A couple of nice weather rides this weekend ... ended the season at 23,071 miles ( bought it at 22,149 ...just short of 1K since July 28th).
Battery is out, fuel is topped of with Sta-Bil, tires are at pressure. Hopefully I'll be back on by the end of February or early March 2012.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Off Topic: Limited Uses Vehicle
After 8 years, the 50cc Honda Metropolitan CHF50 has been reclassified by the RMV as a "Limited Use Vehicle" (LU) ... no longer as a Moped.
So, now it needs to be titled, registered, insured, inspected, and excise tax needs to be paid. Also, a license with an M endorsement (or M endorsement with a J restriction for Limited Use Vehicles) is required to ride it. Also, it can not be used on roads marked with a speed limit greater than 40 MPH (but it may be ridden up to 40MPH where the moped restriction was 25MPH).
To get the bike titled and registered, I needed an RMV-1 from my insurance company (type of vehicle is "Motorcycle" ... registration ttype is "MCS LU"). All I had for paperwork on the bike was my last and first Moped registrations, the original bill of sale (no MCO) , and the RMV letter that informed me of the new LU classification. The clerk at the Wilmington RMV had done these before ... apparently people are unhappy, but are going through the process. The lack of an MCO was no problem, even though this was the first titling of the bike.
We now have a LU plate
LU4405 (Motorcycle Special Plate) MCS
So, now it needs to be titled, registered, insured, inspected, and excise tax needs to be paid. Also, a license with an M endorsement (or M endorsement with a J restriction for Limited Use Vehicles) is required to ride it. Also, it can not be used on roads marked with a speed limit greater than 40 MPH (but it may be ridden up to 40MPH where the moped restriction was 25MPH).
To get the bike titled and registered, I needed an RMV-1 from my insurance company (type of vehicle is "Motorcycle" ... registration ttype is "MCS LU"). All I had for paperwork on the bike was my last and first Moped registrations, the original bill of sale (no MCO) , and the RMV letter that informed me of the new LU classification. The clerk at the Wilmington RMV had done these before ... apparently people are unhappy, but are going through the process. The lack of an MCO was no problem, even though this was the first titling of the bike.
We now have a LU plate
LU4405 (Motorcycle Special Plate) MCS
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Nice ride to Plaistow, NH and back today ...
Very pleasant ... Haverhill was looking good. Plaistow Center is a nice NH village. The merge on to 114 at Boston Hill Farms took a few minutes.
About 58 miles round trip ....
Off Topic: Replaced Speedo on the CHF50
I was about to drain some old gas from my wife's 2003 Honda Metropolitan (CHF50) when one thing lead to another and I totally busted the speedo's lens, cracked the white case that supports the meter to the frame, and chipped the blue front cover.
Replacements OEM parts would run over $150 ... but I found a complete unit on eBay for $50 including shipping.
One issue ... the replacement odometer is at 8565 miles, while the original is only 516. So, going forward, subtract 8049 miles from the odometer to get the Metro's real mileage.
This will hurt resale value, but the bike is already 8 years old (and only 516 miles !) ... re-sale value is low to begin with.
Rear of the replacement speedo (good view of the white case):
Friday, October 21, 2011
Lunchtime Ride
Very fun 20 mile loop. Grabbed a sandwich a Via Largo in Lexington Center (and ate it on the Battle Green). Nice fall colors ... quiet traffic.
Ended the day with the odometer at 22,769. Gas mileage a consistent 50MPG.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Purchase History
I'm the third owner. I saw this Silver Wing (FSC600 - non ABS) listed on Craigslist for $2800 and spoke with the owner a few times on the phone. Although it had a few miles (22,149) it was still low by Silver Wing standards.
Purchase date was July 28th ... and I had it titled and registered by the 29th. Plate swap from the 150cc (which I sold on Craigslist for $500), so I still have my low digit reserve ZX99. Insurance is the same as the 150cc ... $95 through Progressive (no comprehensive / collision).
This bike rides great .. smooth, powerful, solid. The seller had replaced the tires within the last couple of hundred miles (they look new with full tread). The seller had a Honda service manual, which is an incredibly written, illustrated manual.
The next week I had it serviced at SmoothScooters in West Medford. I asked Frank to do the full 24K mile service as spec-ed in the service manual, plus a new Honda OEM CVT belt (Frank doubts the original belt was replaced). Frank also replaced the variator rollers -- the originals were getting worn. Frank used synthetic 10W-40 in the engine ... so I'll stick with synthetic going forward. The bike now has fresh oil (motor and gear), brake fluid, coolant, and has been well inspected.
I haven't ridden it much yet ... (odometer today is at 22460), but I plan to !
Update ...
1st service records at:
http://flic.kr/s/aHsjyRcTM8
Purchase date was July 28th ... and I had it titled and registered by the 29th. Plate swap from the 150cc (which I sold on Craigslist for $500), so I still have my low digit reserve ZX99. Insurance is the same as the 150cc ... $95 through Progressive (no comprehensive / collision).
This bike rides great .. smooth, powerful, solid. The seller had replaced the tires within the last couple of hundred miles (they look new with full tread). The seller had a Honda service manual, which is an incredibly written, illustrated manual.
The next week I had it serviced at SmoothScooters in West Medford. I asked Frank to do the full 24K mile service as spec-ed in the service manual, plus a new Honda OEM CVT belt (Frank doubts the original belt was replaced). Frank also replaced the variator rollers -- the originals were getting worn. Frank used synthetic 10W-40 in the engine ... so I'll stick with synthetic going forward. The bike now has fresh oil (motor and gear), brake fluid, coolant, and has been well inspected.
I haven't ridden it much yet ... (odometer today is at 22460), but I plan to !
Update ...
1st service records at:
http://flic.kr/s/aHsjyRcTM8
2003 Honda Silverwing
I was done the 150cc ... time for a two cylinder, fuel injected, liquid cooled, 582cc machine from the best ... Honda.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)