THE ZEN OF SCOOTER MAINTENANCE - PART 1

I'm not a trained mechanic and I'm not what you would call a natural mechanic. I try to learn my machines. I keep a decent set of tools handy and I can follow clear instructions. I'm not fearless. I have my limits. But I'm not timid.

In the old days, if your car's starter motor or alternator broke you would loosen a few bolts, carry the offending device to the auto parts store, trade it in on a rebuilt unit, carry that back to your vehicle, replace the bolts, and drive away. I have accomplished this task in locales ranging from my driveway to a sandy beach in a campground in the Florida Keys. The entire enterprise cost less than $50.00, a couple of hours of time, and the favor that you owe to the friend who drove you back and forth.

No more. On modern cars, those kinds of jobs are too complicated, may require specialized tools, and are just not worth the effort. Heck, I couldn't even figure out how to change a headlight bulb in my Camry a couple months ago.

There are two reasons that I ride scooters - they are fun to ride and they are economical. (It's a bonus that I look cool when I'm riding.) Even though I've been stymied by the complexities of modern automotive mechanics, I'm still game to save money by doing routine scooter maintenance.

On my 2008 JMStar/Jonway Chinese 150cc drop-shipped scooter, maintenance was relatively simple. Unscrew a few screws, twist out a few bolts, and the machine would be sitting on its center stand naked and open to manipulation. The carb is right on top. The plug is in a slightly awkward, skewed position but if your fingers work you can replace it easily enough. And removing the valve cover can require all of the attributes of a skilled contortionist. On the left side, the air box cover screws out quickly and replacing the filter element is a breeze. The variator and clutch are easily pulled with the assistance of an impact wrench but removing the cvt cover to get at them is a chore - you have to keep track of a dozen screws and bolts of different lengths.

Parts for Chinese scooters are readily available on the internet and are inexpensive.There's an online service manual free to download, there are a plethora of YouTube videos detailing servicing procedures, and there's a Chinese scooter forum based in the UK whose members were tremendously informative and helpful.

Up next, how to keep a Chinese 150cc scooter running trouble free for thousands of miles. My JMStar/Jonway cost $1,600 new, gave me 12,000 miles at 72 mpg in under three riding seasons, and so paid for itself twice over.

SIMPLE BURGMAN OIL CHANGE

The yellow light on the dash of my 2004 Suzuki Burgman K4 has been lit for a while, indicating that it's time for an oil change. I took her in for a full dealer service at about 12,500 miles. I'm up over 16,000 now. Who would have thought that I'd have ridden through the entire month of December and into January in eastern Pennsylvania?

I dropped into Blackman's Cycle in Emmaus on Saturday afternoon and picked up a new oil filter, a couple of little rubbery pieces and a crush gasket for the oil drain plug. The place was packed, the parking lot was full, and everybody drove up in their cars! Only one other two-wheeled rider in sight.

On the way back I stopped by Auto Zone for some Castrol semi-synthetic 10w-40, then chugged into my garage. Up on the center stand, let the motor cool but not all the way so that the oil is still a bit runny, loosen the dip stick, off with the drain plug, discover that the crush gasket was the wrong size, shrug my shoulders, tighten up the drain plug, and drop in about a quart. Easy as pie.

No, I didn't change the filter. I'll do that next time - every other oil change, every 6,000 miles, a bit more often than the shop manual suggests. But if I had wanted to change the filter, it's a simple operation. Three bolts to remove the cover, pull out the old filter, replace the O ring - presumably with the aid of a trained monkey with thin fingers, replace the cover gasket, and tighten the cover back on. Remember, a filter change requires a little more oil than just a drain and fill.

Of course, you clean everything as you work - the drain plug and the area surrounding it, the interior of the filter housing, and the inside of the cover.

Start to finish, with a filter change, no more than 30 minutes.