So as some people in the world may know, I live in Japan and have a much-beloved 2006 Yamaha Jog ZR, which I bought in Sept. 2006 not only as a means of transport (rush hour traffic jams mean nothing to me now, as I zip between cars, between lanes, and in front of stopped cars so I'm always the first through the intersection), but also as a "fixer-upper," as there is an almost endless array of custom parts available for these bikes in Japan (and elsewhere--but they all begin in Japan). The legal speed limit for a 50cc bike is 30km/h, but even stock this went over 60, at which point it hit its RPM limit.

The limit can be bypassed by replacing the CDI unit, which is what I did in the following HOWTO on Flickr.

As I make various customizations to my scooter, I will be photographing the process for any other English-speakers who might be coming in my wake. The instructions for these upgrades can be terribly brief, and always in Japanese, with a few very poor diagrams. By photographing my progress and detailing the problems I run into, I hope that others in Japan (or Oz or NZ, where this bike is also sold), or just other people who have Jog-family 50cc scooters around the English-speaking world can have a point of reference when converting their putt-putt grocery-getter into a roaring (okay, whining) slightly-faster grocery-getting BEAST.

Provided the bike doesn't get stripped of its custom parts some night, which is what happens to these bikes a lot of the time. =(

So, without further ado, here is the first HOWTO I penned on replacing the CDI unit:

HOWTO: Upgrade the CDI on a 2006 Yamaha Jog ZR