Got a free scooter :)

[grepper]

My sister got this Chinese scooter a few years back for tooling around her lake house. Lately she's had nothing but trouble with it. It doesn't like to start with the electric foot, drive belt broke, stalls, and now it sounds like the friction clutch is worn out. I suggested she by a name brand scooter, like Honda or Yamaha. She called me up a few weeks ago and said if I want it, come and get it. So over the Labor day holiday I took the family up north for some fun on the lake and brought it home.

With the herd

I know nothing about it, guess I got some reading to do. Add it to the list of projects. Hopefully I can get it going by next spring.

When I told my neighbor about it he joked.
"Mopeds are like fat chicks. Fun to ride, but you don't want your friends to see you with one."

 

[5twins]

Nice name and probably fitting, lol.

 

[crescendo]

Nice looking. May be you could make it better by doing some work on it.

 

[ridgerunner1965]

ha ha, jus rebuilt the top end on one just like it.a friend had one she used to get around town.lost compression, would not start.no shops here will touch one.got parts off ebay for 60 buks. new cylinder, piston and rings and gaskets.ground the valves by hand with a bit of valve grinding compound.runs like a top now.no manual so used honda 50 torqe specs and such.

if yur wanting to rebuild it be sure and measure the piston first. some are 39mm and some are 45 mm. the 45 is actually 60 cc.the timeing specs i found online really didnt jive with what i was seeing so i just marked everything at tdc before i tore it plumb down.

they are complete junk tho but not that hard to work on and parts are unreal cheap.

 

[xjwmx]

I used to help a neighbor try to keep one of those running. The brand they'd stuck on that one was "City 50". "City Fitty" I guess. You see some of the most interesting stuff riding around on those...

 

[ridgerunner1965]

did you get a chance to work on your scooter yet?the one i rebuilt is still going strong but now has developed a thang where if you dont unhook the batt when your done rideing it will run it down.even tho it doesnt show a short with the multimeter.appears to be chargeing also.im not even going to start troubleshooting chinese electrical problems!

 

[grepper]

I just got this thing going this weekend. This project was behind some others... you know how that goes.
After I found out that this is a generic Chinese scooter with a generic QMB139 motor, things got a lot easier. There's lots on cheap parts and good information out there. Clones are sold with lots of different names.
Anyway, I got a new battery, new CDI and Coil, still no go. Then joined the scooterdoc forum and started asking questions. Turned out the variator was stuck open on high. Cleaned and lubed it and it's running great now. Got it up to close to 50 mph

Here's a vid of my 12 year old son taking it for a spin, sorry the lens on my camera phone is messed up.

 

[weekendrider]

He is going to have a great time on that.

 

[fredintoon]

- - - Then joined the scooterdoc forum and started asking questions. Turned out the variator was stuck open on high. Cleaned and lubed it and it's running great now. Got it up to close to 50 mph - - -

Hi grepper,
seems one can learn a new thing every day if one isn't careful.
WTF is a Variator?

 

[grepper]

Hi grepper,
seems one can learn a new thing every day if one isn't careful.
WTF is a Variator?

Yeah, a week ago I didn't know what it was either. It's part of the Continuously Variable Transmission.

This video (not mine) explains it pretty well

I just love learning new stuff like this. First, I had no idea that something wrong with the transmission would have anything to do with an engine not starting, but I guess so if there's some sort of automatic transmission involved. Then I had no idea how these scooter transmissions worked. I thought it would be like a go cart. with a pulley and clutch. It totally makes sense now, because I got the thing up to 50 mph and it's only 50 cc's.

Yeah, the kids will have a have a blast. My 12 yo son can't drive it on the streets legally, you have to be 15 in Michigan, but my daughter can. Lucky for him, we live on a private road, and we have 10 acres.

 

[grepper]

Oh yeah, and the kids have two very important rules.
1. Wear a helmet
2. When your riding you have to say "Wahoo!"

 

[coughing skunk]

ha YES! SCOOTERS! Since none of my friends have money or the interest of buying a real moto, about 8 of them have bought a 50. On saturday we had a group of 7 scooters raging all around town, first to the breweries and then up to the reservoir to get safe. Arguably more fun riding a scooter with it pinned at 30mph with 6 friends than riding the speed limit with those same friends on a full size bike.

Like some others have said, parts are dirt cheap. A 80cc big bore is like $100 for piston, piston pin, clips, cylinder, gaskets, etc. The engine code stamped on the thing might not be the actual engine code though.. be warned.

The 4t motors suck hard until you put a new top end on. The 2t motors are where its at. Either way, scoots a scoot.

 

[locolobo]

When your riding you have to say "Wahoo!"

Told the grandson he had to say "Yeeehaa" when he was learning to ride!

 

[XSLeo]

I didn't watch the video, but from the pic that looks a lot like the drive system used on snowmobiles. The pulley on the engine has flyweights that as the revs increase the weight move the outside of the pulley in. This tightens the pulley on the belt. when tight enough the thing starts to move. As the rpms increase the drive pulley closes more. The rear pulley works just the opposite. It is spring ;loaded and opens as the drive pulley closes. this changes the gear ratio between the pulleys A constantly variable transmission. The old Rupp mini bike I had used the same set up.
Leo

 

[grepper]

You got it Leo, that's how it works. Just like a snowmobile. I'm surprised the mechanic my sister took it to in norther Michigan couldn't figure it out.

 

[I am Carbon]

gas powered golf carts use the Continuously Variable Transmission

 

[retiredgentleman]

You got it Leo, that's how it works. Just like a snowmobile. I'm surprised the mechanic my sister took it to in norther Michigan couldn't figure it out.

It does make a statement about the quality of some mechanics

 

[richardthemotorcycle1]

Yeah I had a 250cc Roketa scooter (Chinese) had almost 20,000 miles on it just before I sold it to pickup my 1981 XS650 Special, I could truly say I was an expect wrencher on these, I rebuild my scooter from the front to the back.

Before and After

 

[grepper]

It does make a statement about the quality of some mechanics

Yeah, well I'm sure arrogance had something to do with it. I suffered it myself. Struggled for months, thinking I knew all I needed to know to fix the thing before I got online and started asking questions on forums.