the same day we received them we decided to at least do what the video showed, which was easy enough. Helios’ bike would be the spacemonkey. he agreed because his bike would be done first, i agreed because we could make all the mistakes and do all the learning on his bike and not mine. the wheel went on easily, and although he doesn’t mention it, i added some additional lithium grease to the surface of the front wheel axle prior to putting it in.
the footpeg/sidestand requires that you thread it over the rear brake pedal and actually seems to depress it somewhat. while it doesn’t seem to apply the rear brakes we’ll have to see once we’re riding.
with that done we had a few [more] beers and called it a night.
oh yeah, tools. everything we would need i either already had or ordered from harbor freight. when i contacted fly about a service manual the told me a standard chinascoot manual would be the only thing i need. obviously this is horseshit, but i bought that and a honda cub all years manual. between the two and google-fu i hope i’ll be able to figure most things out. you’ll need, at the least:
- gloves. for the same price as a single set of mechanix gloves, which i find too thick, you can but about a 1000 nitrile gloves. the sort costco has seem to be best as they are very durable, super-thin, fine for latex sensitive people, and they have little grippy bumps on each finger. i’m very finicky about what’s on my hands, to the extent that i cannot even use lotion. if i can comfortably wear and use nitrile gloves for an hour or two at a time, anyone can. you might think you’re being especially manly or a real mechanic by getting your hands and nails dirty, but the truth of the matter is that used motor oil is a carcinogen, as are most solvents, as is gasoline. in combination with one another who knows what this shit will do to you. your skin is a permeable membrane and there is plenty of shit that does not cleanly wash off even though it might look like it and the next time you eat, drink, or smoke, it’s going straight in your mouth.
- a set of metric and standard box-end /open end wrenches
- a set of sockets, metric and standard (cheap shit is ok, but if you intend to work on cars or larger machinery better tools don’t break and will server longer, many people prefer craftsman brand as they will replace whatever you break forever)
- 3/8ths ratchet is enough, nothing is that high-torque here, an extension is vital, i haven’t run into anything that requires a u-joint yet
- feeler gauge for checking plug, valve, brake clearance, etc
- scissors
- zipties – buy a pack as they will get you out of general jams and you will specifically use them in place of retaining collars/hoseclamps on fuel and vacuum lines
- torque wrench (i got a 1/2″ from harbor freight as i tighten the lugs on my car and suspension parts with it too)
- set of unmarred screwdrivers (if yours are rounded then stop butchering screws and buy a new set)
- pliers or leatherman, long needlenose make removing buried hoseclamps much easier
- sparkplug wrench, a 5/8ths deep-socket
- WD-40 or PB Blaster penetrating spray
- spray chain lube (black oil works great, it sprays as a 10w oil, then sets in a few minutes to a black 600w grease)
- degreaser (i recommend simplegreen as it’s non-toxic and will not kill you dead should you get it on your skin)
next time we got to more serious ish… one tip that serves well is keeping a clean(ish) workspace and keeping track of all the hardware you remove. the easiest way is to keep some sandwich bags or ziplocks and a sharpie nearby. for example, when you remove the legshield put all the hardware in a single bag and label it whatever makes sense to you. maybe “legshield”.
cracking the headset cover open (by removing the headlight and a couple of screws on either side), most of the wiring is exposed. we were pleasantly surprised to see that the electrics are actually very good quality. instead of using the supercheap molex connectors or something even worse the flyscooters guys spent the extra time and money on having every connector be well-crimped and attached and the connector types are all the kind that positively lock! super-sweet as we won’t have to replace any of them or silicone them. there is no way one of these connectors would shake loose.
we took off the legshield, the pillion seat and the front seat to expose the carb, engine, vacuum and fuel lines. to make working on the lines and under the tank easier remove the battery and battery compartment:
take a picture before doing this so you know which wires should be tucked in and which should be outside the frame. when putting this back together i had to refer to the other bike to see how this was supposed to be. the gastank is under the front seat and can be removed by taking out the four 10mm bolts in pairs on either side of the oblong tank. you will need to remove the tank to replace the fuel lines. speaking of which, the lines appear to be pretty good quality, but since we have the french stuff we might as well replace at least the fuel line if not necessarily the vacuum line. do not throw away the old fuel line, it’s handy when you clean the tank.
the fuel line seemed like a pain in the ass to take out as it, along with everything else that runs from the front of the bike to the middle or back, goes through a single rubber-grommeted hole no more that an inch and a half in diameter. the hole is at the bottom front of the seat/tank bottom. it’s tight quarters in here, even with the tank and battery box removed.
trust me on this: just rip the fuel line out. don’t be a bear about it, but don’t be afraid to just yank it out. it will put up a fight since it’s rubber next to a bunch of other rubber hoses and cables in a rubber grommet. since the new line is tygon it will just slide through.
take the fuel line off the carb and pull it out through the grommet. cut new line slightly longer than existing line and replace the fuelfilter while you’re at it. protip: use a little 3-in-1 oil or mineral oil or motor oil to ease getting the hoses on. dip a toothpick in oil, wipe it on the rim of the container, then swirl it around the inside of the line end that you’re working with. once the line is on, crimp it with a zip tie just behind the shoulder of the barb:
pull the line up through the grommet and into where the old line was.
while we were here we replaced the vacuum line that was here as well. it connects to the vent in the top of the fueltank and ruins to what i think is an evap canister of some sort. if i ever find out what it is i will update the previous sentence to look less of a numpty.
when removing the front of the chain guard (below and in front of the voltage regulator) we found that there was a frayed electrical cable running into the gearbox. this could be from poor assembly or wearing through because of vibration in transit, or both. i didn’t take a pic before fixing it, but we wrapped the frayed inner wire ends around a new wire, soldered everything together, electrical taped the individual cable and the whole strand as well as re-situating the cable bundle in the grommet.
incidentally, the chain appears to be very stout, well lubricated, and good quality.
the tank should be the last thing you do before you start up the bike. once it is degreased if it does not have a layer of oil or gasoline it will start rusting right away. originally i was planning to use muriatic acid to etch the tank and remove absolutely everything inside the tank. unfortunately this probably isn’t the best idea as
a) muriatic acid is hydrochloric acid
b) it’s caustic enough that it is used to etch cement
c) the scout has a float in the gas tank that registers how full it is
i was afraid that the tank level widget would be damaged by acid, so i decided to go with a much milder solution of simplegreen degreaser after looking in the tank with a flashlight. it just looked like dark-ish lightweight grease and nothing more. in all honesty you could probably just clean this out by agitating a quarter gallon of gasoline in the tank for a few minutes and pouring it out. the way to do this is to recycle your old fuel line. grab a few inches of one end and pinch it just like a gardenhose (make a loop and crush the bend) and secure with a ziptie. this will be the hose you attach to the bottom tank outlet and should be at least six inches long to make draining the tank easier. the other such hose will attach to the top outlet and can be any length – two or three inches is more than enough. crimp it the same was as the other one. there is no need to crimp the fuel line to the connectors as the line will stay well enough on its own.
again, you can probably get away with just swirling gasoline in the tank, then pouring it out, then filling the tank at least half full. i used about half a cup of simplegreen and a cup of hot water, shook the tank and flipped it upside down a bunch for about ten minutes. loosen and remove the zipties on the bottom outlet hose, remove the gascap, dispose of the liquid responsibly, which for me meant the sink. simplegreen claims to be nontoxic but if you want to be sure sure it doesn’t end up back in your water you should pour this into the same plastic container you pour your used oil into and have your local autoparts store dispose of it for you. most larger ones have an oil recycling or disposal program. after flushing with water, add more water after clamping both hoses, shake for a few minutes and drain again. pour in a quarter tank of gasoline and shake again. in this case ethanol/”oxygenated” gasoline will actually be good (the only time it is) because the ethanol will absorb the water. this time DO mind where you pour the gasoline. down the sink will make your house stink and may destroy your pipes, again the waste oil container is a good idea. after draining this gasoline out, connect the tank to the fuel line, lubricate the inside of the cable if it doesn’t go on easily, then crimp it with a zip tie behind the barb of the connector. fill the tank at least half full immediately with fresh gas. any gasoline aside from e85 should be fine. once i’ve got a few miles under my belt i’ll mention what it runs best on.
as always be sure to use 1oz of Stabil per gallon of fuel, ESPECIALLY IF YOUR STATE REQUIRES ETHANOL IN YOUR GAS. ethanol is a political additive, not a functional one. even in 10% “oxygenated” gasoline it reduces fuel efficiency, increases wear on all rubber lines and gaskets, is unkind to carbs and on top of that it starts to varnish in large amounts after just 30 days. if left in the floatbowl and undrained many people in ethanol-using states report their bikes are hard to start within as little as a few days and within two weeks many people report having to clean their carb. even with stabil, it’s a best practice to close the petcock and drain the floatbowl if the bike will sit for more than a day or two without starting. to drain the float on the scout, use a small flathead screwdriver to turn out the only screw on the left of the carb. it is below and to the right of the petcock. it drains out through the vacuum line attached to the front of the transmission case that leads down. a few drips and drabs of fuel will come out, no more than a teaspoon. you can keep it open as long as you remember to tighten it before riding again, or you can tighten it after the initial drain, there’s not much more fuel that can come out and it should be enough to protect the bike from shit fuel for at least a week or two of standing.
with all this done we decided it was time to fire up the bike. earlier in the week i filled the battery with acid , sealed and tamped the battery lid down and set it on a battery minder. this process is shown in the genuine dealer prep movie, along with other tips useful for any small engine mechanic. there is also a great and simple procedure for flushing the fuel system around the 9 minute mark:
as soon as the key was in the neutral light came on, the horn sounded when pressed, as did the turn signals. the turn signal reminder is kind of annoying, but i’m not sure if i want to remove it. after all, bike turn signals are not self-canceling. the headlight, taillight, and signal lights don’t work when the engine is off. because it’s so much more manly i tried the kickstart first. the cylinder felt free and the kick was pretty easy, but no joy. ok, there’s an electric start so i hit that… still nothing. a quick look showed that there was air in the fuel line. i had not done the fuel flush as shown in the above video and there was a huge air bubble preventing the fuel from getting to the carb. my first instinct (as an idiot) was to take the fuel line off the carb and suck fuel in to start the flow. i went so far as removing the ziptie on the carb inlet and if the line were easier to remove i probably would have done it. instead i couldn’t get the line off for a few seconds and thought about what i was doing for a second, then opened the fueltank, sealed my lips around the fillhole and built enough pressure to get fuel in while cranking the bike.
IT STARTED!
after 5-10 seconds of cranking the electric start the bike started with the choke engaged. it ran rough and wouldn’t idle smoothly, but ran for maybe a minute or two. it was on the centerstand, so while it was idling i kicked it into first gear and the rear wheel slowly spun. on the ground it wouldn’t, but of course when up in the air there’s a whole lot less friction. the gears shifted freely up and down and although rough, the bike idled until we shut it off. the strange thing is that it seemed to lose power in the middle and almost die on the top end on top of being louder than i expected. after a minute or two of running i hit the kill switch and we celebrated with lou’s and more beer.
a week later, once it was warm enough, i wheeled the bike out to the parking lot and Helios came by for a quick shakedown ride.
again it wouldn’t start from a kick, but after a few seconds of cranking the electric start it fired up with the choke all the way out, but died after running for 10-15 seconds. on top of that, once i push in the choke the bike revs up 500-1000rpm without touching the throttle.
hmm… ok…
started it again while working the throttle and as it would die even with the choke out all the way.
alright, let’s try with some throttle and no choke.
no go.
alright, let’s check the choke because i had seen this video.
nope, fully actuates.
okay, maybe the idle is too low, even though it’s pretty loud already at idle without choke.
started it back up, adjusted the idle all the way up, and it still dies.
at this point it doesn’t even start with the choke or any amount of throttle. fearing the battery will soon die since we’ve cranked the bike 10-20 times with the electric start 5-10 seconds at a time. we try the kickstart a few dozen times to no avail.
hmmm… maybe it’s flooded? open he float drain, kick it a couple of times, all the fuel is clear… nothing doing.
eh… it’s getting dark and we’ve got somewhere to be and so, beaten, we wheel the bike back in the house and head off.
the next day i’m curious and decide to check the plug and the valve clearances. the plug is completely fouled and the gap is .4 instead of .6-.7mm. i cleaned the electrode with some emery cloth and gap it correctly. i checked the compression the analog way (finger over the plug hole) and using the electric start it easily blew my finger clear off, although it didn’t feel as strong as what i thought the puch felt. when i last did this almost a decade ago.
with the cleaned and gapped plug the bike starts easier but still runs rough and dies. when i remove the intake valve cover it looks ok, not burned or anything. removing the exhaust valve cover i discover something unexpected – oil. engine oil! what the fuck? well it seems like the headgasket is probably shot. i didn’t check the clearance, but that might be off, too.
i’ve ordered two gasket kits and two new iridium plugs, better to have extras. we’ll hopefully crack open the head and have a look later this week and the iridium plugs should provide a stronger spark and be longer lasting. since we’re waiting for parts for Helios’ bike I’ve uncrated mine and will work on it meanwhile. if all is well with it, i should be able to glean what the red one should run and sound like… oh, also, quite some time ago we made sure to remove the vinyl lettering on the side of Helios’ bike and it looks so much better. you can compare:
a quick factlist for anyone who didn’t want to spend several hours googling:
- the engine used in the scout is listed on the frame and in the manual as a 153FMH. i believe it’s actually a 1P52FMH. when the gasket kit i ordered comes in we’ll know for sure. it’s a [maybe] 52.4×49.5 bore x stroke and it’s actually 106.7CC and made by Lifan or ripped off by another manufacturer. when it comes to discerning what you’ve got this page is super useful. it comes as a single unit with the gearbox and sells for $250-350. since the bike has plenty of room under the underbone and is chain driven it’s feasible that a larger engine (125, 150 or maybe even more) can be fitted.
- gasket kits, head kits, e.g. are available pretty easily. just make sure you search for the engine model and the bore matches
- the carb is a Deli PZ20. another common part, but damned if there’s an exploded diagram anywhere.
- standard plugs are A7RTC no-name brand. NGK is C7HSA for conventional, the iridium version is CR7HIX, gap is 0.6 – 0.7mm (per manual)
- valve clearance is .03~.05mm (per manual)
underboned 
