Check your scooter fuel line

Scooterists should check their fuel line annually for leaks and cracks.  Ethanol fuel blends, heat, cold, and age all take their toll on it.

One of the dead giveaways that fuel lines need replacing are pools of gas on the garage floor or parking lot.   Seeing dripping gas is another.  If that hits a hot exhaust pipe, well that just isn't good.

Sometimes aging scooter fuel lines are hard to detect.  I changed mine last year for preventive maintenance.  Once off the scooter, I found that it was brittle and cracked.  The heat from the engine really took its toll on it.

Before changing fuel line, make sure you have all the necessary parts.  You'll need the correct length of fuel line, fuel line clips, and a little knowledge of your scooter.

I wrote up a How-to Guide on replacing the fuel line on a Vespa ET4 a few years ago.  Yours may be similar.

How to replace the fuel line on a Vespa ET4 scooter

© 2012 G. Kunkel and Colorado Scooters. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to G. Kunkel and Colorado Scooters with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. 

When did you last change your belt and rollers on your scooter?

So when was the last time you checked your belt and rollers?  If you're not mechanically inclined the answer is probably never.

Check your scooters owners manual for recommended belt mileage change and then look at your odometer.  If you've had your scooter a few years and have ridden it daily - it's probably time to get it changed.  If you have a mainland chinese scooter with those substandard belts, it's prolly time for a change too.

There may or may not be signs that your belt needs changing.  If it doesn't accelerate like it used to, that could be a sign.  The definitive sign is that if you twist your gas handle, the scooter runs, but the scooter doesn't move.  Most likely you have a busted belt.  If that happens at 70 mph, not good.

When you change your belt, it's also time to change your rollers.  What are rollers?  The ultra simple answer - they are these weights that roll out when your accelerates.

All automatic twist and go type scooters have rollers.  They do wear out.  The scooter dealership isn't trying to sell you extra parts or rip you off.  They are looking out for you and trying to save you some money.  It's cheaper in labor to go ahead and replace those rollers ($13) while they have things torn apart.

You'll love your scooter much more if it gives a smooth dependable ride and is reliable.   Go take care of that belt and the rollers.


© 2012 G. Kunkel and Colorado Scooters. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to G. Kunkel and Colorado Scooters with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Beware of Idiots and their Craigslist Scooter Advertisements

The clueless bozo's are advertising their scooters on Craigslist in Colorado again.

The current crop includes:

http://boulder.craigslist.org/mcy/2936539276.html  - this ding dong says "Registration, license or insurance is not required."   That's false advertising lady.   All three are required by Colorado state law.

http://boulder.craigslist.org/mcy/2914704692.html  - says "no motorcycle license required".  Yeah cause there's no such thing as a motorcycle license.  It does require a drivers license.  No motorcycle endorsement is required.

If you are in the market for a scooter in Colorado, know your scooter rules and regulations.  The people listed above obviously don't. 

If you are buying a 49cc or 50cc scooter or moped in the state of Colorado, you will need a driver's license, register it with the Colorado Department of Revenue, and have liability insurance.

Need more information?

http://voices.yahoo.com/impending-changes-colorado-scooter-law-3680450.html?cat=27

© 2012 G. Kunkel and Colorado Scooters. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to G. Kunkel and Colorado Scooters with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. 

Does one need a motorcycle license to ride a 50 cc scooter in Colorado?

This question comes up alot.  Mainly from potential or novice riders.

First off - there is no such thing as a motorcycle license in the state of Colorado.  There are drivers licenses and motorcycle endorsements that go onto the drivers license.

A 50cc scooter, 49 cc scooter, mopeds, and electric scooters are considered low power scooters in the state of Colorado.  One needs a drivers license to operate a low power scooter on public streets and roadways in Colorado.

One needs a motorcycle endorsement on that drivers license if the scooter has over 50cc.  Not a motorcycle license.

Information on how to get a motorcycle endorsement for your Colorado Drivers License can be found at http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/Revenue-MV/RMV/1190796317325

All scooters in Colorado are required to have liability insurance no matter the engine cc.

Scooters are magnets to underage kids and teenagers.  Tell them they'll have to wait until they have a drivers license to operate one.

© 2012 G. Kunkel and Colorado Scooters. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to G. Kunkel and Colorado Scooters with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Check your scooter tire pressure regularly

I'm just as guilty as anyone for not regularly monitoring the tire pressure in my scooter tires.  There's a price to be paid for doing that - an expensive one at that.

Scooters run optimally with the proper tire pressure,  They get better gas mileage, have better handling, accelerate better, and give a more comfortable ride.

There's another expensive cost for not maintaining the pressure in your scooter tires.  The tread will prematurely wear on your scooters tires.

Have you priced tires and labor on scooter repair?  It isn't cheap.  It'll probably run you around $150.00 or more to get a new tire mounted on your scooter.  That's just one wheel too.

By regularly checking the tire pressure in your tires you can prevent this expensive mistake.  Check your pressure weekly in summer and winter.  Cold outdoor temperatures cause tires to lose air.  This happens on your car too.

Don't ruin a perfectly good tire by not regularly maintaining them.  Sportique Scooters in Denver, CO really hates to sell new tires to scooterists for this reason.

© 2012 G. Kunkel and Colorado Scooters. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to G. Kunkel and Colorado Scooters with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.