Zuma rear wheel locked after overhaul

[sc00ter]

Actually, no. That piston looks normal, at least in the pics. I had a lean sized piston I saved for an example but I think it got tossed when the garage was cleaned.

If in fact that was a soft seize, it was super soft. I had one once going to work. I pulled over, got it started, choked it (I run manual chokes) to flood/cool it down and re-adjusted the carb. It was 26 degrees out and the scooter carb was set for summer weather. That scooter never seemed to notice, though looking thru the exhaust port you could see one good, deep scratch.

There is a chance that when, whatever caused the transmission failure, it perfectly matched a lean seize in symptoms. Its just not normal to have the clutch constantly engaged like you describe when the scooter is OFF or at idle.

And yes, I can still go to my local bicycle shops. They are practicing "social distancing" but I may go Sat. and look for a helmet I like. The ugly rash and bald spot from having my hair torn out meaning I'll have to wear a do-rag to try them on. Looking into a Nutcase brand.

[KDS4444]

I went ahead and checked the reed valve: it was fine, some of the petals were a little loose, so I gently curved these into a flatter position, made a new gasket for the valve, and re-sealed it against the engine block. The trick right now is how to re-attach the valve to the carburetor: apparently it has to go down quite a ways! I didn't realize how far when I took it off. Wasn't able to do it using just my hands, am considering wrapping it up with a ratchet strap and seeing if I can force it back together that way. The rubber of the join here has to stretch a LOT go get back on that carburetor!

Anyhow, I think the reed valve is not the problem. What I really aught to do is get a torque wrench and use it to tighten down the cylinder nuts to spec, it's just more cash that I don't want to spend (I ordered a replacement elbow joint for that air box, another $15 for a piece of rubber I won't have for another two weeks) and I've managed to tighten them down once before without said wrench and got compression. Of course, the risk of over-tightening the nuts is pretty horrendous (stripped cylinder posts, I know), but it looks like the only possible remaining problem here is the seal around my cylinder, yes? And if I can get that to seal, I should be golden....?


It seems like every time I turn around, I find another part that is slightly damaged or out of alignment or needs partial replacement. I guess that is part of owning such an old machine. Sure is a pain in the ass though. I am not sure how much cash I will have spent with this repair that began as an attempt to lean out my fuel supply and inflate my rear tire (!) but I think it's on the order of a couple hundred bucks so far. To say nothing of all the labor and the time, both yours and mine! I am learning something as I go, which I guess is worth something somehow. This damn bike better last for another 10 years problem free! (I suppose that is too much to begin to hope for... considering that it still isn't even running normally yet).

[sc00ter]

I had a Stage 1 modded Zuma (exhaust and transmission) and that scooter had 30,000 miles on it when I finally sold it. It was a 2005 year.

My friend sold his Stage 1 modded Zuma with 45,000 miles not long ago.

Wear and tear were drive belts every 10,000 miles-did the rollers at the same time, tires, air filters every 10,000, reduction box oil every 10,000, front brake pads when needed and other small parts that need random attention.

You can "rent" a torque wrench for free from any major auto-parts store. And again, I wouldn't have touched the reed cage. The "sloppiness" is normal for the reeds.

Does your electric start work? Why are you kick starting it every time? I ask because are you sure nothing is acting strange in the transmission, causing the weird noise you hear. Wal-Mart sells the battery for the Zuma (Everstart) for a great price.

Nothing else is popping in my head right now. We've see all sorts of stuff fail from doing wheelies, DON'T do burnouts, nose wheelies/rolling endo's mess up shock seals and other abuse related issues-so we have a pretty good knowledge base.

My wife was suppose to go to Oakland, CA but the pandemic stopped that. She was gonna drop thru the L.A. area when returning (Driving cross-country with her sister). She knows Zuma's VERY well! She's been helping with everything from tires changes to full engine builds. Rescued us on rides and helped fix stuff on the side of the road. I bet she would have figured it out quick! She started on a Stage 1 modded Hyosung Sense (great little scooter!), upgraded to a Buddy 125, Cam-Am Spyder (P.O.S.) and now has a Honda Silverwing scooter.

Again, best of luck figuring it out.

[KDS4444]

Once again, covid-19 stands in the way of my possible future success! If your wife ever decides to travel again and makes that same trip, and if my scooter is in any condition other than perfect (which is most of the time) I'd be thrilled to have her take a look at it! (How can I entice her? Food? What can I bake for her??).


Regarding the kickstarter— yeah, fair question. The very first thing to go on the scooter was the push start button. The machine was even still under warranty, but I didn't want the hassle of bringing it back to the dealership for something I could work around so easily.


And then some time later I had a little accident with the bike, and broke off one of the rear blinkers, so I made custom ones to replace them (they're pretty neat!) using high-power LEDs. But in the course of adding wiring for those LEDs, I did something that caused my battery to slowly drain down to nothing in about an hour of non-use, and I could not find where the short was, so I took the battery out and replaced it with a thing called a "battpack". It's basically a very large capacitor that sits clamped to my frame, and it works (has worked) perfectly. Only drawback is that I only have power while the engine is running, and I have to keep using the kick start to turn the engine over. But no internal battery at all! It's been like this for over a decade. I had no idea batteries were so superfluous, but it turns out they are. (technically this modification is illegal, I forget why, please don't tell the sheriff!)


If you have any suggestions on how I might shove the carburetor back into the rubber joint of the reed valve, I am all ears. And again, ask your wife what I can bake for her if she ever comes this way! It would be a treat to show my bike to someone (anyone, really) who gives a damn about Zumas!

[sc00ter]

I put a tad of grease around the carb lip to help it slide in. They (intake/reed assembly) tends to get a bit hard with age. But it can be done relatively easy. I also hate the air filter box back onto the carb. You have to make 100% sure its seated or it sucks in raw air. One of the WORSE air filter assemblies to put back on is a OEM PUCH moped air filter. Worse vehicle, 80's era Toyota Vanwagon.

I think she ditched the cross country trip as of now. One of her sisters lives in Oakland, and a friend in a band lives across the bridge. It's funny, I'm in my late 40's and she's in her mid-60's and we know so many grindcore and hardcore/pink band members. Those are the fun, interactive concerts! This Covid needs to leave so we can resume going to fun shows again!

Quick thing to point out. Sometimes the kickstarter gear will stick a bit when coming back up. It will start with a tingling sound and get worse as its ignored. Next time you kick it, pull the kick starter up with your foot. I don't think thats even remotely your issue but you never know.....

[KDS4444]

I've discovered this about air filter boxes: if you blast the rubber elbow joint with a hairdryer on its hottest setting for like 30 seconds, you will soften it up nicely and it will slip over the port on the carb oh so easily! Someone borrowed mine which is the only reason I haven't tried this with the reed valve joint yet. The dude is supposed to be bringing it back tomorrow. It makes a HUGE difference, and everyone working with scooters or motorcycles of cars should practice this tip! Heat that bugger up first! (er, but don't use flame to do it, for what might be obvious reasons).