Modern Buddy

Hi there,

I bought a kit to juice up my PGO metro (buddy) 50 a bit. I'm not looking for an increase in top speed and I don't need to get every last horsepower out of my scoot. I just want to make it up a few hills without slowing down all the traffic behind me.

This is the kit I ordered and the jets for the carb.

I understand that doing this will make my scoot less reliable and I don't expect a super long life from the engine. I'm ok with that.

However, I'd like to do what I can to make this project a success. Any tips or tricks?

PS: Do I need to worry about the fuel/oil mix being affected by the change in carb nozzle? More fuel should mean more oil, so will the carb handle the increase without adjusting the oil input?

You should add 1% oil to the fuel tank. That's what my dealer recommended. Tuning can be touch and go. Do lots of research before you begin. Buy 3 extra Plugs so you can fine tune the color.

When you get the kit, take a look at the exhaust port. Use a very fine grit emery cloth to smooth that down to a shine... just make sure you don't shave any of the cylinder wall, and clean it thoroughly. The kit is a one use jug, so when it blows, you'll have to replace it completely.

Keep in mind you will need to do a complete break-in like it's a new motor. Considering it's the Stage6 Aluminum head, I would baby the living daylights out of it for a minimum of 1000 miles.

When it's installed, give us some thoughts on the differences.

Thanks for the advice.

I've heard others say that adding oil to the tank is a bad idea but it makes sense to me too so I'll do the 1% thing and see how it goes.

If things go well for the first 100 miles or so I plan on ordering a second kit as a backup.

If you do it right you don't have to sacrifice reliability. An extra 1% isn't going to hurt anything (some may say it is going to lean out your mixture) but it might not help anything either. The oil is mainly to lubricate the bearings.

OK...if you are going to install yourself check all the details.

Do the cylinder ports need to be chamfered? On most kits they do need to be done to prevent a ring from hanging up.

Check your ring gap. It is not unusual for rings to need a little filing to fit properly.

CHECK YOUR SQUISH!!! With the number of base gaskets included it looks like that kit is made for many 50cc motors. You want to make sure you have the right clearance between the piston at TDC and the head.

Check timing.

Get at least 5 plugs to run your chops.

Do your research, take your time, ask questions and it will be sweet!

BuddyRaton wrote:If you do it right you don't have to sacrifice reliability. An extra 1% isn't going to hurt anything (some may say it is going to lean out your mixture) but it might not help anything either. The oil is mainly to lubricate the bearings.

OK...if you are going to install yourself check all the details.

Do the cylinder ports need to be chamfered? On most kits they do need to be done to prevent a ring from hanging up.

Check your ring gap. It is not unusual for rings to need a little filing to fit properly.

CHECK YOUR SQUISH!!! With the number of base gaskets included it looks like that kit is made for many 50cc motors. You want to make sure you have the right clearance between the piston at TDC and the head.

Check timing.

Get at least 5 plugs to run your chops.

Do your research, take your time, ask questions and it will be sweet!

I will. I read through the Project Frenchy thread and found it really helpful.

Are there other options for the plug? I'm having trouble finding the BP7HS locally.

Project Frenchy is awesome. Just wish they would continue their work.

So ... I got as far as putting the new piston in. Now the gaskets. The kit comes with one traditional looking base gasket and a bunch of metal ones that I can use to adjust the squish.

Should I be using the metal ones in addition to the regular one in instead of?

Also. The kit has no real head gasket, just an o-ring. Is that really all I need for a head-gasket?

Your advice is much appreciated.

My squish was ok with the regular gasket, so I don't need to worry about that part.

As for the jets...

Are there any threads detailing this process? I'm really not sure what size to start with, or even what the stock jet size is.

if you pull the old jet out, it should have the size printed on it.

The scooterworks page says it's a #74. What's a reasonable size to start with? 85?

I'm close to sea level.

Well, I was away for 4 days but after completing the the swap I had time today to take it for a spin.

Power. Improved but not the amazing transformation I was hoping for. I also ran into a situation where the scoot bogged down to the point where it would not even go up a hill. This was after a fill-up so I'm hoping it was vapor lock and not a bigger problem. A short rest seemed to fix the issue.

Plug. I'll take it for a longer run tomorrow after doing a plug chop to test the 85 jet and see if the bogging was heat related or just vapor lock.

Oil. The advice I got here and in the engine instruction manual was to add a bit of oil to the tank in order to augment the pump. If I have to mix anyway, is there a compelling reason to use the pump at all? Why not just plug the pump and mix the perfect ratio in the tank?