Colin and his Koot Scoot 

    October, 2000 ~ High in the mountainous Kootenay region of western Canada where the primo Canadian beer (Kokanee) is brewed lives an ex-Brit named Colin who owns a Honda 250 Elite. Colins two wheeled experience has ranged from Lambrettas to motorcycles so he brings  valuable insight to owning a Honda scooter as he's tried the rest.  While I was tempted to add excerpts from Colins e-mails to me, I decided to give Colin his own page as he has a lot to say on owning, driving, maintaining and enjoying a Honda scooter.

    If you'd like to get an idea of the countryside where Colin rides, rent the movie "Roxanne" with Steve Martin as it was filmed in and around Nelson ,BC. The following are excerpts from correspondence with Colin with additional comments from myself italicised:
 

Doug,

   Last year I rode with a friend. I had a Yamaha BWS/Zuma, upgraded from a 50c to a 70cc, with parts from Taffspeed in Newport, South Wales, UK.  Anyway I rode the BWS and he rode an Elite 250. This spring, he announced he had a new toy, and thought about selling the Elite. Needless to say, he had no choice! I was on him like a dose of the flu. In May I became the owner of the 1985 Elite 250 - "The Koot Scoot" When I got it, for $800 Can (approx $550 US), it had some 19,000kms on it, and was running reasonably well. The final drive box was leaking oil, and the gears a little noisy. He thought it might be because he was using an 80w gear oil, instead of the recommended 10-40 oil. I ordered a new gasket, and poured the milky white oil out. The new gasket cured the oil leak, but it took a few changes of oil to clean all the white metal powder out. I also ordered some exhaust gaskets. This quietened it down some too. Then I ordered a new drive belt, even though the existing one still had 1mm of wear left. I reasoned that a spare belt is always a good thing to carry around. While at it I checked the roller weights, and was dismayed to find they were anything but round. In fact most were completely flat on one side. I was surprised they still worked, giving me the good response, and power, they did. They were ordered, and replaced as well.

    By now I had put about 7,000kms on it, and it was time to replace the  rear tire. I had started riding with a bunch of older motorcyclists ranging from mid fifties, through me at sixty five, to an eighty four year old. He rode a new BMW R1100RT, the others rode Goldwings, big Yamahas, and big Kawasakis. No Harleys - yet. On the first ride I was asked to lead. They were concerned they might leave me too far behind. Needless to say, I often had to slow down for them in the twisties. We ride at a steady 90 - 100 km/h (55-60 mph) The older guys are very concerned about getting tickets and losing their licenses. Not a bad thought for all of us. It also gives us time, of which we have lots, to smell the countryside, drink coffee, and generally enjoy the rides.

    I then decided to head out on a trip by myself. I had no set route, except I was heading for the coast. I went South through Idaho to Lewiston, then headed West to Walla-Walla, then to the Tri-Cities, where I spent the first night at Pasco. The next morning I set out for Portland Oregon. Heading down the I 84, we were diverted into Washington, due to a major accident on the freeway. To this point I was travelling at a steady 65mph, aren't the dual range speedometers great? As we crossed into Washington I was experiencing a few engine misses. I pulled over into a viewpoint, and had a look I stripped the bags off, more about those later, and opened it up. I checked all the wiring I could see, and jiggled a few, and it started fine. I closed it up, and got on to move off, when it stopped again. This time it wouldn't  restart. I opened it up once more, and this time checked the fuel system. Plenty of gas getting through. Started it again, and it ran fine. Closed it up, got on,  and it stopped. This time I called AAA, but that's another story. The problem was a broken connection on the coil. Next time I go on a long trip, I carry a multi tester with me!

     In my retirement, I am also a Marriage Commissioner, I conduct/perform civil marriages. While talking to my wife on the cell phone, she had me hurry back to do a very urgent wedding, - don't ask . So I turned around, from The Dalles, east of Portland, and hurried to Yakima that night, and on to Creston, via Spokane, the next day. The Koot Scoot was running so well! except for a less than willing starter motor. As I got to the border crossing and the duty free store, about 10km from home, it quit, and there is no way to start the Scoot without it!  It was loaded onto a friend's truck and taken to a local motorcycle/small engine repair shop. The only one. A new starter motor was ordered, and this took a while to get. It was not available from Vancouver, or Toronto, It took over two weeks to get one. It was fitted, and the next day the gang went riding, with me in my usual place, - leading. We headed up over the Kootenay Pass, a 40km climb to 6,000ft, and then down to Castlegar. Here I noticed a vibration around 80km/h. As we looked around the area, and the new powerhouse at the Hugh Keenlyside Dam, on the Columbia River, my airbox came off the carburetor. Soon replaced. Then as we headed toward the Slocan Valley the exhaust was coming loose. We barely made it to Nelson, where I stopped and scrounged some nuts to hold the exhaust on. The others had vibrated off ! About 40km from home, I noticed blue smoke in my mirror, and soon after one of the guys pulled alongside, and waved me down. There was oil everwhere! Luckily I had a liter of oil with me, as we found a hole in the crankcase. Gently we made it home, pouring oil into the engine every ten kilometers. The next day the Scoot was back at the repair shop. The bracket holding the rear wheel arm onto the crankcase, had broken off, leaving a hole about the size of my little finger tip. It was welded back on, and they did a wonderful job. But the vibration to was still there. Seems the bushings holding the engine to the frame were worn, and the bearing holding the primary drive shaft was worn.  To install the starter motor they had to drop the engine. The bushings were ordered and replaced. The bearing was also sent, but in spite of the correct part number on the Genuine Honda Parts package, the bearing inside wasn' t the right one. With the bushings in place, the scoot was reassembled and was much better, but the vibration was still there. I didn't use it until the bearing came in. That was a couple of days ago.
    Now I am riding it, but am still not completely happy. It is much better, but my top speed is down from 115-120km/h, to 107-110km/h, and the transmission is noisy. I have just ordered a new front variator pulley, outside, because the present one is quite notchy. I have also ordered new clutch shoes. I was very lucky, the hole in the crankcase, and loss of oil, didn't seem to harm the engine. I must have caught it in time. Inspite of all the  trouble I still think it is one fine machine.

    I had to put another rear tire on at 33,000kms. I am using Cheng Shin tires, and find them quite good, and at $29 each, better than Bridgestone at $70, or Michelins at $100. One Michelin = 3 Cheng Shins. The tire I use, on the
 rear wheel, is a Cheng Shin at $29 mounted. They don't last as long as Bridgestones, or Michelins, but the cost factor is in favor of the Cheng Shins. Bridgestones cost about $70, and Michelins about $100. Neither have a life better than twice the cheaper, I mean inexpensive, tire. Cheng Shin 6000-7000 kms, Bridgestone 7000-9000kms and Michelin 8000-10000kms. Go figure. As regards quality re blowouts etc., I have now used 3 Cheng Shin rear tires without any problems I also noted in a International Scootering Magazine, out of UK that in a tyre test(Oct, 1998- issue #153),  Cheng Shin (MAXXIS model) came out near the top of their list (5th out of 12). Now the front tire is a different thing. The Cheng Shin there is doing well; about 40% wear after 14000 kms. The rear tire carries most ot the weight, as well as all of the power.
 

  I have added a trunk from the previous Yamaha scooter. I ordered it from Yamaha in the States and it cost me $135us! No way I am giving that away, and it fit the rack on the Honda fine. I also got a pair of hard bags from a bone yard in Hayden Idaho. They are from a Kawasaki KZ1000, Seventies I think. It took very little to reconfigure the mounting brackets. The front one mounts behind the passenger foot plate. The top front one required a flat piece of steel epoxied across the gas tank, and the rear one had to be cut off, and a reshaped one welded on. This mounts on the topmounting bolt holding the side panel on. I also had to wire the lights in. I bought a windshield from JC Whitney, a tachometer from Rider Warehouse, and mounted a cigarette lighter alongside the ignition switch. This is for my cell phone, and any other equipment requiring 12v power. Lastly I bought from JC Whitney, top chrome luggage brackets for the hardbags, that are for a Goldwing. All in all she looks good. (see attachments). Lastly I had a lambskin lying around the house for years. It now lies on the Koot Scoot, and yes it does make a difference on long trips. Next year we are planning a few long trips one is to follow Hwy 95 from the start at Golden on the Trans Canada highway, all the way through BC, Idaho, Nevada, California, Arizona, and finally Mexico to the Gulf of California at St Luis. About a ten day round trip, or so. Another is to the Redwoods of California, and the canyons of Utah. By then the Koot Scoot will be it top shape. While the Koot Scoot was laid up I rode my Suzuki GS650L, a grand bike, and so different from the Scoot. I will keep it but the Koot Scoot is still my prime mover.

A note to finish with: The parts I ordered from either Honda or JC Whitney. From Whitney I was able to get the windshield and brake pads for CH250 85-90 as well as CH80 85-98, Ch 125 1984, CH150 85-87. The cost from 8.99us to 16.99us for the CH250. The rest I got from Honda via a local dealer. The final drive case gasket cost, $11.22, the exhaust gasket, $4.30, the roller kit, $19.55 and the hard rubber insert $9.51, The transmission belt $72.04 can, ouch! and the starter motor $417.92
double ouch!! The windshield from Whitney was $64.98us.*
Colin
From the Beautiful Creston Valley
In the Central Kootenays of
Super Natural British Columbia
COLIN FORD     cford@uniserve.com

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