I have an 83 general 5star w/ the minarelli v1 and dellorto 14/12.- and I'm looking to increase acceleration, maybe get a little more top end. what mods would you reccomend? Any perfomance pipes? sprockets? Also if someone has them, how much? Ike? Chris? Thanks
keith
kex@ureach.com
Get the 75 cc kit It works great. If you want all out get the oversize intake and the 17 mm Amal carb on our site. It is a great combination with that kit . For the exhaust you can go with the Polini morini exhaust and slightly modify it if you have the large fan Magneto. If you have the small fan you will not need to modify it at all.
For the sprockets we have 9,10, and ll. that will fit right on or up to 14 teeth (will need to modify case if you go that large. Also have rear sprockets as well but need to know which wheels you have (3 or 4 sprocket mounting bolts)
Chris MWH
Chris has some cool ideas but that displacement kit is going to cost you. Make sure your moped is worth the investment.
Here's what I've done to the Minarelli V1 on my Cimatti City Bike:
1. Replaced the stock exhaust (which I blew up, anyway) with a Gianelli performance unit. I had to order this from a guy in Italy who has provided very good service to several people in the Moped Army. Chris claims that the Morini unit can be modified for the Minarelli engine, but I don't have any experience with it and I was personally reluctant to try it. That may or may not have been a mistake.
2. Replaced the stock 14.12 carb with a 15.15. You can get a new one from MWH, or others, but I picked up a used one from the same guy in Italy.
3. Replaced the front ten-tooth sprocket with an eleven-tooth, which is the largest that will fit on my bike. Chris is looking for an appropriate rear sprocket for me to replace the 42-tooth unit, since the change in the front wasn't large enough to make a significant difference in top speed.
4. IMPORTANT: If you make either of the first two changes, you are going to have to rejet your carb. The existing jet will almost certainly be too small, which means you'll be running too lean and risk a seizure. I'm still in the process of figuring out which jet is best for mine, but I started with a 68 and then went to a 66, 64, 62, and now a 60. I'm ordering a 58 and 59, one of which will be perfect. BTW, my setup had a 52 in it before I started all this mucking about.
Good luck!
thanks a bunch JD- your not to far away- we'll have to hook up once I finish jacking around with my ped-who is the guy you got your pipe from and how much $ did you have to lay out? I was planning on trying the polini with the 11 tooth and possibly a bigger dellorto 15/15, but I might not have money for the new carb- if anyone is selling a used one... What is you acceleration like and top speed? Thanks
keith
kex@ureach.com
My acceleration from a standing-start has never been phenomenal, but I always pedal to get the 'ped moving more quickly. I don't know what to compare it with since I don't ride other mopeds, with the exception of Fred's, which goes like a bat out of hell. Of course, he's got a continuously variable transmission (AKA "variator") which allows his bike to use a much lower drive ratio than mine when starting out.
Top speed used to be around 25 MPH. With these mods, I'm topping out at about 32-33 MPH. I know this by having Fred pace me because my own speedometer reads 6-7 MPH high (at least it was until today, when it stopped working entirely.)
I anticipate another couple of MPH as a result of putting in the right jet. The smaller rear sprocket, still to be identified, might add more but it's hard to say right now.
I'll email you directly with the info on my Italian contact.
yeah, i'd also not recommend a speed kit. they can be great, but they can also cause tons of problems.
if you just want a bit more acceleration and/or top end, then a larger carb (the dellorto 15.15) and a performance exhaust will take you a long way. after that, you can play w/ the gear ratio. but if you go up in gearing to gain top end, you lose acceleration. so just a new carb and a performance exhaust will get you to somewhere around 35-40mph i'm sure.
a speed kit will give you more top end and acceleration, but it might do terrible things to your bike. the other option is surefire. the gains won't be so impressive, but you run little to no risk of destroying an engine.
What's everyone got against kits? There are big differences between quality kits and Junk kits so please don't lump them all together. With the minarelli kit and other modifications I had mentioned you can have incredible acceleration and top speed. Without having any problems with reliability.
Chris MWH
OK, Chris, you haven't steered me wrong in the past, so let me ask you a question:
What is the warranty on the speed kit? I suspect there isn't one since too many things are beyond your control once it's sold. So let's rephrase that: Suppose I mail my engine to you and YOU install the speed kit. Is there a warranty in that situation? Is Moped Warehouse willing to put its money behind the reliability claim? If so, you may have another customer.
However, I think I'd get A LOT more bang for my buck if you could come up with that Minarelli variator you've been promising. There's plenty of horsepower in that little V1 engine, especially with the new exhaust and carb, as long as we can find a more efficient way of putting it to the ground. I have no doubt my V1 would hit 45 or 50 MPH if I geared it steep enough, but it would be horrible to ride the rest of the time due to the (lack of) acceleration. The variator would solve that problem, would it not?
And BTW, any luck finding a rear sprocket for me? And have you shipped those two jets I requested yet?
JD
part of my problem w/ kits is that too many people tend to get them too soon. by that, i mean people who aren't used to riding mopeds and/or have bikes that they recently acquired.
i think the best course is to have a moped and slowly work the kinks out of it in stock condition. i would like to be sure the engine is fine, the flywheel is working well, and that i've gotten all the performance i can get from it ... stock. then, if i want more performance, i can start working on regular mods ... and only then ... after some time troubleshooting the larger carb/muffler combo ... then go for a speed kit.
but i'm still leery of speed kits. mopeds were built to specifications for 50cc and 1-2 hp. some moped frames might not withstand the stress tolerances of more hp. also, some brakes might not hold up when braking from 50+ mph.
JD,
As you know most shops have a pretty firm "no warranty on performance parts" And basically a no warranty on any parts in my opinion.... The kits do come with a warranty against defects but it is always difficult to get warranties from manufacturers for such problems especially when the manufacturer is overseas. I do try to help out as much as possible when ever there is a problem with any parts sold by us. I do not have any type of warranty policy written in stone. I like to think that I am pretty liberal when it comes to warranties of which I usually take the hit. Not the manufacturer. The only reason I am able to take such a liberal view is by making sure the products I choose to sell are of high quality. There Are many Items that I get in that I simply don't offer for sale because I feel they will give problems so they usually end up on my personal bikes so I don't have to worry about customers having problems. Of course any work That we do We will guarantee. But again the terms are not set in stone. I could never bring myself to say "I am sorry but you only have a 30 day warranty it today is the 31st day". If I feel that a product has fallen short of its life expectancy or caused problems I will try to come through as best as possible for you.
For that variator. It is not going to be something I will be able to sell it is going on one of my personal rides. But I will try to get some pics of it real soon. (been meaning to get a lot of pictures done for the site for some time now).
Also Jets went out today 58 ad 60 though (no 59), still working on the sprocket however.
Miguel. I agree that you should make the moped perform correctly before doing any modifications to it. And the brakes suspension, Tires and such are important safety features that must be addressed before doing any modifications. As far as the engine is concerned however it is capable of withstanding much more horsepower and RPM than a stock engine so reliability in that aspect should not be a concern.
Chris MWH
oh, i agree that the engine can probably handly much more than 75cc. but i am mostly concerned w/ the brakes and frame holding together.
but i've known too many people who have gotten speed kits and then ran into problems. sure, it was often their fault. after all, people often don't want to wait for the breaking in period when they just got their speed kit.
but i'm also opposed to speed kits for abstract reasons. i like that mopeds go fairly slow. i don't think i'd want to go much faster. if i really did, i guess i'd buy a motorcycle.
Chris,
Thanks for the usual great service, but I DIDN'T NEED a #60 jet. Why? Because you sold me one a few weeks ago! It's still a little big, which is why I thought I'd try the 58 and 59.
If the 59 doesn't exist, OK, I'll just go for the 58 and keep a close eye on my plug chops. But I'll be sending the 60 back to you.
BTW, I didn't receive the usual shipping confirmation. Are you not using those anymore?
JD
Chris,
How does one "modify" the case to take a larger front sprocket? If that's not difficult, I'd just as soon go for a larger front sprocket than mess around with finding a smaller rear sprocket. And I've finally figured out how the hell to get the front sprocket off. I'd prefer to not mess around with the rear wheel if I can avoid it.
JD
I've tried the 75cc kit, the 15/15 carb and the Pollini pipe and the piece of equipment that made the most difference in all around performance was the kit. if you are afraid to take the cylinder off stick with the carb and pipe combo, it's surefire. but personally I'd just get the kit and try to be responsible about riding. break the rings in for 300 miles and ALWAYS let the engine warm up before giving it full throttle.
with these mods + 11 teeth in the front and 28 in the back I'd hit at least 45 on the flats and never had a problem with tires/brakes or the frame.
the acceleration wasn't bad either.
daveb
Thanks to everyone for their response. I would like to get a dellorto 15/15, a performance pipe, and a 11 tooth front sprocket. Any suggestions on what I should use for the back? I have the stock one in there now (I think its a 50). I don't need to up the top speed a whole lot, what the pipe does should cover that. (I currently go about 32-33, and would like to see about 35-40), but I also don't want a dragging accel. Also, what jet would you reccomend with the bigger carb and pipe upgrade? (I currently have a 52) Chris, let me know how much it would run for these things: pipe, carb, front sprocket, jet, and maybe a rear sprocket (I have the three bolt) at kex@ureach.com. I would appreciate it. Also, if anyone has any of these parts used, email me and I'll buy them. Thanks again for your input.
keith
kex@ureach.com
p.s.- I'm gonna send an email to your italian buddy JD, and see what he says, then I'll decide.
a 15.15 jet w/ a performance muffler should work great w/ a 58-60 jet. see what works best for you, but a 58-60 range should be good.
Jd,
Dont worry about sending back the 60 jet Maybe you can use it some time. I got the bulb in with it too.
Chris MWH
YOU DA MAN!
Keith,
I've a tough time believing you're really going 32-33 MPH with your current setup, ESPECIALLY with that gargantuan 50-tooth crown. Have you actually timed yourself or are you relying on the accuracy of your speedometer? You might want to take a look at the thread entitled, "Can you adjust a speedometer?" (If I do this right, you should be able to click on this link to get there:)
http://www.mopedarmy.com/forums/discuss/1/58600/58600/
I thought that I was going 34 MPH until I actually got someone to pace me with a car. It turns out that my CEV speedometer reads 6-7 reads MPH high. And since my bike uses a lot of universal parts, I suspect the problem stretches way beyond my own machine. Your General may have the same problem. Does it use a CEV speedometer?
Actually, I've been wondering for a while why my moped seems to be slower than many of the other Minarelli-powered bikes referred to on this site, and I'm beginning to suspect that everyone is placing too much trust in their speedometers.
Now that I've replaced the exhaust, the carb and the sprocket, and now finally settled down on the right jet (#58), my speedo shows a top level-ground, no wind speed of 42 MPH. Now I know I'm REALLY going 35 MPH, which was my original goal.
Thanks JD- actually, I don't have a working speedometer. I ran it on my friends zuma (it said 36) and his car (it said 32) and took the average. So I'm running somewhere between 32 and 36. I'm gonna go with angelo for my parts and I'll let you know how it goes...
ride on
keith
kex@ureach.com
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