The Seven Day Weekend

I'm considering taking all of the travel and retirement stuff out of Scooterplace and putting it in a separate blog called "The Seven Day Weekend." That way, scooter people won't have to scroll down so much. Any comments?
Howard

Scooter gas mileage

Somebody asked how many miles per gallon you could get with a Cushman scooter. Back in the 40's, 50's, and maybe even into the 60's, the Cushman people advertised "75 miles per gallon." But like everything else, there are lots of varibles to consider.

If you put a 100 pound kid on a scooter and tell him to cruise it along on level ground at a constant 30 mph, he might get 80 or 90 miles out a gallon. But with a 200 pound rider going wide open, the mileage could drop to less than 50. Hills, head winds, leaky carburetors, rich mixtures, low tire pressure, bad timing, incorrect spark plug gap, and lots of other things become a part of the equation.

When we were kids, gas was cheap so we didn't worry much about mileage. We tended to ride short distances, starting and stopping a lot, sometimes carrying a passenger. Gas mileage was probably terrible for a scooter but still much better than the cars of the period.

Recently, some of the Japanese and Italian scooters are probably capable of 125 mpg or more. They still have the power and speed to survive in traffic, while delivering good fuel economy. Even a modern motorcycle can beat cars and SUV's in the fuel mileage department. With the high cost of gas, don't be surprised if you see more people commuting to work on two wheels in nice weather. Some of them might even be on a Cushman.
Howard

possibilities

OK, I admit that I'm a duct tape and WD-40 type of repairman. But just the other day, I was reading the new Popular Mechanics and there was mention of a new product. Would you believe duct tape that is a foot wide?! Twelve inches, 30 centimeters, one third of a yard of really sticky tape. Wow! Condider the possibilities! I can fix anything now.

So what's next? WE-50?
Howard

Old cars?

If you like old cars, check out my other blog at http://carphotos.blogspot.com
Don't be surprised if you see a scooter or two mixed in with the cars.
Howard

completed scooter

Here are a few shots of my 1982 Honda Passport. It won't run. At least not yet. Some of the lights work, the horn toots, the electric starter sounds great, the brakes and transmission are in good order and the spark plug fires. But the gas doesn't seem to go where it needs to go. I suppose it could be a stopped up gas line or a defective fuel cut-off, but after seeing the inside of the carburetor, that is where the problem probably is. If this thing was a Cushman, I'd know it was the float valve, and I'm betting that's the problem with this one.

But in the meantime, doesn't it look great for a 23-year-old motor scooter? I hope it won't be yard art for too much longer.
Howard

1982 Honda C 70 Passport scooter

Here is a picture of that Honda Passport that I recently acquired. As you can see, I still don't have it back together. That black thing in the lower left corner is the seat. Behind it, you can see the gas tank which is red and the leg guard which is white. I'd like to tell you that this is the messiest corner of my shop, but I have three other corners just like it.
Howard