Tempermental Spree

[Mike MPD]

I got an old spree for free from my fathers friend in non running condition. After a bit of wiring work the scooter would start but would die shortly after. We got a carb for it off ebay and that made it run pretty well. It was drivable after that point, however it ended up sitting for a while as I didnt have my license yet. Last week I tried starting it and it was hard to get it to start at all and it would not run for more than a few minutes. We put in some some fresh fuel, checked the fuel filter(seemed like it was starving for gas), and gave it a new spark plug and it made no difference. Then I tried to start it up again two days ago and it started right up, didnt die, and I was able to take it for a short ride around the neighborhood. Temperatures and everything were pretty much the same. It just seemed to be in a much better mood for some reason haha. It has also developed another problem that it didnt have before it sat for a while. It has no low end power at all. It has a lot of trouble accelerating from stopped and going up hills even when giving it full throttle. You have to rev the crap out of it going up hill and my friend was still able to keep up with me on his bike.

Any suggestions for getting it to start more consistently or the low end power issue?


Thanks in advance!
Mike

[SPREEtown]

clean carb, clean carb, clean carb, and new spark plug. and then clean carb.
bro, you gotta clean the carb. and put in fresh GN2 2 stroke oil, if you havnt changed that.
also check the state of the air filter. if its crumbly and gross change that. and then clean the carb.

theres some killer write ups on carb cleaning so search around the site.

[kpa2004]

I would pull the clutch and belt assy off, clean and re-grease the driven pulley spring/slider. It may be a little arthritic after sitting for so long.

[Bear45-70]

Don't be tearing the clutch apart. The Spree by design is a major slug off the line and has lackluster power at best. It is sluggish off the line because it is a 1 speed system and starts in high gear, your only gear. Live with it or upgrade to a scooter with a CVT.

First thing to do with your carb issue is replace the fuel lines and add an in-line fuel filter. I prefer clear fuel lines. The reason for the change is those fuel lines are at least 24 years old and todays fuel is caustic as *.

Replace the spark plug, no one knows how old it is and old plugs can cause an unbelievable number of issues including hard starting.

Other than that, clean the carb per instructions here.

http://hondaspree.net/wiki/index.php5?t ... r_Cleaning

and here.

http://hondaspree.net/wiki/index.php5?t ... ture_Guide

[kpa2004]

I say the clutch because, he said, "You have to rev the crap out of it going up hill and my friend was still able to keep up with me on his bike. If its "revving" up it would seem its not a carb issue and maybe a slipping belt or a worn clutch. Cleaning the carb is always a good idea and that should be done first and foremost, however, if it started and ran good, why take it apart again. The spree does not have low end power thats for sure, but it should respond nice after its past 10mph.

[Bear45-70]

I would suspect the belt long before the clutch for that problem.

[kpa2004]

Ya, the belt is most suspect, but if the pulley (clutch side) isnÔÇÖt adjusting in and out that would also give you problems, I know when I took my belt, clutch and pulley apart, the pulley wasn't moving that well. After I disassembled everything and cleaned it up it worked really well. The scooter sat around for years apparently and was literally in a box ready for the trash.

[Bear45-70]

I have over 3500 miles on my original belt (only half way to the wear tolerance) and clutch, both working fine. Honda says inspect every 2000 miles.

[kpa2004]

Ya the difference is that you use your spree, His was left to rot somewhere. Nothing runs as good as something thatÔÇÖs being used on a regular basis.

[Mike MPD]

Its not something that will be solved by cleaning the carb, we ended up putting on a new carb and it has been cleaned several times. And after we got a hold of the spree it was not "left to rot" by any means. It was sitting for a few months in a dry shed with the battery on a trickle charger. I cannot say however how it was treated before it came into my possession. Also took it for a ride over the weekend and I did not experience the same low end power problems that I had days earlier. It only seems to be improving with each ride!

[kpa2004]

Nothing like knockin the old cob webs off so to speak. Glad its sorting itself out!

[Mike MPD]

I have not experienced any low end power issues since the first post but I did have some issues with it the other night. I was riding up a somewhat steep hill and the scooter would go fine for about 20 feet and then either die or I would have to stop it and kind of rev it up to keep it from dying before I could start moving again. I'm thinking(hoping) this was just because it was a bit colder than my other rides and I didn't really give it any time to warm up before heading off(the hill is just at the end of my street. After that I didn't have any problems for the short ride to my friends house. On the way home it was running great at first, full throttle down the street. Then every so often the power would suddenly drop(carb issue?) so I would just let off the throttle and rev it back up and it would be fine for the next few minutes and I was able to make it home fine despite the infrequent annoyance.

Thoughts?

[Videonut]

ya its an old scooter, it needs to be warmed up..... mine will run like s**t in the beginning then i can run all day. I only use the best highest octaine gas too, just for giggles really.

just enjoy the little bike and keep good gas and oil in it. it will treat ya good.