Sunny DF50STE - 47mm BBK (New Parts, Mods, Etc.)

[dan50]

I was at an auction with my Dad all day Saturday 11/09/2013. I bought another scooter (my 3rd). I guess I am addicted to scooters!
It is a DongFang Sunny DF50STE 50cc 4t. With a 139QMB engine.
These pics I got off the internet;

This is made in December 2012. It was first registered in June 2013. It has 697 km on it (433.1 Miles). There is a couple of scratches but no busted plastic. Mine has the trunk on it which I probably will remove so I can mount my trailer hitch on the luggage rack.
The auctioneer said it didn't run, but I had it running when nobody was around (I had to kick start it). That's why it went so cheap. I paid $400 for it. Searching for info on it, I found MSRP is $1,995. It sell for $1,199 to $1,495. I figure I got a pretty good deal.
Both tires are 3.50 X 10. Wider than what I'm used to and better stability (My SunL LB50QT-3 has tires about 3 inches wide and is physically a little smaller than the Sunny DF50STE).
It turned out to be a blown fuse. It had a 3amp fuse and the owners manual calls for a 15amp fuse. I put a 15amp in and the elictric starter and everything else worked!
It has front disc and rear drum brakes. I took it for a test ride and had to get used to the front disc, my other 2 scooters both have front drums. Had to get used to the grabbyness and extra stopping power! Front disc brakes will now be a requirement on any scoots I buy in the future. It did about 35mph tops. Did a lot of RPM's compared to my SunL 4t. Will look into the CVT to see if I can get more speed. Plus it's probably not fully broke in.
I changed the oil and rear end oil. The owners manual says to use 10w40 oil in both the engine and rear end. I was told by a mechanic to use 75 weight gear lube in the rear end. Which is right? Or are they both right?
Only 2 issues with it. 1) The gas gauge doesn't work correctly. The needle moves slightly but not very far. 2) The taillight socket has to be remounted. I have to take the trunk, luggage rack and body piece off to see if I can get to it.
It had a 12v 18/18 watt headlight (BA20D base) in it which was so dim I could barely see at night. I put a 12v 18/18 watt halogen light in it - Much brighter.
Overall, I am looking forward to making this my main scooter.
I am going to sell my Kalibur LS 50cc, and I might sell my SunL LB50QT-3 50cc to my neighbor.

[aeroxbud]

Looks like you might of got a great deal on a nice looking scooter

[90GTVert]

I think the prices are way high on the sites, but regardless of that it seems like a good deal. Basically like the TaoTao ATM50-A1. One pic it looks like you get aluminum wheels. Those should be a little nicer than the steelies. The steel wheels seem to have a lot of issues with being bent stock. Congrats on the new ride.

[dan50]

The wheels are brushed aluminum and very shiny. Hopefully they won't rust like the steel wheels on my SunL scooter,

[dan50]

I forgot to mention that it has a cigarette lighter that works. I looked in the trunk when I bought it and found a plug that fits my GPS. Now I can ride with the GPS on. Not enough battery life on my Garmin to use it without power source.

[90GTVert]

12V outlets come in handy. I put one on 1 scoot, then had to install them on the others. I run a Stinger voltmeter. Kinda nice to see where the batt/charging is, and it's got a USB port built in so you can get a cable to work with most accessories and still have the voltmeter in place.

[dancehost]

You got a great deal Dan! What kind of auction had scooters? or was this the only one?
You may want to try synthetic gear lube 75w from WalMart.
You may want to change out all the factory fluids ASAP. They put in junk in China.
Happy Trails!
Dancehost

[dancehost]

Using PURE gas or SeaFoam should unlock (disolve the gunk) on gas gauge, worked for me.

[flqu06]

I agree on those inflated prices. 600.00 is about the going price new. Its a nice scoot. I usually wont buy a used scoot unless its half of what a new one would go for and less than 1000 miles. For example if that owner never changed the original fluids I wouldt touch it with a 10 ft pole for that money.

[dan50]

Nov 12, 2013 20:48:12 GMT -5 dancehost said:

You got a great deal Dan! What kind of auction had scooters? or was this the only one?
You may want to try synthetic gear lube 75w from WalMart.
You may want to change out all the factory fluids ASAP. They put in junk in China.
Happy Trails!
Dancehost

Dancehost, did you get my PM?
They had 2 scooters. Besides the Sunny DF50STE, there was a TaoTao 50cc. It was a county auction for St. Claire county, MI. There also was  military vehicles and stuff. As far as I could tell the stuff was county surplus (cop cars, old equipment, etc.), or seized and abandoned items from the police impound. Several vehicle and county auctions I have been to have scooters, most of the scoots I see are pretty rough shape (stolen, wrecked, etc.). Consignment auctions also have them occasionally (that's where I bought my SunL and Kaliber scoots).

I did change the motor oil and the rear end fluid as soon as I got it home. The oil was clean and I cleaned the oil screen (didn't see anything on it - somebody must have already changed the oil during break-in).

Flqu06, the cheapest I've seen a scooter around here is $800 for a 50cc 2t with 1,100 miles on it (looks like it's in mint condition). People in the thumb of MI. want a lot for used scooters. $300 to $500 for non-running junk (they say the parts are worth that!). At most auctions where there is a scooter or 2 they sell for big money. I've been lucky to get my 3 scooters for as little as I did, I passed up a lot of scooters at auctions because of what people were willing to pay for them.

[flqu06]

different market i guess. Here in FLA they go alot cheaper.

[dan50]

Nov 12, 2013 23:45:00 GMT -5 flqu06 said:

different market i guess. Here in FLA they go alot cheaper.

Yeah, definitely a different market. There's not that many scooters compared to an urban area and the only scooters you can get new around here are Honda & Yamaha. Most powersport places don't even service or get parts for anything but Honda and Yamaha.

[dan50]

Here is a couple of pics of the taillight assembly. The white plastic socket that the bulb goes into had a broken tab, so I glued the socket to the assembly.


I put a LED taillight/brake light in so I don't have to mess with it for a long time. The LED bulb is rated at 50,000 hours.


If it doesn't stay put, I can get a new taillight assembly for $30 from www.testedscooterparts.com/

Now I have to put it all back together. Had to remove all the rear and side plastic to take the taillight off, seat, bucket - Everything!

[aeroxbud]

The good thing about fitting LED lights is they draw less current. On scooters that is a good thing as the charging systems are not that powerful.
Some scooters are easier to work on than others. On my Aerox I had to take of the rear seat, seat and bucket, both rear panels and two side panels, just to get to the carb!

[dan50]

To get to the carb on this one, all I have to do in unscrew the plate on the bottom of the bucket under the seat (same on my SunL 139QMB 4t). If I need more room, all I do is remove 4 nuts and pull out the bucket, seat comes with the bucket.

On my Kaliber LS 2t, I had to remove ALL the plastic to get to the carb.