Identify this Honda!

[1337]

I'm new to scooting, but I've been reading up on scooters, and I'd like to find a small, reliable, efficient scooter. Based on the www.motorscooterguide.net reviews, I would prefer either a Yamaha Jog or a Honda Elite 80.

I found this Honda on Craigslist:
http://chambana.craigslist.org/mcy/1225467483.html

I emailed the owner, and he claims it's a 1982 Honda Elite. However, I don't think Honda sold anything called an Elite in 1982. (see http://www.jacksscootershop.com/scooter_models.html)

The scooter looks a lot like a 1985 or newer Elite 80. Again, I'm new to scooters, so could you help me identify the bike?

[joelscootdude]

Well if its an Elite, then it must be newer than 1982, as you say 1985. So its newer than he said? no big deal. go see it and look at the vin plate it should have the whole vin, the year and model and engine size.

For 450$ you are either going to get a really beat up scooter, a used scooter that does not run ( mine was 2004 non runnign for 350$) or a exponentially crappy brand new chineese scooter. I would much rather take the first 2.

[sooznd]

Sure looks like an Elite-- & back in the 1980's then there were no Chinese clones..
He must have the year wrong--check the VIN & you'll find out for sure. How many cc's is this one? the Elites came in 50, 80, 125 & 250-depending on the year.

[1337]

Sure looks like an Elite-- & back in the 1980's then there were no Chinese clones..
He must have the year wrong--check the VIN & you'll find out for sure. How many cc's is this one? the Elites came in 50, 80, 125 & 250-depending on the year.

I'm just a newbie when it comes to scooters, but based on what I've read, the Elite 80, Elite 125, and Elite 150 look essentially like the scooter on Craigslist. There are several different 50cc elite models, most of which have more rounded bodywork than the 80 and 125.

Elite 80: http://www.motorscooterguide.net/page1/ ... age11.html
Elite 125: http://www.motorscooterguide.net/page1/ ... age12.html (looks similar to the Elite 80, but it's noticeably bigger than the 80)

[1337]

Well if its an Elite, then it must be newer than 1982, as you say 1985. So its newer than he said? no big deal. go see it and look at the vin plate it should have the whole vin, the year and model and engine size.

For 450$ you are either going to get a really beat up scooter, a used scooter that does not run ( mine was 2004 non runnign for 350$) or a exponentially crappy brand new chineese scooter. I would much rather take the first 2.

I wouldn't touch a Chinese scooter. I would be wary of any non-Japanese scooter when it comes to reliability and parts availability. I'd at least consider a battered scooter, so long as it doesn't need too much engine work and the frame is intact.

Hey, can anyone tell me what trouble spots to look for when a scooter? Is there any part that, if broken, should scare me away from buying an old scooter?

[Skullet]

looks just like my elite 80. good to have another central illinois person around!

[1337]

looks just like my elite 80. good to have another central illinois person around!

I'd really like an Elite 80. If I got a great deal on a 50cc 2-stroke Yamaha, I might take it, but I'd prefer a quiet, reliable 4-stroke. How do you like your 80? Is it pretty reliable? If you keep a fuel log, what kind of MPG do you get?

[Skullet]

im not really sure how to answer ur questions... i bought it at a garage sale for 100.00 not running, cleaned the carb on it and it fired right up. i rode it around for a few months, but if i rode too far (more than 2 miles), then it would overheat and id have to push it back home. one day it overheated and wouldnt run for good, so right now its just sittin and waiting for me to get a new motor for it.

the cool thing is, if the one ur lookin at has a good frame/plastics, i know they made the elite80 at least thru 02, and might still make them today, so finding an engine to replace a fried old one is not bad at all. also, from what ive read online, after a certain year (cant remember what it is off the top of my head) they had a tiny bit more power and had actual oil dipsticks instead of a plug to open and see the level.

[Skullet]

as a side note tho - my 2-stroke kymco is 1000x more fun than the elite... if ur lookin at one of both, my personal preference would be the 2t, as long as the styling was ok with me.

[frankenscooter]

i would say that it is a late 80's to early 90's elite 80 it looks the same body style and the speedo looks the same as mine

[Skullet]

well welcome to scootertime, fellow elite rider. lol...

[1337]

Skullet-

I guess I'm having the opposite luck with my Elite. You bought a non-running Elite 80, cleaned the carb, and it worked.

Last weekend, I bought a *running* '86 Elite 250. I registered and insured it, and I rode it a bit today. After a few miles of riding, I changed the oil and filled the fuel tank with 87 octane. I started the bike up, and rode a bit more, but soon it started to backfire when decelerating and hesitate when accelerating. I limped home with the bike sputtering, and now it won't even start.

Could the 87 (as opposed to 93) octane fuel have done this?

[Skullet]

im not a big source of knowledge, by any means, but my personal opinion is no. ive always put 93 in my kymco, just becuz its only a gallon, so the price difference is negligible. but the only thing the higher octane is for is to help prevent detonation. with the 250 being watercooled, i seriously doubt the gas had anything to do with it.

one cheap way to test that out tho would be to go buy a bottle of octane booster and throw some of it in, shake the scoot up, and try to start it.

might also have some gunk or large particles in the carb and/or bowl, blocking the needles/jets/etc...

i know its a little late this time, but one thing i read on provo and stuck with me is that when you go to by a scoot, you want to make sure ur test drive is a long one. like 20-30 minutes long, so you can make sure that its gonna run just as good hot as it does cold.

have you checked the air filter? does that thing have an oil filter? sounds stupid, but a dirty air filter was enuf to keep my gokart from firing up...

i hope some of my rambling helps, but if not, there are a lot of guys here who actually know what the hell theyre talkin about too.

[1337]

im not a big source of knowledge, by any means, but my personal opinion is no. ive always put 93 in my kymco, just becuz its only a gallon, so the price difference is negligible. but the only thing the higher octane is for is to help prevent detonation. with the 250 being watercooled, i seriously doubt the gas had anything to do with it.

one cheap way to test that out tho would be to go buy a bottle of octane booster and throw some of it in, shake the scoot up, and try to start it.

might also have some gunk or large particles in the carb and/or bowl, blocking the needles/jets/etc...

i know its a little late this time, but one thing i read on provo and stuck with me is that when you go to by a scoot, you want to make sure ur test drive is a long one. like 20-30 minutes long, so you can make sure that its gonna run just as good hot as it does cold.

have you checked the air filter? does that thing have an oil filter? sounds stupid, but a dirty air filter was enuf to keep my gokart from firing up...

i hope some of my rambling helps, but if not, there are a lot of guys here who actually know what the hell theyre talkin about too.

Thanks! I changed the oil; my scoot has an oil screen instead of a filter. I cleaned out the screen and put in fresh 10W30.

I did a ~20 mile test ride, and the scoot ran fine during that.

I'm planning to drain the tank, clean the tank, and put fresh 93 octane in.

The bloody thing still won't start! I sprayed carb cleaner into the carb, drained the carb, and checked to see that the carb is properly seated. All hoses (fuel, coolant, vacuum) are properly connected to the carb, and the carb is properly seated in its rubber housing. I can't get the carb to come apart! The screws holding the bowl on are stripped, and I can't find a vice grip. I guess I'll need to buy a vice grip, take the bowl off, and look inside the bowl.

Ahhh, I just want ride the scooter!

[1337]

I took the carb off the scooter today and cleaned every nook and cranny. I put the carb back on the bike, connected all the hoses properly, and it still won't start. The carb is getting plenty of fuel, the vacuum system seems to be working properly, I'm getting spark...WTF?!

The engine just turns over and over, and it sometimes catches for a few revolutions, but it isn't running. Any ideas?

[Skullet]

it MIGHT be a bad autochoke... ive heard its a common problem on these older scooters. there were some threads on provo and zf about it i think, and might be some on here, but im not sure. but we also have a lot of the same posters, so hopefully somebody sees this and can elaborate on it for you. even then tho, id think it would still at least TRY to start... have you tried starting fluid again since you cleaned the carb? is fuel definitely getting to the cylinder? i found out the hard way (by payin a guy there in champaign $50 after i thought i had cleaned the carb on mine) that just spraying/dipping the carb doesnt always work. the problem with mine turned out to be that the individual jets were clogged, and the dude used a little tiny wire to open up the holes and it fired right up.

[1337]

it MIGHT be a bad autochoke... ive heard its a common problem on these older scooters. there were some threads on provo and zf about it i think, and might be some on here, but im not sure. but we also have a lot of the same posters, so hopefully somebody sees this and can elaborate on it for you. even then tho, id think it would still at least TRY to start... have you tried starting fluid again since you cleaned the carb? is fuel definitely getting to the cylinder? i found out the hard way (by payin a guy there in champaign $50 after i thought i had cleaned the carb on mine) that just spraying/dipping the carb doesnt always work. the problem with mine turned out to be that the individual jets were clogged, and the dude used a little tiny wire to open up the holes and it fired right up.

Oh, good thinking. I've been studying for exams for the last couple days, so I haven't really looked at the bike since last weekend. I realized I may have overfilled the oil a little when I changed it. So, oil may have splashed onto the air intake, preventing the bike from running well.

As of now, the scoot starts if you spray a ton of carb cleaner (acting as starting fluid) into the carb while cranking it. The bike starts running rough after the carb cleaner has been burned, and it usually dies eventually.

If I clean the air filter and it still doesn't run right, I'll try cleaning out the jets with a piece of wire.

[Skullet]

it sounds like its not getting fuel man, its using the carb cleaner as fuel, and then dying out when its burnt up. i dont THINK oil on the filter would make it stop runnin, but its an easy thing to try and see if it makes a difference... another thing to do would be to take off the bowl on the carb and see if it has fuel in it or not. dont smoke while doing this. lol...

[1337]

AND THE CH250 RIDES AGAIN!

I finished up the carb sealing. I gave up on the o-ring (just wasn't the right shape) and used the gasket-maker stuff instead. I cleaned the airbox, and found it was full of cat food! Damn squirrels. I'll post pics of that soon. I think the vacuum hose may have been loose at some point, but she's ship-shape for now.

I made the gasket at 5:30 when I got home for work. It's 1:00am now...time for a quick test rideeeeee!

[Skullet]

lol, cant wait to see this pic... wanna sell it now?