Replace Wear Items
Once you have joined the Heinkel Club Deutschland (or at least have mailed your application), you should evaluate your machine.
It is very likely that your Tourist has sat around for a while and one or more things might require attention and/or replacement. Look at the following wear items:
- Tires. Tires on any old scooter likely need to be replaced. Tourists that have the four lug nut/single piece rims can use tubeless tires. A nice tire for the Tourist is a Bridgestone ML8 (4x10). This tire can be used with or without tubes. If you choose tubeless, you must buy valve stems for each tire. I like the screw in variety that can be found at BMW motorcycle shops. Tires are approximately $45 each and valve stems are approximately $5 each
- Battery. The battery is a critical element to the Tourist. Most Tourists implement an electric starter. This starter will not work with a weak battery. Original documentation states use of two 6-volt batteries wired in series. The batteries are the 6N11A-1B variety found at most scooter shops. Alternatively, you can use a single 12-volt 11-amp (or 12) battery that has the same dimensions (2.5" x 5" x 5") as one of the 6-volt batteries. I have had great luck with a single Interstate YB5L-B battery, but I think the pair of 6-volt batteries work better.
- Fluids. It is a great idea to change the fluids in your Tourist. The rear drive requires SAE 40 oil. The engine requires SAE 40 during Summer operation and SAE 30 during the winter.
- Spark plug. Buy 2 new plugs, one for use and one for reserve. Tourists run well with NGK B7HS with a gap of 0.20" - 0.24"
At this point, your Tourist will probably run. You might even enjoy how it performs. To get more enjoyment out of your scooter, consider these replacements as well:
- Cables. It is likely that your cables are original and might be old, dry and fraying. The gear cables on the Tourist are very different from most other scooters. It is unlikely that you can find these at a local scooter shop. The other cables might be replaceable with cables found at a typical scooter shop. The Heinkel Club Deutschland sells complete cables sets for $45.
- Shocks. New shocks will make your Tourist handle better. The approximate prices are: $60 (front) and $120 (rear).
- Fuel tap. It is likely that your old fuel tap is nasty and leaks. A replacement fuel tap is cheap ($18) and will help keep your garage floor clean.
For just a few hundred dollars you can get your scooter back into moderate running order!