At 300 miles from new…
Well, we’re at 300 miles no with no new problems. Over the last 75 miles the scooter achieved just over 80 mpg. Routine checks showed no bolts loosening and no visible oil consumption.
I did remove the spark plug to check its condition. It was an NGK plug, which is s good sign (better than a Chinese plug of unknown origin anyway!). The electrode was light tan in color with no obvious deposits, indicating that the engine is running well. Black deposits would indicate a rich mixture, a glazed insulator would indicate overheating. Various other color deposits, errosion, corrosion, all indicate problems from oil buring to incorrect fuel/air ratios.
I also removed the CVT cover to take a look at the belt and drive system. All seemed good. The belt was maufactured by Gates, a well known drive belt supplier and looked new (as it should after only 300 miles.
I’ve now taken the scooter to an indicted 50mph on a couple of occasions, which is probably closer to 45mph in reality. All seemed stable. I’m still not using full throttle at any time and I’m normally keeping the speed to an indicted 40 mph or less, since the scooter is still “breaking in”. Once I pass 500m I may open it up a little more.