Id10t 03:59, 30 January 2008 (UTC)
Scooter_Libby is based off of an Evo 2x. It is the first scooter I ever owned. The purpose of this project is to push a scooter over 50mph while still keeping it quieter than any other scooter. This will involve some visually displeasing compromises, a custom reed porting and disc brake modifications. The purpose of this project is not to create an aesthetically pleasing scooter, but rather to create a practical performer.
The name "Scooter Libbey" is somewhat arbitrary. Scooter Libbey was an unsavory lackey of the G. W. Bush administration who basically stole from and lied to the American people only to get out of jail for free. Although the individual with the name Scooter has nothing to do with this Evo 2x, I still felt it sufficient--so here we are.
Gallery[]
The simple stuff[]
The first thing I needed to do with this scooter was to bring it to better-than-new working order. In order to do this I performed a full modification of the transmission which included the replacement of the bearings with high-performance sealed ones. I also cleaned and re-greased the front suspension.
Making Libby shut up[]
The Exhaust. The Active 50 engine coupled with the Puzey power pipe is actually quite a quiet setup as far as scooters go. Adding the stock muffler to the end of the pipe also decreases the sound produced dramatically, but also has an effect on top speed. Through Magician I was able to secure a much larger muffler with a wider stinger. Theoretically, this should help the exhaust get out faster at high RPMs. To my delight, the larger muffler actually made the engine run quieter.
The Intake. When I bought the scooter, the previous owner had generously sent the ugliest "HP" air filter I had ever seen along with it, but excluded the nice, quiet and effective stock air filter. I was lucky enough to pick an extra one of these up a later deal when I got my hands on another two active engines. I have no idea what everyone has against these air filters. You wouldn't believe how quiet they are.
Making Libby stop[]
See the short video here.
Bike rotors and calipers.Any time you make something faster, you need to make it able to stop more quickly. I decided to add some industrial standard(IS) mechanical disc brakes in place of the poor Evo brakes. I was able to purchase a set of Tektro brakes and some special 140mm rotors for less than $100. The difficulty came when it was time to mount the rotors to the 2x's wheels.
The 2x uses a non-standard mounting patter (for whatever reason) and requires an adapter in order to mount IS rotors. Luckily, my friend TBuck had an idea. With a little eyeing up and marking of an adapter he had, he was able to make me an couple adapters out of some very large washers. Although it isn't pretty, the process resulted in a perfect fit.
The result of the conversion is fantastic! Not only do I have more stopping power, but I also have more control over how much stopping power I am applying to the wheel. A lot of people fear stronger brakes thinking they will throw you over the handle-bars. I assure you, getting more powerful brakes has quite the opposite effect. The scooter is simply easier to control.
Avid Speed Dial SL lever
Better levers. I decided to replace the stock Evo levers mainly because of their short cord pulls. In order to apply full pressure to the brake, I needed to squeeze the lever all of the way back to the handlebars.
I picked up a pair of Avid Speed Dial SL levers[1] since they had an adjustment which would let me dial in how far I wanted the cord in the cable to move when I squeezed the handle. The results were impressive. I'd recommend anyone switch out their stock levers. Even the most inexpensive bike levers make a significant difference in your stopping power.
Making Libby go faster[]
Active 50 with the Boxer reed
Reed Porting. After asking around and looking at the ADA reeded headkit I came across AllenG. After a quick discussion about logistics and pricing, I sent my engine over to him for port work and the fitting of a high-performance Boxer reed.
18t gear
21t gear
23t gear
Gearing. I'm only 155 lbs., so the scooter with the stock(18T) gearing was greatly over-powered. the first thing I did was switch to a 21T gear. With this simple modification and a good tuck, I was already going 41 mph on the river flats.
Now that the engine was reed ported, I needed to take advantage of the huge increase in low-end-torque. I was lucky to come across User:VTach when he was planning to cut a few 23T that would clamp onto the 2x's output shaft.
References[]