Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Where's My 1978 Honda NC 50 Air Filter?

I finished cleaning my 1978 Honda Express nc50 carburator on my moped and began to reinstall it. As I started to replace the air cleaner on my Express Moped, I noticed I couldn't find where I had set it down. I searched for a few minutes and then realized... I NEVER TOOK IT OFF!

The moped foam air filter is labeled #7 in the following diagram:



The previous owner had failed to re-install it. Yikes! That might contribute to why I have been having back-firing problems with the moped at top speeds. I realize the 1978 Honda nc 50 foam air filter needs to be soaked and then lightly rung before being place on the moped. The saturation of the oil in the foam air cleaner helps to provide the proper mixture of oil/air.

So, began my search online to find new cheap Honda Express Moped parts that would list the foam air filter part. I shortly discovered the Honda part #:

OEM#: 17205-147-000

Found picture of part on http://www.cmsnl.com/:




Was able to find the part on BikeBandit.com part shows up on search result page for Honda Express Element Air Cleaner. It looks like I would pay $11.78 for part with shipping.

I first called local PepBoys Automotive to see if they had some performance foam filter material I could make my own filter from. The guy wasn't very helpful and just said... "No." I also tried calling a local motor bike shop and they told me they could get honda express nc50 foam performance air filter material by the sheet. They didn't have any in stock but they could order it for $10.

I went with Bike Bandit's moped parts and paid the $11.78 for part w/ shipping.

3 noped comments:

Unknown said...

I'm pretty sure the foam air filter in the diagram is labeled #1.
Anyway, a couple months ago, I got my hands on a green 1978 Honda Express, with about 2000 miles on it. It ran fine for about a month or so and I put it away in storage for the winter months. I pulled it out a couple days ago and gave the carburetor a good cleaning, filled the gas/oil tanks, and gave it a new air filter (honda brand).
Unfortunately, I couldnt get it started up. I would hear the engine spurt for a few seconds, and I tried turning the choke on cold and back, but nothing seemed to work. Then, I thought about removing the air filter because I remembered having a similar problem when I first got the bike. With the filter removed, I got it to start up after a few tries. It runs fine right now, but I'm afraid that I might have future problems with the carb if i dont have some sort of a filter to keep out dirt and whatnot. Do you know why it worked only after i removed the air filter? Any other suggestions?

jfk said...

Hunter... Funny you mention running your ped without an air filter. I forgot where I read it, but I remember someone suggesting to remove the foam air filter to improve the moped performance. That could be why the original owner of my moped didn't have one. I would venture to guess that removing your air filter increased the air flow to your carb... thus allowing it to startup easier. But, you run the risk of getting crap coming in through the air intake... into carb... into engine... and that's bad. I had another Honda Express moped that would back-fire at top-speed on open strech when it didn't have air filter. Too much air was causing that problem.

Good luck and HAVE FUN!!!

Feel free to post anytime. Your comments are helpful to everyone.

Unknown said...

Hi!

I recently got a 1978 Honda Express and I love it. The original owner wasn't very careful with it, so I'm trying to get it to the best condition I can by buying new parts and fixing what I can. But there's one thing I've been looking for to buy on the internet and I can't find it. I'm talking about the piece that covers the air filter and the carburetor. If someone knows where to find it I'll appreciate it a lot.

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