OMG I'm actually buying a scooter!

[Swordsman]

Well, after 6 years of lurking on this forum every now and then, I finally bit the bullet and put money down. Not a Genuine, mind you... never found one that was a good fit for my needs, but I like you guys, so I keep coming back.

What I am getting (if everything works out) is a 1987 Honda Elite 250. Due to logistics I wasn't able to pick up today, but I put money down and got a receipt, so unless something catastrophic happens, I'll probably bring it home Monday. It's a little rough around the edges, but surprisingly nice for a scoot that's 29 years old. Ran great, though smells like it may be a bit rich. Needs some tires. Has a mild oil leak, or did at one point, looks a little greasy around the bottom. Owner said it runs about 65 mph, but he's at least 50 lbs heavier than me, and he's done zero maintenance on the belt/rollers, so maybe lost a little top end there. That's plenty fast anyway. I always thought the Elite 250 looked a little goofy in pics, but it's nicer in person.

Overall, I'm pretty stoked. Looks like a good deal at $700. I'll post pics when I pick it up.

I'm gonna' be a scooterist! (is that a word?) The guys at work are gonna have a field day with this.

~SM

[charlie55]

Congratulations and welcome to Ancient Honda!

It's very possible that you don't have an oil leak but are just seeing 29 years of accumulated road gunk. Wipe it down, change your oil, and check it every so often for new signs of leakage.

[az_slynch]

Congratulations!

The big Elite is a nifty beast. I've considered one for years, but I have an analogous machine and enough scoots as-is. I do have a front wheel assembly and a complete powertrain from an '86; they came with a Velosolex I bought. Maybe someday I'll have all the bits that belong between them...

[Swordsman]

Thanks!

According to the current owner, it sat in storage for about 20 years. There's only 3k on the odo, but it quit working at some point, so who knows (it's actually not plugged into the speedo, we discovered). He said he'd probably put another 1k on it since purchasing. He had to drop $200 re-titling it, since it's 2 years over the cutoff here in GA. I'm eager to pull it apart and do the maintenance. Wanna make sure the valves are where they need to be. I'll probably take some pics so you guys can tell me what looks worn enough to replace. Definitely wanna get new tires... I think they may actually be 20 years old... dry rot in the tread!

~SM

[sc00ter]

I had one for a few years. A 1989, wine red, mint body. Paid $500 for it with-get ready-70,000ish miles! Ran good but was getting weak compression. Owner said his son did "something" when he borrowed it. I think the son ran it low on oil myself. I had a leak were the wires go into the motor for the stator and the rear seal for the reduction/final drive had a trickle. Fun scooter for the price. Broke even as someone bought it from me for $500 for parts when I finally replaced it with a new Helix. 91 year has the under seat storage, anything older has the fuel tank under the seat. Congrats and enjoy it!

[skipper20]

Well, after 6 years of lurking on this forum every now and then, I finally bit the bullet and put money down. Not a Genuine, mind you... never found one that was a good fit for my needs, but I like you guys, so I keep coming back.

What I am getting (if everything works out) is a 1987 Honda Elite 250. Due to logistics I wasn't able to pick up today, but I put money down and got a receipt, so unless something catastrophic happens, I'll probably bring it home Monday.
Overall, I'm pretty stoked. Looks like a good deal at $700. I'll post pics when I pick it up.

I'm gonna' be a scooterist! (is that a word?) The guys at work are gonna have a field day with this.

~SM

Welcome to the scooter club. The '87 Elite 250 is definitely a classic and once you get those rough edges smoothed off, you'll be the envy of the neighborhood. Congrats!

Bill in Seattle but wintering in AZ
'14 170i Hooligan Matte Green
'15 170i Hooligan Titanium (AZ scoot)

[wheelbender6]

The Honda Elite will never be mistaken for any other scooter. Well done.

[giddyup98]

I have owned my'85 Honda Elite 250 for the past 15 years. I bought it with 1,500 original miles for $350. It now has close to 12K miles and still runs like a top. I own 9 other scooters, so I hardly use it anymore. I plan on selling it on CL this spring. I just hate seeing it sit there not be used and enjoyed.

[Swordsman]

Yeah, it's been a tough decision. I've been waffling between an old 80's UJM and a scooter for awhile now. Actually, the scooter thing goes back even prior to the Ural in my avatar... I was deciding between the Ural and a Blur. Bad as I hate to admit it, a large part of my hesitation about scoots has always boiled down to image. I've always felt like a total 'tard sitting on them in the showrooms, but I'm still fascinated. The old Honda scoots are ugly IMO, but in a weird retro-futuristic way that I'm okay with. I finally just sat down and focused on why I wanted to ride, and how I ride, and I realized that a 150-300cc scooter would probably do exactly what I wanted to do. I'm not touring, I'm not racing, not trying to impress anyone, and I have no passenger prospects. Just give me something to putt around on and explore my local back roads with dirt-simple maintenance.

Hopefully everything will go smoothly tomorrow and I can bring it home. Wonder if they'll let me take a half day of vacation on short notice?

~SM

[sc00ter]

Just call in sick, then go for a ride!

[RoaringTodd]

I have owned my'85 Honda Elite 250 for the past 15 years. I bought it with 1,500 original miles for $350. It now has close to 12K miles and still runs like a top. I own 9 other scooters, so I hardly use it anymore. I plan on selling it on CL this spring. I just hate seeing it sit there not be used and enjoyed.

Be sure to post the ad here on ModernBuddy.

[RoaringTodd]

I realized that a 150-300cc scooter would probably do exactly what I wanted to do. I'm not touring, I'm not racing, not trying to impress anyone, and I have no passenger prospects. Just give me something to putt around on and explore my local back roads with dirt-simple maintenance.

Exactly. That is 90 percent of how I ride. Lately I have been test riding motorcycles trying to understand what the fascination is over scooters. After I get off the motorcycle, it reaffirms my belief that 150-200cc is pretty much all we need except for highway touring. The only thing that makes me go back to considering motorcycles? Size... most scooters are too cramped for me.

Congrats on your 250 Elite. I did pretty much the same thing with my 150... bought from a farmer and spent a few months cleaning hay out of all the interior parts.

RT

[viney266]

Honda is a good reliable scooter. Welcome to the fun!

[Swordsman]

Well, here it is! Rode it home, approximately 30 miles, and my wife said I was averaging 50-55 mph. Definitely had some throttle left too, but in the higher RPMs it develops an unpleasant and somewhat intermittent vibration that has something to do with the drive train, not the actual engine (or so it feels). It pops on decel and smells like raw fuel when parked, so I think it's running a bit rich. And man-oh-man does it have a case of the bouncy rear end! Felt like I was riding a spring horse all the way home!

I'll be stripping it down over the next week or so and doing a full maintenance. Wanna check the date on the tires (tread wasn't as bad as I initially thought), clean the carb, check the valves, pull the cover on the belt and see what that looks like (maybe the source of the vibration?). Need to figure out if the speedo can be reconnected (cable is loose under the fender), and see if I can get the temp gauge working consistently, seems to have a bad connection.

So, yeah, there's some work to do, but thus far it feels like a lot of little stuff. And then I can start with the prettifying! Mostly just a few scuffs. The cover on the right passenger peg has come off, but it's in the glove box. The plastic on the right side around the handlebars is cracked, but I think I can epoxy that back without it being too noticeable. And of course the stitching is pulling loose on the seat just a bit. Overall I'm tickled to death!

~SM

Oh, BTW, anyone happen to know why virtually EVERY Elite 250 is missing the front bumper? Every used ad I've run across had that same issue....?

[craftynerd]

Haha, you've got the big brother of my other scooter! I recently picked up a 1989 Honda Elite 50, and I love it to pieces, even though it's slower than slow.

[az_slynch]

Haha, you've got the big brother of my other scooter! I recently picked up a 1989 Honda Elite 50, and I love it to pieces, even though it's slower than slow.

Those Elite E's are fun. I've rebuilt two for friends and I have one sitting around waiting for me to get it sorted. It's essentially a Spree Mk. II with minor improvements.

If you want more speed, there's an aftermarket transmission upgear kit on eBay that will bring the top speed up near 40, but you'll need a little work done to the motor to leverage the gears. There was a 44mm (57cc) kit for them at one time, now there's a 48mm (68cc) kit. Motion Left Mopeds makes a sidebleed exhaust pipe for Spree that will fit the Elite E and give it a big more midrange power without becoming loud and rowdy.

On the cheap side, simply cleaning out the exhaust, shaving .020" (~.5mm) off the cylinder head will give it a bit more pep. Swapping the drive belt for a Dayton AX-24 will get you a little upgear. Changing the stock tires from 2.50-10 up to 2.75-10 or 80/90-10 will raise the top speed as well.

No CVT leads a lot of folks to overlook these little scoots, but they can be a helluva lot of fun for the money, especially in urban areas where high-speeds aren't an issue. And for those that think the Buddy is light and flick-able, Elite E's only weigh about 100 lbs. and their Spree ancestors weighed in as little as 87lbs. Rides on these scooters feel a lot like you're stolen a kid's bike and gone hooning with it.

[az_slynch]

SM,

Nice rig! I believe Helix riders use CB350 shocks as an upgrade, maybe you can too?

[sc00ter]

I had Hagon shocks on my first Helix, great shocks but pricey. They got damaged when I wreaked the scooter. My 2nd Helix I got the O.E.M. adjustable shocks from a newer model, much cheaper and worked almost as good as the Hagons. Reason I point this out is Helix rear shock options should bolt straight on to the Elite 250. The front end is another story. I always disliked the diving knee style fork vs. a normal style fork.