orphansoul

Great Big Guru Dawg







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Great Big Guru Dawg My 170cc Upgrade Select Post

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Member Back to Top Post by orphansoul on

Its going to be a long read lol



Basically, the first thing I did to the bike was your standard pdi, switched out all the lines to some quality stuff, and put in a fuel filter that is worth something-nothing new there.



Then came the exhaust, I opted to go with the Dragon Custom Big Shot free flow exhaust system, it is a very nice, bolt on exhaust kit that is made and shipped from Houston TX. It took some fiddling to get the mounts to line up, but in the end it was worth it. This exhaust has a great sound, and surpassed all of my expectations. It is a 10/10 would recommend item on my list.



Then I upgraded my air intake with a matching Dragon Custom Big Shot air intake system. It is basically a glorified K&N cold air intake. I'm not sure there is anything amazing about it, but it looks pretty damn cool. The Dragon intake was a bit trickier to install...the pipe supplied was just very stubborn with the carb. With work and patience, it finally slipped on, and I have to say it is a good intake system. Not sure how it holds up to a UNI, but its good none the less.



The carb that came with my Tao Tao Powermax 150 was junk. No A/F screw, and no way to open it...so naturally I chunked it and got an OKO 30mm. A little too large perhaps, but I like it. It works well for me, and it makes a nice sound...the accelerator pump alone was worth the trouble of tuning it. I would recommend OKO carbs to anyone needing a cheap replacement. They are high quality.



Not having enough time left in my winter break to dig into the major engine mods, and wanting a break from wrestling with the bad stock hardware to install things...I took a break and chromed the rest of the bike out. I installed a chrome cvt cover, and chrome fan cover/scoop. I also installed a battery tester inside my glovebox, and a charging port to plug my battery in without removing it from the bike. I also installed my Dragon Custom Little Shot catch can.



Not having time to do the major mods properly, I dropped off my bike at a local scooter shop to have my 4-valve head and 61mm NCY bbk installed. I also had them install new Shinko whitewall tires to replace my no-name stock set. I also had my final gears upped to 16/37.



The truly wonderful experience I had with this place can be read in a previous thread here:

In addition to that, upon receiving the bike the following things were not up to code: There was no oil in my gearbox, and my drain screw was missing (took about 70 mile to figure that one out), my air intake hose had been connected to look connected when viewed from the top, but was actually not connected to the carb at all, the main vacuum hose was about 3 sizes too big, just shot off of the nipple, the headlight was dead, my battery was dead, the rear tire was not quite balanced correctly, the vent line from the head was pointlessly routed through the old, un-needed PAIR system, the tank vapor emissions system was incorrectly hooked up, causing intermittent vapor lock, the wrong intake manifold was used (too long) and was installed incorrectly, the kickstart was loose inside the CVT, they replaced my ngk plug with the stock torch (which was the wrong kind of plug for my head anyways), and probably a few more things! This was the WORST shop in the world. If you live in North Texas and you need service...MESSAGE ME BEFORE YOU TAKE YOUR BIKE ANYWHERE...you do not want to go there!!!

Luckily it seems like they did the engine work fine...no leaks, no metal shavings in the oil, no weird noises.



I had some stuff to fix.... I put the proper vacuum line in. Removed the useless PAIR stuff and routed my vent back to directly to my catch can. I replaced the terrible intake they used with a NCY Teflon coated 30mm intake. I removed my kickstart (never used it anyways), switched my weights to 10g (they left the stock 13g which were too heavy with the new gears), took off the vapor emissions junk, and CORRECTLY assembled my intake system/exhaust. Along with some other minor work a long the way. The shop reluctantly replaced my battery, and headlight after I made a giant stink about it.



I emailed the dealer that sold me my 4-valve, only to find that the CR7HIX is too short for that head. I was advised to use the CR8EIX instead. I plugged it in, and so far it seems to run better. I didn't hear any terrible death noises when I ran it on the stand, or when I drive it...so I assume it is indeed the correct size, and is not killing the piston.

If this is an incorrect assumption please let me know

My friend is a mechanic and said it sounded better with the longer plug than the CR7HIX...but I have just felt paranoid about it.



I now took the time to install an LED break light. Its pretty good, very bright. I also installed a cheapo windshield (will be getting a better one later) and plan to purchase an oil cooler eventually.



I replaced my orange performance coil with an OML Premium Racing Wire, and my CDI with a NCY Racing CDI. I also replaced my variator with a SRP 115mm Racing Variator, and put in the NCY Racing Driveface.









My dragon exhaust and oil catch can. I wrapped the header after it began to yellow. I think it looks better that way. ***

Available here:







This is my fuel filter. A little too large, but I like it.

Available at any motorcycle parts dealer *







This is my dragon intake, and chrome cvt cover ***

Intake available at:

Chrome CVT: No longer carried by StandardFunctions









This is the chrome I added to the fan area... +600hp

Generic covers, available at any major online parts dealer







4-valve head ***

Available at:







Blue NCY 30mm intake ***



Available at ScooterElements







My chrome shocks..infinitely better than stock



I got them from that sh!t local shop. You can get them at ScooterElements though. ***







The hose for my intake...this thing was a real pain in the butt.







This is how loose my kickstart was...just threw it out. Now my case has "extra venting"







My work-around for having 2 vacuum ports and only needing one







My Shinko Whitewalls. Much better than my stock tires, and I love the way they look.

Available at:









Stock plug vs CR8EIX.



Purchased at Amazon.com ***





Onboard battery tester



Purchased on ebay, generic part *







drink holder

Purchased at Autozone. Generic Part *







Charging port

Purchased on ebay. Generic part. *







Completed bike. Seat cover was done by

Windshield is generic ebay windshield *





Other parts used:

SRP Variator: Available at ScooterElements **

NCY DriveFace: Available at ScooterElements **

OML Ignition Coil: Available at ScooterElements ***

NCY CDI: Available at ScooterElements ***

NCY Bolt-on 61mm BBK: Available at most major parts dealers ***

OKO Carb: Purchased on Ebay. Available at most parts dealers ***

NCY 30mm Intake: Available at ScooterElements ***

LED brake lights:

Take a little doing to get on...worth it though.

NCY 16/37 Final Gear Set: Got from crap local shop..available at most dealers though.



(the stars are my rating, * = generic, 'meh' item, ** = very good, *** = something I definitely recommend, extremely good)



I am still waiting on some 11g sliders and an impact gun to arrive in the mail. It should be the last bit of tuning I need to do. Assuming the carb jets are still good after I cleaned up that shops mess.

Any input or questions would be appreciated. I probably left some stuff out...this was a lot to write so just let me know if you spot something, and I will fill in the gaps.

I would especially like some input about the spark plugs.

The longer plug did make the bike exhaust louder...not necessarily a bad thing



I also plan to install a Thor Alarm System later this summer. I've spent the last 3 or 4 months upgrading my bike to a 170cc engine. I don't have a step by step instruction on how to do it, but I figured I would talk about the parts I used, where I got them, dealers and shops I dealt with, the ups and the downs, and just kind of give people an idea of which parts worked well for me.Its going to be a long read lolBasically, the first thing I did to the bike was your standard pdi, switched out all the lines to some quality stuff, and put in a fuel filter that is worth something-nothing new there.Then came the exhaust, I opted to go with the Dragon Custom Big Shot free flow exhaust system, it is a very nice, bolt on exhaust kit that is made and shipped from Houston TX. It took some fiddling to get the mounts to line up, but in the end it was worth it. This exhaust has a great sound, and surpassed all of my expectations. It is a 10/10 would recommend item on my list.Then I upgraded my air intake with a matching Dragon Custom Big Shot air intake system. It is basically a glorified K&N cold air intake. I'm not sure there is anything amazing about it, but it looks pretty damn cool. The Dragon intake was a bit trickier to install...the pipe supplied was just very stubborn with the carb. With work and patience, it finally slipped on, and I have to say it is a good intake system. Not sure how it holds up to a UNI, but its good none the less.The carb that came with my Tao Tao Powermax 150 was junk. No A/F screw, and no way to open it...so naturally I chunked it and got an OKO 30mm. A little too large perhaps, but I like it. It works well for me, and it makes a nice sound...the accelerator pump alone was worth the trouble of tuning it. I would recommend OKO carbs to anyone needing a cheap replacement. They are high quality.Not having enough time left in my winter break to dig into the major engine mods, and wanting a break from wrestling with the bad stock hardware to install things...I took a break and chromed the rest of the bike out. I installed a chrome cvt cover, and chrome fan cover/scoop. I also installed a battery tester inside my glovebox, and a charging port to plug my battery in without removing it from the bike. I also installed my Dragon Custom Little Shot catch can.Not having time to do the major mods properly, I dropped off my bike at a local scooter shop to have my 4-valve head and 61mm NCY bbk installed. I also had them install new Shinko whitewall tires to replace my no-name stock set. I also had my final gears upped to 16/37.The truly wonderful experienceI had with this place can be read in a previous thread here: scootdawg.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=48658 In addition to that, upon receiving the bike the following things were not up to code: There was no oil in my gearbox, and my drain screw was missing (took about 70 mile to figure that one out), my air intake hose had been connected to look connected when viewed from the top, but was actually not connected to the carb at all, the main vacuum hose was about 3 sizes too big, just shot off of the nipple, the headlight was dead, my battery was dead, the rear tire was not quite balanced correctly, the vent line from the head was pointlessly routed through the old, un-needed PAIR system, the tank vapor emissions system was incorrectly hooked up, causing intermittent vapor lock, the wrong intake manifold was used (too long) and was installed incorrectly, the kickstart was loose inside the CVT, they replaced my ngk plug with the stock torch (which was the wrong kind of plug for my head anyways), and probably a few more things!Luckily it seems like they did the engine work fine...no leaks, no metal shavings in the oil, no weird noises.I had some stuff to fix.... I put the proper vacuum line in. Removed the useless PAIR stuff and routed my vent back to directly to my catch can. I replaced the terrible intake they used with a NCY Teflon coated 30mm intake. I removed my kickstart (never used it anyways), switched my weights to 10g (they left the stock 13g which were too heavy with the new gears), took off the vapor emissions junk, and CORRECTLY assembled my intake system/exhaust. Along with some other minor work a long the way. The shop reluctantly replaced my battery, and headlight after I made a giant stink about it.I emailed the dealer that sold me my 4-valve, only to find that the CR7HIX is too short for that head. I was advised to use the CR8EIX instead. I plugged it in, and so far it seems to run better. I didn't hear any terrible death noises when I ran it on the stand, or when I drive it...so I assume it is indeed the correct size, and is not killing the piston.My friend is a mechanic and said it sounded better with the longer plug than the CR7HIX...but I have just felt paranoid about it.I now took the time to install an LED break light. Its pretty good, very bright. I also installed a cheapo windshield (will be getting a better one later) and plan to purchase an oil cooler eventually.I replaced my orange performance coil with an OML Premium Racing Wire, and my CDI with a NCY Racing CDI. I also replaced my variator with a SRP 115mm Racing Variator, and put in the NCY Racing Driveface.My dragon exhaust and oil catch can. I wrapped the header after it began to yellow. I think it looks better that way. ***Available here: shop.dragoncustom.com/product.sc?productId=87&categoryId=3 This is my fuel filter. A little too large, but I like it.Available at any motorcycle parts dealer *This is my dragon intake, and chrome cvt cover ***Intake available at: shop.dragoncustom.com/product.sc?productId=14&categoryId=4 Chrome CVT: No longer carried by StandardFunctionsThis is the chrome I added to the fan area... +600hpGeneric covers, available at any major online parts dealer4-valve head ***Available at: www.ebay.com/itm/GY6-4-VALVE-HEAD-PERFORMANCE-125-150-SCOOTER-59MM-/270981428508?pt=Other_Vehicle_Parts&hash=item3f17c0751c&vxp=mtr#ht_539wt_1396 Blue NCY 30mm intake ***Available at ScooterElementsMy chrome shocks..infinitely better than stockI got them from that sh!t local shop. You can get them at ScooterElements though. ***The hose for my intake...this thing was a real pain in the butt.This is how loose my kickstart was...just threw it out. Now my case has "extra venting"My work-around for having 2 vacuum ports and only needing oneMy Shinko Whitewalls. Much better than my stock tires, and I love the way they look.Available at: www.motorcycle-superstore.com/ ***Stock plug vs CR8EIX.Purchased at Amazon.com ***Onboard battery testerPurchased on ebay, generic part *drink holderPurchased at Autozone. Generic Part *Charging portPurchased on ebay. Generic part. *Completed bike. Seat cover was done by scooterseatcovers.net/ and they do some sweet work! ***Windshield is generic ebay windshield *Other parts used:SRP Variator: Available at ScooterElements **NCY DriveFace: Available at ScooterElements **OML Ignition Coil: Available at ScooterElements ***NCY CDI: Available at ScooterElements ***NCY Bolt-on 61mm BBK: Available at most major parts dealers ***OKO Carb: Purchased on Ebay. Available at most parts dealers ***NCY 30mm Intake: Available at ScooterElements ***LED brake lights: scooterelements.ecrater.com/p/13805974/led-brake-lights Take a little doing to get on...worth it though.NCY 16/37 Final Gear Set: Got from crap local shop..available at most dealers though.(the stars are my rating, * = generic, 'meh' item, ** = very good, *** = something I definitely recommend, extremely good)I am still waiting on some 11g sliders and an impact gun to arrive in the mail. It should be the last bit of tuning I need to do. Assuming the carb jets are still good after I cleaned up that shops mess.Any input or questions would be appreciated. I probably left some stuff out...this was a lot to write so just let me know if you spot something, and I will fill in the gaps.The longer plug did make the bike exhaust louder...not necessarily a bad thingI also plan to install a Thor Alarm System later this summer.