1980s Honda Melody Build - GY6 swap

[kirch93]

Hello to all!!

Ive posted on here a couple of times after becoming part of the Honda 50cc world. I recently purchased a Honda Melody (correct me if I'm wrong) in a non-running condition. The guy I bought it off told me It would run but would not rev out at all, he told me this was due to the carb being faulty. So I got it kind of cheap ($500 NZ) by the time it arrived.

Having some experience with small motors and carbs, I pulled the carb off to see what was wrong. I pulled it apart checked all the jets, checked the slide and needle and everything seemed to be fine. Figuring the carb wasn't the problem me and a friend spent a few hours trying to find why It wouldn't rev out. After a new spark plug, checking spark and fuel several times, I removed the exhaust to have a look in the port. While I was checking this, I pushed the kickstart very slightly, the motor burst into life throwing carbon etc out at my face much to my friends amusement.

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Anyway, after realising that the exhaust was the problem and testing it and finding it had no flow, I was considering a performance exhaust. The exhaust that came on it had been cut open several times and welded back together so I didn't want to reuse it.

After hunting for a new exhaust it came apparent that exhausts for these scooters are not that easy to come by in my country, let alone a performance exhaust or other upgrades.

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I had a guy at a local scooter shop recommend I do a engine swap to get more performance. After hunting for a while on an online auction sight, I found a GY6 50cc in working condition with everything to run for $100. I bought it and It is now on its way to me. (should be here thursday)

Other things I want to upgrade are the handlebars and controls, I want to run some sort of bicycle bars setup and maybe custom controls. Also I want to lower the front end slightly and when I mount the GY6, I will match It and also have some stretch. I want this to look clean and low. Not crazy low as I live in quake city NZ (Christchurch) and the roads are crap.

I may also paint it a tan-ish colour, not sure yet.

Sorry for the long winded post, I promise they wont all be this long. Hope to hear from some of you guys soon, Cheers.

[paulpauly7]

i live in chch as well .Ive done alot of work on them china 50cc they really arnt that great you should have found a dio motor easyer to fit more aftermarket parts and faster way faster.but anyway you have bought it now if you want a hand with anything or finding performance parts hit me up i can gets parts out of japan cheap .Did you by it off a guy called bart?

[paulpauly7]

Give me a txt if you need anything ive got a few parts for trans tuning variators,rollers,clutch springs,rear main springs

[kirch93]

Hey, na I got it off trade me from a guy in Blenheim. I don't have that much money to spend on it at the moment and it seemed like the cheapest option. Also Im under a bit of time pressure as my car is broken and I will need transport to CPIT in the next few weeks.

[paulpauly7]

sweet pm me if you need a hand

[kirch93]

Update, motor arrived today. Its massive, way bigger than I expected, But I have mocked it up and It will give me the right amount of stretch I want. Tomorrow I will be making mounts for It and then next step will be attempting to wire it all up. I also need to find a new back wheel and fabricate an exhaust. No photos of the new motor but heres my garage after I stripped the scooter in prep for new motor.

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This gives me the s**t's. I am not looking forward to sorting out wiring etc.

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This is the sort of look Im going for, minus the ugly stupid exhaust. I just wasnt a clean long look and maybe a colour like this.

[paulpauly7]

whats your cell number ill send you some pics of my bike .When yours is running we should go out for a ride.NZHONDA will be keen to with his streched 120cc stroker nifty fifty

[kirch93]

For sure. I just PM'd you my number. I am starting to scone guess my decision for this gy6. I dont suppose you know anyone with a spare dio rear end in chch?

[kirch93]

"slightly" not "scone". The other thing I need if I do stay with this motor is a back wheel if you have any ideas.

[kirch93]

So Im going to try pick up where I left off. During trying to start this project my car decided to be stupid, long story short I spent lots of money and time fixing it. So that put my plans on hold.

Anyway, lots has changed. I did my research, post gy6 purchase and realised I am a muppet. So no more gy6 swap, I plan to fabricate my own exhaust for the stock engine and run that. Maybe one day I will do an engine swap but at this stage I dont need it. Not for just going to polytech and back everyday.

I decided where I wanted to go with the look and colours for the melody. Since I'm into my cars I have decided I want the melody to have a JDM style look to it. I love cars and the drift/racing scene, and all the japanese cars, BUT I drive a BMW, and am leaning towards the euro style for that. So I figured the closest I was going to get to owning a japanese honda or nissan was this scooter. Therefore I want this scooter to be a tuner/JDM/drift-style awesome daily.

So, In the last week and a half I have stripped the plastics, tidied them all up and painted them. I used a good plastic etching primer and some good quality spray paints that I found to paint everything plastic.

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I sprayed everything with degreaser and cleaned it off. Then lightly sanded everything that needed sanding. Also I removed the stickers that was a massive PITA. After years of being stuck on, they were solid and did not want to come off easily.

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Putting etching primer on was ok, some of the plastic had age lines in it from being outside so I had to try and build the primer up enough to cover them but not to much to cause runs.

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I put 3 coats of paint on after the primer had dried for a couple of hours. The paint turned out the exact colour I was looking for. I thought it might be too light but it turned out great.

Sorry if Im doing too much writing, Any input or ideas is welcome.

Also if anyone knows why my photos are coming up huge, please tell me how to fix. Cheers

[paulpauly7]

hey bud i just got a sym dd50 with a dio clone motor and front disk brakes if your interested let me know

[kirch93]

Hey, Ill definitely keep that in mind. But at the moment funds just don't exist haha.

Ive got a bit more done in the last couple of days.

I finally committed to modifying the handlebars to what I wanted. I took to them with the grinder, tidied them up and painted them matte black.

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They turned out how I wanted them.

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Next I wanted to paint the variator cover, I decided to keep to the JDM theme and go with a rising sun. I wanted this to be quite flashy compared to the rest of the scooter, so I painted it in gloss silver and candy red, then sealed it with a gloss sealer. It Turned out close to perfect. Removing the cover I managed to ruin the old gasket. But Ill just have to make a new one.

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Heres everything put on, except the variator cover, It was still drying and I hadn't made a new gasket yet. Oh, And I painted the front wheel black. Cause black wheels are cool. Haha. And notice my awesomely cool UNI filter, that is 3 times the size of the carburettor.

Next post soon.

[kirch93]

I made a new gasket over the weekend, and got everything put together. Im supper happy with how its coming along.

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I traced the old gasket parts onto thick black card, as this gasket isn't actually subject to much oil or anything I skimped and decided not to use gasket paper. It worked well though and I'm happy.

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Here it is put on.

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Heres everything put back together from the completed side, I think It looks awesome. The variator cover pops just how I wanted it, The black front wheel looks good with the black bike style handlebars.

Ive now taken the engine off again to take measurements for the custom tuned pipe.

Im glad Im not writing this blog just for input from other people, because with the exception of paulpauly7, Ive had no replies to any of my posts. Slightly disappointing. I just hope that people will want to read this and can find it in the future.

[paulpauly7]

looking good mate

[Dingus Khan]

looks sweet I may just have to copy your cover idea lol.