UE Boom

So what is it?  An energy drink?  A microphone?  and what does it have to do with scooters?

The UE Boom is a blue tooth speaker system about the same size and form factor as a monster energy drink but, don't let this fool you.  This thing is loud and the sound quality, while it's never going to replace a huge hi fi system, is amazing.   And while there are many blue tooth speaker systems out there, what makes this one unique is you can pair it with an additional UE Boom and get a true stereo image via smart phone app.   While bass response on a unit this size is a challenge, it does surprisingly well.  

What makes it of interest for us who ride scooters is the mounting options it has.  The most usufull for scooter riders is the 1/4 20 threaded mount on the bottom of the unit.   This feature makes it really easy to mount to a bike with something as simple as a Pedco Ultra Clamp.  These clamps are used for mounting camera's to poles, open car windows and about any other place you can think of, including scooter handlebars, and grab bars.  Mounting a single UE Boom  to the grab bar on the back of my 250 scooter, I have good sound to speeds of 40MPH or so and that's only because the wind noise in my cheap helmet drowns it out.  Mounting it to the handlebars, behind the windshield, I was able to hear it well to about 50mph ( Did I mention this thing is loud ???).  I can only imagine how loud it would be with a second one.  My other idea is to put it in my backpack and see if I can hear it better. As it is, it sounds much better then 90% of the scooter sound systems I've heard. 

Stopped at a park, it does really well of course.  You will have no problems hearing it or you can simply take it off the bike and bring it with you. The unit is water resistant and shock proof.  Battery life is ~15 hours at 1/2 volume (loud enough to be uncomfortable if inside).    Charging is done via USB port and pairing it with multiple devices is simple.  Once paired with a smart phone or iPod, the volume control on the device controls the volume of the unit.  On my iPod, I even get a battery meter on the phone to tell me how much charge the unit still has.  The only real drawback of the unit is, it's a bit pricey.  MSRP is 199.99 but you can find it on Amazon for 189.99.  Pedco ultra clamps go for under 30 bucks.  The two together are pretty priceless.

From this to That

It all started when a buddy decided to upgrade his ride.  At the time, he had two scooters, a 150 which he later sold and a 250 he had bought used at the beginning of the season that never did run right.

He then found a great deal on a 500cc Scarabeo.  The rear brakes were worn out, and the rear rotor is chewed up, so a deal was struck.  It was agreed I would do the brake job on his "new" bike in trade for the 250.

This bike is a 250 touring scoot, a bali that my buddy bought at the beginning of the season. It wasn't a "bad" bike, but it never did seem to charge the battery but it ran pretty strong, and was quick for a 250. Well, he parked it, because of the charging problem. 

So in Mid November, I brought the bike home and the following morning, I had to pull the plastics off because it had leaked fuel in the garage overnight.  I decided that I'd rebuild the carb when I found a couple of other problems.  The fuel petcock had been bypassed and fuel had leaked into the engine, including about a quart into the crank case.  It is a good thing I didn't try to start it before checking the oil.

I then changed the oil, rebuilt the carb, pulled the spark plug and cleared the combustion chamber and, yes installed a new fuel petcock.

I then charged the battery and gave it a go and she started up.  It didn't run too well at first but after I adjusted the valves and replaced all the fuel and vacuum lines, and got rid of the emissions, I actually got it to run half way decent.

A trip to the local scooter shop resulted in finding a brand new seat, windshield  and a battery tender for the bike.  Since the bike had electrical problems I changed the voltage regulator and tested the stator and charging system.  I got  it to charge but it still wouldn't start with the starter switch.  I then decided to replace all the switches in the dash, as they were in poor shape from the bike being out in the weather most of it's life.  I also changed out the ignition switch for the same reason.  

The next thing that was done was to eliminate the old stereo and alarm system.  Both were bad.  I did retain the old speakers and installed a small amp under the seat.  I installed a digital volt meter where the old stereo "head unit" was.  

All the plastics were then removed for paint, including the knee panel, all the handle bar plastics and floor boards.  These were painted gloss black.  The body panels were painted with Rustoluem acrylic lacquer gloss white.  I chose this paint because it covers really well and goes on fairly smooth.

I then started mocking up the bike, working on panel fitment and seeing what the bike would look like with the new seat and to see if I'd actually like the white paint.  I also covered the dash with 3m carbon fiber film, and replaced the mirrors.  

Anyone who has had one of these bikes, know the mirrors that came on the were some of the cheesiest, crappiest mirrors in existence and because they were broken after the bike fell over on its side, before I got it, I replaced them.  I found some really nice aftermarket mirrors that I really like.  I had to admit, with the paint, the bike really started to look sharp.  While this was never one of my favorite body styles, I really began to like it in white.  The bike just looks sharp.

Because the cf250 is known for having a weak stator, I replaced the rear running/brake lights with LED's and the dash back lights as well.  This saves quite a bit of current when running and it can use all the help it can get.  I kept the incandescent lamps for the turn indicators and the halogen lights for the head lamps.

I'm still waiting on a tail light assembly but I decided to put the bike back together so I could at least get it on the road and find out what other things I'll need to do to it.