Summerizing the Roketa 250 By ellpee (Read 800 times)

[ellpee]

The day is rapidly approaching when I'll be putting the ol' Roketa 250 to sleep for the summer months. I plan to drain engine oil and gear oil, and gas if I can't run it dry, and pull the battery and leave it on a tender. Is it necessary to drain the cooling system too? Are there other things I should do? I know from draining oil, but what's the best place to drain the gas tank if I need to? Any special tricks to get residual gas out of the carb and lines?

(Scoot has about 2500 miles on it, will stay in the garage under a cover from May 15 - Oct 15 while we're out of state. This is Tucson -- garage temps will likely reach 110 or so occasionally, and be in the 90's a LOT.)

I do, by the way, have the alternative of having son-in-law drive it a few miles every couple weeks; is that preferable to draining and storing?

[davec]

I don't see the need to drain anything

Fiil the gas tank, add some seafoam, run to the store n back, disconnect battery and put on a tender

No different than storing for the winter.

(That's when it gets cold and snows n stuff, but in Az u never see that)

Enjoy the trip

[bobf]

Are you one of those people that show up every fall in their motor home and run away again in the spring?

I have a Roketa 54 250 which means it has the 244 vertical engine in it. If you have a Roketa 54B 250 it should be a 257 horizontal engine. The 54 and 54B are the way Roketa advertises theirs.

.roketapartsdept.com/catalog/MC_54_250_ENGINE_AND_EXHAUST_PARTS-606-1.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">.roketapartsdept.com/catalog/MC_54_250_ENGINE_AND_EXHAUST_PARTS-606-1.html

.roketapartsdept.com/catalog/MC_54B_250_ENGINE_AND_REAR_WHEEL_ASSEMBLY_PARTS-612-1.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">.roketapartsdept.com/catalog/MC_54B_250_ENGINE_AND_REAR_WHEEL_ASSEMBLY_PARTS-612-1.html

If you son in law is reliable he might do you well by riding locally at times. I really try to ride more myself but with health problems I am getting less and less riding done. I live in Casa Grande now. About a year and a half ago we moved down from Colorado four corners area and Cortez. Really liked it up there but the lungs are not strong at that altitude of 6,500 ft. I often go for a month with no ride but occasionally I will do a start and run till up to heat. It is on a charge tender when not running. In my mind it is better to have occasional attention that just let to rust for six months a year. My opinion and you may hear from a person that does snut down and empty everything.

We had at least one day of 117 F last summer.

[ellpee]

No, I'm the reverse -- Tucson is home, but we flee to the Ruidoso mountains in the summer months, have a very small house over there at 7500' MSL. Used to talk trash about the heat, but when I fully retired and was no longer living air conditioner to air conditioner to air conditioner, we both found it tough to spend much time outdoors in the summer months. Ruidoso is mostly 70's/low 80's all summer.

My Roketa is the vertical 244.

Davec, interesting answer, but I've heard horror stories about fuel system gumming up, etc., when scoots stand around for too long. Will wait to see who else chimes in, and go with the majority opinion, I guess.

[richardthescooter3]

I've had scoot (250b 257cc) over 3 years and never drained anything, even in the winter months (of course I ride year round, unless it bad whether) I'd use sea foam in the gas tank, an empty gas tank can rust, and I've never cleaned my carb, give it a shot of berrymen's every once in a while.

[damin69]

heck forget summerizing.. Take it with you... :

[ellpee]

No can do. Too much other stuff to schlepp, AND don't like the idea of a two-wheel scoot on the many gravel roads where we spend our summers. BUT, we have a trike coming the end of May to use at the other place!!! Scooters rule!

[ellpee]

Okay, two more days 'til we depart, and the majority vote seems to be Seafoam and no draining, with son-in-law riding it occasionally if possible. Will check here again The day before, and if no strongly conflicting advice, tht's what I'll do.

Oh, a PS: a friend strongly recommends a product called StarBrite StarTron, an enzyme-based fuel additive that's supposedly good for up to two years in storage situations. An alternative to StaBil or SeaFoam, presumably. Anyone have experience/comments?

[skyrider]

Do you ever ride with the Sky Island Riders scooter club in Tucson? Great group of riders and great rides. I made a couple with them in the late winter time.

[ellpee]

Not so far, but a couple weekends ago I found myself in the middle of a pack of them who were doing a "poker run" around town. When we get back next fall I might get involved with them, looked like they were having fun.