Honda Spree and Elite 50 Forums

Ok so I have a problem with my 87 spree with 790 miles on it. When ever I ride for about 15-20min it overheats and stalls. When riding I noticed it was really slow coming off of stops. When it stalls after 20min I can’t get it to start up again. When I examined the bike it was really hot. When it cools off it starts normally. When I pulled the spark plug I found that smoke was coming from the hole (not sure if this is normal). I could not find any melted wires or anything so I’m not sure what to do. Airbox is stock and sealed. Air mix is set to 1.5 turns. What should I do next?

Your bike is experiencing "soft-sieze".
Running too hot because likely too lean.
Could be not oiling properly.
Could be a vacuum leak.
Could be exhaust leak.
Could be....other stuff I don't know because I don't know a lot of stuff.

Thanks for the quick reply. I was also thinking my oil pump may not be working properly. Can i just add like 4 bottle caps of oil to my tank and see if that changes anything?

Bottle caps of oil is arbitrary. The mixture needs to be more precise. If youre certain the pump is providing 0 oil, it needs to be replaced, repaired or deleted completely. If the pump is spinning without itself getting lubed by passing oil it will seize, sheer off teeth and send bits of metal into your motor...thats if the crank bearings and bore last that long without oil. The ideal mixture is 32:1. This means 4oz of oil per gallon. Mixing in-tank is difficult to achieve proper mixture on a Spree since the tank is merely 0.6 gal. Its best to use a separate jug for mixing.

How am I supposed to check if the oil pump is working?

While idling, pull the oil line off at intake manifold. The RPM's will increase. Put your finger on the fitting on the manifold and it will idle down. Check to see if oil is coming out of the oil line. Oil should come out of the oil line slowly. If no oil, you may have air in the oil lines or pump or no oil in tank. Bleed oil pump and lines and try again. Usually when a Spree oil pump is bad, it lets too much oil pass through. Don't run motor longer than it takes to check.

Okay. Before I do this I was wondering if this issue could be related to my gas cap not venting.

Still can not get it to run right. Adding oil did not work, made it run rich. drilling the gas cap did not work. still stalls after riding about 5 miles running WOT. What should i do next?

Let’s back up a bit. Is this scooter new to you? or have you owned it for awhile?

Greetings:

Follow-up to Bones' questions: Did you make any changes, adjustments, or parts replacements just before the symptom appeared?

It's not common, but sometimes the problem is electrical. A coil that's going bad can work while cool, but fail as it gets hot. VR might do the same. Components testing is described in the Service Manual.

ok so replying to bones, it is "new" to me. I got it from my dads old garage. It was taken there because it did not start or idle. I cleaned carb, now start and runs great. Except when im about 5-10 min down the road it stalls. Like when i let off the throttle and then try to give it more gas it sounds like it bogs and if i keep giving it throttle it dies. Then it is hard to start.

Replying to Wheelman I have drilled a hole in the gas cap as Honda said that was the issue (it wasnt). I have carb at manual settings. I have a new petcock that i got from Honda themselves (because somebody said if i got it on ebay or something it may not work). Then I replaced gas lines. replaced spark plug. Got a new air filter (not box, box is still stock). That is about it. as i can tell it gets like really hot even if im just in the driveway riding a little bit. I thought it could be an air leak but im not sure. Could this be the issue? Thanks for the help!

Have you tried a cooler spark plug?

Pull the carburetor bowl and check the jet size. Be aware of anything odd or suspicious. Are your fan shroud covers compromised in any way? Is there an actual "fan" spinning in there? Maybe you do have an air leak somewhere? Massive oil dripping from the exhaust flange mounting area? Oil pump o-ring? Intake manifold or reed block gasket? Does anything look like it's been "replaced" engine-wise? Like do you see any new gaskets sticking out of the base of the cylinder? That could indicate a "new" replaced bore or internal repair of some sort. If it does appear to be a replacement, it could just still be in "break-in" process, in which the "holding it wide open throttle" for 5 minutes would be a no-no? ^v^ You have some investigative work to do and it's really difficult to be of much help from this position. We can throw out suggestions and opinions but that's about it. Send us few clear pics if you like.......

Cubey what spark plug do you reccomend?