fuel efficiency. Unfortunately, this also means they pollute more, as unburned oil fumes exit the exhaust system. This is why two-strokes are being banned in many industrialized countries concerned with air quality. Virtually all classic scooters are two-stroke. The oldest models require "pre-mixing", which is simply pouring pre-measured oil into the gas tank when fueling. Newer models have eliminated this by adding oil injection systems that mix the oil and gas automatically. Vespas built after about 1978 typically have oil injection, but all Lambrettas are pre-mix only. There are some very good online illustrated demonstrations of how two-stroke engines work.

 

"Four-stroke" engines are more closely related to car engines, in that they keep the lubrication and fuel systems separate, which keeps emissions down considerably since there is no oil burned in the combustion process, unlike with "two-stroke" engines. Most modern scooters utilize four-stroke engines, though many modern scooters also use two-stroke engines, especially in 50cc models. One major disadvantage of four-stroke engines is that they are prone to overheating when run at maximum speed over several hours, leading to serious internal damage. Two-stroke engines do not have this limitation. Either engine design may be either water or air-cooled, though most two-strokes are air-cooled and most four-strokes are water-cooled.

 

It is a common mistake for people to confuse scooters and mopeds. In fact, many vehicles are BOTH. By legal definition, a "moped" is any two-wheeled vehicle of any design which meets local regulations that commonly relate to speed restriction. Commonly, mopeds may not exceed 30-35mph and still legally be considered mopeds. Confusion reigns, however, because some localities may require pedals, while others do not, and speed restrictions may vary from place to place. Further, a common moped design has been large, motorcycle-type wheels on vehicles that can commonly look very much like scooters, blurring the distinction. However, the term "moped" in any locality will always refer first to any vehicle that meets local regulations to such vehicles, and secondly to whatever designs people there may commonly associate with mopeds. Many speed-restricted scooters are legally marketed as mopeds, sometimes even with pedals (in places that require them). The overlap simply goes to body design with speed restrictions. It should be noted that most mopeds can be modified to exceed designed speed, in which case they are no longer legally mopeds, but motorcycles. If they have a scooter design, they will simply be faster scooters.

 

The term "classic" scooter has been coined to differentiate the older, original scooter designs from those that developed later on in the 80s and 90s. Piaggio has produced its Vespa scooters since 1946 and the design has been endlessly copied by other makers right up to the present day. Likewise, other makers have copied Lambretta designs. There have also been a few innovative designs related to neither, but the vast majority of "classic" scooters are variations of a Vespa or Lambretta. Those that prefer this type will commonly point to the classic 50s and 60s styling, almost exclusive use of metal bodywork, extensive use of manual shifting mechanisms, kickstarters, and typically older scooters, though these designs are still produced all over the world. Contrary to popular belief, even early Japanese scooter design followed the "classic" scheme, which is why 50s and 60s Japanese scooters by Fuji, Mitsubishi, Honda and Yamaha are all commonly accepted in classic scootering circles. Likewise, some "classic" scooters have automatic transmissions (e.g. Fuji Rabbit, Heinkel Tourist) and electric starters (e.g. some Vespa and Lambretta models).

 

--contributed by Yeoman--

[william_liu]

http://www.flexistentialist.org/archives/2...asics_con.shtml

 

[Brembo]

Hello Scooter People...

 

Wow, I was reading my own posting for this thread just a while ago...

creates a lot of mix feeling for me.

 

4 years is not long but did actually mark a significant length of time our scooter section has been thru. From the 1st meetup which weakly commands of just 4 scooters, 3 X9 Amalfis and an Atlantic to now...we have hundreds of scooters affiliated to the scooter section now.

 

4 to 5 years ago...It is about the age of the scooter boom. The 2 most well known scooters, Skipper and Hexagon, are at their age of dusk, moving way for the most revolutionary scooter ever been produced to date, The Piaggio X9. almost all of us are intrigued by the so called "The new code of motorcycling", a bike that you do not have to shift gears, it has pilot seat more comfortable then a car's and you can have the world stuffed under the seat and in the humongous top box. Me, is among the few hundreds who suffered and crumpled under the temptation, were the first few to get my hands (and butt on...) on a X9 250.

 

from then, my life has always been associated with auto scooters, and the belt riders I call them, they are the 1st generation maxi auto scooter riders, which most of them makes up my Scooter Section 1st Gen Forumers.

 

After a year or so, like algae spreads thru a pond, before we know it, scooters sprinkled all over our local roads. The Japs were at their usual self, they were never behind. Japanese motorcycling margues (the Big 3) all churn out their very own gizmos. Silverwings, Burgmans, Majestys etc.... this is like the battle of the titans...apparently, the Italians fought on well but the Japs are eating a noticibly amount of the scooter market. This is also when my 2nd Gen Forumers made their appearance in our Scooter Section.

 

Then there are new playas coming to the market, the taiwanese and the koreans. Taiwanese are arguably one of the 1st and probably one of the biggest scooter manufacturer in the world and the Koreans are having a hard time but alot of credible reviews shows that they will not be overshadowed by the Japs for too long. From the 1st few models that came in Singapore to the latest ones, they proved alot of improvement and in time we never know, but they may be the future of scooters.

 

Presently, its very exciting that we have a lot of choices to make if one wans to get a scooter. Scooter now no longer represent a weaker engine, a small atittude or an old man's ride. In Japan, Scootering moderfication has become a culture as big as car modification. In Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, there are scooter races which is as popular as the Moto GP. And I believe there are quite a number of people I know made quite a business (and fortune) this few years doing scooter businesses.

 

For the future, its even more exciting, scooters, like I called the Belt Riders will most probably not beas appropriate as before. The reason being, scooters are evolving, and if you noticed, they are evolving faster then any other categories of motorcycles had. Honda has a prototype of the EN-06 and the DN-01 which feature out-of-the-sky cc range and intrestingly, a final shaft drive. The Italians has renact revolution by finally putting an idea 50 years old to reality...the MP3, 1st of it kind, nothing like it. Piaggio has also a 850cc twin-engine and the 500cc sports version of the MP3 in the pipeline. Things regarding scooters are really, really exciting.

 

Geographically, we scooters have alos made some good distance too. Nowadays scooter riders are not confined to travelling in Singapore, their tyres marks imprint places like all around Malaysia, up to Thailand Phuket...

I guess by no time, Belt riders will reached Northern Thailand and even parts of Cambodia. (at least, this is my dream)

 

ok...as usual, I always get a bit carried away when I talk about dreams and scooters.

 

Years to comes, we will have a lot of things to expect and I hope I could write my 3rd posting at this thread on our 10th Scooter Section Anniversary.

 

All the best...

[ongsujie]

Aa

 

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