variator problems. part 1

[Malformed]

well.. i opened up my scooter today to check the variator

its still the stock one, and all the damn fins are broken off.

there was a washer banging around in there and everything is dented and dinged up pretty badly
but it all seems to work ok.

well heres my problem...

i have a vento zip r3i
and i think the shop left out the washer between the finned pully and the tube. there isnt one there now, and im pretty sure there was on there before.
i think my variator came with a new one, but i dont have it. the mechanic didnt put it back in the box for me.

anyone with a zip r3i want to give me an accurate picture of how the variator goes back together so i can do it right?

[Malformed]

the mechanic had both wachers behind the variator.

the nut is showing signs if stripping, and the shaft is stripped past a certain point.

what a pain in the ass.

i can get it all back together, and make it rideable.
but... for how long.

ventos are crap.
ill never buy another one.
they are made with the cheapest metal i have ever seen.

[Malformed]

that new variator is very noisy.
i may just put the stock one back in with the new rollers.
see if i can get away with that, without stripping the threads even more.

[XPS1210]

unfortuantely when a mechanic does the work, you never know how and if they are capable of doing the work...

However can you prove they caused the issue? Warrenty repair from a poor mechanic install? I'd see if they will correct the problem...

The stock variator will slip when you get into the stage 2 or better...

Also the fins are needed on the finned pulley face to assist with air flow and cooling...


I think the directions said something like placing the washers behind the variator... However I have only 1 washer installed on mine and that is just before the kickstart gear... That's it...

Let us know what the outcome is...

[Malformed]

its got **** for accelleration and top speed with the new variator and rollers.

it was better with the stock variator/rollers
(i dont know why, but its the truth.)

will the clutch springs and torque spring improve the accelleration?
somehow i doubt it.
i dont like the variator that came with the stage 2 kit, its junk. noisy, loose.
i dont see how its any better than the stock one.

the mechanic is fine, its the other guy that works there that ****ed up.
left a stray washer inside the case , and it banged around and broke all the fins off.

[Lennox]

sounds like the mechanis is junk, not the Vento......... I have beat the hell out of my Zip, and it never skipped a beat.....


Give me a couple of days, and I will take some pics.........

[Malformed]

naa the vento is junk.
the frame and plastic is all fine, but all the fasteners are cheap.
every nut, screw or bolt ive removed has come out very worn and rusted.
its soft metal, strips way too easy.

the mechanic has been working on scoots over 30 years, like i said... the person that put the cover back on didnt take the time to check first to make sure there wasnt anything inside.
he is the one that ****ed it up.

which is fine, i needed a new finned variator pully anyway.

all i need to know is what the clutch and torque springs are going to do for accelleration and top speed.

if they dont give accelleration and top speed, im better off leaving the stock variator in because i didnt have any noticable slippage problem, and it ran fine.

i just need to know tonight,
im going to give the mechanic a call in the morning to tell him what to do.

[Zuma88]

sounds like you need to change you roller wieghts, also make sure you did get or they didn't get any oil or cleaning spary on the varaitor becuase that will cause the power to drop the belt to slip and the speed to lower

[XPS1210]

the clutch springs and the torque springs are used to change the RPM's that the clutch enguages...

Basically like the variator does with lower and higher weights...

The torque spring (stock) will let the clutch enguage to soon. The "stiff" one that came with the kit will allow the rpm's to be higher before it enguages...

Teh clutch springs are basically the same.... they keep the clutch pads from contacting the shoe to soon and causing a bog on the engine...

If yours works well as is... it might be bad or could be good changing them... test it and see... but remember to mark and keep everything simple to allow it to go back to stock if that ends up being best...

[Malformed]

i did change the roller weights.
im 230lbs or so, i used the 4.5 gram weights.

I changed the variator myself, not them. i didnt use any spray of any kind.

i cant keep changing the variator or rollers, its going to get stripped out and i wont beable to do anything with it.

i know how the clutch WORKS, i want to know if its going to improve acceleration or not, in combination with the variator and 4.5gram rollers.

[Zuma88]

you maybe need to make sure you put your belt on facing the right way (it dose make a diff) you'll just have to play around with the springs and rollers.

[Zuma88]

yea it will if you up the strieght of the spring it will take a higher RPM to take off but will jerk you back. my honda elite had to use the stock springs because i would smoke my clutch bell with to much horse power

[Malformed]

yea, i dont realy need to be jerked back or anything. :D
i just want to make sure that when i put on the gas, it GOES so i dont get ran over while im trying to merge into traffic. :eek:

i guess i will have to try the clutch springs and torque spring... and i will leave the new variator and rollers alone for now.

i just dont want to lose any top speed, the top speed is why i wanted to do the upgrades in the first place.
i think i lost some allready by doing the variator/rollers.

[Zuma88]

yea same here. my freakin limted edition honda elite lxj is has a high gearing then most honda elites or yamaha zumas,vinos elc, and when i was doing 30 and i crank it would take a while to get up ther. so i got me a better belt and opened up my air box.

try running you stock roller wieghts with your new varaitor.

[Malformed]

i cant, they are wore out allready. ;) they all have flat spots.

how much do the stock ones weigh? i have a bag of spares laying around.

[King Vino]

This message has been deleted by Zuma88. Reason: posted to many

Funny, I was in post edit mode to consolidate those two posts,when they already were.

[XPS1210]

Malformed:

What I was saying is that you'd need to try them on your scooter to see if there was an improvement...

Didn't mean to make it sound like I was telling how the parts worked.... but I guess I kinda did...

The answer to the question is unfortunate... Basically each scooter is different and you need to try it on your and decide which is best...

I have a zuma 04 model... I bet 99% that mine, marylandmarks and lennox's are all different on what they like as being tuned...

2-strokes are funny like that... 2 stock scooters... one does 38 the other 42... or 2 modded scooters one does 45 and the other 55 with the same exact parts..

It sucks but that's world of scootering...

Let us know which are better in the end...

[Zuma88]

Darn that $ucks, hey priv message me your step up and top speed or e-mail me it. i can be a much better help if I know a little more

[King Vino]

Tu-stroke motors are so temperamental, not only does each scooter behave differently from each other but the same scooter will act differently each day. Temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, and etc can change the way the motor acts.

The action continues in PART II (http://www.provoscooter.com/vbull/showthread.php?t=777)