1984 Honda Aero 80 new performance problems

[Fainspawn]

I'll try and keep this short and sweet.

As some of you know, I recently bought a NH80 and starting painting it. I had hoped to post pics of my completed project soon thereafter, but decided to take it to a local motorcycle and scooter shop first, just to have it given a little tune-up for some minor issues I was having. (tighten brakes, clean lines, make sure the basics were covered, etc..) It was running fairly well when I dropped it off....... Sigh.

The mechanic said it needed a new belt and rollers. Fine. We ordered parts from Honda and replaced. Now, it's riding a whole lot worse than before. I'm not a technical or mechanical guy when it comes to bikes and scooters, so please bare with me on my explanations.

The most obvious thing for me is the sound. It's not as loud as it was before, even when idling. It's got a fairly low pitch now, whereas before, it sounded a whole lot more like a weedeater. (which from what I understand makes perfect sense for a 2-stroke).

It doesn't have as much acceleration off the line, and it has little to no pickup after. Before taking it in for service, I could get it up to about 40, and cruise at about 35 no problem. There was also pretty good acceleration at any time. Now, I have to constantly manipulate the throttle up and down to get it close to 30mph. It was never great with going up hills before, but now it can barely make it at all. If I open the throttle all the way at any time, it will stall. (it did this a little bit before as well, but now it's worse).

So those are my basic symptoms. My mechanic now seems baffled at what is causing it to run worse than before I brought it in, and now I'm concerned on what it's gonna take to fix it. Hindsight is 20/20, and I wish I had never taken it in, but there's no use in that now. The mechanic is in it until we fix it. Basically, I'm looking for any guidance for what to look at or where I should start with him. Yes, we have the service manual and we're looking at that.

He's replaced belt and rollers, spark plug and oil. He wants to take apart the carb next and clean it. I'm concerned that he's gonna dig too deep, and it'll end up not running at all.

Aside from "You should never taken your scooter to that shop" or "Go pick it up and fix it yourself", does anyone have any advice for what things we should really be looking at or focusing on based upon all of the symptoms and descriptions above? Thanks in advance to anyone willing to help. I realize that there's not an easy answer, but maybe my description might give someone some ideas based on past experiences.

[Dio89Elite]

Can you get more info on the replacement parts used?
What kind of belt? stock #?
What are the weights of the rollers? the old and the new?

This info should be helpful to help with diagnosis and/or (hopeful) solution.

Keep you chin up, it's still running!

Was there anything else that the mechanic did?

[indetrucks]

I experienced the same symptoms after I replaced the belt and clutch shoes with factory Honda stuff.
Slower acceleration

Maybe the more meat on the shoes makes em heavier, thus the centrifugal force not spreading them apart as quickly into the bell?

Who knows

[Bear45-70]

When he replaced the rollers, did he install them dry after cleaning all the grease out or did he regrease them?

The poor performance could be from and air leak on the intake side.

Did he screw around with the bystarter hoses?

[Fainspawn]

Can you get more info on the replacement parts used?
What kind of belt? stock #?
What are the weights of the rollers? the old and the new?

This info should be helpful to help with diagnosis and/or (hopeful) solution.

Keep you chin up, it's still running!

Was there anything else that the mechanic did?

Thanks Dio. I appreciate your comments. It's already turning into some sort of nightmare. I called to ask about part numbers used, and I don't feel like I got a straight answer. He said they use a different supplier, and the supplier uses Honda parts, but places their own part number on it. (please don't tell me I'm getting screwed here!)

Anyway, he says the part numbers are for:

22123-GC8-305
23100-GC8-004

I don't know what the old roller weight was, but all he could tell me is that the replacement ones are "stock" weight. :/ Not getting a straight answer certainly doesn't help me or anyone else. I think the mechanic is getting a bit defensive. Anyway, I appreciate any help you guys can provide. I do think they genuinely want to do a good job and fix it, but I don't think they've ever worked on this exact model before, and they may not know what to look for.

[Bear45-70]

Thanks Dio. I appreciate your comments. It's already turning into some sort of nightmare. I called to ask about part numbers used, and I don't feel like I got a straight answer. He said they use a different supplier, and the supplier uses Honda parts, but places their own part number on it. (please don't tell me I'm getting screwed here!)

Anyway, he says the part numbers are for:

22123-GC8-305 Stock rollers and they weight 17 grams
23100-GC8-004 Stock belt

I don't know what the old roller weight was, but all he could tell me is that the replacement ones are "stock" weight. :/ Not getting a straight answer certainly doesn't help me or anyone else. I think the mechanic is getting a bit defensive. Anyway, I appreciate any help you guys can provide. I do think they genuinely want to do a good job and fix it, but I don't think they've ever worked on this exact model before, and they may not know what to look for.

[Fainspawn]

When he replaced the rollers, did he install them dry after cleaning all the grease out or did he regrease them?

The poor performance could be from and air leak on the intake side.

Did he screw around with the bystarter hoses?

Thanks Bear. Just left a message and asked them. Although, I wander if they'd be willing to admit to me anything they might have done that would have caused the problem.

He also said that the fuel filter is not "closing" and that fuel is getting through even when it is off (I don't fully understand how that would work)? How much impact would having the wrong fuel filter on it have? It's got a brand new one on it that doesn't look exactly like the previous one.

[Bear45-70]

Thanks Bear. Just left a message and asked them. Although, I wander if they'd be willing to admit to me anything they might have done that would have caused the problem.

He also said that the fuel filter is not "closing" and that fuel is getting through even when it is off (I don't fully understand how that would work)? How much impact would having the wrong fuel filter on it have? It's got a brand new one on it that doesn't look exactly like the previous one.

A bad petcock should not cause your issue. However the wrong fuel filter sure as * could. I suggest you use a Honda filter

FILTER, FUEL 16910-GB2-900

It is the one also used on the Aero 125 and will flow more than enough fuel.

Also have the fuel and vacuum lines been replaced? The old line are known for falling apart inside and screwing things up. If not they need to be. I prefer clean lines so you can see what is going on inside them.

[Fainspawn]

When he replaced the rollers, did he install them dry after cleaning all the grease out or did he regrease them?

The poor performance could be from and air leak on the intake side.

Did he screw around with the bystarter hoses?

Mechanic says: He was told not to re-grease by a Honda certified mechanic so he did not. He found no air leaks. He did not screw with the hoses.

[Bear45-70]

When he replaced the rollers, did he install them dry after cleaning all the grease out or did he regrease them?

The poor performance could be from and air leak on the intake side.

Did he screw around with the bystarter hoses?

Mechanic says: He was told not to re-grease by a Honda certified mechanic so he did not. He found no air leaks. He did not screw with the hoses.

The mechanic did right on the no grease thing. REPLACE the fuel and vacuum hoses NOW. Then recheck the carb for pieces of hose in it, especially the inlet to the needle and seat.

[Fainspawn]

When he replaced the rollers, did he install them dry after cleaning all the grease out or did he regrease them?

The poor performance could be from and air leak on the intake side.

Did he screw around with the bystarter hoses?

Mechanic says: He was told not to re-grease by a Honda certified mechanic so he did not. He found no air leaks. He did not screw with the hoses.

The mechanic did right on the no grease thing. REPLACE the fuel and vacuum hoses NOW. Then recheck the carb for pieces of hose in it, especially the inlet to the needle and seat.

UPDATE: Right on the money Bear. Thanks!

The mechanic found "stuff" in the carb when he took it apart and cleaned it. I suspect he accidentally got something in there the first time around. Cleaned it out, and it had a massive impact on performance. (obviously)

I'm not 100% out of the woods though. I have a very sporadic issue that seems to be related to whether or not I have been riding the scoot with the throttle wide open (high speeds) for a few minutes. After doing so, when idling, it will stall out after 30 seconds or so. Once that happens, I have to wait about 20 minutes or so before I can start it up again. And to do so, I have to hold the throttle wide open for a minute or two or it stalls again.

Flooded?

Based upon the mechanic recommendation, I've been trying to adjust the idle, but it hasn't seemed to have an impact on the issue. ALSO IMPORTANT: Since I've gotten the scoot back from the shop, it's been making a new noise that I believe is coming from the sparkplug. It's also sporadic, and I think it's happening when I let OFF the throttle.

[Bear45-70]

Sounds like you need to adjust that carb per the instructions in the service manual.

Section 4 page 10.

[JJ Joseph]

it's been making a new noise that I believe is coming from the sparkplug. It's also sporadic, and I think it's happening when I let OFF the throttle.

Do I need to ask this: Is the spark plug tightened properly? If the plug is loose it will make a funny noise before it works its way loose.