Honda Spree and Elite 50 Forums

I just inherited an '86 Spree. Under the seat I found an operators manual labeled Yamaha CE50S. The pictures match, so the question is, are these the same scooter? are parts interchangeable? It was originally purchased from a Honda/Kawasaki dealer that I can't find.

It's been sitting in a garage for years, and is not running at the moment. I'm fairly handy, but a newcomer at scooter repair so I'm glad to find this forum.

It won't start with the battery, which is dead. With the kickstart it runs for five or ten seconds then quits. While running it will quit immediately if I advance the throttle. Each successive start gives a shorter run until I have to let it sit for a few minutes before it will start at all. I've already emptied and refilled the fuel and verified the fuel valve works. I'll be cleaning the carburator, but the air filter fell apart when I pulled it out. I read someone used an old t-shirt as a temporary replacement. Is that safe? Even for short times while getting it running and waiting for a replacement?

The spark plug is clean.

I should probably change the oil as well.

In addition I think some gear in the kickstart mechanism must be stripped. The pedal doesn't always come back up when I start it. Would that prevent the engine from starting with the electric starter once the battery is replaced?

Does anyone know of a parts dealer or for either Honda or Yamaha in San Diego?

Scott

Sure those pics match? A CE50 is a Jog; much different.

The operators manual has disappeared for the moment, but I recall being surprised to see a Yamaha manual with the other documents and looking through it and seeing all the same controls. The pictures looked just like the scooter even though all the decals and labeled parts say Honda.

I've downloaded the service manual from the Tech Docs and it definitely matches what I have.

I've also had a chance to pull the carb and spray it throughly with carb cleaner. It was grimy on the outside, but other than a bit of black junk in the bowl the inside was clean and I found no blocked passages or sticking parts. The float and float valve looked fine.

When I put it all back together there was no change. It runs for 5-10 seconds then dies.

The resistance on the auto bypass was only 4 ohms, not the 10 in the specs. Would that cause this problem? What exactly does the auto bypass do? Is there a way to disable it while testing?

I also took off the left crankcase cover and checked the kick start gears. They look ok although the three extensions at the top of the driven gear show a bit of wear. When I put it back together the kick start is operating much more smoothly so there have been a bit of misalignment between the gears.