SR150 Impressions

Life Cars & Motorcycles
1

So I pulled the trigger and bought an SR150 (legally). This was the bike that when I first got to Taiwan I thought it might be nifty to own and I finally do so I have some thoughts after riding it for a bit.

First off my last two bikes stateside were an '83 yamaha xv750 virago and '86 honda vt1100 shadow both of which I loved like children, so these are my comparison bikes.

Anyways first off I am amazed that a 150 has enough power to pull two people up the mountain. I know these bikes are geared low for their intended purpose but still. If you’re shifting correctly the bike keeps up with traffic.

I was worried that the drum break was going to be disappointing and my worries were confirmed. Even just sitting on a hill you have to grab the shit out of the grip to keep from rolling. I was eager to upgrade this but as y’all have stated the cost is just not worth it.

The power band on this bike is weird… I have driven but never owned a thumper before and so it seems like the bike has almost two distinct powerbands. on real low and one mid-high.

For an air cooled bike this one doesn’t make half the noise I would expect. There is a little valve tick to it but im going to put in a heavier oil and get the clearances done so that should alleviate that.

no tach but a gas gauge (you win some…)

bike feels well balanced and sure footed through the corners (remember though the speeds we are talking about)

The seat is the biggest and most roomy of almost all the 150s in Taiwan… Able to carry myself and a passenger in relative comfort for long rides… Also I am a big dude and the seating position is pretty comfortable (I’m not smelling my knees!)

Bought it from the original owner who claims to have never washed it and it is interesting to me what bits have corroded… the gas cap looks awful but the exhaust pipe looks good as new… All the important stuff is just fine… suggests to me constant use…

as far as reliability I am going to bring it into a shop next week (is it rude to ask them to clean it??) and have them address a bunch of things, all minor that I want to have looked at before I take it to far from civilization. (though one of the buying points of this bike for me was its ubiquity)

T-minus 5 months till big bike license :slight_smile:

2

Isn’t the cyclic shifter a treat? The SR150 was a major part in the economic transformation of the 'wan. In the beginning, there were no scooters, and few cars… but there was …
THE FARMER"S FRIEND.

3

The day I bought it I thought it only went in one direction 12345 12345 so that made the ride out of the city a treat… eventually I figured out hey wait a minute I CAN DOWN SHIFT! so other than going from 5th to N a couple times on the highway I don’t mind it. I have actually gotten used to kicking down with my heel and shifting up with my toe…

4

I miss my SR150.

[quote=“taiwantelope”]I was worried that the drum break was going to be disappointing and my worries were confirmed. Even just sitting on a hill you have to grab the shit out of the grip to keep from rolling. I was eager to upgrade this but as y’all have stated the cost is just not worth it.[/quote]It sounds like the brake’s worn out. Why not just replace it with a new one? I found the drum brake on mine to be fine – I went over the central mountains, laden up, and had no problems going down hills. (Going up was another matter - if you’ve set the bike up to run well at sea level, it really struggles at 3,000 metres.)

5

ditto IME. Bring on the SR150 EFI.

6

what is an SR150? of does the ‘if you have to ask than it probably doesn’t concern you!’ apply?

7

is it a yamaha?

8

OP, I have scans (as per-page GIF files) of the “official” service manual and parts book for the SR-150.

The text is in Mandarin. Since I don’t read that, I’m not certain its always legible, but then I have trouble believing it ever is anyway.

Assuming you don’t read it, I guess you could get bits you need translated. The manuals are intended to be used by pros anyway so probably don’t provide that much hand-holding, but since you’ve worked on bikes a lot you perhaps don’t need it.

It might be useful to have the Mandarin when dealing with service or parts suppliers.

PM me if its of interest.

9

Your scan pops up on various google searches so I already found and downloaded it thanks a lot… I am taking the bike in to the shop tomorrow to get a few things looked at… Ever since pushing me and a passenger over the mountain it has been a bit more noisy… Also the engine is quite dirty from what appears to be a leaky heD gasket… One question I did have and something I could not readily determine from the scans was is there a separate fuel filter or is it just the bottom part of the petcock (thus to replace the filter one would have to replace the petcock???)

10

OK.

I’d expect there would be an in-line filter, and if there isn’t I’d have thought you should be able to fit one unless space is unusually restricted.

I don’t have any experience of these machines though, other than a brief test ride.

11

Just got service done at a Yamaha shop in Beitou and let me tell you, they did a GREAT job! Had the head gasket and all the o-rings in the head replaced. I have had motorbike work done stateside and it was really expensive. They did the repair, changed the oil, spark plug, air filter, and basically detailed the bike for 3000nt… Let’s just say I rode away a happy customer! The bike runs like a top now and looks a zillion times better to boot! If you are interested in this shop msg me and I will give you it’s locale… Also the gentleman that I dealt with had a good knowledge of the applicable English.

12

I bought my SR150 in November and I love it.

Its a 1996 one thats pretty beat up (rust, a few dents, speedo/odometer doesnt work) but I got it for 10,000 and the only thing I’ve had to replace was the battery. I ride it every day, including a few long trips. Going to take it around the island on a 9 day trip later this month.

13

I just bought a used SR150…by the sounds of it, it was “marr” that sold it to me since it matched his description rather well :slight_smile:

All the originally exposed metal parts were rusty to some extent, and the bike had been dropped at least three times (counting the tank depressions and engine casing scratches), but importantly for me, it was never crashed, all the parts were original spec and the engine seems healthy. I personally dislike the mutant bikes assembled from parts designed for other bikes.

After about 7 hours of hard labour with aluminium foil, touch up paint and some rust treatment primer paint, and NT$2500 in parts and service, I think the bike genuinely looks good and rather cool in a retro way.

Things I did or had done to it:

  • Removed rust using aluminium foil and water, or for harder to reach places, aluminium foil and vinegar - works faster
  • Remove scary looking, but luckily only surface rust on the frame using sandpaper and treat it with anti-rust paint then paint over it
  • Used touch up paint to repair the finish wherever needed
  • Waxed the bike to slow down the rusting…it is not that much fun removing the rust
  • Yamaha stickers were peeling off so I helped them along the way
  • Changed the front brake pads
  • Changed front hub bearings - they were shot
  • Tightened the headset - it was loose
  • Changed the control clusters since they were failing and looked bad
  • Changed the oil
  • Lubed the chain
  • Looked for sources of vibration and tightened everything down
  • Started the engine cleaning process, just in case. Added 1/3 of CPC Apex fuel detergent to the full tank. Will do this for three consecutive tanks.
  • Today or tomorrow, change the spark plug

Initial riding impressions: miles ahead of a scooter in terms of straight line stability, especially over rough roads. Cornering is OK, but I feel some squirm from the rear end, not sure if it is really there since the rear end is tight. Maybe it is the new tires, or bad tires. Acceleration in 1st and 2nd is woeful. The gearing is so low that nothing much happens except horrible vibration until you hit 3rd, then it starts pulling and comfortably reeling in the scooters that are now 10 meters ahead of you… It sits in 4th comfortably and still pulls from below 40km/h in 5th, but it is not too happy about it. In traffic you do not have to shift too often, can almost crawl in 3rd, or in faster moving jams, 4th works well too. Commuting works well on it. I can see further, I am bigger than the rest of the traffic and it makes a nice noise :slight_smile: I bought a tank bag (online) and will get a tail case to carry cargo so I can ditch the backpack.

Regarding braking, the front drum brake is huge, it works. Comparing it to a disk brake is complicated since a drum brake is cable actuated so it will feel vastly different to a hydraulically actuated disk brake due to cable, housing and actuator lever expansion and flex. But it does work. If your drum brake does not work, you have to get it serviced. One major drawback with drum brakes is that the brake dust hasn’t got anywhere to go so it accumulates inside the drum. This creates overheating problems, brake pad retraction problems, and it gums up all the moving parts in the hub. Consider servicing your front brake during every oil change. I do not use the rear brake much, but it seems to work well. Engine braking is highly effective on the SR150 so I seldom feel the need to touch the rear brake.

I got the SR150 since it is a big bike. I am tall and most scooters and motorbikes in Taiwan are too small for me. SR150 is perfect size for me - makes me wonder who Yamaha initially designed the frame/rolling chassis for…or who they copied and forgot to change the specs for their local markets. I am also one of the seemingly rare people that cannot see scooters as cool. Vespas are nice in that retro way, some more honest looking scooters are also funky, but I get rashes when I see the “sporty” scooters…it is like putting wings on a brick and calling it an aeroplane.

EDIT: forgot to mention that the shift lever spacing prohibits the use of motorbike boots for upshifting with your toes - the toes do not fit through. I have a pair of “casual” Alpinestars boots and it is frankly dangerous using them. There isn’t enough feel through the heel to notice the downshift, and the toe section can get stuck between the lever and the peg…




V.

14

If you find the gearing too low you might try raising it with different size (front and/or rear) sprockets, assuming they are available for this bike, which seems likely.

You could wait until the current ones get hooked and need replacing anyway.

15

Interesting suggestion. I will over time take the bike to some steep climbs and I will see if the super low gearing does not make sense there either.

If I change the sprocket to a smaller one I will also need to change the chain since the wheel is already as far back as it goes…likely a signal that the chain should get changed…but visually it still looks good.

V.

16

[quote=“vmajor”]Interesting suggestion. I will over time take the bike to some steep climbs and I will see if the super low gearing does not make sense there either.

If I change the sprocket to a smaller one I will also need to change the chain since the wheel is already as far back as it goes…likely a signal that the chain should get changed…but visually it still looks good.

V.[/quote]

Well, you could get a bigger front sprocket, if they are available, and if there’s room.

Re “but visually it still looks good.” it can be hard to tell. I can’t, though I ain’t no expert, as this thread (mid-page 5) shows:-

http://www.forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.php?f=75&t=81769&hilit=hooked&start=40

There are various measurements and associated (slightly contradictory) rules of thumb out there, (discussed a bit in the above thread toward the end) but The Word is if its out of adjustment its probably stuffed, and if its stuffed its probably taken the sprockets with it. They should be replaced as a set.

17

I took the bike to some steep hills. In fact the roads were so steep that I barely made it back up, in 1st :smiley: Thus when the time comes, I will keep the same cog.

Kaohsiung locals may know the village where Escape 41 is located - those roads. On my way up I was met by a car coming down so I had to stop on the crazy slope, and start from a full stop. I decided not to burn out the clutch and I scooted (pushed with my feet on either side :roflmao: ) up the road while praying that the engine does not stall.

The SR150 likes to rev up a bit before useful power comes, and on crazy steep stuff revs are not so easy to come by. Scooter’s CVT transmission makes them far more useable in this type of riding even if they have no top end speed.

V.

18

You’re probably right about scooter superiority on this kind of terrain. I read somewhere that DAF did a military off-roader that was supposed to be pretty good, using its scooter-stylee CVT transmission, IIRC giving independent ratios on each driven wheel, (and full speed in reverse, which might be useful in a military context.)

You might be worrying overmuch about burning the clutch though. Motorcycle clutch rings are oil-lubricated and cooled, and are designed to be slipped a lot. On the basic UK bike course they teach you to do slow speed manouvres (tight and apparently interminable figure eights) by simultaneous sustained braking and clutch slipping.

Never really got the hang of it, just feels wrong. :frowning: