2001 Reflex 250...Any good?

Akais: What RPM level are you seeing at the 65-75 mph range with the 19-22 slider combo?

I couldn't stand the buffeting from the windscreen on the highway so I cut the windshield down like the sport model's. Was great in good weather but when it got cold I ended up with a scratched up Givi I found on Ebay for $40. Got rearended by some woman and her husband bought it from me and a little extra cash to keep it quiet. I didn't have any injuries.

Checked my notes, I actually have three 19g sliders and three 17g sliders ( lightened 19s) in mine right now. Yesterday my rpms at 65mph were 6500, 75mph was 7500.

@Steve_h I have a seat you can have (for the cost of shipping). It has a one 'issue' that's about the size of a half-dollar. But, it's much better than what's currently on your scoot. Send a PM, if you're interested, as I don't go thru the scooter forums very often.

I checked this today and it is the same as bikeridermark's. 65 is 6500 and 75 is 7500. Both of those are GPS. 75 indicated is 7100 but the speedo is about 5% off at those speeds. At that speed the variator should be fully collapsed and it would not matter what you had weight wise. The only time it would be different is if there was not enough weight to collapse the variator fully. If it is, then the RPM would be a function of the wheel circumference and the final drive gear ratio. That would be the same on both our bikes so that's why the RPMs are similar.

John and Bronco,

I have sent you both messages, I think. I have never really tried to send anyone a message on here other than as a forum post before.

Steve_h, I setup a private conversation regarding John's box of parts,

I let my son take the Reflex for a ride yesterday. He said he could get used to that. It's like riding your favorite most comfortable chair with handlebars and a windshield down the road.

I had one about 12 or so years ago. Nice around town or out touring. Good on the highway too.

It's strange. My 2003 had all 19g sliders, and it turned only 6500 rpm at 70 mph, sometimes even less. There are times I wish I would have kept it and sold the 2006.

Bronco638 - Thank you for the seat. It looks so much better than the duct tape one that came on it.

It appears to be quite capable. I haven't put that many miles on it yet due to rain, cold, and I am waiting on a replacement belt to get here. It's got 16k on it and Honda says replace it at 12k so I don't want to be stuck on the side of the road so a belt is on the way. I hope to do some nice day rides at least this year. There's lots of nice twisty mountain roads just an hour or so from here that need me to come test them out. It's a little over 3 hours to the dragon, a little over 3 hours to Suches, GA, a little over an hour to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

I'm only 54 so I have a little over 10 years until I can retire and work will quit interfering with riding. Maybe I'll win the lottery and retire early.

Post pics Steve! Glad it all worked out. You could probably do some local rides on that drive belt. I've seem them go over 20K miles w/o the owner even caring. So, if you want to test something out, just don't go far from home.

That belt replacement is a fun job..........

Don't smash your fingers.

New belt showed up today...about a week ahead of promised delivery date. So, I proceeded to change it. It wasn't too bad at all to change. There was a good bit of dust in the variator and some dust in the clutch. I cleaned them up nicely and greased the boss in the variator lightly. It was completely dry and had some of the dust packed into a ring around it so it didn't move too good. The rollers look good. No flat spots or anything and it is the original variator and rollers.
Not sure if the belt has been changed or not. ItS a little dirty but still pretty much as wide as a new one. I did notice cracks between many of the teeth so, it's probably a good thing that I changed it. I also found out there is no filter in the cvt breather. Will have to get one of those soon.
The transmission works much more smoothly now and I did notice a slight drop in rpm for the same speed.

I will have to see if I can post up some pics this weekend. I still need to put on my new turn signal so I have matching covers on both sides as soon as I figure out how that thing is mounted in there. Once that's done, I can start working on some of the touch-ups.

It's going to be great weather around here for riding this weekend so I plan to do some. Little projects like turn signal covers and touch-ups will have to take a back seat to some riding.

I hope everyone is having good weather and getting in a some riding.

It would be a good idea to keep the old belt as a temporary fix in case (when/if) the newer belt you put on fails.
If you have the tools and the know-how, replacing a belt safely off to the side of the road would only be a mere
inconvenience instead of a dreaded major issue. I've done it before on a trip to New York from Michigan.
(17,000 miles on that belt when it broke and I had been towing a single-wheel trailer behind my 2006 Reflex...
or was it the 2007 Reflex? ... I don't remember for sure; it was several years ago.) Anyway, I always carry a
spare belt and the needed tools to effect repair on long, away from home trips.

The belts are cheap enough that, if you decided to carry a spare, make it a good one. Go through the trouble to replace the belt (with an old one) on the side of the road and have it last 3 miles, then what? An old belt with cracks between the teeth belongs only one place-in the garbage!

I'm kinda with minimac on that one. I think I'd rather carry a spare new belt or at least one that isn't dry rotted and cracking But I do see the point that in the situation where one breaks, anything would be better than nothing to hopefully at least get you to the next town where you can get parts. I do believe in carrying tool necessary to effect small repairs on the side of the road. I don't know for sure if I'd like to try to change a belt on the side of the road or not, though. The factory tool kit is missing from my Reflex so I'll have to put one together soon. Any suggestions on what I should include? I've already discovered I'll need 4 and 5mm allen keys, 8 and 10mm wrenches/sockets and phillips and straight screwdrivers. What else?

Please excuse me if I have a few more typos than usual. My main computer had a motherboard failure and I'm on my little linux box but the only keyboard I have that works with it is an old bondi blue iMac keyboard right now. Guess I'll have to go to a thrift store today and pick up a usb keyboard.

Don't bother with trying to re-assemble the factory tool kit. It's pretty much a pair of pliers, screw drivers (Phillips & flat) and a spark plug socket. You're better off assembling a tool roll that's easy to grab and fits under the seat. I read a comment here, once, that says to only work out of your tool roll when you do maintenance. If the tool isn't in your toll roll, add it. Eventually, your tool roll will contain everything you need (within reason). I'm not sure I'd want to take my variator removal tool along on a long trip. But, you can't replace a belt without it. YMMV.

I learned a while ago to get a pack of "black sticks" also called spudgers. They are available on ebay. Basically a hard plastic stick with a point on one end and a flat blade on the other, about 6 inches long, that is just dandy when you are trying to unclip plastic body panels with breaking anything or scratching things. Technicians use them to open cell phones or remotes without damage. They are cheap and easy to lose.

Gotcha on the tool kit. That's a good idea to do the maintenance with the tool kit. I will certainly show you what you have tooling to handle and what you can't handle. I have not messed with the spark plug in mine yet. Is it an 18mm or 5/8?

I've got a couple spudgers already somewhre around here. I used to use them all the time back when I was in the computer business and working on laptops. I couldn't tell you how any of those things disappeared. Taking off the side fairing wasn't bad at all. Just a lot of fasteners.

My son still says riding the Reflex is like riding the couch down the highway. He wants a Helix if we can find one for a good price. Most of the '80's models are 2k or more around here these days. Of course, I know right now is the worst time of the year to buy two-wheelers. I'm tempted to go get an elite 80 that's been on CL for $300 but I think that might be a little steep.

Hey Wentwest has a Virago 535. I got one of those too. Only has 6k on it. '96 model. It's got the pretty much standard coil wiring issue where one cylinder cuts in and out. I've read several places that say you have to cut into the harness and follow the coil ground. It's spliced into another ground somewhere under the tank and the solder joint is normally bad from what I read.

Hope everyone is having decent weather to ride. It's 83 here right now. They are calling for rain and thunderstorms this weekend.

Elite 80 for 300 bucks will thats an ok price . I ve seen them priced up to a grand . if you will to travel there lots of helix with in a days of you . eg this 2001 for 500 bucks . Even if the body work is crappy you can get new upper set for 250 bucks . https://harrisburg.craigslist.org/mcy/d/2001-honda-helix-250cc/6565132093.html
https://harrisburg.craigslist.org/mcy/d/2001-honda-helix-250cc/6565132093.html
Here something that is worth looking at the fashion clone of the helix there asking 900 bucks in North C. About 3.5 hours from you. Back when cfmoto imported scooters they made a nearly 99% clone of the helix which was held in high regard. About 5 years ago they sold them out the door at fire sale pricing around 1500 bucks or so. At this price again you can buy , ride and sell for almost the same price years latter. The cfmoto helix clone engines are really good and don't seem to go boom .
https://fayetteville.craigslist.org/mcy/d/reduced-2009-cf-moto-fashion/6544746491.html
Want a trike kit for a helix or reflex there s one for 500 bucks in Tampa fl which is a deal consider they sell for 4 grand new. https://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/snw/d/honda-helix-trike-kit/6564442073.html

Also here the link for a cragslist search engine which will list everything around you. if your will take take yourself and your son on a weekend road trip I m thinking you could find a helix for 800 to 1200 and have some fun. https://www.searchtempest.com/search?location=29301&maxDist=500&region_us=1&search_string=honda+helix+&keytype=adv&Region=na&cityselect=zip&page=0&category=8&subcat=sss&minAsk=min&maxAsk=max&minYear=min&maxYear=max&minAutoMiles=min&maxAutoMiles=max&autoMake=&autoModel=&q=honda+helix++"for+sale"