So, thanks to a thread I found on ADV Rider and here (thanks Chappers!), I have been on the look out for a cheap Honda Helix. They made these things from 1986(7?) to 2007 by the thousands. I found a decent but kinda janky one locally. Its a 2004 with 24k miles. The seller claimed he bought it for his girlfriend to fix up but she left and he was tired of it sitting in his garage. It doesn't run but turned over well with the starter. The seller said he checked for spark, which it has and did nothing else. I'm betting its a carb issue (bystarter or clogged jet). There are some scuffs on the right side and the right front turn signal is broken but a new OEM signal lens was in the rear storage trunk. The plastics are in pretty good shape. The only missing pieces of trim are the coolant fill cover and the front hub cover. So enough words, time for pictures!
And one of it stuffed in my van:
All the LED segments work!
Scuffs on the right front fairing and missing hub cover.
Someone painted it battleship grey. The original color is Y-106, Clipper Yellow. The seat is also turd brown instead of black:
Everything is there and it sounds like it has good compression from hearing it turn over with the starter.
I plan on getting it running and attempting to restore it back to the original color. I want to go through everything and make sure its all in good condition. I might pull all the plastics off and clean up the frame if I'm feeling motivated enough.
Not bad for $450. I would of preferred a running scoot but the price was low enough I felt it was an acceptable risk.
I haven't taken it out of the back of the van. I don't have a ramp or even a 2x6 and I'm by myself. I backed the van into the garage, opened the doors and contemplated just He-Manning the thing out the back for a few minutes before I realized that that is a terrible idea. I'll wait to find a ramp and maybe another set of hands before getting it out.
So yeah, this is my first 2 wheel project and I have no idea what I'm doing. I figure this would be a great (or disasterous) learning experience. It should be fun though.
In reply to slowbird :
Hell yeah! It's funny because Honda ran these things for like 20 years but never changed the styling. The wheels changed once, from steel to aluminum but nothing else changed.
It looks straight out of the '80s even though it's a 2004. I think they are cool in an ugly, 80s futuristic way.
Yeah, very 80s. It feels like it would fit in nicely with the Ford Probes they customized to be future-cars in BTTF.
So I finally got this damn thing out of my van. I ordered a cheap folding steel ramp from Amazon to facilitate removal of said scooter from my van. I got it out with no issues.
I figured I'd mess with it for a few minutes before I went to bed. I pulled the seat off to see if there any oil leaks. There is some seepage but nothing catastrophic. I also checked the fuel tank since they are known to rust and plug everything up. The fuel looks like fuel and doesn't smell like varnish. I didn't spot any rust in my quick visual inspection. Just for giggles I tried starting it. It didn't start but it didn't sound very good. Almost like the connecting rod is flopping around in the cylinder. I swear it didn't sound like that when the seller was showing me the scoot.
Ugh. That kinda dampened my enthusiasm for the project a bit. But I still want to try and get this thing running. When I get off of work tomorrow morning, I'm going to pull all of the Tupperware off to get better access to the engine. I want to find a cheap motorcycle lift/stand thing so I can pull the engine/swingarm assembly off which will make working on the engine 1000% easier.
List of priorities:
1. Get the bodywork off.
2. Verify the fuel pump is good and fuel is getting to the carb. I suspect this is part of the issue.
3. Find out WTF is making all of the racket in the case. Pull the plug and verify the piston is moving?
To be honest, I'm kinda scared to find something catastrophic in the engine case. That will put the whole project on the tipping point. We will see.
Huh, this doesn't give me the warm fuzzies:
https://advrider.com/f/threads/the-story-of-my-helix.555221/
I wasn't able to watch the video since I'm at work but I can only imagine what that sounds like.
Mine is a 2004, this first year that Honda included a brace to eliminate the boot cracking issue but that doesn't mean that the carb boot isn't cracked.
