Yesterday I worked till 8pm so no moped riding with the jolly GR bunch but wait thats not the best part, got something stuck in my eye at work, probably foam or wood, its a annoying sensation. Woke up at 2am due to said sensation and then struggled to sleep. Now I hopefully will go to the eye doctor and maybe work, well maybe not work because my niece's 1st birthday is today and there is going to be lots of food at my brothers. Either way I'll make it to my niece's 1st but money would be nice too.
Back to my moped situation, need to ride...
Still need to do plug chops, found the road I'm going to do it at, its probably 3 miles away to my first stop where I'll switch plugs and then I can WOT it til the end, which is a little over a half mile long. Afterwards if all is hunky dory I'll probably make a excursion into GR via Indian Mounds and try a new route that runs by the Grand River.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Proma GP Installation
Finished the installation of a Proma GP pipe onto my Murray moped. I learned several things along the way, overall the pipe installation went smoothly and didn't have any big problems. The only thing that was a pain was my neck because I pulled a muscle earlier the day of before the project began.
To begin with, taking off the stock pipe was no big problem, one thing that I've noticed was the header was leaking crap. Basically looked like black sludge, most likely caused by the lack of gasket. Once off I cleaned the surface by the exhaust port and then proceeded onto the installation.
The installation involved very little thought except for attaching the pipe in back of the pedals where the old one was attached. Before that I placed a new gasket between the threaded studs and then placed the new pipe on, wire is advised for mounting otherwise its hard to keep it in place while screwing on the exhaust near the port. Afterwards the hard part begins with attaching the back of the pipe onto the frame. I was able to do this by using a piece of copper plumbing pipe, a spacer, a bolt, and nut. Not that hard to fabricate and is easy to put on and replace if need be.
The only thing that sucks right now is that the center stand knocks on the underside of the pipe, I'll most likely get a side stand so that there is no interference for kicking it up during riding. Apart from that the only other problems that I've encountered were minor and only involved the 14mm Bing carb on the bike.
When taking the Bing off the bowl has to be put on a certain way, once everything is off, including the cable, I had to turn it counter clockwise. Make sure you don't loose the choke dingus when you unscrew the top part though. One thing that pissed me off was oxidation on the main jet/atomizer, one piece of advice is hit it with either electro contact cleaner or carb cleaner, otherwise your going to seriously mar the jet. One thing that I accidently did was take the spring off the upper part which was a big pain to put back due to the cable.
Now I made sure everything ran, the exhaust pipe works with no leaks and sounds awesome! The overall quality of the clear coat of the pipe is good, not as good as a chrome one but I like seeing mars from the stamping operation along with the colors and heat affected zones from the welding, and also the brazing looked cool.
The only thing left to do is to do plug chops, this might happen Tuesday depending on work. Probably won't ride a whole lot this week, including going to Founder's tomorrow, which sucks but I need the cash. I'll also probably order some new 70's range jets, I put a 68 jet in the carb but who knows how the plug chops will go so I might hold off...
Anyways Mongolian Beef and Sapporo went great with this project, hunger and wrenching don't go good together...
To begin with, taking off the stock pipe was no big problem, one thing that I've noticed was the header was leaking crap. Basically looked like black sludge, most likely caused by the lack of gasket. Once off I cleaned the surface by the exhaust port and then proceeded onto the installation.
The installation involved very little thought except for attaching the pipe in back of the pedals where the old one was attached. Before that I placed a new gasket between the threaded studs and then placed the new pipe on, wire is advised for mounting otherwise its hard to keep it in place while screwing on the exhaust near the port. Afterwards the hard part begins with attaching the back of the pipe onto the frame. I was able to do this by using a piece of copper plumbing pipe, a spacer, a bolt, and nut. Not that hard to fabricate and is easy to put on and replace if need be.
The only thing that sucks right now is that the center stand knocks on the underside of the pipe, I'll most likely get a side stand so that there is no interference for kicking it up during riding. Apart from that the only other problems that I've encountered were minor and only involved the 14mm Bing carb on the bike.
When taking the Bing off the bowl has to be put on a certain way, once everything is off, including the cable, I had to turn it counter clockwise. Make sure you don't loose the choke dingus when you unscrew the top part though. One thing that pissed me off was oxidation on the main jet/atomizer, one piece of advice is hit it with either electro contact cleaner or carb cleaner, otherwise your going to seriously mar the jet. One thing that I accidently did was take the spring off the upper part which was a big pain to put back due to the cable.
Now I made sure everything ran, the exhaust pipe works with no leaks and sounds awesome! The overall quality of the clear coat of the pipe is good, not as good as a chrome one but I like seeing mars from the stamping operation along with the colors and heat affected zones from the welding, and also the brazing looked cool.
The only thing left to do is to do plug chops, this might happen Tuesday depending on work. Probably won't ride a whole lot this week, including going to Founder's tomorrow, which sucks but I need the cash. I'll also probably order some new 70's range jets, I put a 68 jet in the carb but who knows how the plug chops will go so I might hold off...
Anyways Mongolian Beef and Sapporo went great with this project, hunger and wrenching don't go good together...
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Michigan Moped Accident Statistics
Here in Michigan with gas prices above $3.50 currently, people are starting to notice more mopeds on the roads. This includes scooters too but with these many consider the dangers due to their low speed. So how credible is this thought?
First lets look at the overall numbers of mopeds registered in the state of Michigan, the 2010 statistics show that there are about 41,000 registered mopeds in MI, which is over double the number of registered moped a decade ago.* Since then I could only find crash statistics for mopeds in the years of 1992 thru 2009 off the Michigan State Police website, this should paint a pretty good picture.
Here are the crash numbers:
Year- Fatalities/Injuries/Property Damage
1992-4/256/78
1993-5/301/69
1994-6/278/92
1995-3/261/77
1996-1/219/76
1997-3/174/69
1998-2/202/67
1999-6/185/75
2000-6/190/89
2001-3/172/80
2002-3/141/85
2003-could not upload report
2004-1/202/83
2005-2/220/60
2006- 3/218/64
2007-could not upload report
2008- 3/315/78
2009- 5/249/68
Using years 2006, 2008, and 2009 and looking through the reports(the only reports with in-depth figures), most fatalities occurred due to a construction zone or due to alcohol. These accounted for 5 of the 11 fatalities with one being due to a bus accident, the rest were not categorized, there was no category for cars. As for injuries most were due to alcohol, construction zones, and deer. Surprisingly there hasn't been a recorded snowmobile/moped accident!
Just looking at the numbers there hasn't been any significant changes, the fatalities, injuries, and property damages seem to change inconsistently yearly. So even with registered mopeds doubling, there is really any big change based on looking at the numbers, of course this is without running it through any statistic algorithms(might run one on excel later...).
*http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2011/06/18/Car-oriented-Michigan-embraces-mopeds/UPI-92351308409280/
First lets look at the overall numbers of mopeds registered in the state of Michigan, the 2010 statistics show that there are about 41,000 registered mopeds in MI, which is over double the number of registered moped a decade ago.* Since then I could only find crash statistics for mopeds in the years of 1992 thru 2009 off the Michigan State Police website, this should paint a pretty good picture.
Here are the crash numbers:
Year- Fatalities/Injuries/Property Damage
1992-4/256/78
1993-5/301/69
1994-6/278/92
1995-3/261/77
1996-1/219/76
1997-3/174/69
1998-2/202/67
1999-6/185/75
2000-6/190/89
2001-3/172/80
2002-3/141/85
2003-could not upload report
2004-1/202/83
2005-2/220/60
2006- 3/218/64
2007-could not upload report
2008- 3/315/78
2009- 5/249/68
Using years 2006, 2008, and 2009 and looking through the reports(the only reports with in-depth figures), most fatalities occurred due to a construction zone or due to alcohol. These accounted for 5 of the 11 fatalities with one being due to a bus accident, the rest were not categorized, there was no category for cars. As for injuries most were due to alcohol, construction zones, and deer. Surprisingly there hasn't been a recorded snowmobile/moped accident!
Just looking at the numbers there hasn't been any significant changes, the fatalities, injuries, and property damages seem to change inconsistently yearly. So even with registered mopeds doubling, there is really any big change based on looking at the numbers, of course this is without running it through any statistic algorithms(might run one on excel later...).
*http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2011/06/18/Car-oriented-Michigan-embraces-mopeds/UPI-92351308409280/
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Exhausting Pipe Search for my E50...
On my last post I was talking about needing a new exhaust, many go for the the Tecno Boss or Bullet, others pay more and go for the Estoril or just a Bi-Turbo. For whatever reason I decided upon the Proma GP, now I said I was going to get one last post but between that time I wasn't entirely sold. I probably thought about it for several hours, though I didn't loose sleep over it, it still was a hard choice. Figuring what I want to do, what side of the power band I want to be on, etc.
When it came down to it, it was between a Boss and the GP, GP won because I didn't want to peddle to much off the line. I also decided a GP because everybody seems to have a boss and I really haven't heard a whole lot about the GP's. So its more experimental then anything but from what people wrote and some advice from GRGR, I'm going GP. As for whats next and what kits? I don't know, people will probably tell me to get new gearing but I'd like to get a kit first which will cost money and time and tuning and then more time.
Right now possible kits that are on my list are a few from overseas from Moparts, like their complete 50cc kit, has a 6 port cylinder with a 15mm Bing and high flow filter. The only down side is the Bing takes the large jets and they do carry them but I'm not sure what sizes to get and then on top of that I'll probably be paying $50-60 in shipping. The Polini 64cc kit is still in my head but meh.... Apart from that I just might get the Treats 50cc or 70cc(version 2, aka v1.5) kits, quick and easy, cheap too. Not to mention out of those I haven't heard anything bad about them. Then I'd also have to up my carb so the first choice might be the best...
I personally wouldn't mind getting a larger kit but I'd like to stay with 50cc's, mostly due to personal preferences and the thought of a 50mph/50cc moped. Most other bikes that go that speed have a 64-70cc kit. Either way thats what I'm thinking about right now. Hopefully the Proma GP comes next week Wednesday or Thursday...
When it came down to it, it was between a Boss and the GP, GP won because I didn't want to peddle to much off the line. I also decided a GP because everybody seems to have a boss and I really haven't heard a whole lot about the GP's. So its more experimental then anything but from what people wrote and some advice from GRGR, I'm going GP. As for whats next and what kits? I don't know, people will probably tell me to get new gearing but I'd like to get a kit first which will cost money and time and tuning and then more time.
Right now possible kits that are on my list are a few from overseas from Moparts, like their complete 50cc kit, has a 6 port cylinder with a 15mm Bing and high flow filter. The only down side is the Bing takes the large jets and they do carry them but I'm not sure what sizes to get and then on top of that I'll probably be paying $50-60 in shipping. The Polini 64cc kit is still in my head but meh.... Apart from that I just might get the Treats 50cc or 70cc(version 2, aka v1.5) kits, quick and easy, cheap too. Not to mention out of those I haven't heard anything bad about them. Then I'd also have to up my carb so the first choice might be the best...
I personally wouldn't mind getting a larger kit but I'd like to stay with 50cc's, mostly due to personal preferences and the thought of a 50mph/50cc moped. Most other bikes that go that speed have a 64-70cc kit. Either way thats what I'm thinking about right now. Hopefully the Proma GP comes next week Wednesday or Thursday...
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Time for new exhaust...
This past Monday I went out and hung with the Ghost Riders at Founder's, awesome bunch of people, met a few people and learned a few things. First thing I learnt was its fun to hang out with other moped "enthusiasts," I would encourage anyone with a moped to go out and find a crowd of like minded individuals. Even though I feel like a outcast to the group, they seemed not to mind me and I bet it'll be awhile until they warm up to me. Either way it was a blast!
At Founder's if you can't find them, stand by your ped and they'll find you, if you wish to find them just look for the nearest seating outside on the veranda. After standing around talking to everybody we all went for a ride and learned another thing, don't trust your speedo! Mine goes up to 40mph and it was bouncing off the 40 mark the whole way, yet everybody was blasting by me and I bet I was barely going past 30mph. Either way it didn't matter how fast I was going, I had fun even though I was the last person in the group for most of the long distance runs by the Grand River. The upside to having stock everything is that my low end power was great, so when we drove around in the city I was with the upper half of the group on speed since we hit several lights and those with crap bottom end power got passed.
At the end of the night we all headed over to a bar and had some PBR, $3 pitchers FTW! I was able to get advice on a lot of things, while talking with a group I was able to learn the best route to take for my moped with what money I have.
As for what I want to put on my bike, I plan on a low budget for this summer and save a few dollars here and there. I'll most likely get a Proma GP pipe and some Bing jets for next week, along with gaskets and sealant. This should get me to the back group crowd. Then come a month or so I'll get a hi comp head w/gasket and add that on and probably do some plug chops and make sure I don't need to up my jet. Then this winter I'll get new bearings and seals along with a Polini 64cc kit. I figure if I'm going to get a kit, I might as well get the best I can. As for the carb, I'll stick with a 14mm Bing and maybe move to a 15mm Bing next spring or maybe pick something else up cheap. All told I'll hopefully be spending less then $350 in parts w/o shipping which is about what I paid for the bike but I want to go at least 45mph, is it worth it? Considering a crappy motorcycle costs about the same and then I have to jump thru hoops to get a license and then the insurance which is a arm and a leg, I think I'll stick with putting money in my moped.
Friday, June 10, 2011
MMRL- Michigan Moped Racing League and The Thunderdrome
After seeing a story on MA and 1977 because hey I'm a lazy, I thought I'd carry on some information to those who might stumble across my blog.
The MMRL is a new racing league oriented toward those who wish to race their moped. To me that is a awesome idea since nowadays all motorcycle racing that does take place is all 100+cc's and the Grand Prix 50cc(later 80cc) racing ended in the late '80s. Their site is here, and it has the basic information on rules and prices at the track for racing.
Being a Dutchman and being a frugal one at that it seems like a cheap way to have some fun and show off skill of your moped riding capabilities. As for safety, seems like it'll cost about $100 more with a full faced helmet, racing clothes(just mostly leathers), ankle high boots, and a few things done to the moped. Basically same thing as The Thunderdrome which is coming to the Gilmore Car show this weekend! Actually the MMRL is having races in Jackson the same day as the Thunderdrome in Kalamazoo so it should be interesting.
I'd actually like to see something near Grand Rapids, even though Kalamazoo is about an hour away I'd like to have a race much closer. Maybe a more relaxed race without to many restrictions and have it informal, more like a underground thing. When you give a person the chance to perform on their own terms its a whole lot more fun then having a whole set of rules, if a guy in a super mod'd ped wishes to blast a all stock ped then by all means have at it!
Last night on my late night beer run, a thought popped inside my head that I had to go to the Indian Mounds dr. which is one of the roads that I'm gaga over. Anyway I went there and even though I went down that road numerous times, I noticed something new, at 9:30pm I stood in front of a gate at the starting end of a one way street! Now this came to a shock to me but then like the founder's of Thunderdrome I came to the conclusion of a moped race because the Kent Trails bypass said gate which can accommodate foot/bicycle/moped traffic onto the one way road and also gives us a buffer against any cars.
The only downside to this idea is that I don't know what time they close up the gate, I assume its at/near dusk because of the Hopewell Indian Mounds Park. Which is weird since its over a mile away and its a one way street. Either way I plan on scouting this territory and figure out when they normally close off the road.
Hopefully near the Summer Solstice a moped race might commence in the evening(a night race would be sweet!), be it a 1v1 or timed track(using hand held radios) or maybe something else. Its not everyday that a road is closed off that is about 3.5 miles in length!
The MMRL is a new racing league oriented toward those who wish to race their moped. To me that is a awesome idea since nowadays all motorcycle racing that does take place is all 100+cc's and the Grand Prix 50cc(later 80cc) racing ended in the late '80s. Their site is here, and it has the basic information on rules and prices at the track for racing.
Being a Dutchman and being a frugal one at that it seems like a cheap way to have some fun and show off skill of your moped riding capabilities. As for safety, seems like it'll cost about $100 more with a full faced helmet, racing clothes(just mostly leathers), ankle high boots, and a few things done to the moped. Basically same thing as The Thunderdrome which is coming to the Gilmore Car show this weekend! Actually the MMRL is having races in Jackson the same day as the Thunderdrome in Kalamazoo so it should be interesting.
I'd actually like to see something near Grand Rapids, even though Kalamazoo is about an hour away I'd like to have a race much closer. Maybe a more relaxed race without to many restrictions and have it informal, more like a underground thing. When you give a person the chance to perform on their own terms its a whole lot more fun then having a whole set of rules, if a guy in a super mod'd ped wishes to blast a all stock ped then by all means have at it!
Last night on my late night beer run, a thought popped inside my head that I had to go to the Indian Mounds dr. which is one of the roads that I'm gaga over. Anyway I went there and even though I went down that road numerous times, I noticed something new, at 9:30pm I stood in front of a gate at the starting end of a one way street! Now this came to a shock to me but then like the founder's of Thunderdrome I came to the conclusion of a moped race because the Kent Trails bypass said gate which can accommodate foot/bicycle/moped traffic onto the one way road and also gives us a buffer against any cars.
The only downside to this idea is that I don't know what time they close up the gate, I assume its at/near dusk because of the Hopewell Indian Mounds Park. Which is weird since its over a mile away and its a one way street. Either way I plan on scouting this territory and figure out when they normally close off the road.
Hopefully near the Summer Solstice a moped race might commence in the evening(a night race would be sweet!), be it a 1v1 or timed track(using hand held radios) or maybe something else. Its not everyday that a road is closed off that is about 3.5 miles in length!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Satan Since 2003
If you haven't seen this video yet? If not go here.
Basically its a mockumentary with the Hells Satan's playing the roll of a moped gang in competition with another gang around Richmond. With it being a short film, it actually has a decent story line and shows a lot about moped culture. I think if it was stretched out in time and was a full length movie with more depth, sub plots, etc. it could easily be as good as Easy Rider, then again I doubt there would be a big following but if you look at how Boondock Saints was born and ultimately ended up, one could probably create a low budget film and have it easily become a cult classic. Has Satans Since 2003 become a classic? Being that its the only fictional film without to much of a plot (at least made in this decade, "On the Move" aside) I bet it will be classic.
The impact of this film is probably anyone could relate too, especially if they own a moped. A sense of community and the feeling of purpose when another group threatens what you love. It also shows how easy things can go sideways when shit happens and you decide to throw everything out the window in order to get revenge. Having a moped myself and even though I'm not apart of the MA, I can see something similar happening though not to the extent that this movie portrays(but from the stories I've read something very close). I should really get in touch with the Ghost Riders, I haven't ever been in a group ride and am curious on a few things moped related. So hopefully they'll be at Founder's tonight when (or if) I ride over there.
Overall I liked the movie, the Hell's Satans are real but the plot isn't. I sure hope to see another full length movie sometime in my lifetime and I think this movie is a good benchmark. Even if you don't own a moped or just looking for something entertaining to watch this short film is definitely a good one. Some things that I really liked about it is the music and even the camera work is impressive. Some of the shots like the moped doing the flip in the air definitely added something to the film. Acting was good for a mockumentary, people seemed to be people with no rhythm of a script at all, all the minor flaws of a regular person's speech were there and it didn't even seem like a movie in the since that things were scripted.
There is just a good all around feel about the movie but I think the build up to the end and the end itself was kind of fast and it didn't seem like a complete film. Another thing is that it seemed kind of choppy throughout the whole movie, it really didn't take anything away from the story or plot but was kind of annoying, then again for this type of film style there is some choppiness to them but there wasn't a whole lot of flow to it, some parts just seemed random but if they ever wanted to turn it into a full length film, it could be done with better flow. Which would turn it from a good film into a excellent one.
The impact of this film is probably anyone could relate too, especially if they own a moped. A sense of community and the feeling of purpose when another group threatens what you love. It also shows how easy things can go sideways when shit happens and you decide to throw everything out the window in order to get revenge. Having a moped myself and even though I'm not apart of the MA, I can see something similar happening though not to the extent that this movie portrays(but from the stories I've read something very close). I should really get in touch with the Ghost Riders, I haven't ever been in a group ride and am curious on a few things moped related. So hopefully they'll be at Founder's tonight when (or if) I ride over there.
Overall I liked the movie, the Hell's Satans are real but the plot isn't. I sure hope to see another full length movie sometime in my lifetime and I think this movie is a good benchmark. Even if you don't own a moped or just looking for something entertaining to watch this short film is definitely a good one. Some things that I really liked about it is the music and even the camera work is impressive. Some of the shots like the moped doing the flip in the air definitely added something to the film. Acting was good for a mockumentary, people seemed to be people with no rhythm of a script at all, all the minor flaws of a regular person's speech were there and it didn't even seem like a movie in the since that things were scripted.
There is just a good all around feel about the movie but I think the build up to the end and the end itself was kind of fast and it didn't seem like a complete film. Another thing is that it seemed kind of choppy throughout the whole movie, it really didn't take anything away from the story or plot but was kind of annoying, then again for this type of film style there is some choppiness to them but there wasn't a whole lot of flow to it, some parts just seemed random but if they ever wanted to turn it into a full length film, it could be done with better flow. Which would turn it from a good film into a excellent one.
I Love Michigan!
Took a week off but still need to write about last weekend...
Basically I went to my parents cottage near Crystal, MI so the ride was a long one since I live in Byron Center.
The ride took 3 hours both ways and it didn't seem too long, took about 1 tank of gas to go one length. Though I just dumped my extra gas I was carrying because I didn't feel like guessing how much further my moped could go, I'd hate to be in a tough spot and have the engine cut out due to the lack of fuel. Even though I was traveling thru the back roads, I've noticed that the whole trip was weird in the sense that heavy traffic appears out of nowhere. Even on roads where heavy traffic was supposed to be, it wasn't there while where the least traffic was expected wasn't always true.
Overall the trip on the way back was more enjoyable due to the fact that it was sunny and 70dF. The trip there wasn't that great, it was high 50's, low to mid 60's and it was very cloudy and was definitely on the cool side even with a long sleeve light white hoody. I traveled along roads that ran in middle of fields, in middle of woods, and a mixture of both in some instances.
When it was warm and sunny the differences in appearance of the land was great. I traveled along a road and didn't notice the beauty on the way there but on the way back a dark green field turns into multiple colors of green with hints of pink and purple flowers. Dirt even looks better in the sun, especially large expanses of it. That Monday would've made a canvas painter envious of the colors and light/shadows. Not to mention all the different smells, visual appeal was there but the smells of lilac seemed to flicker as I rode along. Even the smells of low lying marshy areas had a sweet musty smell to them. Though I didn't care for going by a pig farm all other farms though smelled nice.
Anywho, it was a long ride there and a great ride home in the sun.
Basically I went to my parents cottage near Crystal, MI so the ride was a long one since I live in Byron Center.
The ride took 3 hours both ways and it didn't seem too long, took about 1 tank of gas to go one length. Though I just dumped my extra gas I was carrying because I didn't feel like guessing how much further my moped could go, I'd hate to be in a tough spot and have the engine cut out due to the lack of fuel. Even though I was traveling thru the back roads, I've noticed that the whole trip was weird in the sense that heavy traffic appears out of nowhere. Even on roads where heavy traffic was supposed to be, it wasn't there while where the least traffic was expected wasn't always true.
Overall the trip on the way back was more enjoyable due to the fact that it was sunny and 70dF. The trip there wasn't that great, it was high 50's, low to mid 60's and it was very cloudy and was definitely on the cool side even with a long sleeve light white hoody. I traveled along roads that ran in middle of fields, in middle of woods, and a mixture of both in some instances.
When it was warm and sunny the differences in appearance of the land was great. I traveled along a road and didn't notice the beauty on the way there but on the way back a dark green field turns into multiple colors of green with hints of pink and purple flowers. Dirt even looks better in the sun, especially large expanses of it. That Monday would've made a canvas painter envious of the colors and light/shadows. Not to mention all the different smells, visual appeal was there but the smells of lilac seemed to flicker as I rode along. Even the smells of low lying marshy areas had a sweet musty smell to them. Though I didn't care for going by a pig farm all other farms though smelled nice.
Anywho, it was a long ride there and a great ride home in the sun.
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