Meet Max - the best scooter in the world!

Remember my mantra that if you treat things nicely and take good care of them – they won’t let you down?  Well my scooter – MAX – is a proof of that testament. I got him from my previous company as a reward for upselling mobile phones and service agreements. He is a Jiajue Ranger 70 scooter and is similar to the Motostar Jazz scooter.  Powered by a 70cc motor – he delivers more than enough power to bring me from point A to point B.  Here are some of his pics the day I got him. 

China scooters have the reputation of breaking down every so often and being very unreliable and unworthy rides.  Max and I have had our share of ups and downs during our first few months but we’ve been over that a long long time ago. I drive him to work every day – a 3-4 km ride – and he has never let me down – rain or shine. The only problem he has given me in the past two years was a broken accelerator pedal and some flat tires.  Not bad given some of his brothers have a life expectancy of just around 4-5 years -  Max has broken boundaries and proved that he is here to stay!

What’s the secret to keeping Max “young” and happy? Regular intervals of preventive maintenance like changing the engine oil, sparkplugs and gear oil are things that I never forget. Inspection and cleaning of the pulley, belt drive and clutch from time to time have done wonders :) I’ll try to post more DIY projects involving Max soon.

 

I have also believed on investing on good and reliable parts for him. Since the start, I have used only Castrol Oil and either NGK or Bosch Sparkplugs. I have also invested in Bando belts for the pulley and clutch – even though they cost twice as much as the average china brand – they are worth it and pays for itself in the long run.

Being parked outside the whole day has taken its toll on Max’s paint job and after being together for more than 6 years – I finally decided to give him a fresh coat of paint.  Over the next few days, I’ll share with you we groom Max and make him look good once again.

The “Max Makeover Project” started by removing all of the fairings and light assembly. 

See the scratches  here?  Max has scatches like these everywhere – its like as if the paint has cracked after months of being parked under the sun for hours.

The instrument panel has become dull and hazy – I would have to do something about this. 

 The same’s the case for the signal lights – they used to be crystal clear but not they are just so weathered. :(

 

The first step is to strip down Max and remove everything that needs to be painted. 

You’d be surprised at what a couple of rattle can spray paints can do for an old ride :)