[Miss Mercedes]

I recently took a 150cc scooter on a wild 160 mile offroad adventure through the middle of nowhere.

Here are some of my own personal notes that I took after the scooter died. The scooter ultimately failed to go the full 500 miles due to the carburetor getting clogged and absolutely no fuel getting to the bike. For a few minutes the bike was literally ONLY running on the carb fluid I was shooting into the carb while riding it. It was game over once I ran out. Had it not been because I was in a group of other offroaders (I was the only one on two wheels), I would have been stranded. These notes are specific to trying to turn a scooter into an ADV, but it can be useful elsewhere:

-- Fuel System: Make sure the tank has a fuel filter. Carry both carb cleaner and starting fluid in ample amounts. It also helps to have a second carb and some lines in case something really goes wrong.

-- Air: Use a cleanable air filter. If water crossings are expected, it may be beneficial to fit a snorkel.

-- Transmission: Carry an extra drive belt.

-- Cooling: Carry extra coolant and cooling system parts like a thermostat and thermo switch. However, it's best to go air cooled.

-- Chassis: If the bike has vital lines running through a vulnerable area (like coolant lines), a skid plate can be critical.

-- Electrical: Scooters don't have a lot of overhead to work with. Ditch the halogen headlamp for LED. With the freed up space I can fit device chargers and other creature comforts.

-- Switches: Important switches that can prevent starting like the kill switch, side stand switch, and brake switch should either be bypassed or serviced before departing. Some brake switches can be bypassed without impacting brake light function and the side stand switch has a similar story.

-- Cables: If the bike is old, replacing cables (brake, throttle, clutch, etc) before departing can also prevent a way of ending up stranded.

-- Tires: Use tubed tires (or tubeless tires with a tube inside, if possible) and carry extra tubes.

-- Fuel: I carry an extra 2 gallons.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

You're welcome! As luck would have it, someone doing the same offroad rally as my team (my team had my scooter, a lifted Chevy Cobalt, a Lexus RX, a Miata "death kart", and an AWD Suzuki Aerio) had a pickup truck. We stuffed it into the pickup and dealt with the scooter once we got back to camp.

This is where having a spare carb would have helped me because I could have just swapped the carb and kept on riding.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

Assuming you will have a cellular device like a smartphone, you will want to take these precautions:

Water protection: Buy a water resistant phone or a waterproof case for your phone.

Charging: I stated this before, but I think I want to stress it a little more. If you'll be doing any adventuring in the cold, your phone is likely to die. Lithium phone batteries hate temps of 32F and below. A phone can go from 80% to dead in mere minutes in freezing temperatures.

The best ways to combat this would be to get a thermal case and/or a way to keep the battery full. You can get a USB hub from Amazon for $9 and it'll take just a few minutes to install.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

I would recommend a removeable USB adapter, USB adapters can draw power even when not being used. I added an SAE power cord in my saddlebag and use a USB adapter when needed.

Also have a SAE power cord on the side of the bike and use that cord for the Battery Tender, air compressor and heated gear. Makes everything plug and play.

Yep! I just disconnect the positive from the hub when the bike is parked. A more elegant solution would be a switch, but yanking the positive only takes a few seconds.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

Oh snap that's really smart!