Winter Shake Off

[Cubby1331]

Hey guys its been a long while since ive posted on here.
I was wondering what else should I do to get my scoot ready for the riding
season since here in Michigan its been snow. So far I have
*Tightened all bolts
*Checked tire PSI
*Replaced all fluids
*Checked all hoses
*Charged battery so far my battery charger says its good after being on a
charger for 3 hours on low and slow.

I plan on tuning the carb once i get it started as well as checking all lights
I was wondering is there anything I missed or should check?

Thanks you

[bull]

It depends on how long your scooter has been parked and if you drained the fuel from the carb when you parked it.

I would consider removing the plug, placing a couple drops of fresh oil in the cylinder, wait a bit, and hand spin the engine to distribute the oil in the cylinder before reinstalling or replacing the plug.

I would at least pull the carb off, remove the two jets, clean and reinstall them. I would also remove the main jet needle, wipe it and reinstall. Also check / replace the air and fuel filters.

Check and adjust the rear brake. Check front brake pads for wear.

Place the scooter on the center stand, hand rotate the tires and check for stiff bearings. The tires I would clean, and apply some tire sunscreen to them.

Then start the scooter and allow it to run @ idle for 10 to 15 minutes, and accelerate just enough to get the rear tire moving and hold that rpm for a couple minutes to get the cvt components moving freely.

btw.. light checks can be performed with just switching the key on, not running.Plus check the horn operation.

[bandito2]

Place the scooter on the center stand, hand rotate the tires and check for stiff bearings. The tires I would clean, and apply some tire sunscreen to them.


Tire sunscreen? Never heard of that. What is it?

[bull]

Tire sunscreen is just what the name implies.

Tire manufacturers are always improving the compounding of tires for better characteristics, but one thing has plagued them all-- that is dry rot from sun exposure and just sitting. It can happen to even new tires in the tire store.

They include tire sunscreen into each tire, Michelin includes the most to protect their tires. Cheap brands use very little.

Michelin tire manufacturing is almost art, not science. If you ever grab a Michelin tire on the inside (used or new), you will have sunscreen on your hand. When all tires roll, the sunscreen makes its way to the surface to protect the tire.

There is a German tire manufacturer for 2 wheeled vehicles that builds very close to Michelin quality.

When it sits, no sunscreen moves to the surface, so no protection. The tire gets surface cracks, dry rots and is completely unsafe. Another side effect of no sunscreen is the tire rubber gets extremely hard and no longer grips the road - very dangerous even in nice weather.

Some products like "Tire Black", and "Tire Dressing" have it in them, just read the ingredients to confirm. There is debate about Armorall, I'll let you decide on it.

[bandito2]

Not a good idea to put "Tire Black", "Tire Dressing" OR Armorall on bike tires... That stuff will make the tires very slippery..... and very dangerous. Way back when I first got a Helix, one day I cleaned and polished it up real nice and used that stuff on the tires to make it look showroom new. Leaving and turning out of the driveway at about walking speed it was as if I had run over a patch of ice and the bike completely went out from beneath me.

I wouldn't trust any assumption that applying it to only the non-tread parts of the tire would be OK as the spinning tire will tend to force it out and down to the tread area. (as it did to my Helix)

I would suspect that the chemicals used in tire rubber compound are there to help make the compound less reactive to UV light, whereas the topical solutions sprayed or wiped onto tires only temporarily/partially block UV light penetration with a thin film. And dressing it does not restore the integrity of the rubber. Once UV damage is done, it is done. Tire dressing masks the damage and maybe slows further damage.

IMO, not a good idea to use that stuff on bike tires. That is unless there is a product specifically made for bike tires that does not make them slippery.

[bull]

you are right, anything done to excess usually leads to the wrong result