Honda Helix

[Ausfahrt]

I picked up an '01 Helix a few weeks ago for my son to get to school and work. He passed the MSF motorcycle safety course and has added the motorcycle endorsement to his license.

The Helix is a water cooled 250cc single with a .8 quart sump and no filtration save for a small screen. Honda calls for a 2000 mile oci and I plan on adhering to that. I need to decide between two of the oils that I have in my inventory to use in the Helix. I really don't want to buy another oil just for the Helix so the choices are:

Mobil1 15w-50 synthetic or Rotella 15w-40 dino. Given the small sump capacity, cost is not a factor, which one would you use and why?

 

[BigCahuna]

Being it's water cooled and the size of the motor, I would go with Rotella 15/40. A 5 qt bottle will last a long time for less then $20, and give you all the protection it needs.,,

 

[Doog]

Rotella 15w40

 

[Phishin]

I have the same engine in my 1986 Honda Elite. I've run everything from 0w-30 to 20w-50 in it.

I'd go with the Rotella too. I change my oil out every 1000 miles on mine. It's super easy and quick to do. The oil becomes fairly contaminated quickly with fuel and combustion by-products.

how many miles on your unit? I have a neighbor/friend who has a Helix, with the rare Kenwood radio option.

 

[Mr Nice]

Looks fun. Tell him to be very careful out on the road.

 

[Ausfahrt]

I was leaning towards the Rotella too. The scoot has just under 10000 miles on it and runs great. I think that I may just do 1000 oci's as well.

Thanks for the replies!

 

[Phishin]

If the previous owner never serviced the variator/clutch/belt drive....you may need to. You may see remarkable differences in acceleration, top speed, and smoothness of the ride.

One of the best places to get parts is helixparts.com They have a British and US site. You can get a combo of the variator, clutch, belt, and new variator weights for like $230 or something like that if I remember correctly. It's a good deal. I've got 3000 miles so far on my set on my Elite, and it works flawlessly.

 

[Ausfahrt]

I am familiar with helixparts.com and first on the agenda will be to order a new dash panel so that Jake can read his gauges. As for the variator, I don't know if it is original or not but it accelerates better than another Helix that I test rode with a supposedly new variator.

This thing is a blast! I never knew that you could have this much fun going SLOW.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Dude...1985 called and wants their scooter back!

Do 2001's still have the Knight Rider digital dash?

 

[Ausfahrt]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Dude...1985 called and wants their scooter back!

Do 2001's still have the Knight Rider digital dash?


Yes, the 01's still have the digital dash. That's the only thing that I dislike about the scooter so far.

Coupe de ville calling the kettle black?

 

[Jarlaxle]

Huh? No digital dash on my CDV. It's all analog.

Both gauges!

 

[whip]

Originally Posted By: bigdreama
This thing is a blast! I never knew that you could have this much fun going SLOW.

I learned a long time ago that it's way more fun to ride a slow bike quickly.

 

[tc1446]

That speedo is super accurate, unlike all the modern bikes and scoots. Just set the oil minder by sticking the key in the slot to zero it back to green and when red starts to show, change it.
If its like the 3 I've had, the oil strainer never had anything in it so after checking it a time or too, I let it go several changes before looking at it again.

Had Honda only done some cosmetic update that scooter would still be on the market. I've had three and never a problem, unless you count the small rear tire which will last only about 4000 miles. But then again, the tires are cheap. At 10K, your CVT system is still good to go.

 

[Phishin]

I agree tc1446. These Helix scoots will develop a real cult following in the next 5-10 years or so. They were one of the best scoots ever made. Maybe the best. Super reliable.

I read of guys online who have over 100k on theirs. There are a dozen or so like this. And there is a pair in Australia, one has 80k and the other has 120k. The same bloke owns them both since new.

I love scoots. And Whip is right....driving a slow bike fast is where it's at. When I take take my Ruckus 40mph around a street corner, laid all the way down on it's side, scraping the frame sliders....now that's cool.

 

[Ausfahrt]

Originally Posted By: Phishin
And Whip is right....driving a slow bike fast is where it's at. When I take take my Ruckus 40mph around a street corner, laid all the way down on it's side, scraping the frame sliders....now that's cool.