Honda Spree and Elite 50 Forums

Hi everyone,
I'm hoping you can help me get my new-to-me 1985 spree running better.

Right now, if its on the stand, it runs, and twisting the throttle lets it rev way up....sounds like it should. However, with wheels on the ground, I twist the throttle, and it doesn't go. It eventually starts to creep forward, but even once its going, it has no power. A slight uphill slows it down to 5mph. The whole time, the engine is NOT revving up. If I hit a downhill, it'll get up to 25 or so, and then the engine does rev up.

I bought it and it was running alright, but it was really dirty, so i took it inside, and cleaned it up a bit. When I got it back on the road, it was running really horribly. There are a perfect storm of problems here, so hopefully you can help me troubleshoot. I changed the oil in it, because I didn't know how old it was, and I changed it to synthetic. I've since learned thats a bad idea...and have drained it out, and changed it back to appropriate Honda oil.

Then there was a short in the ignition switch, so i took it apart and cleaned the contacts...now that tests properly.

New Spark plug, appropriately gapped. Coils and wires test properly with a multimeter.

Do you think this is a problem with the belt? The clutch?

Also, I should probably change the final drive oil...but I can't figure out how to drain it.

Thanks in advance for your help![/img]

When it "doesn't go," is it revving up on the ground but not moving, or does it make a "booooog" sound?

I'd check your aircleaner and air tract to see if they are attached. I think you have an air leak.

no, with the wheel on the ground it doesn't rev up.

does the fact that it doesn't rev up on the ground mean there's an air leak?

Yep, that's pretty much what I'm thinking. Last time it happened to me was an upside-down thermal decoupler.

I installed a new exhaust gasket, because I lost the little brass(copper?) ring that was between the cylinder and the exhaust pipe... i was sent one that looks a little different, its metal, but has a blue-green soft material on the faces. i just slid it on and bolted it up. is there a front-ways/back-ways for that gasket or anything I should have done to it before installing it?