Honda Spree and Elite 50 Forums

Bear45-70 wrote:5 mph and taking a chance on burning up the piston from too lean a fuel/air mixture, not smart modding.

motomech wrote:I've never seen a Iowa Spree that was actually registered in Iowa.
Judging by the rust on the muffler, etc., it would make sense to just go ahead and replace the main bearings and seals now. Like any 2-stroke that has been stored "open"[no plug], it will only be a matter of time til the bearings go south. It only takes the smallest amount of surface rust and they are fated. How does outside rust cause corrosion inside the motor? You logic is flawed on the bearing, but it could cause and issue with the cylinder, piston and rings, but only id the exhaust port is uncovered.
I've installed reg. Spree pipes on Iowa's and not always went up on the main jet. It's mod's on the induction side that result in dangerously lean mixtures. Your logic is also flawed here.

A note on Iowa Sprees-
Honda required the stealerships to spray paint the underside of the seat with a dot of red paint and adjust the retail price down $100 from the normal Spree.
Of course, many didn't and just sold them as regular Sprees.

Here's a story about working on an Iowa Spree that I wrote over at Scootdawg;

"In the early '80's, Honda was practically giving away their smallest scooter, the Spree. The "Iowa" Sprees, restricted by it's muffler to meet moped laws in Iowa(they must ride a lot of scooters in Iowa, I thought to myself at the time)were only $299. This was akin to putting the proverbial potato up the exh. and combined with 7-11's finest two-stroke oil, they quickly became "loaded-up" and lethargic.
My drill was to put them on their center stand near the shop exh. fan, and bungee the throttle grip wide open. Then I could walk away from it.
As I was talking to someone, I absent mindedly stepped back and knocked the now fast reving scooter off its stand.
With a quick leap, I caught it at the same time we both arrived at the shop wall. Pulling back on the grips to minimize the impact, all I did was to loft the frt. wheel. Thinking it was a billy goat, it kept trying to climb the wall, the rear tire smoking as it left deposits of rubber at the wall base.
Eventually, I managed to hit the kill switch and let it roll back down, only to receive a round of applause from the shop personal.
It took a long time to live that one down."

PolarIce wrote:Anyway.... you guys sure are getting "all excited" for my Iowa Spree.

Anyway.... you guys sure are getting "all excited" for my Iowa Spree.

motomech wrote:

PolarIce wrote:Anyway.... you guys sure are getting "all excited" for my Iowa Spree.

Gee, sorry, I didn't think a little story and some info about Iowa Sprees was Hijacking your thread.

Somebody was trying to get some more top speed by removing the thrust washer and squeezing the pulley halves together, forcing the belt to ride higher.
I'm sorta guessing here, but I think that when they tightened the securing nut, it actually hit on the splines and when they ran it, the whole thing was loose and the inner sheave wobbled into the case.
Then they added the washers so the nut would actually tighten.
Have you checked for any play on the crank bearings? Any felt movement is too much.
You really should think about replacing the bearings and seal at this point anyhow, especially since you are almost there.
It's common knowledge among tuners and engine builders that when a 2-stroke engine sits with the spark plug out, the bearings are at risk. BS, I worked marine2 strokes and you are totally full of crap on this.What happens is, as likely as not, the piston stopped at BTDC and the transfer ports are uncovered. That is contrary to physics, the piston stop on the way to TDC as the compression increases. What planet did you learn on? That leaves a direct open path to the crankcase where condensation occures. Seen it over and over during the 40 plus years I worked as a mechanic. Get the ports are usually closed and if you disassemble and engine you would know this. What 40 years of BS customers about what you don't know?
But it's your call.

motomech wrote:
Somebody was trying to get some more top speed by removing the thrust washer and squeezing the pulley halves together, forcing the belt to ride higher.
I'm sorta guessing here, but I think that when they tightened the securing nut, it actually hit on the splines and when they ran it, the whole thing was loose and the inner sheave wobbled into the case.
Then they added the washers so the nut would actually tighten.
Have you checked for any play on the crank bearings? Any felt movement is too much.
You really should think about replacing the bearings and seal at this point anyhow, especially since you are almost there.
It's common knowledge among tuners and engine builders that when a 2-stroke engine sits with the spark plug out, the bearings are at risk. What happens is, as likely as not, the piston stopped at BTDC and the transfer ports are uncovered. That leaves a direct open path to the crankcase where condensation occures. Seen it over and over during the 40 plus years I worked as a mechanic.
But it's your call.