I’ve got a 50cc scooter with 30,000 kms on it. It still runs OK, but it no longer has the power to carry two adults . . . it just sort of dies after a minute.
I hate to throw things away that can be fixed. I don’t mind spending a bit of money to get the beast running better, but at what stage do you just give up on small bike?
Any ideas/suggestions?
Zender
Have you consulted with a mechanic? Do you have a mechanic you trust and can communicate with?
I’m definately no expert, but I always thought that two stroke motors needed new rings or pistons more frequently than a four stroke. That probably wouldn’t be that expensive here in Taiwan.
What has your maintanence schedule been like? Look at the spark plug, air filter, carb tune-up, drive belt replacement.
Given that a 50cc scooter has the technology of a lawn mower, you can probably regain most of your power for little cost.
Wait for the other guys with a mechanical background to give a more definitive answer.
I know nothing bout mechanicals:
You can easily and cheaply get it bored out to 60cc and re-ringed and stuff. I think this is called refurbishing or rebuilding. It will have more power, but not a lot and should be more reliable. If it dies (shuts off) then that would make me think more is wrong. If it is “tired” then that can be fixed. Any good “black hand” can help you or PM me and I will take you to my guy in Yung He.
My wife’s 50cc Dio is 13 years old and still going strong. 30,000km is a few kilometers, but it’s more important how it’s been used. If it hasn’t been hacked on it could be something simple like a new spark plug and air filter to bring it back to spec. If it’s been beaten on daily it might not be worth what it would cost to fix.
Find a trustworthy mechanic (stickies) and have him look it over.
Please don’t tell us you both weigh 100kg, live at the top of a mountain, and expect it to drag you both up there at 70kmh. 
Bore it to 60cc sound a litle bold to me. 
If it’s original 49cc and has a 39mm bore it would nead to be bored to 47,5mm and in my experience it’s not mutch cylinder left at that point.
I think the use of two stroke oil is esensial. Keep to the known brands like mobil and castrol.
I know from home we have a national oil company witch make there own two stroke oil witch is crap and I exspect mutch off the local brands here is the same.
Lot off the exspensive spesial oils you find is often mobil, shell, castrol witch is bought in and taped into new containers.
Chang the airfilter, clean the carborator and check if the exhaust pipe is full off cloged up deposits from old cheap two stroke oil, check the red valves.
After this I would start to be concerned about the cylinder unit.
To change the whole cylinder cost me 2500NTD included parts and work so I don’t think boring it is worth the truble when new ones is that cheap.
I’ve taken the bike to a few mechanics, few of which impressed me. In the end, I brought it back to a guy that seems pretty sharp at a Kymco dealer 30 meters west of the Songjiang, Minchuan Intersection. He showed me the old scored piston and some wires, which he replaced for just under NT$2000. Make sure the old guy attends to you as the younger ones seem inept.
He told me I should keep it under 50 kph for the first 300 kilometers, and now I’ve got my fingers crossed and throttle adjusted.
It’s funny how often mechanics here will see what kind of oil you’re using and shake their heads before showing you their brand of choice. It’s happened twice in the last week (for different brands I’ve had).
Just for your info, we are not a couple of lard asses, and I just use the bike for the flat, muddy basin, Rambler.
Thanks for all the advice and sympathy.
Z
[quote=“redwagon”]My wife’s 50cc Dio is 13 years old and still going strong.[/quote]My Dio too. 13 years old, still going strong.
You probably just need to wind the rubber band up a bit more again. 
Get a new squirrel installed.
Seriously though, some of these 50cc mobile pollution devices do have a long life.
I have tried for almost 3 years to get my wife a new scooter and she vehemently resists the offer. Kinda weird…but it is her bike.
The ‘tags’ on it indicate at least 12 years old…I think older. I bang on the pipes every 2 - 3 months and clean that gunk out, keep checking the brakes and have her 'scooter guy do something every 5 months.
It just keeps put put putting along.
Zender: Not insinuating you’re a lardass, but trying to be sure you’re not asking more than a 50 can provide. I’ve come across a lot of 130kg people who expect a 50 to be able to pull them up 10% grades, at top speed, without getting tired. 
Just making sure your performance expectations are reasonable before spending time troubleshooting.
Anyway, it sounds like you have things under control. Run it in carefully, then ride it hard after that, and put decent oil in it. Two-strokes hate to putt-putt around, it lets everything get choked up with carbon so they can’t breathe.
The bike seems to be purring along. Don’t worry about offending me; I’ve got skin like a rhino. I kind of grew up on bikes and my first (at age 12) was a Honda 50cc moped. I then graduated to 100cc , 2 different 350’s and a KZ650. I know I’m a little hard on small bikes. I guess part of my not wanting more is a nostalgia for the simple times, and my desire to have something small that I can throw around, “squeeze through”, and park easily. In the West, people would laugh at me if I said 50ccs are enough. Maybe I’ve been here too long.
I also have been following the thread on Ma Ke, and I know if I had a big(ger) bike, I’d be driving faster. My heart goes out to him and his family.
I’ve heard some (was it Monster?) say that the safest speed is about 5km/hr faster than traffic. I can imagine that if you are at the same speed as traffic, you might stay in someone’s blindspot.
I recommend all the people new to Taiwan and/or new to riding bikes to go a bit slower than traffic for a few months. Don’t forget your mantra when the traffic gets crazy, “Drive safely; arrive alive.”
Zender
Great that your bike is working. Those 50 cc 2-strokes can last a long time. They do produce a great deal of emissions, however, and that’s why they are no longer made that way, burning oil as you go.
My 50 cc worked great as long as I put synthetic oil in it. When it wouldn’t start, I’d have the spark plugs changed. A dirty air filter can really interfere with your power, so that’s one of the first thing to check next time.
Maybe a little off-topic, but anyway, regarding emissions, my second bike here a long time ago was a Yamaha RZR, 135cc two stroke, and it spewed plenty of crap. I finally went to a four stroke because I was so embarrassed how much it spewed.
When I see anyone driving a scooter or motorcycle burning oil and discharging a lot of smoke, I am digusted.
I’d like to put a muffler-to-face mask on those driving those awful 2 stroke polluters so that they are forced to breathe the shit they are emitting instead of everyone behind them. I figure a lot of the offenders have that old ‘out of sight, out of mind’ mentality towards it all.
I hear Taiwan is trying to legislate 2 strokes out, but it can’t happen fast enough IMO.
yep… I’ve said for years that all scooters should have the exhaust exit between the handle bars, pointed at the rider’s face… I believe that is the only way locals would sort out their scooters or cough up the extra NT$10 for “smoke free” 2 stroke oil… That or charge a NT$10,000 annual “2 stroke tax”…
As for the cops cracking down on smokey polluting scooters, don’t hold your breath ( 
ba-da-bish, thank you, I’ll be here all week…) Last week in downtown Taichung I saw two cops on the side of the road, ticket books in hand waiting to trap red light right turners, and I watched them eye a two stroke scoot piloted by some hard hat wearing, red mouthed, hick… as he was stopped at the light waiting to cross towards where the cops were positioned, his scooter was chugging out a cloud of smoke so thick and acrid you couldn’t see the 2nd row of scooters behind him… The light changed green and these two jokers watched this fool ride up to them on this 50cc filth factory, smoke billowing all around, James Bond in escape mode style… then as he passed, they both covered their noses and mouths with their hands and squinted through the smoke as they courageously carried out their duty as officers of the law and did sweet f*ck all, until the next kid on a scooter turned right that is… :raspberry:
That probably was, in fact James Bond. He’s a master of disguise you know.
[quote=“Mer”]
When I see anyone driving a scooter or motorcycle burning oil and discharging a lot of smoke, I am digusted.
I’d like to put a muffler-to-face mask on those driving those awful 2 stroke polluters so that they are forced to breathe the shit they are emitting instead of everyone behind them. I figure a lot of the offenders have that old ‘out of sight, out of mind’ mentality towards it all.
I hear Taiwan is trying to legislate 2 strokes out, but it can’t happen fast enough IMO.[/quote]
Witch is total bullshit since two strokes is actually the engine construction that are moust efficiant.
thousands off ships all around the world use two strokes rated at 50000hp and more.
Smal two strokes has a long way to go to keep up with there large cousins, but it’s not imposible.
Don’t ban two strokes, but ban the exhaust port and get them a exhasust valve and ban use off cheap two stroke oil.
I’m not talking about ships.
Ban the 2 stroke scooter. We don’t need it.
[forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.ph … 865#487865](Synthetic VS mineral motor oil? Worth the money or not?
I’m not talking about ships.
Ban the 2 stroke scooter. We don’t need it.[/quote]
They build outboards 2 strokes now that beat the 4 stroke.
The 2 stroke has the rights for a life too, but the scooter two strokes nead inprovement.
Jot the plate number, vehicle type (bike, car, etc.), color, time and location down, then go to the EPA website at http://polcar.epa.gov.tw/public/pub3.asp; register, then log in and enter a brief report on the vehicle (requires some ability to read and type Chinese). The EPA will crack down on them for you. And they really do. I bust an average of 1-2 vehicles per day. 
Now, back to topic… 