Hey fellas.
The girlfriend bought herself a cool little scoot.
A 1983 Honda Aero 80. The NH80.
We scored it off Craigslist for $500, which I personally thought was a good deal for a rare, retro/vintage Honda scooter, in decent running shape.

So, I am planning on piece by piece, little by little, basically rebuilding this thing.
This is where you guys come in!
I believe my first order of business should be the carb. I rode it back from the sellers to my girlfriends place last night, the little scoot wouldn't really go past 25mph. However at one point, for a stretch of a few minutes, it blasted up past 40mph. So I know its got some guts, they're probably just in dire need of cleaning. Along with rebuilding the carb, I suppose I should replace the fuel filter, fuel lines, and maybe the oil line? (It is a 2 stroke after all!)
But.... I've never rebuilt a carb before... any advice? It can't be that hard, and I am somewhat mechanically inclined, and have a decent tool chest...
So after I run through those fuel components, what do you guys recommend? The thing is belt driven, I believe, so should that part be replaced?
chime in, let me know what you think, what you would do... especially if you have experience with a Honda scooter from that era. Or any 2 stroke experience/advice... this is my first small project of the sort, and I'm excited but want to do it correctly and not get myself in over my head.:feedback:http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f262/amir_zwara/Aero80.jpg

I love seeing you all geared up on that scoot..LOL

I have the same Joe Rocket jacket in Power Ranger Yellow!

And for $500, I would be tempted to get one and work on it myself. Hope you have fun with it!

My advice is to get a service manual. Also 2 cycle engines are the easiest to work on. Unfortunately they are the easiest to mess up if the fuel mixture is wrong.

You picked a good project. Have fun. A good source for parts is below.

Maloy

http://www.clevelandscooters.com/

Be gentle with the screws as you disassemble the carb, they can be soft, and strip easily. Part of the problem with carbs after they've sat for awhile, the screws seem to bond real tight & are a bitch to get out. An impact driver works well. Take your time, and lay each piece out in order as you remove them. Jets are the critical thing, they plug up over time. Oh, and float height.

Don't forget, google is your friend. Somebody somewhere has done this before, and hopefully put it on the web. It may not be your exact carb, but sometimes close enough helps tremendously.

I would also recommend taking lots of digital pictures before and during dissassembly. Might make re-assembly less troublesome.

My advice is to get a service manual. Also 2 cycle engines are the easiest to work on. Unfortunately they are the easiest to mess up if the fuel mixture is wrong.

You picked a good project. Have fun. A good source for parts is below.

Maloy

http://www.clevelandscooters.com/


Service manual $30 online.... will definitely pick it up.. however it is the Honda one, I can't find the clymer, etc.... will the Honda one be harder to go by? Is it written for trained mechanics, or everyday schmucks like myself?
Lucky for me, the oil and gas mix internally, it's got a little tank for each.

I would also recommend taking lots of digital pictures before and during disassembly. Might make re-assembly less troublesome.

Great idea!
Can't say how many times I've taken things apart and upon reassembly I've had a screw or clip or whatever left over.... so that should help for sure!

Hey fellas!
So my girlfriend bought herself a cool new toy last night!
A 1983 Honda Aero 80 Scoot! The NH80.
We scored it off Craigslist for $500, which I personally thought was a good deal for a rare, retro/vintage Honda scooter, in decent running shape.

So, I am planning on piece by piece, little by little, basically rebuilding this thing.
This is where you guys come in!
I believe my first order of business should be the carb. I rode it back from the sellers to my girlfriends place last night, the little scoot wouldn't really go past 25mph. However at one point, for a stretch of a few minutes, it blasted up past 40mph. So I know it's got some guts, they're probably just in dire need of cleaning. Along with rebuilding the carb, I suppose I should replace the fuel filter, fuel lines, maybe oil line? (It is a 2 stroke after all!)
But.... I've never rebuilt a carb before... any advice? It can't be that hard, and I am somewhat mechanically inclined, and have a decent tool chest...
So after I run through those fuel components, what do you guys recommend? The thing is belt driven, I believe, so should at part be replaced (much like a chain?)....
chime in, let me know what you think, what you would do... especially if you have experience with a Honda scooter from that era. Or any 2 stroke experience/advice... this is my first small project of the sort, and I excited but want to do it correctly and not get myself in over my head.:feedback:http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f262/amir_zwara/Aero80.jpg

After getting the carb sorted out and the scooter running right, I would replace the tires. Bets are they are original and not real safe...

Ok, so I started digging into this sucker last night. Took all the plastics off, and just looked over the engine. Really simple setup. Tiniest damn carburetor I've ever seen!

I have on order the crab rebuild kit.
It includes all the new gaskets, and jets. The main jet is even a little bit larger than the stock, which is a highly suggested upgrade by several sites dedicated to the Aero. It's supposed to help give it a little more top end and stop the throttle from cutting out at about 3/4 turn through, which is something I noticed the first time I rode it around.
The carb kit does not include a new float set. I have not gotten into the carb yet so I don't know what condition the float is in, but is the float something I should be doing while I'm in there?

I also have on order all new filters, a spark plug, and some cool looking Michelin tires. I figured I'd do all that, change all the fluids, then take it from there.

Just some internet stuff for your GF Honda. Hope its of some assistance to you.

http://www3.telus.net/MyScoot/aero80.html

:goodluck:on your restoration work.

:cheers:

If the carb float is of the hollow brass variety it is probably re-useable. If it is a phenolic type it probably needs to be replaced. Regardless, unless a replacement float is outrageously expensive, you might just as well put in a new one while you've got the thing apart.