Metro SS

Update: Typhoon Pepeng

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:16:56 GMT

What a typhoon, Pepeng was...Glad to know it's finally leaving the country, to the relief of the people in Northern Luzon.

Typhoon Pepeng

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:31:58 GMT

After one of the worst typhoon (Ondoy) to hit the country last week, another one has just entered the country. Let's just hope that Typhoon Pepeng veers away from Luzon.

Metro South Scoots & Co. MARILAQUE Loop!

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 03:18:16 GMT

It has been more than 3 years since the clubs formation. Scheduled rides have been less and less, due to members work schedules. But when a ride does come, expect it to be quite an event.

To quote one of the members, eyestrey;

Salamat nga pala sa mga sumama sa uulitin aheheh... hinde ko akalain madami tayo nun..sa mga bisita natin sana wag kayong magsawa sa pagsama niyo.. Sumali na din kayo sa samahan naming mga bakla..galing galing natin! basta sama sama at madami tayo talagang sandamakmak na tawanan at kulitan..

Thank you mga papabols at kay ms. scooterista! wuuhooo!

SYM Jet Euro (Anyak Edition) - joel aka eyestrey
SYM Jet Euro (Green) - Darkside at ang anak nya
SYM Jet (Yellow - Pretty) - manash aka vrian
SYM Jet (Blue) - romeo - romboiz
SYM Jet (Kulay Mazila) - sev (tama ba kulay ng motor mo?)
SYM Radar (Black) - Sherwin
Yamaha Mio Soul (Black) - Glady
Yamaha Mio Sporty (Violet) - Leemay
Yamaha Mio Sporty (FIAT) - Levi
Yamaha Nouvo Z (Zuzzy) - Milan
Yamaha Nouvo Z (White) - Bong
Yamaha Sniper (Pogi Edition) - Ysalexlyon
Suzuki Raider (Red) - Jomar
Suzuki Shogun Pro (Monster Edition) - Tampalasan

Sa uulitin wet and wild ulit ha...
Maraming salamat! next ride ulit ah..
Sa mga hinde nakasama meron pa namang next time..
Set natin san? Bicol? Baguio naman pls.. (dream on) wuuhooo!

Photos from the ride, courtesy of vrian:

Congratulations to you guys who were part of this succesful ride!

Parting quote, from vrian:

sa susunod na ride! R&R to the max!

Update

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:45:38 GMT

It has been a while since my last post. The group has been on hibernation for quite a while. This year, expect the meetups to become more frequent this coming months.

The old club forums on MCP has been closed. The new club forums is now up and you can take a peek HERE.

All members are advised to please read THIS, as I'm updating the membership roster.

Will be post more updates as they come in.

CVT: Back to basics

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 06:41:28 GMT

A simplier explanation of how the CVT works. Chance upon this article on Motor scooter, while surfing the net. This is how the CVT should be explained, in layman terms. None of those mumbo jumbo the tech geeks dish out.

The Stepless Automatic Transmission

What is a Stepless Transmission?

With a stepless transmission there is no clutch, there is no gear shift, and on a scooter, there is not even a shift control of any sort. One does not not even sense a shift of gears while driving. This makes scooter riding extremely simple and easy but there are a couple of dangers that are worth noting. First some basic concepts.

The internal combustion engine is most powerful when running within fairly narrow RPM (Rotations Per Minute) range (unlike other engines such as steam or electric which are not nearly as limited). In order to accelerate a vehicle over a wide range of velocities while the engine remains within its optimum RPM range, gears are used to change the ratio of motor RPM to wheel RPM. In manual and standard automatic transmissions these ratio shifts take place several times during acceleration and are handled manually by the driver or automatically by the transmission respectively.

More correctly known as a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), the stepless transmission used in most modern motorscooters is a type of automatic transmission whose "gear ratio" changes automatically to any arbitrary setting within the limits of the system and is not constrained to a discrete series of specific ratios -- the 3 or 4 ratios of typical automotive transmissions. As a result, accelerating with a CVT is a very smooth uninterrupted process. On the motorscooter, this effect is achieved using a belt between two pulleys whose effective radii are variable and change according to the speed of the vehicle -- one radius increasing while the other decreases -- thus accommodating a constant belt length.

The Starting Disadvantage

While a stepless transmission makes a scooter wonderfully easy to ride, there is one significant disadvantage. Modern motorscooters often have starting problems. The batteries are pittifully inadequate and the kickstarters, through capable of starting the engine under ideal coditions, are rather limited. While a motorcycle with a manual transmission can easily be push-started no matter how dead the battery is or how wet the sparkplug is, an automatic motorscooter cannot.

Things to watch for

Normally the driver of a CVT scooter need pay little heed to the transmission operation but there are some points to keep in mind.

It is easy to go faster than you realize. When accelerating, the engine at first revs up to its comfortable RPM range and then remains there while acceleration continues as the ratio changes to make wheel RPM faster while engine RPM remains the same. The driver of traditional transmissions is used to gauging vehicle speed by motor speed as, within one gear, they are always fixed relative to each other. Such a driver is not expecting vehicle speed to continue increasing while engine RPMs remain constant and may easily not notice as speed increases.

In order to accelerate to, and then maintain an optimum target speed on a CVT motorscooter, one has to get used to engine speeds first increasing, then remaining constant, and, as one approaches the desired speed, easing off on the throttle and experiencing and recognizing the seemingly unnatural sensation of motor speed decreasing while vehicle speed continues to increase -- yes, that is exactly what is happening as the CVT continues to shift gradually up. Scooterists find themselves automatically making accommodation for this phenomenon, in many cases without even noting this peculiar anomaly which is thoroughly unknown with traditional gearing systems. Still it is worth knowing what is happening and understanding the process.

Stepless transmission: belt slip

Belts do stretch over time and as they loosen fail to transmit power to the wheels. Belt replacement is one of the standard maintenance chores of the CVT scooterist. Symptoms indicating belt replacement are very simply: engine is running fine but scooter is not going anywhere. Keep a spare belt handy.

Apparent but deceptive belt slip

When one starts climbing a steep hill with some speed, one experiences another sensation unknown to drivers of traditional transmissions -- the scooter slows down dramatically while motor speed increases. This can certainly give the impression that the belt is slipping, that the work of the engine is becoming ineffectual. Actually, this is simply the effect of the CVT "gearing down." Of course, when the belt does begin to slip, it stands to reason than it will first be noticeable going up a steep hill, so pay attention to what is happening.

Sunny, Rainy, Foggy Ride to MARILAQUE

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:18:02 GMT

Sunny, Rainy, Foggy Ride to MARILAQUE
July 14, 2008
By: Yameel

A week ago Metro South Scoots Members plan to have a ride at MARILAQUE
The original plan:
Ride date: July 14, 2008 (monday)
Destination: MARILAQUE
4:30 am Las Pinas members take off to Villamor Air Base
5:00 am take off from Villamor Air Base to MARILAQUE
Shine or Shine

July 14, 2008 Monday
4:00 am to 6:00 am - Exchaging of SMS to the tune of Rain Rain Go Away! One of the MSS member from BF Resort, Las Pinas informed us that the rain already stop in their place and a member from Pulang Lupa also in Las Pinas texted us that currently it is raining in their place. A member located in Villamor Air Base went out of their house to check if it is raining or not, it's raining. All the members was advice to monitor the status of their location and keep updating each members. We decided to adjust our take off time to 7:00 am.

6:00 am - To ride or not to ride! Of course to ride! The sun continues to shine. We texted the Las Pinas members to hit the road to Villamor Air Base.

6:54 am - You're my sunshine! We meet the Las Pinas members infront of NAIA 3 terminal. Ride instructions were given. Eight riders with their MC's are excited and ready to hit the road.

7:50 am - Full tank please! We're at Petron, this is the last gas station wherein you can fill up your tank with genuine gas but there are stores along MARILAQUE that you can buy a bottled gas. Each one of us check our motorcycle tires and tanks, we took some pictures and we head to our destination. The sun still continues to shine!

8:40 am - Stop and Pose for a while at Palo Alto. Yes, we stop at Palo Alto and had our funny poses, candid pictures, yosi break and chit chats. The rain starts to fall and we start our engines and head to Sierra Madre Resort. Cruising along to Sierra Madre Resort the fog starts to thicken (almost zero visibilty) you can't even see the road or if there's any vehicle in front of you and slowly we drive and reached Sierra Madre Resort thankfully without any accidents.

9:14 am - Foggy Sierra Madre! We parked our motorcycles, took off our helmets, balaclava and jackets. The scenery is as if we're in the clouds! Again we took some pictures and decided to find a place to eat. Before leaving Sierra Madre Resort again the rain starts to fall.

10:19 am - Cute and Starving! We're having our all time favorite, BULALO! (meaning rain or shine this menu is on the top list) Wherelse? at Mang Vic's place! yummy! For just 60php you can eat a bowl of Bulalo good for two ( if your not that hungry you can share it with a friend ) a cup of rice is 8php and eventhough rice prices are too high (except for NFA rice) you will ask for an extra! Bulalo for take out, a couple of jokes and some pictures taken, we're going to go home. Oh! did I mention that it is sunny when we're at Mang Vic's Bulaluhan?

11:29 am - Gas up! Back at Petron, some of us gassed up, some took a little rest and off we go to the road again to go home.

12:36 pm - Its raining men! Finally we're in Villamor Air Base, the Las Pinas members bid their goodbyes as they go on their way home. Its raining again!

It doesn't matter if it is a Sunny, Rainy or Foggy ride the thing is, it is memorable! And we can't wait for another ride! Long Live Metro Soth Scoots!

We would like to thank our love ones, friends and MSS co-members for continues support and most importantly to our Lord God who always keep us safe and protected in every journey.

Metro South Scoots members who made this ride possible:

Sir Al Jay - Pogs
Sir Joel - Eyestrey
Ma'am Leemay - Yameel
Ma'am Mel - Sulasok
Sir Ramir - Dj45
Sir Romy - Roimboiz
Sir Vrian - Vrian
Sir Jimmy Ramos

Additional details, photos, balitaktakan and kulitin HERE.
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*Addendum: Ride to Marilaque featured at Motorcycle Philippines Club News - July 22, 2008.

Scooter Manuals Blogdrive Updated

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 02:50:32 GMT

scootmanuals.blogdrive.com

It has been a long while since my last post. I still am very busy with work and the family. Found a bit of time to update my other blogdrive site, scootmanuals.blogdrive.com. Technical References are hard to come by, will be updating the site from time to time as new materials come in.

Enjoy!

The Digital Pinoy - Online Tambayan

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 12:23:43 GMT

Was searching for OPM mp3s last week and chanced upon this site.

TDP was started October 2004. Since then the site has grown into thousands of members and thousands of user generated content (forums, linkshare, lyrics). But a very unfortunate incident with our previous webhost left us with no choice but to start all over.

So on October 2007, TDP has risen from the ashes to continue what was started. All regular members registered again, along with the new ones.

It can never be the same but eventually TDP will be better than ever.

Welcome to TDP our online community!

What do I need to know about TDP?

DPhp Credits - You can earn this by posting in the forums, submitting links in linkshare, or contributing in the lyrics section.
- You can use this to access the linkshare download links.
- You can use this to purchase virtual items.

Virtual Items - You can use DPhp to buy these virtual items.
- ** more info to come **

Forums - Post your ideas on various topics in the forum boards. Just follow the forum guidelines at all times.

LinkShare - Submit your download links here. Just make sure you post in the appropriate category.
- You can also access the links for your downloading pleasure.

I'm actually enjoying each visit at TDP. Why don't you join me and see for yourself, just click on the logo above.

Coconut Base 2-Stroke Oil Test

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 02:11:19 GMT

With all the hoopla about the environment, and skyrocketing prices of oil products, we thought that it was time to find an alternative to those expensive 2-stroke oils. As luck would have it, a local company, SENBEL, does manufacture a 2-stroke oil derived from the coconut, which we all know is quite abundant locally.

We were quite hesistant to use such a product as it was produced locally (we all know from history how locally manufactured products perform). To make the story short, after much research on the said product and looking for a distributor, we decided to give it a go and test it out. Bought 5 liters of the stuff and did the test...(thanks rye for letting your scoot be the guinea pig ...hehehe...).

Commenced testing November 25, 2007. Opened up and and decarbonized the engine (ports, piston, pipe etc.), replaced with new spark plug and drained the old 2-stroke oil and replaced with Estrol.

Photo details upon opening up the engine.

Details of Head

Condition of Piston

Condition of Ports

Condition of Exhaust Inlet

Conditon of Exhaust Outlet

Spark plug reading upon opening

Photo details after cleaning.

Cleaned Head

Cleaned Piston and Ports

Cleaned Exhaust Inlet

Exhaust Oulet being cleaned

2T Oil reservoir being filled with Estrol 2T

*** We forgot to take a photo of the New Spark Plug we used for testing, anyways, we all know how a spark plug would look like when new. ***

Test ended January 13, 2008. It took longer than expected, with an average daily ride to and from work (56 kms.), the test scoot accumulated about 2,300+ kms. on the dial.

I must say, of all the 2-stroke oil we tested, its only now I've seen this kind of plug reading, squeky clean and perfect at that. Carbon deposits on the piston and ports almost nil, only a thin film of carbon on the piston and head, you can still see thru it and faintly view the metal surface. Enough said, photos speaks louder than words.

Photo details after the test.

Thin film of carbon with no hard deposits on the metal surface

Piston and ports almost nil of carbon deposits

Plug reading perfect, no unwanted deposits

As you can see, we didn't bother to remove the pipe and take a photo, as there was virtually no carbon deposits on the exhaust ports.

I would highly recommend this product for those who want a cheaper alternative to the more expensive brands. I myself use Castrol Activ Premium 2T, but would readily use this when my stocks run out.

New Battery Technology

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 03:15:08 GMT

In the motorcycle industry, technology has been making strides on nearly every part of the motorcycle/scooter, or so I thought. The battery has been left unchanged for close to a 100 years...unbelievable?...read on.

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For close to 100 years, motorcycles and cars were all dependant on a very inefficient and environmentally nasty source of electrical power: the lead acid battery. What's surprising though, is most car and motorcycle manufacturers still use lead acid batteries. There has been a huge lag in new technology for this specific need. This may be soon to change, as one inventor has invented something truly exciting in the motorcycle industry: The lithium ion polymer motorcycle battery.

Battery technology has always been a little slow moving. But probably the most proactive industry when it comes to battery technology is the cell phone manufactures. The cell phone builders are actually where this advancement in motorcycle batteries gleaned its technology.

First, let's start with a little battery history lesson. Since the dawn of cell phones, battery technology had been a major concern. They were constantly striving to make cell phone power sources last longer between charges, smaller in size, charge up faster, and extend the life of the battery as long as possible. This all started with old-fashioned cadmium batteries, which were the mainstay for years (this wasn't really new technology - In 1899, Waldmar Jungner invented the first nickel-cadmium rechargeable battery.) These cadmium batteries were of course better than lead acid, but still not idea for several reasons. They are first of all large, and second, they had a "memory". The "memory" issue was a problem because if you charged your battery � way through its charge cycle, it would remember this after a while and end up only holding � the charge it was supposed to. The only way to get around this would be to completely discharge the battery before you re-charged it, which most people found burdensome.

Next in line was the nickel metal hydride battery. This battery was slightly more efficient in size and didn't possess as much of the "memory" problem as the cadmium batteries. Although not perfect, they were a much welcome change. Cell phone manufacturers were still looking for something better.

Now this is where it gets good. In comes the lithium ion battery. With one of the best energy-to-weight ratios, no memory effect, and a very slow loss of charge when not in use, it's easy to see how it became the current standard of all cell phone batteries.

So, know we'll get to the crooks of the matter and how all this cell phone technology made it's way to the world of motocycles.

Matt Hoch, who is a guru in his own field of motorcycles, took this lithium ion technology and applied it to his own field of expertise: Super high performance motorcycles. He did however, make it one step better. He took some recently de-classified military secrets and developed the first lithium ion polymer battery for the motorcycle industry - polymer being the important word here.

Lead acid batteries are very large and very heavy. Large sizes and heavy weight are not welcome in any motorcycle design, especially on a customized chopper type bike that Matt Hoch builds. His design trademarks are lightweight, svelte lines, and extreme minimalism. With this idea and a "smaller is better" mantra, Matt Hoch enlisted help from a battery maker TekBattery and developed the lithium ion polymer motorcycle battery.

It's even an improvement over the latest standard lithium ion batteries. Instead of using a liquid chemical, the battery is filled a polymer version of the same chemicals, "foam" filled if you will. This leads to even more beneficial traits for the motorcycle building industry. They can be built in a variety of configurations with the contacts positioned wherever they are needed. A nice benefit as custom motorcycle builders continue to try to make their bikes more and more minimalist looking, allowing less and less room for important components like the battery. They're much more environmentally friendly and weigh about one quarter of the weight of a conventional battery. What really makes these batteries a revolution in motorcycle technology is what they can do.

There is a video that shows Matt Hotch running a test on a custom bike of his with a 113 cubic inch high performance engine. He pulls the spark plug wires making the bike impossible to actually start, and begins to attempt to start it. At just under two minutes, the battery is still cranking fine but the starter is smoking so he stops for a brief moment, then cranks again for another minute or so until the starter begins smoking again. He waits another 30 seconds and then cranks until it finally quits, at which time the starter is practically on fire and the rubber insulation has melted. Under normal conditions, a conventional battery would have quit after about a minute and a half of constant cranking. With a large displacement motor such as the 113 ci motor he was testing it on, you'd be lucky to get 10 to 12 cranks out of it. A conventional lead acid battery would also have not nearly enough power to make the starter motor anything but a little warm.

You can see the video here:

As always, there is a price to pay for cutting edge technology, literally. These batteries are not cheap and a lithium ion polymer battery for even the smallest motorcycle will cost hundreds of dollars. This is probably the main reason why this technology hasn't hit the mainstream yet. But, if you're looking for the smallest, safest, most powerful, most technologically advance power source for your next motorcycle project, this new lithium ion polymer battery is once cool invention.

Matthre Bobryk
AmericanInventorSpot.com