January 2, 2009
Performance Anxiety
to tune or not to tune…
By Chris Anderson
More often than not, when the Scooteratti (scooter people) get together, the subject of increased scooter performance will come up. People always want more, it’s just human nature. So when you have a similar machine that some tuner guy (or gal) has squeezed more power or speed out of, you naturally think “hey, I could do that too!” Right?
Beware! Scooter tuning is a double edged sword, and both sides can cut you.
It seems that top speed is directly proportional to the thickness of your purse or wallet.
Most machines have been designed to give a balance between longevity (read reliability and durability) and performance (fuel economy and exhaust noise and quality). Performance issues usually show themselves in the 50 to 100cc class. It’s basically a top speed thing. 65 kph is fine on most urban streets, but stray onto a parkway or road with an 80 kph limit and suddenly the objects in your rear view mirrors get REALLY big, REALLY fast.
I was always a believer in “sensible mods”. Things that you can do to help your engine breathe easier, make your drive system more efficient, and your suspension and brakes more responsive.
The sharp edge of the sword comes when you venture into the “high performance” areas. Bigger pistons put more stress on other engine parts, and require other mods, like bigger carb jets, or even more expensive…. bigger carbs! Then you need a performance exhaust pipe, new crankshaft, new air filter, new clutch weights and springs, etc.etc. All of which costs money.
Now that you’ve blown your savings, not only are you faster, but the Police seem to notice you more too. (FYI, a green plate in
What has really happened here is a $3000 scooter now costs over $4500 and you could have just bought a bigger or better scooter for that price. There are lots of people that are happy with their stock 50cc scooters, and their scooters do exactly what they need them to, in and around the city. If you ride in 80 kph zones, get a bigger scoot.
Want to ride on the highway at 100 kph? Get a bigger scoot.
Since I moved out of the city, most of the roads around me now are 80 kph or more. Plus, the locals think 80 is just a suggestion, so it looks like I’ll need something faster
The BWs125 can more than keep up, now if only I can talk my wife into selling her Vespa….
Life is short, either get what you want, or be happy with what you have.
You can always trade-up (or down) if you want.
Keep on scootering !!
chris
Posted @ 2:30 pm in Uncategorized
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Hello Chris, I couldn’t agree more,The transmission mods I’ve made to my C3 aren’t “High Performance,” as much as “High Efficiency.” And the tuned exhust I’ve got on the way won’t add to the displacement, cause more heat, or make my little engine work harder. On the contrary, opening up the exhust will help in these areas.My problem is that my Lady (who bought my scoot as a birthday gift for me), Got a wee bit excited when she found out about my “Zuma 125 4T fund!” (In the deep south they use the word “ILL!” as in ,”She got ILL with me about it! lol!) So, I’m sort of “flying way down low, under the radar,” seeing what a C3 can be made to do without affecting reliability + economy. I will not: mess with the ECU, CDI, or Intake, (It seems to be a fine way to roast a piston!) I may experiment with clutch springs, and heavier sliders…. to see if performance can be enhanced even more, After I open up the exhust. Right now I’ve got $380, which includes $160 worth of labor (and $$$ well spent!) in what I’ve done.Which is about what I’d saved for the EFI Zuma 125. (It’s beautiful! + I will have one! But not right now! lol!) The exhust is $299.00 and includes a plate + gasket to seal off where the air pumr formerly resided, and mounting hdw + gaskets. I may have a shot at installing it myself. Keep up the good work! Cheers! Gabe
February 13th, 2009 at 1:10 pm