Go-Ped
I bought one of these back in 1994 when I was in college in Daytona Beach, FL ... It was a perfect form of transportation and loads of fun to ride. Unfortunately, someone decided they needed it more than I did when I first moved to Germany in the Air Force... Now that I am returning to school, I bought another one.. 2003 Blue Sport. I made the mistake and taught Mary, my wife how to ride it.. We now have a second one in red. I'll try to post things on this page relevant to life with Patmont Motor Werks wonderful creation. Tips for these machine can be found below. Jason
NOTICE ... I do not intend to heavily modify my peds... Just looking to get maximum
reliability and longevity from them.. These tips will help you do the same for
your ped.. If you want maximum horsepower and performance, try
www.gopednation.com for suggestions... J
tip #1 If the spring rattling is driving you nuts on your ped, slip a zip tie around one of the coils half way down and snip off the excess.. Works great.
tip #2 The stock drive spindle wears down fairly quickly and you end up with lots of sand particles everywhere. I have replaced the spindles on both machines with stainless steel ones with a slightly larger diameter... This adds a couple of MPH on the top end and doesn't really hurt acceleration that much.
tip#3 Be sure to stay on top of rear wheel adjustment for maximum rear tire wear on your ped. This will prevent the wheel from slipping and causing premature tire wear... Replace the rear tire when the tire diameter wears down to the dimple on the sidewall. Note*Do not just move the front tire to the rear, this will result in poor handling of your go-ped due to the way the tires wear down. Spend the 12 bucks and replace your tire.* If you would like to see a demonstration of "How to..." check the download page for a short video on rear tire replacement and "How to..." properly adjust your rear tire.
tip #4 Nothing could be more critical to a 2 cycle engine as proper oil to fuel mixture.. PMW recommends 40:1, Choose a good quality 2 cycle oil such as castrol for the first couple of tanks of gas then switch to a fully synthetic oil. This will speed up the engine break in process and allow you to go WOT sooner than starting out with synthetic. PMW's go-mix doesn't get mixed at the 40:1 ratio as you will learn if you check the numbers. The oil contained in Go-mix is Amsoil and is an excellent choice for a synthetic oil. Personally, I'd still mix it 40:1, although the factory claims 100:1 is sufficient... BTW, Amsoil can be purchased online and is considerably cheaper than the packets of go-mix, but you lack the convenience of that neat little packet that fits it your pocket for a quick refuel.
tip #5 Easy starting can be accomplished by pressing the primer bulb a couple of times, close the choke, and pull the rope swiftly. As the ped begins to warm up, slowly open the choke fully. Allow the ped to warm up 30-45 seconds, shut down, fold up you kickstand and now you are ready to compression start the engine..
tip #6 Air Filter maintenance is an easy job and should be performed periodically to ensure your engine is breathing correctly. Remove the cover and take the pads to the sink. Wash them out with warm soapy water and rinse completely. Allow them to air dry and reinstall. This should be done more often if you ride in dusty environments such as the mid-western states or near sandy beaches.
tip#7 Peds seem to attract thieves, I should know, I had my first one stolen. Store your ped inside someplace dry. I keep ours inside the house. Also, be sure to write down the serial numbers for the frame and engine. You might also check your home owners insurance policy or renters insurance to see if they are covered. Take pictures NOW of your ped, it will help the police locate it later... It's a small world we live in and the Go-ped community is expanding, but sooner or later, all peds will turn up either on EBay or your local pawn shop...
tip#8 How is your go-ped running? Does it start easily? Accelerate quickly and get good fuel economy? If not, maybe it's time to look at that spark plug. A properly tuned ped should have a rich brownish color and if you look at the actual color of the spark, it will be light blue. If it's not, pick up a new one and see if this helps your ped run better. The proper plug to buy is NGK # BM7A or Bosch WS5E and gap the plugs between .024 and .026. On the average, change your spark plug once a year, more often if you ride every day.
tip#9 I said originally I was looking for maximum reliability and not performance from our peds... This modification sort of crosses the line. When you change your spindle, you will notice that the crankshaft isn't very long. This actually creates a tremendous side load on the crankshaft bearings as you put 75lbs of pressure on the rear tire. I believe the 3rd bearing block and longer spindle would be a worth while investment in getting the most from your ped. If you are going to jump the machine off sidewalks and over curbs that city streets often place in front of you, you will want to add a third bearing. Also, If you have had too many second servings at dinner time, I believe this might pay you back as well and will eliminate undue stress placed upon your engine...
tip#10 I have found if the ped is warmed up, it will "bump" or compression start easily. If you'd like to see how the pros do it, check the download page for a short video.
11-16-03 Cracked T-bar on My wifes go-ped... wierd... shes very small and the ped has never been jumped or wrecked... Ideas anyone?
12-01-03 Agreed this machine is a few months out of it's warranty, now we will see how well Go-ped is willing to stand behind their products. At this time, I have been denied any help for obtaining a new T-bar from Ron Fortenbury at dealer warranty....
((update)) 01-12-04 Go-ped came thru with flying colors... They sent me a new T bar and all is well with the machine... It's good to see a Company stand behind what it makes.. Thank you gentlemen, I knew you were a first class organization....
