Let me paint you a picture...
RB225 / 34mm dellorto/ Nk road rally pipe, static AF Stator @18 deg.
Running in , done 300 miles.
Scoot going well, rode the 8 miles to the mot station on Friday, going great.. starts first kick....etc
Then......
In prep for a trip to a dyno session I filled my tank up with BP 95 petrol @ 4% Rock oil as normal...rode 0.25 miles home..
Next morning, raining hard, wet weather gear on, set off to the dyno workshop. Made it about 3/4 Mile before the scoot spluttered to an abrupt stop....like running out of fuel. Not that I've ever done that...
tried to start it again, normal resistance / compression.Stay with me, just setting the scene...
So at the side of road I check the fuel is reaching the carb.
It is.
So I check for a spark. Ouch, we have a spark.
So I strip the carb and check the float chamber, blow through the jets, watched by an old man and his dog who had a GP back in the sixties. The man not the dog.
Put it all back together, egged on by the old fella ,his mutt and his stories , I kick the scooter over.. .....
Success! It roars into life, I get on, say my goodbyes and set off down the road with a smile on my face. I'm great!!!
...for 100 yards before spluttering to a stop again.
I pushed the scooter home, in the pouring rain, sweating like a glassblower on a summers day.
After a cup of tea I set about having a better look .
I strip the carb again and blow through all the jets with compressed air.
The float chamber and needle are fine, no debris at all, clean as a whistle.
Put it all back together. Did it start? No.
Check the spark again. Is there still a spark ? Yes!
I change the spark plug for a new one. Still no joy.
I check the fuel flow. 1 pint in 40 seconds. So that's fine.
I take the plug out again and it's wet with fuel so it's getting through...
Aha - it must be electrical!
I check the stator resistance values. All spot on!
A visual inspection of the stator yielded nothing.
Just in case I take the Ducatti CDI unit, HT lead and plug cap from my other scoot and fit it.
Also checked the earth wires. Fine.
Kick it over.... Nada.
So then I started thinking about the fuel... I managed to get about a mile from the point I added the petrol.. That would be about a float chambers worth + what is in the pipe. Have I got some dodgy petroL?..mmmmmmmmm..
? That must be it ! Why didn't I think about this in the first place??? Clutching at straws now. So I drained 12 litres, swilled out the tank with fresh stuff, added a fresh litre and rock oil...kicked it over.... Zilch.So.. I'm suspecting a dodgy intermittent stator now, even though I have a spark.
What am I missing here guys ? Is it something obvious????
Oh and the house smells of petrol now and as well as having a broken scoot I'm in the dog house.
