Just had a loan of the GF’s new-to-her scooter (inherited from her brother, I think) and could find no trace of an oil-fill port and associated dipstick.
I used to stealthily top-up her old one (Yamaha Breeze) often finding it half-empty, but could’nt figure this one out.
Is this a new “feature”, recognising the realities of Taiwanese maintenance habits, or did I somehow miss it?
I’ve read some cars (BMW 1-series IIRC) now rely solely on a level-meter, but I thought I’d be able to avoid that kind of crap for a few years yet.
There was a plastic screw-in port covering the upper tappet (lower cover was metal) which I could have added oil through, but no obvious way of telling how much
You’re thinking of 2-strokes. There haven’t been any 2-strokes without oil injection for a very long time. There might still be some “Classic” Vespa’s like that but I don’t think even the old Kawasaki BI /BII used premix.
This is a newish 125 cc Yamaha scooter, though I can’t remember the model. No one got a recent scooter without a dipstick? (or with it well hidden)?
No window I could see. I’ve had motorcycles with an oil sight glass (Kymco Zing definately, maybe others) but they had a dipstick on the oil fill port plug too.
I may not be of much help here but the only two wheeler with a motor I ever had was a Honda moped and that was 30 years ago and that didn’t have a dipstick . Any scoot repair guy knew it took exactly one quart of oil and was to be chAnged every 1000 kilometers And that was a 4 stroke engine and didn’t drink any oil , well not in 1000 km anyway.
Thing got about 20km per liter of gas. Strangely my Prius gets the same mileage and it’s a car.
I thought this thread was going to be about the invention of the driverless scooter in Taiwan.
I think tommy is probably right. Modern engines are machined to very precise tolerances so i’d guess the oil will get dirty quicker than it will deplete. Therefore complete oil change rather than occasional top-up (at least until the engine gets old and worn).
Since I’m browsing from a Dr Web bootable rescue disk, I don’t currently do Flash video either.
In any case, my working assumption would be that anything entitled “Mysterious Times”, especially when combined with the above, is going to be Utter Bollocks.
I’ll try and post some pics when I get a chance, but my favoured pic-hosting site seems to have become a bit of a malware mansion lately so I’ll have to find a substitute.
Yeh, that was my depressing best guess too. A deplorable trend, based on the (valid) general assumption that the owner-operator is an idiot who can’t be trusted, and should not be asked, to top-up the oil.
If this is correct, presumably there’s an electronic “change oil now” indicator and electronic low-oil indicator which you are supposed to trust.
Ok to have idiot-lights. Not OK to remove the non-electronic alternative, which costs almost nothing.
Maybe the cap has been replaced due to it being lost or broken, ( the scooter is second hand didn’t you say).
Try googling a replacement and see what comes up. I can understand how annoying it is not to be able to keep an eye on one of essential elements of the engine.
The cost of just stopping at a scooter shop every 1000k and dropping the old oil, replacement and engine additives. With the heat here I wouldn’t bother topping it up just get it replaced.
There doesn’t seem to be an oil-fill port or cap. It MIGHT be possible to incorporate a dipstick into the upper tappet cover but I think the valve gear is in the way.
