'85 Spree still doesn't want to start

[otto-man]

After everything is thoroughly clean, and there are no air leaks, and new plug and bystarter, maybe the crank oil seals are getting a little weak. They are cheap to replace and have given me similar headaches in the past.

[Tombo]

Can't get a wire through, so it's getting soaked for a few more days until a carb wire cleaning kit I ordered arrives.

Otto-man, I hope I don't have a lot more to do on it. Getting a little weary.

[Tombo]

The wires in the tool set were a tad too big, but the extra soaking did the trick. After several attempts she started and idles nicely. The pilot jet was probably the problem all along. Live and learn. It's still sluggish from a stop with my weight, but it gets me to 30mph no problem.

The carb soak also took the brass finish off the float bowel. It's grey now. Wonder if the whole thing would've disappeared had I left it in longer. LOL

Thank you very much guys!

Let's see if she'll continue to start. I'll post pictures when I get a chance.

[patthesoundguy]

Sweet you got it running and driving feels great eh?

[PorterGuy85]

Pics/video? Still running?

[Pancake Sauce]

I have a Metropolitan and I am a previous Spree owner. The upgrade was a palpable improvement, to say the least. I loved the Spree, but the Metropolitan was a fantastic, overdue upgrade. I love the storage (under seat and trunk), fuel capacity (1.3 gal), lower center of gravity, bigger tires, slightly more leg room, quiet engine, better top speed and acceleration, better gas mileage (94/gal gps tested), better breaking, 250 lbs weight limit, unbelievable headlight brightness, and easier maintenance. It really shows the incredible ingenuity that went into it. I can access things on it much easier than on the Spree, and many other scooters for that matter. The seat easily pops out by removing like 4 10mm bolts and a philips screw, revealing the carb and lots of internals. Need to change the spark plug?; The access panel can be removed in 3 seconds. Let me know if you have any questions about the Metropolitan.

As for the Spree:
-Wires ran through some of the carb circuits could damage them so try to spray carb cleaner through them instead.
-Starting fluid on 2-strokes could fry the engine because oil needs to be mixed with the fuel first. I don't recommend starting fluid.
-Spree is about 90 lbs wet (fluids in it); Metropolitan 176 lbs wet
-I rode my Spree when I was 200 lbs and she handled it well
-Spark gap 0.6 - 0.7mm (0.024 - 0.028 in) Just to be sure you didn't mix up mm vs inches.
-Might want to check the bystarter on the carb to make sure it's plugged in and functioning. It might be stuck closed which would explain it running well only after you get the engine rolling. No enrichment = hard cold starts.
-Has the Spree ever worked normally for you or has it always been like it is?

EDIT: I am a bit tipsy and didn't notice that there were posts beyond the first page. After catching up on the story, I'm glad you got it running. Obviously, most of what I said is old news by now, hehe. POST PICS!!! I can't handle the suspense