Thoughts on the VINO 125 after 8000 miles.

Let me start by saying that I went with the Vino 125 because of the price point, and dealer network. All I had to choose from was Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha, I had no other dealers from which to choose. I didn't want to drive 40 to 50 miles just to get a part or service. Now on to my thoughts.

I feel that if you are a heavier rider like myself, the Vino 125 is probably better suited for you. I have read on many that lighter weight riders are complaining of a harsh ride,but they also say it gets better if they ride two up.

The tires Chen Shen are wearing better than I would have though. After 8000 miles they are still within safe limits for tire wear. Which bring up another question that I have to think about, continue to run Chen Shen tires, or replace them with a different tire?

I change my oil every 1000 miles , Mobil1, and have started to have it analyzed.
My power and mileage continued to increase up to about 6500 miles. I can't offer any numbers on power increase, other than to say I could feel it, and see it on the speedometer. A hill on my daily commute that I use to climb at 30mph at wide open throttle can now be climbed at 38 to 42 mph, depending on wind. I will say that my average speed on this hill is up by at least 5 to 6 mph.
My mileage, I have tracked it from day 1, has reached as high an average as it will get for now, at 77.6 I tell everyone that asks 80 mpg. My lowest was 64mpg and my highest was 90.6 mpg. I am very happy with 77.6 mpg.

Back to the speedometer, when I purchased the scooter I wanted to check the speedo for accuracy and was very pleased, it read 1.3% high, I again checked it at 5000 miles and it read 1.21% high. I conducted many tests, and they were two way tests, to see if the reading would be the same in both directions.

My top speed has also increased from the 54mph when brand new to 65 miles per hour now. The vinos sweet spot seem to be in the 45 to 55. During my testing I found out the Vino's CVT maxed out at 40 mph, so any thing over 40 was all engine.

If I could get Yamaha to make a few changes, I think they should be a larger fuel tank, a rear disk brake, and a larger generator. So would I buy another Vino 125 yes I would. I feel it is the most bang for your buck, in its size class, and price point. The dealer network for parts and service is quite large and there are 3 within eight miles of where I live.

Questions about Mobil1.

This is about my use of synthetic oil and Mobil1, as generated by questions from my post titled Mobil1.

Can you elaborate a little more on what those numbers mean? Those lower percentages of metals, are those presumably worn off from engine parts? What made you decide to try Mobil 1? I've heard that synthetics are much better in low temperatures, so this is good timing.

First you need to know what I am using for my limits, this comes from Bob is the oil guy.

Table I. Engine problems predicted with oil analysis.
Indicator
Acceptable Levels
Engine Problem
What to Check
Silicon (Si) and Aluminum (Al)
10 to 30 ppm
Dirt ingestion
Air intake system, oil filter plugging, oil filler cap and breather, valve covers, oil supply
Iron (Fe)
100 to 200 ppm
Wear of cylinder liner, valve and gear train, oil pump, rust in system
Excessive oil consumption, abnormal engine noise,performance problems, oil pressure, abnormal operating temperatures, stuck/broken piston rings
Chromium (CR)
10 to 30 ppm
Piston ring wear
Excessive oil blow-by and oil consumption, oil degradation
Copper (CU)
10 to 50 ppm
Bearings and bushings wear, oil cooler passivating,radiator corrosion
Coolant in engine oil, abnormal noise when operating at near stall speed
Lead (Pb)*
40 to 100 ppm
Bearing corrosion
Extended oil change intervals
Copper (CU) and Lead (Pb)*
10 to 50 ppm
Bearing lining wear
Oil pressure, abnormal engine noise, dirt being ingested in air intake, fuel dilution, extended oil drain intervals
Aluminum (Al)
10 to 30 ppm
Piston and piston thrust bearing wear
Blow-by gases, oil consumption, power loss, abnormal engine noise
Silver and Tin
2 to 5 ppm 10 to 30 ppm
Wear of bearings
Excessive oil consumption, abnormal engine noise, loss in oil pressure
Viscosity Change
Lack of lubrication
Fuel dilution, blow-by gases, oil oxidation, carburetor choke, ignition timing, injectors, injector pump, oil pressure
Water/Anti-freeze
Coolant leak or condensation
Coolant supply, gasket sealed, hose connection, oil filler cap and breather
* Significant as wear metal, only for engines using unleaded and diesel fuel.

As you can see he also says what the cause of the metal is, and also other things also.
My numbers,Iron- 12 ppm with Yamalube 10w40[ will be given first], 8ppm with Mobil1 a drop 25%, Lead- 4 ppm, down to 0, Copper- dropped from 15 ppm to 5 ppm, Chromium and Aluminum both went from 3 ppm to zero ppm, neither sample had any Nickel or Silver, and Tin dropped from 2 ppm down to 0 ppm.
Those are wear metals, and based on these numbers I would have to conclude that synthetic oil does indeed cause less wear on engine parts.

What made me try Mobil1? Two things I came from the air force where I worked on F-15 aircraft. The turbine engines used synthetic oil and I we ever did was sample it, after every flight.
I know of only 2 times the oil was changed both involved bird strikes. So I knew that synthetic oil would preform at high temp.
I researched different synthetic oils and went with Mobil1 based on cost and several people I know who use it, but I can get it at Costco for $30.00 a case of six. I use a liter of oil for each change so six will get me 5 changes and a bottle of make up oil to use to make the liter.

Yes synthetics do flow better in the cold, Mobil1 has a pour point of -45C, much colder than I will ride in. It also has a flash point of 224C.

I hope this has answered some questions about my use of Mobil1, and you find it useful in making your decision whether to use synthetic oil or not.

To Mod or not to Mod.

To mod or not to mod that is the question. Lots of people modify their scooters for varies reasons, performance, fuel mileage, or just to make it stand out in a crowd. Is modification good or bad? That is for the rider to decide. I wrote this to get people thinking about to mod or not to mod.

Me, I have chosen not to do any modification at this time. My scooter a 2006 YAMAHA VINO 125 doesn't have a lot of after market parts yet, but there are some. When I say I haven't done any mod's, I haven't modded the engine, cvt, or exhaust.
I have added an aftermarket windscreen, for comfort and protection from bug and rocks that get kicked up. I also changed the spark plug to a iridium one, for easier starts both hot and cold.
I also switched from a petroleum base oil to a synthetic one, this has reduced wear in the engine. At the present time I do not foresee any mod in the future for my scooter.

The performance is where I think it should be {for me}. I can keep up with traffic zero to fourtyfive and my mileage is great at 80 miles per gallon.

I feel the YAMAHA engineers got it very close to perfection when they made this scooter. Do I think I could improve it,yes. Do I think that it would be cost effective, not at this time. I do not think at this time , for me, the money spent for mods would not equal the gains made. I will wait until I need to do something more than just routine maintenance.

I think the VINO 125 is the perfect commuter, and day tripper. When used within its limits it can't be beat.
So will I mod mine, no not yet.

Pulled over because I ride a scooter.

Sometimes we all get bored, even cops. Don’t stop reading; I’m not going to bash cops. One of my lunch buddies is a cop.

Some background for this story, I am 6 foot 4, and north of 350, and ride a Yamaha VINO 125, a scooter. I will freely admit that I am the upper limit for this bike, but it is the perfect fulfillment of my needs, but I digress.

I was riding home from work one night minding my own business, doing the speed limit.
I look in my mirror and see the police car that I just passed going the opposite way, slow down and turn around, and start going my direction.
A few minutes later I see blue, blue blue, lights in my mirror, so I pull to the right so he can pass me. He follows me into the right lane, so I figure he wants to talk to me. I pull over, and so dose he. At this point I am wondering why I have been stopped, I think back over the last couple of minutes to see if I have broken any laws, and can think of nothing that I have done.

I turn off the engine and am removing my helmet as he walks up. He politely asks me to get the bike, which I do.
When asked why he has stopped me, he replies “I just wanted to see if you really were as big as you looked. I’ve never seen anyone of your size on something so small before.”
I laughed and we spoke about scooters, what mileage I got, how fast it would go, what was my range per tank, and so forth.

I thanked him for supplying me with a funny story, and went home.

Mobil 1

I made the switch to Mobil 1 a while back but did not have a place that could analyze oil samples, I have sense found a place locally. My first two tests involve Yamalube 10w40 and Mobil 1 10w30, I know the weights are a little different but I don't think that matters. I change my oil every one thousand miles. What I noticed was that the Yamalube dropped two grades from 10w40 to 10w20. The Mobil 1 stayed in grade that being 10w30. The wear metals that were tested for and showed up, Mobil 1 showed a drop in all of them.
Iron a 25% drop, from 12 ppm to 8ppm, Lead a 400% drop, from 4ppm to 0ppm, Copper a 30% decrease from 15ppm to 5 ppm, Chromium a 300% decrease from 3ppm to 0ppm, Aluminum a 300% drop from 3ppm to 0ppm, and Tin a 200% decrease from 2ppm to zero ppm.
I know that this is only one test for Mobil1 but I am less than 500 miles from my next oil change and will have that oil tested also. I do believe that these results will hold up at the next test.

Cool Weather Part 2

The biggest thing I have noticed with riding in the cool weather, daytime temperature of 60 or less, is that as the temperature falls my fuel mileage go's down. I have checked all the thing such as tire pressure, oil level, and air filter all of these are good or within limits, so its not that. As a plus I do get my power, not that I can prove it with a dyno., but my acceleration is better. I believe this is due to colder air being more dense, meaning that it has more oxygen per volume than warmer air, the down side is the fuel is cooler so it doesn't atomize as well.
I do enjoy riding in the cooler weather, but caution must be advised, the days are shorter, and we have more rain this time of the year. At night the man hole covers blend in really well especially if wet. So lets all be careful and enjoy this time of year.

Cooler Weather Part 1

One of my co-workers told me his girl friend asked if I was still riding "That Scooter" as she called it. He told that I was still riding, she said I was insane. I can see her point, it is cooler and the rain has started to fall up here, but I only stop riding when there is ice on the road.One thing I have noticed, due to the cooler weather the cruisers are thinning out, going to work I used to pass 12 to 15 now lately I am only seeing 5 or 6, maybe they don't want to polish all that chrome again and again due to rain. That's not a problem when you ride a scooter that has allot of plastic body work, it's just wash it and let it drip dry.

Funny comment

Why is it that when people see a large man on a scooter they feel compelled to ask stupid questions or do stupid things.
Take today for example, a guy in a SMART car looked at me and pointed and laughed, I lifted my modular helmet front and replied " You drive THAT, and your laughing at me, Erkel."