New member from France with a 1986 Aero 50

[GSX1400]

Thanks!

[GSX1400]

Measured the MPG I'm getting now : 117 mpg (USA) or 2 liters per 100 kms.
Before : 87 mpg (USA) or 2.7 liters per 100 kms.

Great improvement with the new petcock.

[GSX1400]

Received my non restricted ramp plate yesterday and installed it.
Thanks eliteguy50!

Finished putting on some other spares received too.

Gonna try this out now!

[GSX1400]

Ok, so went out for a quick ride in the strong wind and with my lightweight pillion (4 year old).
Speed pick up is the same up to 30-35 km/h then it seems less powerfull, slightly more slow to pick up speed.
Before that, the engine was just yelling out loud because of the high rpms the restricted ramp plate forced the engine to have.
Now the engine is a bit slower to pick up speed starting from about 40 km/h. BUT, the cruising rpm seems much lower.
Reacceleration is less grunty too when you slow down a little.
Top speed couldn't be reached because the straight line was a bit too short, but I did see 60! That's about 37/38 mph. Not bad. Seems there could be a couple of km/h more left. I'll give it another try in a longer straight line.
And not feeling lean. I'll have to do the quick plug check still and to make sure.

The main gain for me is the cruising speed (I won't ride it at max speed/rpm all the time to avoid ruining the engine...) will be a tad higher with an engine less stressing. I do have long rides to do mostly : 15 miles on long and relatively straight roads so as to be cruising at the same speed without (almost) cutting the throttle.

I have 8 gram standard roller inside.
Maybe a stiffer spring in the rear variator (what is the exact name for that) would bring back some acceleration capacities???

[GSX1400]

A nice run of 30 kilometers (20 miles) this afternoon.
Always with my pillion.
Cruising speed is 55 km/h (34 mph) easily acheived. Even up-hills I get an easy 50 (31 mph) to 55.
The engine seems so unstressed...

I tested the top speed and got 70 (43mph)...but the needle couldn't get farther and I felt like TT was still gaining speed. Maybe 75 (46 mph)???
Surely the tacho is way off??? What do you think?
Slowing down a bit after that, I just kept cruising at 60 (37 mph) and felt the engine was less loud than before at 50 with the restricted ramp plate.

I must get a GPS to measure that because I can't beleive what I'm seeing.
Any opinions?

[eliteguy50]

The stiffer contra spring will make the bike more snappy. It will be a quicker response between the time you twist the throttle and the time the bike actually accelerates. It is possible that your stock spring is weaker than it should be due to metal fatigue.

[eliteguy50]

My speedometer was off by 3mph in stock form.

[GSX1400]

The stock spring could already be too old? It's only got 1300 kms life in it...

[eliteguy50]

The stock spring could already be too old? It's only got 1300 kms life in it...

True, but it has been compressed in that pulley for 26 years.

[GSX1400]

Yes indeed.
So the GPS thing didn't want to work (searching for the satellite without ever finding it...).
I can see that downhills I'm following cars (speed limit is 90 km/h at that place) that aren't driving too fast.
I'll have my wife follow me with the car to see later.

I was expecting my fuel mileage to get better, but it wasn't the case on the first tank full I past.

How many miles do you get from full (I mean the lower part of the bump in the oil tank that indicates "full level") to starting having the oil light blinking with engine oil tank?
I got 500 kilometers for 0,6 liters of oil or 20,28 US Oz for 310,70 miles.

To be continued.

[eliteguy50]

Fuel economy will increase if you can resist the high speeds. If you keep to your old maximum speed, you will notice the increase.

[GSX1400]

Yeah, I guess so!

It's hard to keep a stable cruising speed now.
I noticed that for one opening of the throttle, speed can vary much without hearing or having the illusion that the engines rpm's are changing.
I can ride at 50 km/h and a couple of seconds later the speedo will indicate 55/60 or more. And I won't notice the change in the engines revving??? Just as if the variator was doing his job but slowely and keeping the rev's at the same level.
So I have to keep opening and closing throttle. Anonying bit because I have to be carefull not to get "gunspeeded" by the cops at more than 45 km/h (speed limit for 50cc's here in France and most parts of Europe).

What about the oil mileage?

[eliteguy50]

I don't keep exact numbers like that on my oil usage but that sounds right. I would say I add half a quart (16 ounces) every couple hundred miles. I don't wait for the low oil light to illuminate.

[GSX1400]

Yes I'll keep an eye on it. You wouldn't want to run low on oil if the sender or the "bulb" were out of order...

[GSX1400]

Was having some more troubles with the idle never being exactly the same (sometimes low, at others too high and also stalling...).
Took the plug out. Was very dirty. Much "cake" on it. Cleaned it.
It's got 650 kms only. Changed when I bought the scoot. The plug gap is ok (0,60 mm).

Took the carb out and checked it.
The bypass tiny hole was ok : I used a lamp to see if light could pass through.

Took everything apart :
jet (main jet #80...but where is the secondary one if there is one??? I keep reading that there are 2 jets in there???),
floater
bypass
everything that could come out.

Took my wife's ultrasonic cleaner, some carb cleaner and there you go!
A tiny amount of very thin "sand" was found in the floater bowl (and in the ultrasonic cleaner when finished).
The brass parts (idle screws) looked like new after that.
BUT, the plastic window on the ultrasonic thing didn't appreciate the carb cleaner and went opaque . Duh...sorry honey...

Changed the fuel line and added a Mann filter just in case.

Been riding it for 2 days without any issues anymore. Wait and see.

Got my wife to follow me with the car and my speedo is way off.
Says 65/70 when I'm 55 km/h.
Says 55 when I'm barely 45 km/h.
And I know (have checked the cars speedo with a GPS some time ago) that the cars speedo is already cheating...imagine the difference between real speed and what the Aero's speedo is telling me!
I thought I was riding fast...

Before unrestricting the pipe and the variator, it would do 45 big maximum. It is the speed limit here for 50cc's BY RESTRICTION means on the engines or whatever the firm decides is necessary.
I was then thinking that my speedo was very accurate...

What the heck?
Is this a known issue and is there a fix??? Looks like the spring for the needle is not hard loaded enough. And I feel it's begun only since I tried a top speed test after unrestricting TT. Like I could have messed the speedo up riding with the needle blocked at full speed?

Any input?