Honda Elite 80 runs

My $100 Honda Elite 80 has been sitting in the driveway, naked, waiting its turn to be worked on and run. I picked it up as an afterthought while picking up a Honda Spree for a Spree racing league. It really looks like dirty hunk of junk, but I have had EXCELLENT luck with Honda engines and I had a good feeling about this one. After selling my Piaggio Typhoon 50, I have been wanting another little quick run around. 

The auto choke on the carburetor had basically disintegrated and left an open hole into the carb. I spent some time looking for a new auto choke but the ones I found on eBay specifically for the Elite 80s were pretty expensive. I wasn't sure if I could just use another one from another brand. I talked it over with my friend Steve and he suggested I just close the hole altogether. The auto choke is there to help the air fuel mix in cold weather. The only time it will ever get cold enough in Texas to actually need the auto choke to work, I will probably just stay inside anyways. I used some JB Weld and sealed the passageway. You can see the little grey blob of JB Weld there at the top. 

Here's a wider view of the engine and transmission. The starter gear is a little rusty but works. I will pull that out and clean and grease it. I put a battery in and tried to start it. The transmission didn't want to move. I thought for a bit it might be seized. I pulled the transmission case and rolled the flywheel with a socket wrench. It turned over and then moved easily with the socket. I tried it again with the starter button and the transmission began turning but it was obvious the battery didn't have enough charge to fire the starter enough to fire the engine. I put the battery on a trickle charger and pulled out the spark plug.

Using a stiff piece of wire poked down into the spark plug hole, I turned the flywheel until I could feel the piston was all the way to the bottom of the cylinder. Then using my modified funnel, I poured Marvel Mystery Oil down into the cylinder through the spark plug hole. I loosely replaced the spark plug to cap the hole. The Marvel oil loosens and disintegrates deposits on the sides of the cylinder and on the piston.

After letting the battery charge and the cylinder soak for a few hours, I removed the exhaust pipe from the scooter and held a rag over the exhaust port. I turned the flywheel and the Marvel Oil came spitting out of the exhaust. I did this until I could tell most of the oil was out. 

I replaced the exhaust, cleaned the spark plug with carb cleaner and sprayed some down into the spark plug hole and the reinstalled the plug. I sprayed a little more carb cleaner into the air intake of the carb and with the fresh battery back in, I tried starting it. It chug chugged for a bit and I gave it a bit of throttle. 

That old Honda engine fired right up and idled smoothly. There was a huge cloud of white smoke pouring from the exhaust, but like a baby crying when it's born, that's a great sign. The dissolved deposits inside the cylinder were being burnt off and blowing out as white smoke. It cleared out after a few minutes and I aired up the tires and rode it down the street. The neighbors are used to me racing up the street and back on a different scooter every other week. They just wave and nod now. Crazy white boy....