Saratoga Spree~!

[C Jerome]

I feel like I am talking to myself here, anyone still following?

So today I repainted the muffler trim piece with a red that matches more closely, took the side casing off to double check the kick starter the spring is set, polished up the side case cleaned up my work space, put the headlight Plastic back together, put the back plastics on so I could see how it looked and took the front wheel off and put it back on to make sure I did it right. Everything looked right when checked it and looked at the manual, the bearings all spin smoothly so I don't know why the wheel is not spinning well. Any ideas?

The last big update is that I started it, it took three tries but then fired up and stayed running, I only let it go about 30 seconds as its in a non vented basement, will move it up to the garage soon and let it run. During the thirty second run I tested the headlights whited worked, but the turn signals did not flash
What is the best way to ensure the oil pump is pumping? (I did prime it after cleaning the tank)

Jerome

[Petrock's 1984 Spree]

Everything looked right when checked it and looked at the manual, the bearings all spin smoothly so I don't know why the wheel is not spinning well. Any ideas?

Did you torque the nut down on it too much? Have you been using a torque wrench to tighten down your bolts and all that?

[C Jerome]

No, I don't have one yet, but I tried it at different tightnesses, and for it to spin better the bolt needs to be obviously too loose. Any other possibilities besides the torque?

[Petrock's 1984 Spree]

Not quite sure. Do you have a gasket on the final reduction case?
My problem when i put my '84 spree back together was i didnt use a gasket and the gears bound when i tightened everything down.
But that doesnt sound like the problem your having

[bradthreee]

Is this the rear wheel? If I remember correctly, there is a washer that goes between the wheel and the nut. Do you have that?

Also one time I had a similar problem and found that the engine case near where the wheel mounts was bent. Check that out.

[C Jerome]

I do have the original gasket on the case. The kick starter does not seem to be binding, and the regular starter seems to be working well. I will checked the kick again and see how it feels when I operate it with my hand.

I dont recall if i have washer in the rear, i will double check that.
The wheel I am having issue with though is the front. Is there anything that I should be greasing up? How about where the side plate thing that holds the brake meets the actual wheel? I checked the speedo cable and it is turning freely and those gears are greased.
Any other ideas?

PS: Brad, the wheels came out nice after a light sanding and paint! Once you find that lock plate, I can put the front plastics on

Jerome

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

Quoth CJ:

After installing the new front wheel and tightening the bolt the wheel does not spin freely, if I loosen the bolt a lot the wheel spins better.

Couple things:
1. There should be a long-ish spacer on the Port side (at least on Elites it's the left). It has to be the right one, in the right position on the axle assembly.
2. Is the axle straight and true?
3. The speedo drive gears can be greased but still be jammed if they were greased after the failure.

If it's not the brake and it's not the bearings, it has to be the axle assembly or speedo drive...

[C Jerome]

The large spacer is in place on the left side of the wheel.
I think the axle is straight, I will take it out again and give it a roll on the kitchen counter to test. I beleive I was able to turn the speedo gear with my finger when I checked it, but I will tear the whole thing apart again and test it.

Jerome

[KillinSpree]

Take off your front wheel. You will have two 3/4ish inch spacers on each side, make sure those are dirt an road grim free. Then inspect your wheel bearings on both sides of your tire to make sure their not binding up. When all inspected and look good grease each spacer where it rides against the wheel bearings. If that all looks good than your front brake cable is too tight which would be causing the brake pads to be putting constant pressure on your wheel drum. Hence making the front wheel not able to spin freely.

[C Jerome]

I will go through your list next time I work on the scooter. I am not sure if I have spacer on both sides, or just on the 'driver side'.

[fastplastic]

did you ever happen to download the manual???

[C Jerome]

Actually I did, download, print and bind it, thanks for the tip. If you do not have anything constructive to add then please don't post.
I did reference the manual when I swapped wheels, I don't recall the other spacer, that is why I will check again when I get back to the scooter.

[Bear45-70]

Actually I did, download, print and bind it, thanks for the tip. If you do not have anything constructive to add then please don't post.
I did reference the manual when I swapped wheels, I don't recall the other spacer, that is why I will check again when I get back to the scooter.

So now you are so smart you don't need anymore help. That's great, then we won't be spending 5 pages trying to bale your sorry * out anymore. Arrogant *!

[C Jerome]

Bear, perhaps you have misinterpreted what I wrote. I did not say I knew all about the scooters now or that I do not need help. I said its not helpful to say "did you read the manual?".
What is helpful are comments like KillinSpree's above that offer some additional direction or narration. If everyone could just do it from the manual then we would not have all these great online forums for hobbyists to meet, discuss and learn from each other.

Jerome

[Bear45-70]

With the questions you ask I also would suspect you did not read anything before asking. It is so much easier to just ask that learn on your own.