CRAPPY SCOOTER DESIGN
 

I don't know if all chinese scootors are made like the one I saw today, but if they are, I feel no guilt about saying they have a crappy design!! :x I was being a good samaritan helping a older woman that was stranded and over 2hrs away from home. She had got caught in a rain storm and coasted into a gas station, said her scooter was flooding out and just died. I have never worked on a scooter, so I thought find the air cleaner and the sparkplug. well, after looking under the seat and finding no airfilter, I went towards the back and dammed if it wasn't above the drive assembly next to the rear wheel. I took the cover off and it was soaked with water, wonder why being next to the rear wheel. The spark plug was fouled out since it sucked in moisture, there were no good parts stores open, only autozone and orileys which I wasn't suprised they didn't carry that type of sparkplug, so the lady is stranded till tomorrow when the motorcycle shops open. She called some relatives to pick her up so she'll be alright. Do all scooters have the airfilter box next to the rear wheel? What the hell were they thinking when they designed this thing. 8O I don't remember what brand it was, hell, they all look alike to me, but it was a 125cc 4 stroke. She said there have been no major problems, just little stuff like fuses and lose bolts. I advised her to keep an extra plug just for times like these, expecially if it rains. I hope the new plug gets it running again, she dried the airfilter in the bathroom under the hand dryer and the folks at the station were nice enough to let her leave it there till tomorrow. I gave her my cell # just incase she needed anymore help, hopefully her relatives can carry her and the scooter home since she was over 90 miles away.

I have a friend with a Kymco scooter. I'll ask about the air filter.

He brought his scooter to work today so I managed to check it our first hand. His scooter also has the air box located near the rear wheel. However, the actual air intake is located under the seat and connected to the air box via plastic duct. It looks pretty tight.

http://www.kakaku.com/bike/images/bi...CO_SUPER9S.jpg

Yeah, that one looks durable compared to the one I was talking about, it didn't have the breather tube, just an outlet above the drive assembly. She bought the scooter from Baldwin powersports off ebay, the name started with a Q, I couldn't even pronounce it. Turned out that something else went out, it isn't getting fire now after installing a new plug. It's probably a control module. Glad she had kin folks nearby.

This is probably a stupid question, so please excuse me if it is. :oops:
When a 4-stroke fouls a plug, is it any different than a 2-stroke fouling a plug?
This is not a comment onyour mechanical abilities. Actually it is a question about mine!
I used to have some 70's 2-stoke enduro's that frequently fouled plugs. Lot's of times I could just clean them off and put them back in and go.
I have never had a 4-stroke foul a plug. I have had them just get tired and quit working (13,000 rpm in Ninja 250 will kill them pretty quick :) )
Just curious if you tried cleaning off the plug. I used to always carry a little piece of sandpaper in the old Yamaha in case the plug and the spare both fouled out in the middle of nowhere. I could sand off the oil.
It saved me a couple of times.
That was nice to help her out. It so easy to just think it is not my problem.

Well. the scooter sucked in a little water and from looking at the plug after trying to crank it, it was wet, black,smelled of gas and wasn't firing. I've never has a 4stroke plug foul out either, but when you are stranded, you look for the obvious and most simplest soultion. My son's 2 stroke ke100 goes through plugs every other tank, but that is expected somewhat. I'll usually replace my 4 strokes once a year or every 1000 miles, just for good measure. Her scooter had 1600 miles and the original chinese plug, which after doing some thinking, their plugs must be good quality as their gasoline(from what I've heard) isn't refined like ours. I don't think she should have attempted the 90+ mile journey on a 125cc scooter, but that's just me. She didn't seem too worried, just a little frustrated.

I sell primarily Lifan scooters and before I deliver one I 1. Always put in a good spark Plug, 2. Take out the Carb and clean it and 3. Put a good fuel additive in the tank. I learned the hard way with my 1st 4 or 5 sales that came back with excelerator problems and constantly fouling plugs. The stock plugs are crap, the gas they use to test them in China before shipping them out must be horrible because by the time they get to me the carb is so gummed up ithey will shut off at the first turn of the throttle. I learned that lesson quick and since I';ve been adding that process to my pre-delivery prep the symptoms have dissapeared.

pictured
 

what is that scotter in the pic above?
i want to look up more info on it.

Kymco Super 9

http://www.kymco.co.uk/scooters/super9s.html

My wife's Kymco Vitality 50 2 stoke has the same setup as the Super 9. No probs at all!