By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Danny_Ashton]Danny Ashton
In some markets, the new Skipper is also available in the LTX 150cc version.
A well-known name for a completely new scooter. In fact the original Skipper was developed from the first "Sfera" scooter family and retained the same lines, technical content and dimensions.
The new Skipper is the result of a specific project, introducing a really innovative design and a definite leap forward in terms of technical content.
Compact and aggressive, the new Skipper is the perfect scooter for moving around town. It leaves the rest of the traffic standing while parking problems are zero.
But Skipper is also the ideal travelling companion for quick trips and medium-to-long journeys -- either alone or with a passenger -- thanks to the qualities of its engine. Dynamic performance, safety and freedom from uncertainties are guaranteed by the frame. And the slight increase in dimensions together with the new design mean that no compromise has been made in terms of ergonomics and comfort.
Today, Skipper's 2-stroke air-cooled engines give outstanding levels of performance: 14 bhp (10.3 kW) with a top speed of 102 km/h for Skipper LX, and 16.5 bhp (12.1 kW) with a top speed of 107 km/h for Skipper LXT.
The Skipper LX 125 can also be driven by those who only have a car driving license.
Compared with to the previous model, Skipper's new engines are marked by increased power and performance, in terms of acceleration as well as top speed.
These engines are fitted with a CVT automatic transmission gearbox that has revised gear ratios, capable of handling the power of the new Skipper's engines even in the typical urban prolonged "stop-and-go" situations.
The new standard capacitive discharge electronic ignition control (that doesn't require maintenance), separate petrol-oil mixing and electric start -- however there is also a kick-start -- complete the engine features.
The Skipper's weight -- a mere 105 kg kerb weight for both the 125 and the 150cc version -- is 30% lower than competitive vehicles of similar size and performance. This factor contributes significantly to the agility and handleability of the new scooter.
With its sleek, clean-lined design, the new Skipper stands out thanks to its aerodynamic body, emphasised by the "arrow-like" line running from the base of the front shield, continuing through the central tunnel area and finishing up along the flanks and rear tail end.
Seen from the front, the generously sized front shield is enhanced by the broad band of the front lighting cluster. This includes a polyelliptical-type dipped beam and a complex-surface full beam -- both fitted with 55 + 55 W halogen bulbs -- together with direction indicators.
The handlebar area features two extremely practical hand protectors that are an integral part of the bodywork. These offer high-level protection from the wind and cold while also reducing turbulence. And in addition there's a really well-equipped instrument panel that enables all of the vehicle's main functions to be kept under control.
In fact the instrument panel has a rev counter, mileometer, dipped and full-beam indicators, flashing indicators, voltmeter, battery charge indicator, fuel level and fuel reserve indicators, direction indicators, oil reserve indicator and a digital clock with date.
The handlebar controls have a new design -- "soft", both in terms of shape and materials -- with a particularly pleasant feel and include the passing control.
The Skipper's personality is emphasised by the chromatic effect generated by the combination of coloured plastic body sections and dark grey coloured techno-polymer elements together with the matt-finished luggage rack, incorporating hand grips for increased passenger safety.
The appearance of the "back-end" is further enhanced by the large rear lighting cluster.
Also the generous saddle is two-coloured and can comfortably seat both driver and passenger. Extractable metal footrests are provided for the passenger, connected to the chassis by means of steel supports that retract into the footrest board when only the driver is present.
The frame features a completely redesigned chassis that offers superb torsion and flexion resistance. This means constant safe performance whether in urban traffic or on fast trips, and even with a sporty driving style.
The 12-inch wheels are also new (the original Skipper had 10-inch wheels). They are manufactured using die-cast aluminium alloy and are equipped with low-profile tubelefor sale, landlord services such as eviction packages, same day accountantfor sale, landlord services such as eviction packages, same day accountant and a 140 mm diameter rear drum brake.
Skipper is also decidedly comfortable from the load transport standpoint: the compartment beneath the two-seater saddle is particularly spacious and among other things can hold an integral crash helmet.
Standard equipment on the new Piaggio scooter includes a lockable storage compartment in the central tunnel and also a practical bag hook on the inside of the front shield.
The Skipper's LX and LXT colour range includes Sun Yellow and Black (pastel colours), Pamplona Red, Cloud Blue (metallic) and Slate Grey (iridescent).
Options available include colour-matched top box, windshield, hood and electronic anti-theft device. [http://modvespa.com] Mini Motor scooter [http://modvespa.com] Gas scooter
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Friday, August 31, 2007
Troubleshooting a PIAA Driving Light Electrical Issue
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Beau_Wiley]Beau Wiley
PROBLEM:
I need a little advice. I have the PIAA lights installed and they worked fine for a year. Now they blow the inline fuse every time I turn them on. I unmounted the PIAA lights from the highway bar and now the fuse no longer blows out. I put a voltmeter on the hanging PIAA light metal casing while they are on and the voltmeter reads 12V. Ouch, I look inside one of the PIAA lights and they are internally grounded to a screw inside the casing.
Since I can read 12V while touching the casing of the lights, does this mean their is bare metal touching the hot wire or does it mean my ground is bad?
This is happening on two separate Kingpins that have these PIAAs installed.
I checked the draw when the lights are on and not mounted to the metal highway bars. It is low. I am able to use a 15 amp fuse without it blowing. These lights suggest a 30amp, so that is good news.
If you have any tips on what is causing this, please let me know. I am guessing I have a bad ground since the wiring inside and outside the lights looks good with no exposed wires.
With both bulbs removed and the PIAA casings attached to the bike, no blown fuse. And my other set of smaller halogens driving lights stay on.
I will replace the bulbs.
SOLUTION:
I replaced the bulb and still had the short. Not one to give up I disasembled the PIAA light. Since the outside PIAA casing was still reading 12Volts I new that something internal to the light was not being grounded correctly. On one of the PIAAs I reasembled step by step, checking for the short as I went. I got the the last screw that holds on the front casing with the lense and checked. The fuse bew. Ok, the screw is contacting the internatl lighting component. The insulation must have worn out. So I put a thin piece of rubber over the hole and then reattached the bolt. This solved the problem on the left PIAA. The outside casing now read 0 volts.
The right casing was a little different. It was shorting out without even attaching the screws. So I took this apart and reassembled. This fixed the problem and the right PIAA casing now reads 0 Volts and no more shorts on the 30 Amp in-line fuse.
I think I sacrificed 50 fuses to resolve this and bought $80 replacement PIAA bulbs that I most likely did not need. Now I have some spares.
I know this situation is occurring on another Kingpin and I bet it is the same issue where the internal gorunding of the PIAA has been compromised through age.
Contributing author to the Victory Custom shop -- Cycle Solutions http://www.CycleSolutions.net
and the Victory Kingpin Cruiser Enthusiast site http://www.KingpinCruisers.net
PROBLEM:
I need a little advice. I have the PIAA lights installed and they worked fine for a year. Now they blow the inline fuse every time I turn them on. I unmounted the PIAA lights from the highway bar and now the fuse no longer blows out. I put a voltmeter on the hanging PIAA light metal casing while they are on and the voltmeter reads 12V. Ouch, I look inside one of the PIAA lights and they are internally grounded to a screw inside the casing.
Since I can read 12V while touching the casing of the lights, does this mean their is bare metal touching the hot wire or does it mean my ground is bad?
This is happening on two separate Kingpins that have these PIAAs installed.
I checked the draw when the lights are on and not mounted to the metal highway bars. It is low. I am able to use a 15 amp fuse without it blowing. These lights suggest a 30amp, so that is good news.
If you have any tips on what is causing this, please let me know. I am guessing I have a bad ground since the wiring inside and outside the lights looks good with no exposed wires.
With both bulbs removed and the PIAA casings attached to the bike, no blown fuse. And my other set of smaller halogens driving lights stay on.
I will replace the bulbs.
SOLUTION:
I replaced the bulb and still had the short. Not one to give up I disasembled the PIAA light. Since the outside PIAA casing was still reading 12Volts I new that something internal to the light was not being grounded correctly. On one of the PIAAs I reasembled step by step, checking for the short as I went. I got the the last screw that holds on the front casing with the lense and checked. The fuse bew. Ok, the screw is contacting the internatl lighting component. The insulation must have worn out. So I put a thin piece of rubber over the hole and then reattached the bolt. This solved the problem on the left PIAA. The outside casing now read 0 volts.
The right casing was a little different. It was shorting out without even attaching the screws. So I took this apart and reassembled. This fixed the problem and the right PIAA casing now reads 0 Volts and no more shorts on the 30 Amp in-line fuse.
I think I sacrificed 50 fuses to resolve this and bought $80 replacement PIAA bulbs that I most likely did not need. Now I have some spares.
I know this situation is occurring on another Kingpin and I bet it is the same issue where the internal gorunding of the PIAA has been compromised through age.
Contributing author to the Victory Custom shop -- Cycle Solutions http://www.CycleSolutions.net
and the Victory Kingpin Cruiser Enthusiast site http://www.KingpinCruisers.net
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Cycle Nuts
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Darlene_Snyder]Darlene Snyder
Ok, I will admit it; my husband and I temporarily lost our minds. Before judging us though, I want you to consider the whole story. We were in our late forties, our only child blissfully married and on his own. Maybe we were going through a mid-life crisis, or that empty nest syndrome, I am not sure what you would call it. We decided to purchase a motorcycle. Actually, we traded a boat for one.
The desire to ride started slowly. We began by just hopping onto the motorcycle and taking short rides around the local countryside. We gradually progressed to riding further away and staying out longer. Because the Honda was so small and did not have a backrest, I started whining. "Mike, if we are going to ride very often, we are going to have to purchase something larger. This motorcycle is killing my back. I want a bigger one."
He agreed and we began our quest for a larger motorcycle. A man whom we knew personally had one for sale. On the very day of my whining, we went to visit Mr. Calico, after checking it out and eventually taking the motorcycle for a spin, we bought the Yamaha 1300. This was about the precise time that we witnessed a minor change in our children, Eric and April. April is actually our daughter-in-law, but I refer to both as our children. They took on the role of concerned parents; mocking the manner in which we grilled them when they left to go anywhere. "Where are you going? When will you return? Be careful, call us when you stop so we will know you are all right. Let us know when you get there."
Thus was the routine before we left to go riding. If we failed to phone, there were explanations and excuses to make later. There are a few things different from when we rode motorcycle as teenagers. First, getting on and off the motorcycle is certainly not the same. My arthritic, paunch body does not afford me an opportunity for a graceful exit off the bike. I can step up, swing my leg over, and get on ok, but practically every time I get off, I just about break my neck. I struggle with raising my leg high enough to be graceful and generally will hop as I try to extract my leg. I am quite sure onlookers have laughed at me.
Another disparity between riding when I was younger compared to the present time, is back then I had to have plenty of clothing on or else I would get cold, even on a sunny day. Now though the hot flashes take care of that little problem! One more difference is apparently our decision-making ability has flawed with age. Take this explanation as evidence.
Scheduled to go to a weekend conference in Bowling Green Kentucky, which was roughly three hours away from where we reside, we elected to make the excursion on our motorcycle. If I packed lightly, we would have ample room for our small overnight bags. The week before our journey, we tuned in to the local weather stations periodically to track the weekend weather forecast. Our local forecasters called for stormy weather but the prediction for Western Kentucky was for storms to be of the hit and miss variety with mostly sunny skies. Remind me not to rely on weather forecasts in the future.
We were resolved to make this journey on two wheels. After promising our children, we would be fine and after accepting our expected instructions and directive to phone them when we arrived at our hotel, we were on our way. The beginning of the excursion was nice enough, but as we proceeded on, we began to observe the formation of the menacing sky very closely. We believed we were traveling in advance of the storms when in fact we headed straight towards them.
The Cumberland Parkway appeared all but deserted as the winds picked up and the rain started to bounce off our helmets. Luckily, we donned water resistant jogging suits or we would have been soaked. As it was, the rainfall was not the predominant issue. Mike had to wrestle hard against the wind to hold the 1300-pound motorcycle in the highway and upright. We could occasionally see the trees bend from the force of the wind.
Mike pointed to the sign indicating that we were going to take that exit. As the wind blew harder and the downpour persisted, He continued to concentrate on keeping the cycle upright. Suddenly, I began to wave my hands and arms in front of Mike pointing to a tree, which had fallen across the parkway. He had not seen it; luckily, I had. He was able to maneuver around it. Our exit was just in front of us and we were able to make it to McDonalds where we stopped to wait out the intense storm.
We took off our helmets, moved inside, and phoned our children, as good parents should. We expressed to them we were fine, excluding the graphic details of our nerve-racking journey. We downed several cups of hot chocolate as we waited out the storm. Eventually we made the impending decision to get back on the highway. The rainfall halted and the wind receded. As we moved out of the parking lot, pointing to the sky I said, "The lightning concerns me practically as much as the wind did. Maybe we should remain here a little longer." Shaking his head in the negative, we continued toward Bowling Green. A cold rain began to fall once more. I constantly looked toward the sky, frequently seeing the lightning dance all around us. I thought about what I had heard about rubber tires keeping the lightning from striking. I sure hoped this implied motorcycles too. I felt exposed and unprotected. The only thing between the lightning and me was my helmet. That was not reassuring.
The stars were out in full force; actually, it was a beautiful night. The lightning was high in the magnificent sky and did not seem to be striking anything. It was playing across the sky instead of aiming down towards the earth. That was the only consolation I had. I previously had a relationship with the Lord, but before the evening was over, I had an intimate, up close and personal relationship with Him. I sure did a lot of praying that seemingly endless night.
Now, do you understand what I mean about losing our minds? Is it a normal thing for 50-year old mature adults to behave in such a way? We didn't make good decisions but maybe when we get older we will. For now, we are continuing to enjoy our motorcycle rides. Thankfully, our children have eased up some too. I realize motorcycles are not for everyone. However, if you are fifty, don't live like life is over, live life as if it were just beginning. Actually, it is just beginning.
Darlene has articles published in the Outlook magazine, a feature article in the Kentucky Monthly with one of her scenery photographs chosen as the cover of the June 2007 issue. A short story was published in The Storyteller. On Mission, Working Nurse and Hopekeepers magazine, all have purchased or accepted articles for future publication. A Christmas story she wrote was published in an anthology titled I'll be Home for Christmas. She writes part time from her home in Central Kentucky. She has been married for thirty-two years to the only man she has ever loved. She has one child, a son who is married.
Ok, I will admit it; my husband and I temporarily lost our minds. Before judging us though, I want you to consider the whole story. We were in our late forties, our only child blissfully married and on his own. Maybe we were going through a mid-life crisis, or that empty nest syndrome, I am not sure what you would call it. We decided to purchase a motorcycle. Actually, we traded a boat for one.
The desire to ride started slowly. We began by just hopping onto the motorcycle and taking short rides around the local countryside. We gradually progressed to riding further away and staying out longer. Because the Honda was so small and did not have a backrest, I started whining. "Mike, if we are going to ride very often, we are going to have to purchase something larger. This motorcycle is killing my back. I want a bigger one."
He agreed and we began our quest for a larger motorcycle. A man whom we knew personally had one for sale. On the very day of my whining, we went to visit Mr. Calico, after checking it out and eventually taking the motorcycle for a spin, we bought the Yamaha 1300. This was about the precise time that we witnessed a minor change in our children, Eric and April. April is actually our daughter-in-law, but I refer to both as our children. They took on the role of concerned parents; mocking the manner in which we grilled them when they left to go anywhere. "Where are you going? When will you return? Be careful, call us when you stop so we will know you are all right. Let us know when you get there."
Thus was the routine before we left to go riding. If we failed to phone, there were explanations and excuses to make later. There are a few things different from when we rode motorcycle as teenagers. First, getting on and off the motorcycle is certainly not the same. My arthritic, paunch body does not afford me an opportunity for a graceful exit off the bike. I can step up, swing my leg over, and get on ok, but practically every time I get off, I just about break my neck. I struggle with raising my leg high enough to be graceful and generally will hop as I try to extract my leg. I am quite sure onlookers have laughed at me.
Another disparity between riding when I was younger compared to the present time, is back then I had to have plenty of clothing on or else I would get cold, even on a sunny day. Now though the hot flashes take care of that little problem! One more difference is apparently our decision-making ability has flawed with age. Take this explanation as evidence.
Scheduled to go to a weekend conference in Bowling Green Kentucky, which was roughly three hours away from where we reside, we elected to make the excursion on our motorcycle. If I packed lightly, we would have ample room for our small overnight bags. The week before our journey, we tuned in to the local weather stations periodically to track the weekend weather forecast. Our local forecasters called for stormy weather but the prediction for Western Kentucky was for storms to be of the hit and miss variety with mostly sunny skies. Remind me not to rely on weather forecasts in the future.
We were resolved to make this journey on two wheels. After promising our children, we would be fine and after accepting our expected instructions and directive to phone them when we arrived at our hotel, we were on our way. The beginning of the excursion was nice enough, but as we proceeded on, we began to observe the formation of the menacing sky very closely. We believed we were traveling in advance of the storms when in fact we headed straight towards them.
The Cumberland Parkway appeared all but deserted as the winds picked up and the rain started to bounce off our helmets. Luckily, we donned water resistant jogging suits or we would have been soaked. As it was, the rainfall was not the predominant issue. Mike had to wrestle hard against the wind to hold the 1300-pound motorcycle in the highway and upright. We could occasionally see the trees bend from the force of the wind.
Mike pointed to the sign indicating that we were going to take that exit. As the wind blew harder and the downpour persisted, He continued to concentrate on keeping the cycle upright. Suddenly, I began to wave my hands and arms in front of Mike pointing to a tree, which had fallen across the parkway. He had not seen it; luckily, I had. He was able to maneuver around it. Our exit was just in front of us and we were able to make it to McDonalds where we stopped to wait out the intense storm.
We took off our helmets, moved inside, and phoned our children, as good parents should. We expressed to them we were fine, excluding the graphic details of our nerve-racking journey. We downed several cups of hot chocolate as we waited out the storm. Eventually we made the impending decision to get back on the highway. The rainfall halted and the wind receded. As we moved out of the parking lot, pointing to the sky I said, "The lightning concerns me practically as much as the wind did. Maybe we should remain here a little longer." Shaking his head in the negative, we continued toward Bowling Green. A cold rain began to fall once more. I constantly looked toward the sky, frequently seeing the lightning dance all around us. I thought about what I had heard about rubber tires keeping the lightning from striking. I sure hoped this implied motorcycles too. I felt exposed and unprotected. The only thing between the lightning and me was my helmet. That was not reassuring.
The stars were out in full force; actually, it was a beautiful night. The lightning was high in the magnificent sky and did not seem to be striking anything. It was playing across the sky instead of aiming down towards the earth. That was the only consolation I had. I previously had a relationship with the Lord, but before the evening was over, I had an intimate, up close and personal relationship with Him. I sure did a lot of praying that seemingly endless night.
Now, do you understand what I mean about losing our minds? Is it a normal thing for 50-year old mature adults to behave in such a way? We didn't make good decisions but maybe when we get older we will. For now, we are continuing to enjoy our motorcycle rides. Thankfully, our children have eased up some too. I realize motorcycles are not for everyone. However, if you are fifty, don't live like life is over, live life as if it were just beginning. Actually, it is just beginning.
Darlene has articles published in the Outlook magazine, a feature article in the Kentucky Monthly with one of her scenery photographs chosen as the cover of the June 2007 issue. A short story was published in The Storyteller. On Mission, Working Nurse and Hopekeepers magazine, all have purchased or accepted articles for future publication. A Christmas story she wrote was published in an anthology titled I'll be Home for Christmas. She writes part time from her home in Central Kentucky. She has been married for thirty-two years to the only man she has ever loved. She has one child, a son who is married.
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