Yamaha riva 180

[scorch]

Anyone know info about this bike? I am going to purchase one for 200$ but would like to know what you guys thought of it before i did.

I need something cheap and reliable for commuting. This bike is 180cc so its capable of 50mph which is great!

It has sat for a few years and needs the carbs cleaned and new battery, but it looks to be in great shape. I've never cleaned carbs before, but i hear its a straightforward project.

Is this a good investment for commuting, specially in the winter when its very cold and a scooter with its wind protection helps.

Thank you for your time

[wanna bECO]

That is a great scoot and a great price by it now, or tell me where it is so i can get it!!

[redhandmoto]

$200!!? I'd be all over it...

[scorch]

Do you guys have exp with this bike?

I hear it has automatically valve adjustments, but can't find any concrete facts online.

[ernest t bass]

I wouldn't expect Hydraulic Valves on that bike.
But, Top Speed should be 65 to 70 mph.
The 180 Riva is Freeway Legal.

Riva 180 is a super nice scooter.
Those Riva's along with the Honda Elite's, brought Modern Scooters to the forefront of style in the early 1980's.

[scorch]

It looks like its not starting, might need the carbs cleaned and batt. but i found out that it also needs front brake work, not sure what it needs. Is it easy to get brake pads for this?

The 180 is notoriously a bad cold starter scooter, its got a complex starting procedure that is expensive to fix. anyone ride one?

[30Bones]

This looks to be well beyond your mechanical skills. Pass and buy something newer that is ready to go.

[peterhively]

I had one, it was given to me by friends who had let it sit and it wouldn't start. I changed the oil, cleaned the carb, put some fresh gas and a new battery in. It wouldn't start until I shot some starting fluid into the intake. Once warmed up it ran fine, idled well, etc. But it would not start cold.

The cold start system on that thing is a bit complicated, it is a thermostatically controlled cold start enricher thingie.

Before you pull the carb out be sure to label all the hoses and wires so you can get it back together correctly. The key is, there is a passageway in the float bowl that supplies fuel to the enricher. Mine was plugged up solid and I totally missed it the first time I cleaned the carb as I had never seen one like that before. You do not want to have to pull that carb twice!

Peter

PS found a detailed write up w/pics

http://www.jacksscootershop.com/main....html#starting

[ysr612]

I have the 200 and no real problems.

PS almost everyone says the 180 was actually a better scooter.

[scorch]

Originally Posted by ysr612

I have the 200 and no real problems.

PS almost everyone says the 180 was actually a better scooter.

im wondering that getting a newer chinese 150cc might be better than a 20 year old scooter that doesnt start lke the riva. I know the riva is a "name" brand. But the chinese scooter will work, and what i hear its basically a old honda engine.

Is there any advantages to actually buying the riva over a chinese scooter
?

[soboy]

Originally Posted by scorch

im wondering that getting a newer chinese 150cc might be better than a 20 year old scooter that doesnt start lke the riva. I know the riva is a "name" brand. But the chinese scooter will work, and what i hear its basically a old honda engine.

Is there any advantages to actually buying the riva over a chinese scooter
?

They both require a bit of mechanical ability. How good are you turning a wrench? The Yamaha has been sitting a while so it will need the basic stuff to get an older bike running - carb cleaning, etc. If you can do that, I think the Yamaha is the better bet. Chinese scooters usually need some tinkering to run right when new. I bought my 8 year old son a Chinese 50cc dirt bike, it would not run well when new but with some very simple tools, I got it purring like a kitten in about an hour. It ran well for 6 months, then the throttle tube cracked while trail riding and the part was not available. Parts availability can be a problem with Chinese scooters.

[ysr612]

Originally Posted by scorch

I'm wondering that getting a newer Chinese 150cc might be better than a 20 year old scooter that doesn't start like the Riva. I know the Riva is a "name" brand. But the Chinese scooter will work, and what i hear its basically a old Honda engine.

Is there any advantages to actually buying the Riva over a Chinese scooter
?

the Riva is pretty bullet proof but if you can get a newer 150 Chinese scooter that seems to be in good shape for 200 go for it. To my way of thinking the Riva is worth 3 times what a similar Chinese scooter is. Well with qualifications if the Chinese is Kymco or Buddy go Chinese.

[ysr612]

Originally Posted by soboy

They both require a bit of mechanical ability. How good are you turning a wrench? The Yamaha has been sitting a while so it will need the basic stuff to get an older bike running - carb cleaning, etc. If you can do that, I think the Yamaha is the better bet. Chinese scooters usually need some tinkering to run right when new. I bought my 8 year old son a Chinese 50cc dirt bike, it would not run well when new but with some very simple tools, I got it purring like a kitten in about an hour. It ran well for 6 months, then the throttle tube cracked while trail riding and the part was not available. Parts availability can be a problem with Chinese scooters.

some parts for the Rivas are getting hard to find I broke my motor flywheel fan at about 10k miles and could not find a new one however the scoot has been running fine with no signs of overheating for the last 4k miles

[techguy]

For $200 you could easily afford to get it and have a scooter mechanic get it in tip-top shape for a another couple hundred... I would think. I don't know squat about Yamaha other than they are one of the best scooters out there. You could get a professional to look at it and prioritize the repairs between "need now", "nice to have", and "when I have the cash to make it look better".

If you pass on this, Kymco is a quality manufacturer as wells Yamaha, and Honda for smaller scooters. Vespas can be fun but can be finicky. I would not touch anything other than these brands for a smaller scoot. The true china scoots (jonway, z..., x... and the other 63 brands you have never heard of) can be real money pits and may never run correctly. The scoots from the major brands can be very reliable and the parts can usually be found somewhere as many of these are sold in other countries too. Suzuki is a great amker but they don't make small scoots. SYM is getting to this level but they have only been imported for a couple years.

[DaBinChe]

almost all (99.99) automatic scooters have auto choke/enrichment that is the nature of the beast. Reason is that folks that ride automatics also don't want to fuss with the carb to start the scoot...they want everything to be easy.

stick with the Riva, many times better then a chinese scooter. And yes as someone said earlier chinese scoots are a money pit.