11th Jul 2006, 11:50

For those who owns a 1987 Honda Elite, do you guys know if there's any weight limitation on riding this motorcycle? Thanks for your information.

17th Jul 2006, 20:13

On the 87 Honda Elite 80 scooter.

The limit of weight that scooter can accommodate is no more than about 335 lbs. I remember that one. But as a single rider, I was able to run this scooter going up a pretty steep hill at about 30mph. If you have a second rider, expect it to take a very long time to reach only 30mph uphill. On level ground, with second rider, expect top speed to be cut by 5mph.

Also if you buy an Elite 80, just be sure to check tightness of muffler bolts every say 2k miles.

If you notice a major loss of performance over a time, check the drive belt movable faces, front and rear, and also the rollers on the front movable face assembly (remove and take apart) for wear, and replace if worn. I'm talking about the round devices that drive the drive belt. Expect to replace every about 5k to 10k miles. But it's mostly the front one that requires more attention. Parts are very expensive, unfortunately.

26th Sep 2006, 19:43

I own a 1985 Honda CH80 Elite with 8300 miles on it. I have a top speed of 45 mph downhill as I am a decent size guy weighing in about 190 lbs. This scooter is a little cold blooded, it take a few minutes to warm up if its cool out, but it is a decent machine. I have owned many Honda products including their very popular old Honda Express, as well as almost every brand of Japanese bike and one Harley Davidson.

I would say over all the Honda CH80 Elite is a decent bike, much better than the Chinese imports. I would not trade my 1985 Honda Elite with 8300 miles on it for a brand new Chinese Import.

I am not a hardcore Honda guy, I like all brands of bikes and am familiar with lots of brands being a small engine mechanic. I do believe that the Chinese imports are improving slowly in quality, but they have a very long way to go so I will stick with my old Honda.

26th Sep 2006, 20:31

I've heard you people say that parts are very expensive - try eBay, they have a lot of reasonable parts. I buy almost all my parts there new and used.

I have also viewed your complaints of bolts coming loose - try blue loctite, it will keep your bolts tight.

I would be reluctant to say, but I will - it sounds like a lot of your problems with the CH80 is self induced like broken carburator bolts and things of that nature. Not serious problems, but thought and a repair manual might save you money in the long run.

5th Nov 2006, 00:42

Bought a 1993 CH80 a few days ago with 9.3 K on the clock. This bike meets my two primary needs in transportation: fuel efficiency and being able to drive in town traffic. 80cc seems like a great match.

My scooter came with great maintenance documentation. This machine was never parked for extended period of time, which is an important thing. You might be better off buying a scooter with higher miles that was never parked, than a low miles scooter that sat somewhere for 5+ years...

First thing I purchased after getting the scooter was the service manual. Learn to do basic maintenance yourself, it'll save you money and give you piece of mind about what's happening under the hood, well under the seat in this case :)

There are many really great sites that discuss scooter maintenance. Here's one for you: www.jacksscootershop.com. This site will open you a ton of other related sites. Keep reading, learning and enjoying your Elite 80. It's a beautiful machine!!!

21st Jan 2007, 19:45

I own a 1987 Honda Elite CH80. At 4500 care free miles I am very impressed with the build quality and craftsmanship. Minimal maintenance other than normal wear and tear items, battery and tires. A very easy to ride scooter.

29th Mar 2007, 12:20

Bought a 1989 CH80 and really enjoy it.

The previous owner said it was sitting for a while, so I took it for some genenral maintenance - oil change, change air filter, etc and haven't had any problems.

I had it sit about 2 months during the winter, and it started up within 30 seconds when I took it out for the first time.

If you commute around town a lot, and can find one for under $1,000, it would really be worth the investment. I knew nothing about scooters or riding them, I took my state's permit test, went on some backroad for a couple days with it, and now I feel like a pro.

One thing I learned, always wear a helmet and eyeglasses, you feel like a nerd I know, but it's honestly not worth getting a rock in the eye or serious head damage.

27th Apr 2007, 08:36

I bought a 2005 CH80 early last summer (used from a local dealer), and except for a couple of cold Illinois months, rode it through most of the year. I like the scoot a lot, find it fun and very economical to ride, and a great way to get around when my teenage son borrows my old station wagon.

A couple of posters have commented on vehicles that have sat in garages, disused, for long periods. This is a problem with pleasure vehicles of all types -- people buy them and lose the inspiration to ride or drive them, but don't want to get rid of them, so they sit around until they turn into someone's "bargain vehicle." The downside? Batteries wear out if they aren't recharged, and gas turns into varnish when it sits for long periods, which gums up the fuel system considerably. The solution? Use a trickle charger on a timer (10 minutes a day works for me) to keep the battery charged through slack times (like winter). And at the end season, drain the gas then run the motor until it quits. Alternatively, there are gas stabilizing additives you can buy that work, too.

One thing I noticed about the Elite 80, though, was that it seems to idle badly in the cold weather. I'm still working this through. When I bought the scoot, the dealer supposedly did routine maintenance before delivering it to my house (oil change, checks and adjustments), but when I pulled the side covers off, I found the connection to the air filter was unattached. So maybe the carburetor was dirty? I ran some Gum Out through a couple of tanks of gas, which seemed to help. Now that it's warm, the scoot runs like a champ again.

If anyone has cold weather tips for this scooter, please post them.