New Cruisym owner - how to make it good!

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gasgas
Posts: 31
Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 11:38 am
Current Ride: Sym 300i
Location: Lutterworth

New Cruisym owner - how to make it good!

Post by gasgas »

In 1965 I bought my first scooter for £5, a Vespa 92L2 without my parents' knowledge. I saved it from the scrapyard and rode it with no tax or insurance or driving licence - I was only 15 and 16 was the minimum age for riding. I took it to school and kept it in the bike shed till the headmaster found out and made me remove it.
I passed my test in 1966 when I was 16, again on a Vespa. I had scores of them thereafter, buying them in London, then riding them to Swindon where they sold for more, and made a profit. In the course of this I learned to strip and rebuild them down to the last circlip, how to tune the engines and respray them. I 'invented' by myself a metallic paint by mixing plain paint with silver paint. At one time I had a 152L2, a 125cc with a manufacturer's top speed of 35mph. I padded the crankshaft with araldite/cork mixture and filled the underside of the piston with it as well. I skimmed the head by filing it in a vice. I fitted a carburettor from a BSA250 motorbike and an Ancillotti exhaust. Then it ran out of revs so I fitted a 400x8 back tyre instead of the 350x8 standard one. Then the speedo needle went right round the clock and banged against the zero pin. It must have doubled the original speed but didn't last long - its little end spread itself all over the crankcase. Later I was working in an electronics R&D lab and I designed and built a 12v conversion kit which I sold to the local dealers, also an electronic ignition which permitted 60 thou spark plug gaps.
Since then I have had hundreds of different motorbikes -the fastest being a Honda VFR800 and I'm not admitting how fast I went except to say I concluded I shouldn't be doing that. Recently I have had a Triumph Tiger 800 with an incredible design fault which made me resolve never to have a Triumph again. If you stall it and then press the starter it doesn't start. You have to hold the starter pressed for 2 seconds before the Computer will send 12v to the starter motor. It isn't the button that sends 12v, it is the computer. That is no good to me if I stall it having just pulled out on to a dual carriageway.
Also recently I had a Benelli TNT125 which was brilliant fun.
I traded the Benelli against a CruiSym 300 a couple of weeks ago. I had tried a few bikes, then I tried a Kawasaki 300 scooter which was OK except for the fact that there is only one position for your feet, and the under-seat storage wasn't brilliant. This was the first 'automatic' two wheeler I have ever ridden and tought it was a big improvement over having to change gear mid corner which is always a bit iffy. I looked at Vespas but again the storage was small and one foot position. So I got the Sym with its good storage and several positions for feet which is important as I have a painful hip. I went for a local ride, slowly because of running in, and quickly hated it. The next day I went to the Vespa shop to ask for a part exchange. I would have lost £2000 so obviously didn't! The problem was the seat comfort, it was a very bumpy ride. So I took it to an upholsterer and had 3" of seating foam added, and a red stripe to match the red scooter colour. Now it is fantastic and I would recommend it as an excellent upgrade which would cost you about £140. I think the original seat is designed for Sym's biggest markets, China and India. Dare I sound racist - They aren't the same bulk as Europeans or Americans and I think we need more seat padding. Anyway it is wonderful now, see the picture I hope I can attach.

Oh. I can't attach pictures. I have zipped them and still get the 'file is too big' message.
Andrew

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muddyfox
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Posts: 996
Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2015 5:19 pm
Current Ride: Yamaha 250r x max
Location: Nottingham

Re: New Cruisym owner - how to make it good!

Post by muddyfox »

gasgas welcome. One of the better introductions we have had. Lots of member's on here use free Postimages app to upload pictures.
https://postimages.org/
Muddyfox (Nottingham)
Ride safe

Scootypuff snr

Re: New Cruisym owner - how to make it good!

Post by Scootypuff snr »

welcome, glad to hear you resolved the issue with the sym but yes are European arses are wider & heavier

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