Checking a Used Gas Scooter - By: Robert Thomson

Fixing your scooter.

If you own a scooter and cannot get it to run, you know how absolutely frustrating this can be. If you find yourself in this status keep reading for effective tips and insight.

Check to see whether your exhaust pipe is blocked. Two stroke scooters are especially susceptible to this problem. Over time, carbon and the unburned fuel and oil mixture form up and clog the exhaust pipe. Blockages in the exhaust pipe will adversely affect the performance of your scooter, or trigger it to not run at all. It is not easy to say whether the exhaust pipe is congested. Removing it and starting the scooter is the easiest way to tell if it is stopped or not. The sound may be a little loud - two strokes may boom like a chain saw. If the scooter runs now that the exhaust is detached, you know where the problem will be found.

Think back to when you drained the old gas. How old was it? Did the gasoline have an old smell? gasoline in a scooter left idle for a year or so will transform into a varnish-like substance. Then you have a lot of cleaning to do. The gas will generally evaporate, leaving a sludgy, substance in the gas tank,petcock, fuel line and carb that is related to molassas. Completely flush the gas tank and lines with new gas.

If the gas tank is not too rotting or grimy, it may be ok to minimally flush it out. Now put in some new gas. However, if you aren't sure how old the gasoline is, (even if it smells all right), drain the gas reservoir, carburetor float bowl, and fuel lines,and replenish with fresh gasoline. Some time ago I worked on an Hond 50 with quite clean-smelling gas. I could make it go with starting fluid, but I couldn't do it with original gas. At last I had to drain out all the old gas and top it up with new gas. After that, the scooter started at once and ran well.

Take the fuel and vacuum lines from the petcock to the carb. Put an appropriate receptacle beneath the fuel line, and draw air on the vacuum line to the petcock, (if equipped with one), and observe how well the gasoline flows. There should be sufficient movement. A dribble is not good enough. If you are able to get this surge, then you are alright. Flush the system by operating a minimum of a pint of gas through it. If there is still no flow, it doubtless means your petcock is stopped. You will need to take it out and take it to pieces to clean it. Return it with care on the gas tank or the gas might leak. fire up the scooter after repairing everything. The gas needs a few seconds of cranking to make its way from the gas tank to the carb. If you are fortunate, it may start up right away.

If you still have troubles at this point try the following. install a new spark plug, particularly if it is a two stroke engine. The air filter should be cleaned or replaced when necessary. The carb, air cleaner, and exhaust system should all be checked and adjusted to work together. If you change any of these things randomly or haphazardly, most scooters will not run well.

Check all the connections again. After that, turn over the engine for 10-15 seconds. Is it activated? Do you hear any popping sounds, as though the engine is attempting to run? Do not apply the gas while cranking; many scooters do not start when you do this. In most cases, for Honda scooters if you apply thegas just when the engine catches, they tend to fire-up easier. almost all Yamaha scooters have to warm up awhile before you can use the gas. If it seems the scooter is catching, but still will not fire up, stay about fifteen seconds and try again.

If the speedometer is not working, it's typically because the speedometer cable is ruined. check it about 5-6 inches from its linkage at the front wheel. This is typically where it breaks because of the twist in the cable and being vulnerable to the elements such as water and dirt close to the front wheel. New speedometer cables are inexpensive (generally under $20) and you can exchange them easily.

Now inspect the center stand of your scooter. Getting it parked on this center stand can be testing unless you rehearse. It's all in the method. Even the center stand of a large motorcycle can be deployed by a small person if correct method is followed.

Now you are equipped to drive and may desire to know how to raise the top speed of your scooter. This question is asked most often about the 50cc scooters, but also can be asked about the larger scooters as well. The question that is of most importance is, how much money are you ready to consume? If you own a 50cc, and you desire the top rate to go from 25 mph to 50 mph, you might want to think basically oftrading up to a bigger scooter. As you improve the acceleration, you will detect that the brakes, suspension, and frame are not up to par. It is totally expensive to exchange all the parts. If you merely want a little better speed, modifications to your 50cc scooter's carburetor, exhaust pipe, and the variator may result in better performance. maybe you can get a big bore kit and this will lift the engine displacement from 50cc to approximately 70cc.

Generally, adding a performance racing clutch or performance variator is the easiest thing to do. They may impart you with better acceleration and/or upper speed.

You can also acquire a new performance carb, a new exhaust pipe or both. These two components (and doubtless the air box) would need to be changed together for optimal performance. basically, the engine is an air pump. You get more strength when you move more air through the engine. By adding a larger carburetor, you will draw more air and more fuel into the engine. By not altering the air box, you are restricting the amount of added air. You also impede the amount of air out of the engine if you fail to exchange the exhaust pipe with one that is also bigger or freer flowing. Additionally, simply altering the carburetor changes the fuel to air ratio inside the engine. The changes that you make may or may not be liked by your engine. For example, the new carb should give you more top end strength, but may lead to starting troubles or the performance might be good at low RPMs but reduced at faster ones. It can be hard work to modify your scooter to get the best performance. attempt to acquire a kit that includes a carb, air box and an exhaust pipe that are all intended for your scooter. It will make things much less hard. finally, use the big bore kit. This will improve the torque and acceleration, but will not increase the top speed unless gearing modifications are made. There aren't very many performance parts for large scooters readily available in the United States (except for certain new scooters).

Still want more performance? You can try some of the additional tweaks to further perfect your gas scooter. You can try to get another drive belt. This will give you a little advantage on the mph; new belts ride higher in the pulleys. You can also change your roller weights (you can use heavier rollers for more top speed), adjust your valves, try a new air filter, and keep your tires pumped well.

Next check your idle. Is it too high? This can be caused by a throttle cable that is too taut or not routed well. It could also designate that you need to twist the idle screw on the carb the opposite direction ~1/4 turn. A vacuum leak may also be a for a high idle. The rubber manifold connecting the carb and the cylinder head may break after a while. endeavor to fire up the engine and spray some water around the carb, manifold and vacuum hoses. If there is a decrease in the idle, it means that there is a vacuum leak someplace.

Finally, one last thing to ponder is elevation. This may not occur very frequently, but it's good to know besides. Your scooter will have trouble receiving enough air at heights above 4000 feet. You will need to place a lesser main jet in the carburetor. A good directive to follow is to decrease the size of the main jet by about 10 percent, and then see if that helps performance.

Hopefully these tips will help you enjoy your scooter for years to come. Don't give up, contact us if you have further questions.

If you just acquired a scooter and cannot get it to start-up, you know how absolutely frustrating this can be. If you find yourself in this status keep with us for valuable tips and insight.

Tiger Motion Inc. DBA Neo Scooters is a business found at Gas Scooters, electric Scooters, Electric Mopeds. You can find more information at http://www.neoscooters.com/large_mopeds.asp.