So tired

Orin O’Neill photos

The PX has been running on Michelin S83s since it was new. That’s mainly because every time I wanted to switch, the tires I wanted were out of stock; I don’t much care for the S83s, so after hearing (and hearing and hearing) that Continental’s Zippy 1 is the best all-around scooter tire, I got a pair.

The S83 is Michelin’s “retro” scooter tire, like the Continental Zippy 3, the one you buy if you want your vintage scooter to look the part. The S83s nibble bridge grates like potato chips (thank you, circumferential tread groove), though not as badly as the Zippy 3s. I do a lot of riding on bridge grates.

The Zippy 1 is free of such a groove. It has a noticeably deeper tread than the S83, with a tread pattern that kind of looks like the “intermediate” tires made on the fly by trackside auto racing tire suppliers. The idea is to put as much rubber on the ground as possible, and get the maximum amount of water out of the way. That’s why tires have tread—otherwise, on wet pavement the tire would ride on a layer of water, a phenomenon known as hydroplaning or aquaplaning.

I had ordered two Zippy 1s (size 3.50-10 is what you want for a PX or Stella) from Scooter Parts Direct. In August. They finally arrived last week.

I’ve had many good dealings with Scooter Parts Direct. In the past, when I’d ordered something they’d send an e-mail saying “we’re working on your order” followed another within 12 hours containing the shipping info and tracking number.

But this time it was well into September, and still no shipping info. I called, I e-mailed. No response, no reply. My checking account hadn’t been debited, so I wondered if the order got lost somewhere. My need was not urgent, so I decided to wait.

It was only when an e-mail from UPS saying, “your order has been shipped” turned up in the inbox last week that I knew the tires would be coming. They arrived in good order, when promised by UPS.

The Great Scooter Fad of 2008 caught most businesses related to scooters completely off guard. Not in a bad way, most were raking in the bucks like never before. Dealers sold out of scooters, and parts. All kinds of stuff was on backorder. Stuff like Continental Zippy 1 scooter tires. Scooter Parts Direct was the only one not showing “out of stock” on their Web site when I placed my order.

But I have to ask, why not say something? If it were my business, and a customer ordered something that turned out to be seriously backordered, I’d be in contact with that customer to find out what that customer wanted to do. They call that “making a customer.” Had they asked, I would’ve said what I did above, that I don’t need the tires right away, but if you don’t get them in, say, 60 days I’m either going to need a substitute product or my money back.

As I said, my previous experiences with Scooter Parts Direct have been positive. I figure everyone has a bad day once in a while, and I won’t hold this against them. I’d do business with them again, and recommend them to anyone who asked.

Getting back to the subject of the tires, the same split rims that allow you fix a flat tire yourself make mounting a new one relatively easy. Deflate the tire, remove the nuts holding the rim together, separate the rim halves, pry (or prise, if you’re in the U.K.) the thin half of the rim out of the tire, then the thick one.

That thick one might be more difficult to remove. Especially so if you’re removing an S83, which has a very thick bead. If you have access to some kind of multi-ton press, that might be an easier way of separating rim from tire than a pry bar.

Some tires are designed to work best if they rotate a certain direction. Continental sez Zippy 1s need to turn one way on the front, and the other way on the rear, as indicated by the arrows. It probably wouldn’t be the end of the world if you ignored this, but in the interest of conducting a fair, honest review, I will follow the directions.

Mounting is the reverse of removal. Kind of. I found it easier to insert the tube into the tire, then insert the thick rim half; you can get the valve stem into the rim more easily. Tire shops have a lubricant they spread on the tire bead to make mounting easier; I used a bit of dishwashing detergent on the bead and the rim.

Next, install the thin rim half, making sure the notches for the valve stem line up. Ensure that the tube is not hung up on a stud, or being pinched between the rim halves. I kneeled on the wheel to get the rim halves close enough together to spin the lock washers and nuts on. Tightening the nuts (which are 13mm, just like the ones that attach the wheel to the hub) will bring the rim halves together, and filling the tire with air will seat the bead on the rim. From there, adjust pressures (for a PX, 19 lbs front/26 rear (solo) or 36 rear (two-up)) and mount the wheels on the hubs.

You may know about ScootRS’ tubeless wheels for Vespas and Lambrettas. Zippy 1s, like almost all modern scooter tires, are tubeless (some will say “on tube type rim fit a tube”). I like the idea, and if money were not too tight to mention, I’d have bought a pair. Unfortunately, mounting the tire is very difficult for the DIY guy or gal (that’s why there are split rims). You’d be better off taking your tire and tubeless rim to a motorcycle dealer or repair shop, which will have a mounting device designed for tubeless tires. Most modern motorcycles have tubeless tires, so this shouldn’t be a problem. Maybe next time.

Oddly enough, as soon as I got the PX buttoned up and on the ground, the rainy gray skies turned blue. Time for a test ride!

Something to keep in mind is that new tires have a sprayed-on coating to prevent damage or deterioration in transit and storage. A car tire store usually cleans this stuff off, but it will still be there if you’re doing the DIY thing. This coating can compromise your traction on wet roads, so until it wears off, be a bit cautious. I figure once the white stripe is gone, the Zippys will be, as they say in racing, scrubbed in.

They seem to grip the wet pavement of California Avenue just fine. Going west on Admiral Way, there are dry spots, but no drama in the corners. The Zippy 1s are noticeably not as tall as the S83s, and have a wider tread. I suspect this would make the speedometer even more inaccurate (smaller diameter=wheel spins faster), and the radar readout on Fauntleroy Way confirms this: the speedometer is now officially 10 mph optimistic. The math will be much easier…

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