Performance Tune Your Honda Express Moped? - Do What He Did

So during my extensive searching online for honda express scooter modifications and performance turning, I found a YouTube poster with the screen name "bakirkwold."

The first post he made that caught my eye was when he converted his honda moped ratchet start to a full-out kick start. (by the way he mentioned he will be making a "how-to" video on that this summer) I have seen lots of requests on how to do honda scooter kick-start conversions for quite sometime.

Well, recently he posted his experience with his 1980 Honda Express moped and how he performance tuned and increased his scooter's top speed. Very impressive. Now, I have seen some documentation online about how to do some of these things, but never heard first-hand if they worked. Well, in his case... they did.

Hat's off to "bakirkwold" and I would highly suggest subscribing to his YouTube channel, because there are even better things to come. While you are at it... go ahead and subscribe to "EverydayInternetSol" channel too. I will be bringing many more "how to" videos in the coming months.

Here is bakirkwold's video:

Here is the list of honda restoration that was done to his moped:

• Cleaned up the bike
• Fixed up the rear turn signals and painted them
• Bought a left-side engine cover from Ebay
• Converted it to kick start (video coming soon)
• Fixed a broken rear brake line
• Fixed rear fender
• Fixed rear lights
• Built a honda moped headlight out of a car head light
• Made a seat
• Cleaned the carb (HOW TO VIDEO HERE)
• New piston and head
• Cleaned out the gas tank
• Converted a batter that father got from work
• Painted air box
• Spent lot of hours getting it to run
• New tires
• New points
• Lots more!

Honda Express Moped Scooter Repair - Series Part 2

Let's start fixing that 1978 Honda express scooter of yours. You will need the right tools to begin your work. Here is a list of items/tools that will make your honda moped restoration experience simpler:

• Husky 6-In-1 Screwdriver - Phillips, Slotted, & Nut Driver (The Home Depot)
  
  
• European Metric Socket & Open Ended Wrenches (Crafsman Sears)
  
• Rags
  
• Moped Carburetor Cleaner (see previous post for suggested carb cleaner)
  
• Automotive Spill Tray (or cheaper system - use old newspaper to absorb spills)
  
• Paper & Pencil (take notes and measurements)
  
• Digital Camera (to document - incase you forget something goes back together)
  
• Moped Honda Manual (see previous post for manuals online)
  
  
• Box, Zip-Lock Bags, or Other Container (to store bolts and screws after removing from moped)

Next honda blog post will cover where to begin the restoration (honda moped performance tuning) after you have gathered all your nessesary tools.

Honda Express Moped Scooter Repair - Series Part 1

You have just returned for an exciting trip to a yard sale with your new winnings resting in the back of your truck. You just could not believe you bought a Honda Express moped off a guy for $50 bucks. He told you it used to run and you can see it only has a few hundred miles on the odometer.


What luck! You're excited and wouldn't have been able to guess this morning that you would have a piece of Honda moped history sitting in your garage. Heck... the moped could be older than you - having been made in 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, or 1981. Perhaps you remember riding one of these when you were a child. You can vividly remember the joy as your brothers or sisters used to zip around your neighborhood.

"But... wait!" you think. How do I get my new honda scooter running? What model is this moped? Is it a Honda Express, Express II, Express SR, Urban Express? What is the top speed of my nc50 moped? Where can I get Honda Urban Express parts? Where can I get a honda express manual? What is the best express moped oil to use?

You head begins to swim with aniexty and questions. You think, "What did I get myself into?" But then, you take a deep breath and realize life is too short to worry and thank God you found a Honda Express moped blog / forum like this one!

Now... let's begin the process of restoring that beautiful vintage honda moped. In the next few blog posts I will walk you through some important steps to restore and repair you newly aquired "eco-friendly" moped.

Will be posting moped scooter repairs series this week. Stay tuned...