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Post by blackpearlx on Aug 23, 2018 18:48:28 GMT -5
Hello everyone... names Alex hope everyone is having a cool day!
I went to go see a few scooters today and I really liked this one TaoTao from 2012 only 1950 miles.
Images below...
I am not a fan myself of the Attack style (aggressive) scooters I like this older style look but to each their own  I have to fix the seat which I am trying to find someone to do locally but I was wondering what I could do to this thing that's not going to break the bank in terms of upgrades...
I am a total newb which it comes to scooter upgrades... not sure If I should upgrade the brake line to a braided line... the brakes themselves? They made a squeaky sound when I braked on a test ride I did.
I am not trying to go too crazy into it but I would like to do some small smart changes for the betterment of the scooter and then more than likely upgrade the speed a bit
 
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Post by fuzzyruttin on Aug 23, 2018 19:42:11 GMT -5
Fix the squeaky brakes. Braided lines won't buy you much. Once the brakes are all fixed up and functional, braided (hydraulic) lines will be more responsive to the touch, that's all. Not quite noob territory. I suspect the brakes are cable driven (?) so just make sure the brake shoes are up to snuff. If you are uncomfortable with the stopping power, go disk brakes first, then maybe think about braided lines.
edit: from the picture, you have disk brakes already. (sorry, don't wanna misinform) If they work, good, if squeaky, consider new pads first.
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Post by blackpearlx on Aug 23, 2018 19:49:06 GMT -5
I was having trouble with finding the model of the scooter but some digging i found it to be the CY50B Metro Scooter from TaoTao...The seat is trash so I ordered one from their OEM site cost me like 75 with shipping which wasn't bad at all. I really like the way this little scooter looks and can't wait till I start to dabble in it. Site below in case anyone needs a part for this scooter or other TaoTao scooters... www.taotaopartsdirect.com/collections/cy-50-b?page=4 Also I thought since this scooter was a 50CC when I joined this site I placed this ad in 2Stroke section but upon further digging into the model i found that it's a 4 stroke.... don't know what it means but hey it's something ha |
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Post by blackpearlx on Aug 23, 2018 22:15:18 GMT -5
Fix the squeaky brakes. Braided lines won't buy you much. Once the brakes are all fixed up and functional, braided (hydraulic) lines will be more responsive to the touch, that's all. Not quite noob territory. I suspect the brakes are cable driven (?) so just make sure the brake shoes are up to snuff. If you are uncomfortable with the stopping power, go disk brakes first, then maybe think about braided lines. edit: from the picture, you have disk brakes already. (sorry, don't wanna misinform) If they work, good, if squeaky, consider new pads first. The front tire does have a disk brake not 100% on the back... (i was under the impressions disk brakes dont use pads but I don't know anything so yep) I don't know how the pads look themselves as the OEM Tao site offers new pads for like 30 bucks... thinking about getting those I am looking at a lot of videos talking about spark plugs, fuel lines, vacuum line, fuel filter all very cheap stuff so im considering if itll be better for the skoota. also the guy im buying the scooter from says he's only ever used premium gas in the scooter which I think is a plus... pretty sure ill keep up with that tradition |
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Post by fuzzyruttin on Aug 24, 2018 5:21:31 GMT -5
The octane you use depends on the jetting. The bigger gripe you'll read on this site (me included) is finding ethanal-free gasoline. Ethanol gums stuff up, especially if it sits for any period of time.
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Post by blackpearlx on Aug 24, 2018 19:40:19 GMT -5
The octane you use depends on the jetting. The bigger gripe you'll read on this site (me included) is finding ethanal-free gasoline. Ethanol gums stuff up, especially if it sits for any period of time. Hmmm interesting  I can't say I have much of an opinion on that yet... I select the highest grade gas today I don't know of any gas stations that have octane free or maybe I just haven't really looked that hard for it. The Scooter runs awesome... just did a wash today and temporarily fixed the seat I currently have with duct tape haha it's holding... i think ill be getting the new seat in the next few days or so... It would seem that the site where I bought my original seat has a lot of useful parts for sure.... Is there anywhere (I have googles) that I can look to buy the plastics? the front left side of the white area is cracked and missing some plastic at the very bottom corner... also the under seat storage tub? container? area... needs to be replaced because the old seat took with it it's mounting brackets that was connected to the seat's hinge so the seat could just simply prop up... I am thinking maybe there is a way to repair but it doesn't look good. |
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Post by fuzzyruttin on Aug 25, 2018 0:42:29 GMT -5
If goop can't fix it, time for new skins if it really bothers you. Not worth it tho IMO, put the money into engine/brakes. then frame rigidity if you really want the performance
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Post by blackpearlx on Aug 25, 2018 16:38:22 GMT -5
If goop can't fix it, time for new skins if it really bothers you. Not worth it tho IMO, put the money into engine/brakes. then frame rigidity if you really want the performance New Skins??? Is that new body parts? from where? and I may have to sometime down the line but for now, I would like to check the main things that need to be checked... I am buying the speedometer cable that connects to a device @ the front wheel to tell the speedo the speed and calc. the miles because it's not working and I've already been told its most likely the cable. The Brakes interestingly enough are not giving me trouble past the first test ride... there is a reservoir for brake fluid over to the right brake lever which I think I may need to fill with some fluid I haven't opened her up yet to check the level but so far brakes are decent. My biggest gripe @ the moment is whenever I go over bumps it kinda feels like the scooter wants to throw me off... not sure if the suspension is a thing that usually gets upgraded or just avoid bumps and potholes. |
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Post by fuzzyruttin on Aug 25, 2018 20:27:06 GMT -5
Skins are a facade and speed bumps are meant to go really fast over. I dunno man, take it all with a grain of salt and a few wrenches.
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wahlman
Scoot Enthusiast
Posts: 111
Location: Miami, Florida
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Post by wahlman on Aug 26, 2018 10:06:38 GMT -5
The octane you use depends on the jetting. The bigger gripe you'll read on this site (me included) is finding ethanal-free gasoline. Ethanol gums stuff up, especially if it sits for any period of time. Hmmm interesting I can't say I have much of an opinion on that yet... I select the highest grade gas today I don't know of any gas stations that have octane free or maybe I just haven't really looked that hard for it. The Scooter runs awesome... just did a wash today and temporarily fixed the seat I currently have with duct tape haha it's holding... i think ill be getting the new seat in the next few days or so... It would seem that the site where I bought my original seat has a lot of useful parts for sure.... Is there anywhere (I have googles) that I can look to buy the plastics? the front left side of the white area is cracked and missing some plastic at the very bottom corner... also the under seat storage tub? container? area... needs to be replaced because the old seat took with it it's mounting brackets that was connected to the seat's hinge so the seat could just simply prop up... I am thinking maybe there is a way to repair but it doesn't look good. You can find ethanol-free gas stations here: www.pure-gas.org/But I dont think its really necessary as long as you will be riding at least 2 days out of the week. Ethanol will gum up the carburetor of any machine that "sits for extended periods of time without use" so for this reason I always use ethanol-free (expensive) gasoline for my lawnmower, chainsaw, weed-wacker, generator. But for a scooter that will be ridden on a consistent basis you will be fine with normal gas. Read the scoot FAQ here and what it says about using high octane gas: www.49ccscoot.com/faq/faq.htmlMy first fill-up was with 93 octane gas. Previous owner says they always used 93 octane gas (But thats what they all say). So here is what I say: 1) Make your first fill-up with 93 octane gas that is 10% ethanol. 2) Make your next fill-up with cheap 87 octane gas. Compare the performance and especially listen for any "knocking sounds". In my case I did not feel any performance difference and I heard no knocking sounds. So the scoot will be getting a diet of 87 octane from now on. |
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Post by geoffh on Aug 26, 2018 10:07:14 GMT -5
blackpearl,i,ve read a few of your post,s now and as you say your a newbie but willing to learn,if you think?? it,s your brake fluid res then you need to do a lot of reading/watching in the tech section.Don,t bother with upgrades untill you,ve got a grip on your basics and a set of wrenches.Your scoot will have parts that can be replaced way cheaper on the interweb $30 dollars for pads is 7 times over the going rate.Read and learn beware of anything that starts with "racing" or "sports".
geoff
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wahlman
Scoot Enthusiast
Posts: 111
Location: Miami, Florida
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Post by wahlman on Aug 26, 2018 10:22:37 GMT -5
How much did you pay for this 2012 scooter? If you spoke about this on a past thread please post the link.
If someone is very mechanically proficient and can turn a wrench than its not a bad idea to buy an older scoot that needs some fixing but if someone is not so experienced and planning to take it to the shop to do the repairs then you could find yourself losing money to bring an old scooter "up to standard".
That retro body style is not as common as the more sporty looking style with full fairings. The retro style is a copycat of Italian scooters. THe problem is that it is a less common design in Miami so it is more difficult to find used parts for it at junkyard or from crashed scoots.
Sometimes I have seen crashed scoots or scoots with no title and that wont start for under a hundred bucks on craigslist in Miami and you could buy one of those and have donor parts for years.
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wahlman
Scoot Enthusiast
Posts: 111
Location: Miami, Florida
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Post by wahlman on Aug 26, 2018 10:41:15 GMT -5
Its probably too late but I would have recommended you just to get the seat re-upholstered for 30 bucks. Theres alot of places in Hialeah that would do that job for cheap. Or just some strips of duct tape in the meantime would keep the seat in usable condition for a few more weeks.
But I am curious as to why a scooter with under 2000 miles would have this sort of seat damage. It is peculiar.
I hope scooter wasn't left out in the rain or the blazing Florida sun for extended periods.
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Post by blackpearlx on Aug 26, 2018 15:38:01 GMT -5
Hey guys thanks for all the replies really... - What did I pay for the scooter? $400.00 (I thought a good deal) alot of scooters in this area were going from 500 and up which I did bother to go see and none of them really spoke to me all had some flaws which I didn't really mind some flaws
- The Styling being all retro like I honestly am a big fan lol, for some reason reminds me of the back to the futuredays and I don't really have a thing for the attack style looking scooters but everyone has a preference for sure.
- The problem I am facing with the seat: By the way I already ordered the new seat some days ago waiting for it to arrive... I also went all over the beach to the scooter places and no-one has anything seat worthy. So the seat is basically on top of the uder seat trunk area in which the front part of the seat is latched on to the trunk lets call it... somehow I don't know if someone tried breaking in the scooter or something but the latch has been removed with the seat (ill get pictures) and I have to find a way to get a new trunk area that has the plastic latch thingamabob in tact or try to fix t his one. The only thing that has my seat in place without flying off is in the back there is a metal U-Shape lock that goes into the bike next to the gas tank and it pretty much holds the seat in place so im not overly concerned with flying off but I would like to try and get it repaired soon.
I am no mechanic but I will tell you that I wouldn't mind getting my hands dirty and doing some things... like the Speedo Cable I already found a youtube video showing a guy how to replace it... doesn't look all that hard all things considered and I ordered it for 20 bucks where as a scooter shop told me yesterday they charge 65 for the cable and 45 for labor lol. |
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Post by fuzzyruttin on Aug 26, 2018 17:36:23 GMT -5
Thanks for the link... surprised there's not too many identified in my area. I went ahead and added one to the map that opened less than a year ago. |
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I have to fix the seat which I am trying to find someone to do locally but I was wondering what I could do to this thing that's not going to break the bank in terms of upgrades...
I can't say I have much of an opinion on that yet... I select the highest grade gas today I don't know of any gas stations that have octane free or maybe I just haven't really looked that hard for it. The Scooter runs awesome... just did a wash today and temporarily fixed the seat I currently have with duct tape haha it's holding... i think ill be getting the new seat in the next few days or so... 
