Common Weak Points of the Honda Helix CN250

[wrench]

I have found over the years, beginning with late 50's BMW cycles that spraying wd40 in the mufflers while they are still quite hot seems to lengthen the life of all cycle mufflers I have owned  which is 19. I also do this with my 2000 helix which has 13,000 miles on it and has the original muffler. Try it, it does'nt cost much.  Hope this helps.

[Eric Kahn]

Just had to order the Carb insulator for my 98 helix, mine has a split aobut half way around it, bike does not want to start at all

[diverrob]

Does anyone know i straight pipes can be put on the helix instead of the muffler?

[StewNTexas]

A certain amount of backpressure is required for this engine to operate smoothly or economically.  I would not suggest removing the exhaust system.  Yes, the factory muffler is expensive, but less expensive ones can be found on the internet.

[gougoune]

I have the same problem on my 1986 Canadian Helix.
Maybe adding another light somewhere on the dash (like blue hi-beam light) serial-wired, for the low-beam...

I have found that sometimes when using the headlight  dimmer switch, the headlight goes out.  Flipping the switch a couple of times will return the headlight to on.  I would suggest that whenever the dimmer switch is used, you check to see that the headlight is on, perhaps by checking for the reflection on the rear of the car ahead of you.

Bob
'95 Helix, 94 Pacific Coast

[KellyJoe]

My Mufflers keep Melting 
    I think my mufflers are melting on me, at least the internal welds. I do a lot of Freeway driving at 65-70, including 40 mile round trips
to school and a recent weekend jaunt to LA.  The bike feels pretty stable with rear shocks set firm and Bridgestone tires.  But my second muffler in a year has fallen apart inside.  I probably put 6,000 miles on it during that time.

First there's a clattering noise from the rear when the internal baffles start rattling around.  Then the final exhaust tube sticks
out an inch or so when it breaks loose from the muffler outer metal case.  It gets very loud, backfires when I let off the throtle, and
idle speed goes up enough to engage the clutch at rest.

I first suspected a lesser quality of the replacement Chinese mufflers being used, but then heard that cross-country Helix riders
encounter the same problem with stock Honda mufflers.  A motorcycle technician says it's because the Helix engine is so close to the
muffler, it gets too hot and the internal welds soften and give out. 

Any related experiences or solutions?  Are other aftermarket mufflers more heat resistant?  Can the muffler be rebuilt with higher
temperature welds?  The importer I got the last muffler from promised me a free replacement when they get another shipment in a few weeks, but I'm worried about that one melting too. 

It's going to be a noisy few weeks.  Be sure to speak loudly in your reply!  Aaron in Mountain View, CA
 

It might be helpful if everyone who complained of short muffler life and those who have had long muffler life would post the year of their Helix.
Some thoughts;
for those of you with short Muffler life (SML), did you buy your Helix new?
Could the previous owner lived at high altitude?
Have you left your Helix for an extended period with old gas in the Carb?
Do you know what percentage alcohol is in the gas you regularly use?
The common thread to all this is that I believe your engine is running very lean.
That could explain the backfiring, excessive heat to burn the muffler out.
Old gas could have varnished the main Jet in the carb, causing a lean running engine.
A person who previously owned the bike may have re adjusted it for high altitude, giving the same result.
Since this is my first post, on my first day as a member, I will stop now.
KellyJoe

[ErnieBee]

Newbie to the group here, so this may have been covered elsewhere, re muffler failure and replacement. The muffler serves as the right-side "swing-arm", tho really it's just the axle and shock absorber support on that side. I can imagine that the bumping and twisting of road forces play a large part in the internal failure of welds in these mufflers.  Looking at a Yurpeen Helix site, I noticed that all the aftermarket mufflers consisted of two parts; one was a support structure for the axle, which bolted on the engine in the same places as the muffler, usually tubular, often chromed, but some were welded sheet metal.  Then there was the muffler that attached to that "swing arm axle support", and a flex pipe or other bent and fitted header tube that fed exhaust to the muffler. Mufflers were all types of conventional motorcycle mufflers, of various sizes.  I wasn't able to clearly see the actual joint details, so I don't know if they kept the insulating sleeve or not. My regular Honda roadbike mufflers have these sleeves, which are no problem, so maybe once the functions of supporting theaxle and shock, and muffling the exhaust,  are seperated, the excess load on that joint goes away and it's no longer a problem?  If anyone knows where to buy the seperate axle support bracket, I'd be interested, as my basic search on the internet did not turn anything up.

[vahelix]

Hello to everyone, I am newbie here.
Found this muffler for less than half compare to OEEM part.
http://www.gokartsusa.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=851&MMP=1013697665

[Rollinhome71]

Hi  to you all ,Another newbe. I am looking for a carb insulator.My 86 helix has 48,000 miles on it.I bought it last year.But don't driv to far. It is in very good shape..I'll add a pic later. But I don't know much anything about this scooter..I was hopefull  to find some close to me to talk and check it out...I am semi retired and not getting any younger except I'm going back in time...I live in eastern Ontario Canada,near Quebec....John

[Bigpribb0]

Probably nothing new, but I think that the "inside-shattered muffler / worn out muffler gasket / old and cracked fuel intake manifold" combination is the main culprit for most of the Helix woes.
It seems that parts of the muffler's bowels are made of some ceramic stuff (that's why it's so expensive, I guess) and excessive heat mixed with hard bumps (lots of potholes and irregular paving to deal with here in Rome) gets them in pieces soon.
Along with the gasket burning early for the heat we get an irregular exhaust and fresh air being "sucked" in the cylinder when and from where it never should (this could be dangerous for piston and valves too, especially in cold weather).
The fuel intake also is quite weak (I change it each couple of years): the rubber is easy to crack also because it holds all the carburetor's weight. The cracks let other fresh air mix with the air/fuel mixture going into the cylinder, causing engine stuttering and backfire when decelerating.
I use some spray silicone on it to keep the rubber soft, and I found an additional bracket (self made, obviously ) helps holding the carb body still.
About the muffler, don't waste your time and money on aftermarket parts (also because there are very few), and, God forgive me, leave alone LeoVinci's stuff. As an italian I shouldn't say so, but the only thing that fits is the original Honda silencer, with all the $$$ it takes  .

I just bought me a 87 Helix yesterday 6/30/08 and it's in pretty good shape. I took it to the Honda dealership today to find out what could be done about a rear tire issue that the previous owner was having and now is my problem. He says that for whatever reason he had to replace the rear tire valve stem and when he did that they gave him a larger stem and now it's rubbing against something and very often I will have to remove the back tire and replace the stem. This shouldn't be happening, The guy at the Honda dealership said that there could be couple things causing it like the back wheel was slightly loose when you wiggle it, the tire that is on the rear isn't the correct one. It has fairly large treed. So my first question is where can I get a valve stem that doesn't stick out so far. I am also hearing a tick as I ride down the road and I believe it's the valve stem hitting whatever it's been hitting. Ok now for why I quoted the above comment, I am experiencing the sputter when I de accelerate and am trying to figure out how to resolve this. I need any help I can get please.  Also I am looking for this to last me quite a long time and since this beast is only 3 years younger then me I'm wondering if I made a mistake! Any tips on maintaining and caring for this scooter would be greatly appreciated. This is my first bike. I had a dirt bike as a child but my step father wouldn't let me tinker so I have no knowledge of bikes.

[woodn1]

In my 26,000 miles of riding my "98 helix ( I bought new), I have had to replace exhaust gaskets twice, one carb insulator, and one ignition box.  I have had , and currently am having troubles with the wire wanting to back out of the plastic connector at the ignition box.
I had always considered my Helix to be very dependable, but its getting older and has let me down a few times in the past year or two.

[fivehelixes]

I found this one on Ebay. looks nice but expensive. 
Anyone have one?

http://www.ioffer.com/i/Twin-Pipe-Stainless-Steel-Muffler-4-Honda-Helix-CN250-102302202