Maintenance

Maintenance

Proper Scooter maintenance is crucial to getting the most out of your scooter. You should always consult your owner manual as certain things such as fuel mixture or tire pressure may vary from scooter to scooter. If the information presented here contradicts your owner manual, then you should trust the manufacture and abide by their specs.
Furthermore we remind scooter enthusiasts that although our gas scooters are toys, they can be dangerous if not respected. Please follow safe riding practices and ALWAYS wear protective gear.

Before operating your electric scooter:
• Make sure the tires are inflated properly. Small tires loose air pressure quickly and must be aired frequently. Most small tires can accept air pressure to 85 psi. This allows the tire to properly contact the surface and keeps the tube from rotating inside the tire during braking and acceleration. If the tube rotates, the valve stem will possibly be cut or torn from the inner tube. This will require replacement of the inner tube.
• Charge the battery. Batteries should be charged frequently, especially after prolonged usage that runs the battery down. Allow the batteries to cool for an hour or more before charging. Heat will damage batteries and it is helpful to keep batteries as cool as possible during use or charging.
• Keep the right tension on your drive belt (or chain) during use. A loose drive belt will allow the teeth to slip and wear at an excessive rate. Failure of the belt will occur due to slippage or the heat generated due to improper tension. The belt can be adjusted by moving the rear tire forward or aft. Check your specification, but look for approximately one-half to one-quarter inch gap when pressing against the middle of the span. It is important to prevent slippage.
• Do not ride electric scooters through water or mud, or even on wet grass since water can cause failure of the electrical components! Electric scooters are meant to be ridden on dry hard surfaces.

The following subjects are addressed in Maintenance

Fuel and oil Mixture:
Your scooter usually uses a 2-stroke engine for power. A 2-stroke engine was chosen for it's excellent power to weight ratio. A 2-stroke engine does not require that you ever change the oil, however it does require that you mix a quality grade 2-stroke oil with the gasoline prior to filling your scooters gas tank. This ensures that your engine will remain lubricated and give you reliable service.
To accomplish this you can buy 2-stroke oil at almost any auto parts store or hardware store. The oil and gas are the mixed together in a separate container before filling the scooter. The mixture should be done at a 25:1 ratio (See ratio chart below). Mixing the gas and oil too lean can cause the engine to run too hot resulting in permanent engine damage. Mixing the gas and oil too rich will cause decreased performance and result in a fouled Spark Plug. By strictly following the 25:1 ratio you can be assured maximum performance from your scooter.
 

Spark Plug:
The spark plug is a crucial and vulnerable part on your 2-stroke engine. Your spark plug can be located on the top of the engine under the protective rubber boot. Your scooter comes with a tool kit containing a spark plug wrench for easy removal.
The spark plug must be clean, and must be replaced promptly when signs of wear begin to show. The condition of the spark plug can tell you a lot about how your motor is running. If the electrode is white, that can be a sign that your scooter is running too hot. This can be a result of either running too lean, or that the fuel and oil mixture is too lean. If you are running your scooter to rich then your spark plug may be black, covered with gas, oil, or carbon. Another common problem is that the spark plug gets clogged up with carbon and/or oil and "fouls". This should be checked by assuring the electrode has a clean gap of .023 in.

Air Filter:
The air filter is used to clean the air going into the engine. Periodic cleaning of this filter is recommended to protect your gas scooter engine against the damaging effects of dirt and abrasive particulates. Your air filter can be located on the front of the engine and the protective cover can be removed with one screw. When the protective cover is removed the air filter is revealed. You can also see the small workings of the choke and butterfly valve. The filter should be free from dirt and grease and appear clean like the one shown on the right. If there are contaminants on the filter it can be cleaned in a container of gasoline. Allow the filter to dry before re-installing it into your gas scooter.

Chain:
The chain on your scooter should be lubricated before every ride. The chain should also be checked for tightness on a regular basis. If the chain is too loose a popping sound can be heard and the scooter will jerk under acceleration, or the chain will just jump off altogether.. If the chain is too tight it will be noisy and bind, this can be felt by pushing the scooter with the motor off.

Throttle:
There are two main types of scooter throttles. One is a twist type, and the other is a hand throttle. Although the throttles are different in operation, they are essentially mechanically the same. When the rider applies the throttle, a cable carries this motion down to the engine. For continued smooth operation it is important to keep this cable clean and free of obstructions. Should the throttle begin to feel loose and sloppy, the slack can be adjusted on the cable at the handlebars. Simply loosen the lock nut and adjust the cable tension via the adjustment screw. Once the desired tension is achieved retighten the lock nut.

Brakes:
The brake on your gas scooter is a cable actuated drum brake. This style brake has proven well over time and is very simple to maintain. The rear brake has two main adjustments. The easiest of the two is the adjustment on the handbrake itself. This adjustment has two simple steps. To change the tension on the cable merely back off the locking nut and screw the adjustment screw in or out accordingly. Once the desired tension is achieved re-tighten the locking nut. Further adjustment can be made at the brake drum itself. This task is easiest with two people. First, loosen the adjustment at the handlebar hand brake and screw it all the way in. Next go to the rear brake and loosen the Cable Clamp. Once loose, pull back on the cable and have the second person push forward on the Brake Cable Lever (push hard, you are pushing against a tight spring action). While pushing the lever forward and pulling the cable back, quickly tighten the cable clamp. Additional minor adjustments can be made where the cable meets the rear brake.

Carburetor:
The carburetor has many adjustments on it and it is recommended that these adjustments to be made by experienced persons only, however we will point out the major points. The carburetor is responsible for pumping the fuel and mixing it with the air at a precise measurement. The carburetor does this with very small diaphragms, orifices and ports, which are easily clogged by contaminants. This is why is extremely important that you use only clean new fuel in your gas scooter.

Primer:
When the scooter is brand new, been run out of gas, been sitting for a long period or is very cold, it may be necessary to prime the carburetor before attempting to start it. This is accomplished with the primer pump bowl located at the bottom of the carburetor. Simply press and release this pump several times until gas can be seen flowing through the clear gas return line to the fuel tank. This will help start the scooter under the aforementioned conditions, however if this is done once the scooter has warmed up it may induce flooding.

Idle:
If the scooter will not idle or idles too fast, an adjustment screw is provided next to the choke. Turning this screw clockwise will increase the idle speed. Turning the screw counterclockwise will decrease the idle speed. Remember that an idle speed that is too fast can be dangerous.

Possible Problems and suggested solutions

Power system will not charge

In this situation we will assume that the battery has been charged or allowed to stand for several hours (a battery will normally self-charge up to a point and make the scooter power up for a fair distance). There are generally two main suspects:
1) First suspect a loose or broken connection. Take the top or deck off to see the wiring and inspect it for any loose or broken connections on the battery, switch, controller, etc.

2) Second suspect the controller box has failed. Since the controller is the heart of the system it can fail in many ways to prevent current from being supplied to the motor.

3) Other less likely suspects can be:
• A battery that is completely open, supplying no current and possible even testing as having no voltage. It can be very briefly shorted with a wire to see if an arc is produced, revealing current is present. See Below for more advises on batteries.
• It is also possible to have a bad brake lever or throttle since both have wiring and switches or variable controls. The brake lever has a power cut-off switch. The throttle variably controls the speed of the scooter.
• The scooter On/Off switch can be defective. Without a good switch the scooter has no power, but the test of this is the power light. Does the power light come on when the switch is activated to the ON position?
After fully charging, powers only for short distance use.

Suspect the battery charger or the battery as the primary cause of short distance riding after a lengthy or full charge. If your battery charger does not have charging indicator lights then you may not be charging the battery at all if the charger is defective.

The battery may be self-charging to only about 60% on it's own. If the battery is getting old then it may not be able to hold a full charge and the battery will need replacement. When suspected you can very briefly arc across the battery terminals with an insulated wire to see if it produces a nice arc. It is also possible to test some individual battery 12volt cells using 12volt motors or lights that will show you the available current capability. Is the 12volt light dim on a charged battery? Does the 12volt motor run slowly when connected to the cell? Similar type tests can be performed using a 24volt battery cell, too. WARNING! Batteries contain acid that can explode, or the vapors ignite from an arc. Batteries produce current and voltage that can burn you when a shorted circuit occurs. Be absolutely sure you know what you are doing before trying any tests to eliminate a component from consideration of being defective!!!

You can take the battery to a shop capable of testing the battery under a loaded condition. Fully charge the battery and carefully remove it. Let a technician determine the condition of the battery for you. A high quality Battery charge helps to prevent over charging the battery and increase the life expectancy of your battery.