Honda Elite CH80 Scooter

• Year: 1986
• Make: Honda
• Model: CH80 Elite
• Color: Red
• Miles: 6000
• Engine:
  • Type: Air cooled 4-stroke, OHC
  • Displacement: 79.7cc
• Transmission: Belt-drive Automatic
• Weight: 172 pounds
• Maximum rider weight: 335 pounds

I purchased the scooter in June 2007 and spent the summer cleaning and doing maintenance. It had about 4000 miles on it when I bought it. I began riding it in September 2007. Registration has been renewed through June 2010.

Initial Maintenance

The guy from whom I purchased the scooter claimed he had done maintenance just before selling it to me, but I purchased the shop service manual and did a full maintenance job. It was a good thing I did.

Maintenance I performed:

• Inspected fuel lines
• Adjusted throttle
• Replaced air cleaner
• Cleaned crankcase breather
• Replaced spark plug
• Inspected valve clearance
• Replaced belt case air cleaner
• Replaced drive belt
• Inspected brake shoe wear
• Adjusted break cable travel
• Replaced battery
• Upgraded to brand-name tires
• Did some body work to fix some bent lower metal parts. Repainted metal parts.

Recurring Maintenance

I have followed the maintenance schedule given in the shop service manual for oil changes, etc. The oil needs changing every 1000 miles and has just been changed.

Comments

Some people have noted that the headlight on this model is not very bright (25W), but I find it adequate for riding at night on unlit country roads with no moonlight.

Parking the scooter is wonderful, especially when parallel parking. Slipping into a space only big enough for a squashed Geo Metro is a piece of cake.

The brakes are drum brakes, but since the scooter is so lightweight, I find them more than adequate for stopping.

I weigh about 150 pounds, and the engine provides plenty of power to get me up to speed.

Since the displacement of the engine is above 50cc, a motorcycle endorsement is required. If under the age of 21, passing the three day Team Oregon Basic Rider Training course is required. In any case, I highly recommend taking the course. The course teaches safe operation, riding, traffic negotiation, and emergency handling techniques, among other things. The instructors are excellent and really can make sure the students learn to be safe riders.

Replacement parts are easily available from the Honda motorsports dealer. The model has kept almost the same design since 1986, so parts and information is very easy to find. There are entire websites devoted to this scooter model.

Legally, this scooter is a two-seater. However, I have never carried a passenger because I don't think the engine has enough power to carry two people unless both are light weight, and only riding in the city. I've talked to other owners and they have commented that top speed is about 25 mph with a passenger. The two-person seat is very nice for me riding alone since it gives me more leg room, which is good for a 6'3'' guy.

There is a locking front storage trunk and two locking helmet hooks. I carried many a load of groceries home in the front trunk.

Issues

In the fall I had the scooter stop running while riding. I discovered that the carburetor jets had unscrewed themselves and fallen into the float bowl, causing the engine to flood. I cleaned the carburetor and reinstalled the jets, making sure they were tight. I haven't had any issues since then and it runs much better than when I purchased it.

I discovered that although the top speed of the scooter is 42 miles per hour, it is unable to sustain that speed. I tried to make a run at full speed over about 3-4 miles and the drive belt overheated, causing rapid wear. That caused a 7 mph drop in top speed. However, it has sustained 35 mph without further damage. The only part that was damaged was the drive belt. I decided to not replace the belt, but I could do that before selling.

On very cold days, the fuel does not vaporize very well, which makes it difficult to start. I usually had to squirt a bit of starting fluid into the carburetor intake, at which point it starts right up and runs fine. If the air temperature is below about 40°F, I found that the engine ran cold, being air cooled, and had trouble getting up to top speed. The scooter tends to lose about 3 mph under those conditions. But at those temperatures, the rider has to wear a lot of clothing just to stay warm.

Cosmetically, there are some issues. There are some cracked parts in the top of the seat, caused by me trying to bust ice off the seat on a very cold winter morning. The front cowl was cracked when I bought it. The front side reflectors are missing, and I planned on replacing them with aftermarket reflectors, but I never got around to it.

Reasons for Selling

Although the scooter has been running well, it doesn't meet my needs. Currently, I live out west of Philomath, 8.5 miles from Corvallis, so my route to Corvallis carries me over numerous 55/45 mph roads. Since the scooter doesn't go fast enough to keep up with traffic, I feel that I can't ride it safely on those roads among the giant trucks. However, it works wonderfully within town.

Photos

More can be seen at http://photos.adversaria.us/v/2008_spring/scooter/