Stock Hellcat - What needs changed?

[SleepyC]

Been reading threads for a long time here and finally bought a Hellcat the other day. Should be here in the next few days. I own a ton of motorcycles (Super Tenere 1200, Husky TE610, Buddy 125, Vespa P200, Honda 900rr etc ect) and wrench on them quite a bit. So working on the bike is nothing new to me.
I have ordered Grom axels and swing arm bolt, and two new motor mount bolts.


Besides that I want to keep this bike stock and reliable. More or less a beer run machine and an event pit bike.


Besides going over every nut and bolt with loctite and changing the above mentioned bolts, are there any other modifications I need to do to keep this think running smoothly? It seems a lot of guy are doing performance mods which is cool, but not what I want to do. Can the included Carb run fine?


Thanks in advance.
SC

[SilverBullet51]

Sounds like you have a good start. My bike runs good on the stock carb. Everything is stock on it besides the 17t sprocket I added. Even for putting around and beer runs I'd probably still change out the sprocket. (It makes 1st gear useful.) I use my bike on a lot of 55mph country roads, where I need to be able to cruise for awhile at a decent speed. If I used it more in town I'd probably go with the 16t sprocket I have.

[flhellcat]

I purchased 2 Hellcats a few months ago and have them running pretty well all stock.

One carburetor required cleaning to take the bog out.

The plastics are very brittle. Look for a post of mine about using nylon washers.

Have about 150 km or so on each. Valve lash check on the to do list.

Also seems these get better as they break in.

Generally very pleased, especially for the money.

[RedCrowRides]

These Grom clones really do pickup after 300 - 500 mile break in period ,the difference is really noticeable. I'm not a fan of the stock carb but yes they can be made to be reliable and run okay , mine ran fine out of the box with the stock carb ,it just ran even better after changing it, but it's all personal preference.



The valve lash I suspect is the actual culprit behind many perceived " carb issues "
I have seen them all over the spectrum from the factory. All in all i love mine, wouldn't get rid of it for the world way too much fun per dollar.

[SleepyC]

Thanks guys, this is what I wanted to hear.

[Hellkitty]

I've had my Hellcat for about a year and a half now and I really like it. The dealer supplied me with new engine bolts and hearing about the rear axle being weak I decided I would change it , and then I learned that the swing arm bolt was the same part so I bought two and replace that too. The engine bolts are easier to get at with the swing arm removed so I did it all at the same time.

Like you, I was more interested in reliability than performance but I did replace the carb since I had one already, and I put an aftermarket performance muffler on it just because I hated the heavy boat anchor it came with. I still have the stock sprockets since I use mine mostly for trail riding and I like having that low first gear, if I was using it mostly for street riding I would definitely go with taller gears. I also installed Maxxis dual sport tires, and Grom chain adjusters (they are a little better than the stock ones but not that great). I also remove most of the plastic and installed a replica Honda z50 fuel tank on it just because I wanted to make it look like a Monkey bike. Check out my gallery to see pictures of it if you like.

[SleepyC]

So I'm searching and searching and i can't find the oil capacity of the Hellcat?


SAE 15W-40? Or ??
And I'm assuming like 1 QT? (most scooter motors of this size take 1 QT)


ALSO.. Is this the correct plug? NGK C7HSA

[culcune]

15W-40 is the standard around here. They should have how much oil and type of spark plug on the manufacturer's plate riveted to the bike.

[flhellcat]

Mine took a little under a quart and I've replaced factory plugs with NGK C7HSA.

Another problem I had on one was the inlet to airbox was blocked where the crankcase vent tube attaches causing crankcase pressure. I just drilled it out.

[RedCrowRides]

Ah , one thing we did overlook was changing the stock fuel lines. the chinese "rubber" lines they use do not tolerate the ethanol in almost all of our gas here in the US well at all, and will start to break down and "flake"off from the inside.,potentially clogging the inline filter or worse making it past and into the carb jet orifices .


I'd definitely replace the stock fuel lines between the tank and the carb with a good high quality 3/16" silicone fuel line, can get it at most any autoparts store ,etc.

[SleepyC]

Ah , one thing we did overlook was changing the stock fuel lines. the chinese "rubber" lines they use do not tolerate the ethanol in almost all of our gas here in the US well at all, and will start to break down and "flake"off from the inside.,potentially clogging the inline filter or worse making it past and into the carb jet orifices .


I'd definitely replace the stock fuel lines between the tank and the carb with a good high quality 3/16" silicone fuel line, can get it at most any autoparts store ,etc.


Excellent advice. I totally spaced on even considering that.
🤘✊🏼

[flhellcat]

I run all my small engines on no ethanol fuel. Hellcat's no exception and they seem to like it so far. I learned the hard way unfortunately and I'm lucky enough to have it available very close to me.



I should probably change the lines regardless. The stock do seem like junk.

[RedCrowRides]

There is only one Ethanol free station anywhere near me, and man are they proud of it ( it's costly heh ,good thing we get close to 100 miles per gallon ) and I run it when I can, but I've got "caught" out riding and needing gas and had to use Ethanol added gas .It really is murder on the whatever it is they make their fuel lines out of so i changed mine out to silicone based ASAP , it was cheap and i was able to get some cool see thru blue line that matched my bikes overall color scheme ( black with blue trim /accessories)so there was that too lol!

[SleepyC]

So got the hellcat and assembled it today. Everything went pretty smooth. Loctighted everything, changed out bolts. Set it up, changed oil, added fuel and it started right up. It idles great. Runs pretty well, but is truly under whelming. The overall build quality is pretty low as well. But I guess I expected this for $1000.

The only thing not working for me is the speedometer. The rpms, gear selector, clock fuel gauge all work, but no speedo.. wondering if something is wrong in the hub? It went together fairly smoothly. Any thing I'm missing in regard to the front wheel hub?

[RedCrowRides]

It's really easy to put the speed sensor and the little plastic spacer inside the front wheel in wrong ,and it won't work. Check YouTube for Venom Motorsports channel, they have a real clear step by step video on how to install it and they show the proper orientation and all that., that will probably clear it up .If it doesn't, you will have to chase the wiring down and see if it's a bad connection / not plugged into a connector all the way .


And don't be too hard on the lack of power ,they pep up a good bit even stock at about 300 - 500 miles when everything really seats in good ,and a carb and pipe will wake it up even more for a total of about 150$

[SleepyC]

So the speed hub thing is broken. It came broken. I'll have to try and get a new one. Hopefully it's not a huge issue, but if the speedo is the only issue, I'm good.

[RedCrowRides]

Glad you were at least able to identify exactly what the issue is , that can be the bigger part of the headache chasing these things down, now that you know where the problem is you can work on getting a replacement part.I'd try the Seller you bought from first and if that fails let us know and maybe we can help you chase down an aftermarket source / supplier. My guess is it being a low cost piece the Seller won't dodge too much on honoring a Warranty claim for sending you a new one at no cost.,I am sure it is "theoretically" covered as all these bikes at least supposedly come with some form of Warranty against broken or missing parts or early failure of same.,the trick is getting them to honor it heh.

[flhellcat]

$12 and available.



https://partskit.com/product/search/schematic?s=100794&query=HELLCAT%20125%20and%20Steering%20System


Hopefully your dealer can make it happen for free.

[SleepyC]

Man.. heard a rattle and since I had loctighted everything I could get to it bothered me.
While I was finding it, I figured out the rack that came with the bike attaches to this area.
Started to pull the rear fender and then the metal bars that support it so I could put on the rack and locktite the bolts. Well the last one just spun, the didn't;t weld the weld in bolt. What a PIA. I ended up drilling out the bolt and was able to drop the support. Got everything and the rack installed with the 3 remaining bolts and started to try to get an actual normal nut and bolt into the 4th hole. Holy crap man.. there is literally a metal box almost around where the nut would go. I have tried griffing the nut with a pair of needle nose pliers and the reaching up and turning the bolt. impossible,,, gonna need a 2nd person... I hope no other welds were forgotten on this thing.

[SleepyC]

After sleeping on it and thinking about the missing welded nut for a night, I figured out I could get a locking wing nut into the tiny gap I needed to get a screw down into the area of the missing welded in nut. I actually used a set of long needle nose pilers that grasped the wings, and I taped the handle under tension so that I coudl slide the wing nut in place while looking down through the hole on top. When it was centered I started the bolt and whammo, I got it, and it's now tight and locked in place.


The bike is together and rattle free, rack mounted and solid and the bike is running well. I sent a warranty request for that speed sensing hub, the internal rig is destroyed, the magnet ring just spins (ears are gone) so hopefully they send that.


Also I really like the quietness of the stock pipe. This is the perfect event bike. (Going to Vintage Days at Mid Ohio again, and you NEED a good pit bike)


Whoever decided to put the petcock so high up and behind the intake is a moron, but I'm sure when I'm bored and have some time I can remedy that.


I have a Genuine Buddy 125. That scooter is a workhorse. The quality is awesome. I have a friend who has one with 25,000 miles on it and all he has done is change oil, brakes and the CVT belt 1 time.


I really hope this Hellcat's motor is at least 1/2 as good as my buddy... and lasts..

[RedCrowRides]

I think you will likely find the longevity fine given your intended use, about the only thing

besides regular oil changes you need to do is valve adjustments for these little engines and you should be golden. Keep an eye on your stock chain tension, they ain't much and they stretch a lot when new , quicker than you'd think. Think about replacing the stock fuel lines with silicone based ones pretty quick, the ethanol in most all our gas here in the U.S. degrades the stock lines really quickly which can cause all sorts of issues .
Other than that you should be all set , bike looks nice and should serve you well,

enjoy yourself at Vintage Days that should be a blast !

[SleepyC]

I think you will likely find the longevity fine given your intended use, about the only thing

besides regular oil changes you need to do is valve adjustments for these little engines and you should be golden. Keep an eye on your stock chain tension, they ain't much and they stretch a lot when new , quicker than you'd think. Think about replacing the stock fuel lines with silicone based ones pretty quick, the ethanol in most all our gas here in the U.S. degrades the stock lines really quickly which can cause all sorts of issues .
Other than that you should be all set , bike looks nice and should serve you well,

enjoy yourself at Vintage Days that should be a blast !


Getting fuel lines this weekend.


Dumb question, but which way is choke on? Either way dosen;t seem to effect the motor too much.. and it starts right up.
Is it the lever all the way forward? (towards front wheel) or all the way back (pulled towards back wheel)
I can hear the flp moving, but didn;t want to take off the inlet to see..


anyone?

[flhellcat]

Choke is off when forward towards front wheel. I never use on both of mine either.


I did see the flap does close almost completely when engaged and mine will bog with on.

[SleepyC]

Well Hellcat made it all 5 days at Mid Ohio Vintage Days. Drove through tons fo mud and water, and started everytime. It did great. It defiantly slow as hell compared to a Grom, but it did what it was supposed to do and it got me 150 miles around during the trip.


Added a windscreen for more of an "adventure bike" look. Next some knobbies.. and maybe some fake KTM graphics. :D