The scooter was received and assembled, now the long-awaited moment finally arrived, to start the scooter. The urge to put the key in the hole, press the button and hear the purr of the engine is almost irresistible…

But it must be resisted. Although the above may sound ideal, it is not the case. Imagine a car that has been parked for six months; it may not start on the first try. In this case we are talking about a scooter that can take 6 or more months stopped in addition to having traveled by sea for 2 or 3 weeks; carburetors love fresh, salty sea air.

This article aims to guide first time scooter owners to properly start their scooter without breaking anything.

Rules:

1. If the scooter is 50 or 150cc, please do not try electric start; only on first boot
2. Do not, under any circumstances, try to start the scooter
3. Avoid using a charger. The engine will recharge the battery when it is started. If a charger is used, make sure it is a motorcycle charger set to no more than 2 amps.
4. If the scooter is equipped with an alarm, do not attempt to activate the alarm or remote start until the scooter has started.
5. Buy the most expensive fuel and fill the gas tank to the top
6. Do not use any fuel additives or carburetor cleaning solutions
7. Once you start the scooter, be prepared to drive it for at least 15 minutes to charge the battery; letting the motor charge the battery is by far the best.

Remember that a new battery is very fragile. If it runs out completely, it can be permanently damaged and damage other components such as the fuse, voltage regulator, and/or CDI unit. To protect the battery and other components, all 50cc and 150cc scooters should be started with the kick start first, then try the electric start a couple of times as described below.

Since most 250cc scooters do not have a kick start, owners of 250cc scooters should follow the electric starting procedure.

Boot procedure:

1. Fill the gas tank to the top with the best gasoline available.
2. Put the bike on the center stand
3. Check that the off switch is pointing towards the circle, not the X
4. If the scooter camera has remote control, please click UNLOCK twice consecutively
5. Turn the key to the on position
6. Accelerate to full throttle and hold the throttle open for 1 second, repeat 3 times
7. Unfold the kick starter; gently push it down with your foot halfway
8. Let the kick go back up
9. Kick the starter hard 3 or 4 times in a row making sure the starter goes all the way down and back up each time
10. Then keep accelerating to the end (step 6) and kicking to the end a few times (step 9)
11. Do not accelerate while kicking

Try the electric start only AFTER you have tried to start the bike as described above with the kick start.

Electric starting procedure:

1. Follow steps 1 through 6 of the quick start procedure above
2. Hold the rear brake
3. Gently turn the throttle to recover the slack; don’t speed just keep the slack
4. Press the home button for 3 seconds and release it
5. Go full throttle and let go, keep the throttle afloat.
6. Press the home button for 3 seconds and release it
7. Let the electric starter motor cool down for 30-40 seconds and repeat the above steps one more time.

Overheating of the electric starter motor can also damage the scooter by blowing the starter motor, fuse and other electrical parts.

If the bike did not start, do not try the electric starting procedure more than 2 times; instead, go back to the fast boot procedure and repeat it 2-3 times. It may take a few tries, most bikes start on the second or third try.

If all else fails:

Some scooters may have difficulty starting. This can be due to several factors. In 90% of cases, the failure to start is due to insufficient or insufficient fuel reaching the carburetor. The easiest way to check and cure this is to prime the carb manually:

1. Open the seat
2. Unscrew the carburetor access panel screw (usually a single screw)
3. Remove access panel and locate carburetor.
4. The top of the carb looks like a metal dome with 2 bolts holding it down.
5. Remove 2 screws from top of carburetor.
6. Put 3 to 4 tablespoons of gasoline directly into the carburetor
7. Replace top of carburetor and secure with 2 screws.
8. Follow the electric starting procedure only if it has not been followed more than 3 times; otherwise get going

If the scooter fails to start after the above, those with limited mechanical knowledge and those who know enough to be dangerous are advised to contact the technical support department of the scooter dealer where the purchase was made or seek advice. from a professional motorcycle mechanic.