Honda Spree and Elite 50 Forums

I'm not much of a petrolhead so I'm gonna need a bit of help here.

I have a 1985 Stock Spree that my grandfather bought around 5-6 years ago. it didn't run when he bought it and he wanted it to be a project for him and my brother. time passed and he passed away and I got a job. I needed a way to get there without being completely winded or roasted by heat.

my brother fixed it up and I had it up to 32 mph as many of you appear to have with stock parts; but it wasted fuel like a mother trucker.
my brother fixed that problem and max speed was reduced to 25 mph.

recently it stopped running and my brother cleaned the carb and the spark plug and it now only goes 20. twice it kicked into higher rpms and went 25 but it hasn't done that lately. it now only goes 15 up hills and 20 flatland even at full throttle. My brother suggested changing out the piston rings and I know where I can buy some but I need to know if I'm going to need anything else like gaskets.

long story short I have a less than well serviced '86 Spree that only goes 20 mph and I'm an idiot in need of suggestions

There's service manuals in the tech docs section that can help you out.

Worn belt, possibly?

the belt looked fine when we opend the crank case

the crank needed greasing when we started to work on it for the first time

eman916 wrote:There's service manuals in the tech docs section that can help you out.

the link keeps bringing me back to the main forum page

Well, how bad of milage were you getting when you had the carb jetting set up so it would do 32? 50 MPG, or higher (80-100 MPG)? I know, on my Elite SE50, the thing won't do over 25 or 26, no matter how many mods I do to it. I took my intake off, took a dremel to that and took out casting marks and took off rough edges (I've done it on weedeaters with good results), went to a bigger main jet in my carb, have a UNI air filter, no restrictor in the exhaust (did you check the exhaust for the infamous restrictor?), and the restrictor removed from the variator. Your Spree won't have a variator to do that with. I have no speed improvement whatsoever from when I started (I bought it with a UNI filter, and no other mods), to when I got sick of spending time on hopping it up, with no improvements. If I were you, I'd definately check the exhaust for the restrictor (right in the flange that bolts up to the cylinder), if you haven't already.

hmm, a restictor? is that anything like a governer?
I may have to get ahold of my bro and have him help me with this

There is no "governor." This isn't your typical cheap lawnmower engine. Take a wrench, remove the bolts that hold the muffler on, and look in the flange end that was on the cylinder. Don't loose the exhaust gasket, either. It will be apparant if there is a restrictor. There will be a washer welded in the end of the pipe.

Does it make a distinct 2 stroke noise when it runs, or does it sound like something is plugging the muffler? If it sounds plugged, it is loaded with carbon. There are various methods to remove the carbon. I just set my Elite muffler on a bed of coals left over from a fire, until smoke stopped coming out of it, and all sides had been red. I then took a rubber mallet, and struck it over and over, until I could hear a bunch of carbon had come loose, and I shook that out one end. I then repainted it, and reinstalled it. That wasn't on a Spree, though. I don't own a Spree.