TaoTao CY50B Metro Scooter ~ Used but new2me :)

[ratdog]

Ethanol free gas is normally for sale close to the water. A lot of boat owners use it ( as do I)

The octane rating of gas does NOT discribe the power advaible. While a lot of things effect how much octane you need, on this little engines, it’s mostly the compression of the engine that determines what octane you need. Over time, engines loose compression. It’s very common for engines that orginal required premiums years later no longer need premium. While I know you don’t have the tools yet, a compression check will tell you weather you need to run premium. I’m going to make an educated guess that your bike as it sit now, will not need premium.

So if premium gas dosent make more power, what does it do? For our purposes, the higher the octane the harder it is to get the gas burning. If you have a very high compression engine, as the piston is compressing the fuel mixture, the fuel can actuly Fire befor the spark plug fires. That can eat an engine from the inside.

Up here (in Michigan) we worry a lot about how much ethanol is in the gas because when it sits, it starts turning to water. It also can deslove rubber products like o rings. But most fairly new engines use oring and seals that don’t get eaten by the ethanol.

So, if you can get pure gas, go for it! A lot of gas stations call it rec fuel, I just call it “E0”

I would not spend a lot of money on replacing lines until they are cracked. As we say, “ if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”

IMHO, breaks are the most important system on your scoot. They can save your your life, or the oppset. I would very highly recommend that you get someone that has experience working on breaks to help, of just have them done.

At any rate, welcom! There is a lot of help advaible here, and I hope you will keep us up to date on your project.

FYI, there is a special glue advaible so you can fix your plastics better then new. We use it to fix the fairings on motorcycles. With a little filler and the correct paint, you can make your bike like new again.  easyabsrepair.com/

[wahlman]

Black Pearl,

I understand your predicament because I too was scanning thru the ads in Miami around the same time and only found overpriced scoots (You can get brand new chinese scoots from several dealers for $800 out the door) So seeing alot of ads for used china scoots at $650 or $700 that I disregarded.

And the scoots under $500 where mostly crashed scoots or scooters with no title or no keys. Its just a matter of bad luck but at the time being there really where not any "great deals" but i checked craigslist, eBay and offerUp

Even the deal I got for $400 on a used 2015 IceBear scoot with 900 miles was not a "smoking" deal because I still had to take it to repair shop and spend $65 valve adjustment + $20 oil change and they adjusted the brakes for free. '

So my own purchase was not really "a bargain" and I would have been better off to be paiteint and wait. But i did not want to wait, I had saved up my money and wanted a scoot THIS WEEKEND so that is what happenend in my case. But I think you will be okay, your going to spend a few bucks but I can remember taking a girl out and spending over $150 on that first date and it never really led to any good results (as far as getting laid).

So dont get too hung up on the entry price you paid. Just do whatever you need to do to get the scooter up to par and you will have many fun rides. I am not so mechanically inclined so in my case I brought the scooter in to the shop to have them "look it over" and they did the valve adjustment and oil change (That I could certainly have done myself but I figured for 20 bucks just let them do it this one time and maybe they would find metal shavings in the engine or evidence that the oil had not been changed on time and these symptoms would mean more to a mechanic than they would to me).

I had purchased a used scoot and did not really know the history of it (Sellers are liars) so in my case I just wanted to bring the scooter up to "baseline" and a reliable level of condition and NOW in the future if anything goes wrong I am starting from baseline in my troubleshooting rather than from from simultaneous mysterious pre-existing conditions.

If a person is not too much experienced with scooters I think this is a good idea, to buy a used scoot and bring it in to the local shop and let the experts give it a thorough looking-over and advise you.

[GrumpyUnk]

Yo0u can get a new hinge for the seat and 'bucket'.(I call it a bucket... because it IS a bucket) Taotao parts should show the parts, or most generic china scooters will have a hinge of some sort. It is bolted to the bottom of the seat with two bolts that extend from the seat into holes in the hinge, and then you put some nuts on the bolts. The front of the hinge will fasten to the bucket... so to keep things in place, the bucket must be attached - two 'long' acorn nuts in the front down at the bottom, and two regular nuts at the back near the gas cap.
I doubt the speedo cable went. More likely is the 'cross' attached to the wheel that engages the speedo drive mechanism is out of place. The cross fits into two slots in the drive, and will readily be out of place when the wheel is re-assembled onto the forks. You must align the crosspiece to the slots or the gear will not get driven and the cable not turn. Though, it is possible to have a broken cable. You'll have to remove the front axle to find out. Make note of the 'stack' of bits & pieces when you take it apart. Depending, the fender may have a hole on both sides that is held by the axle. Talk about multiple duty parts...
tom

[blackpearlx]

#1 ~ Missing some screws for the plastics... I have rectified the screws for the side black fenders... the screw in the middle that goes behind my calves seems like it's a very long screw that I need which I don't know which one to use...yet.


#2: Front Left to Right, There is a Hairline crack in the plastic and below that there is kind of a chunk of plastic missing on the bottom corner which Isn't really affecting my any just planning on getting both to get repaired. To the far right is the screw that was missing which I have fixed.


#3: After all these issues with the scooter I feel like someone tried breaking into this bike or it was stolen at some point I honestly don't know lol but I paid $400 bucks for the scooter and still really like it to be honest... I have already re-ordered the seat... and also found the under seat storage replacement so thankfully my seat and it's under compartment are gonna be perfect very soon.


#4: This was my attempt at fixing the seat... with a lot of f* duct-tape haha, I had already ordered the seat by this point but I wanted to try and make it more comfortable... it didn't do tooo much ultimately.

#5: There is a small crack on the back of the scooter plastic which I don't think is full through the plastic it's odd gotta fix, and to the right the Speedo Cable I already ordered since my speedometer isn't registering and this seems like the likely culprit.

[blackpearlx]

Aug 27, 2018 10:22:46 GMT -5 wahlman said:

Black Pearl,

I understand your predicament because I too was scanning thru the ads in Miami around the same time and only found overpriced scoots (You can get brand new chinese scoots from several dealers for $800 out the door) So seeing alot of ads for used china scoots at $650 or $700 that I disregarded.

And the scoots under $500 where mostly crashed scoots or scooters with no title or no keys. Its just a matter of bad luck but at the time being there really where not any "great deals" but i checked craigslist, eBay and offerUp

Even the deal I got for $400 on a used 2015 IceBear scoot with 900 miles was not a "smoking" deal because I still had to take it to repair shop and spend $65 valve adjustment + $20 oil change and they adjusted the brakes for free. '

So my own purchase was not really "a bargain" and I would have been better off to be paiteint and wait. But i did not want to wait, I had saved up my money and wanted a scoot THIS WEEKEND so that is what happenend in my case. But I think you will be okay, your going to spend a few bucks but I can remember taking a girl out and spending over $150 on that first date and it never really led to any good results (as far as getting laid).

So dont get too hung up on the entry price you paid. Just do whatever you need to do to get the scooter up to par and you will have many fun rides. I am not so mechanically inclined so in my case I brought the scooter in to the shop to have them "look it over" and they did the valve adjustment and oil change (That I could certainly have done myself but I figured for 20 bucks just let them do it this one time and maybe they would find metal shavings in the engine or evidence that the oil had not been changed on time and these symptoms would mean more to a mechanic than they would to me).

I had purchased a used scoot and did not really know the history of it (Sellers are liars) so in my case I just wanted to bring the scooter up to "baseline" and a reliable level of condition and NOW in the future if anything goes wrong I am starting from baseline in my troubleshooting rather than from from simultaneous mysterious pre-existing conditions.

If a person is not too much experienced with scooters I think this is a good idea, to buy a used scoot and bring it in to the local shop and let the experts give it a thorough looking-over and advise you.

I hear ya man for sure I am not too hung up on the price i paid honestly... just thinking about fixing her up... I do like the design and so far I have been having a good amount of fun on it as it has been... I have parts coming in so I can fix, Screws that needed to be put into empty screw spots on plastics which was a little interesting and I do plan to keep this scooter for a little while... maybe haha I definitely want to bring it up to standards unfortunately i just fell for the style and didn't give a good look through the bike because if I did I don't think I would have paid the 4 bills... in saying that I am happy with the bike so no buyers remorse or anything she's Mine!

[GrumpyUnk]

If your plastics are cracked ... get a 'woodburning iron' and learn melting plastic. You can re-connect the cracked parts using a 'stab' of the tip(hot) across the crack. Both sides will melt a little, and start to hook back together. Once they are aligned, and kept together by the initial 'tacks', you can proceed to melt the S out of the pieces, smearing them together once again. I use the 'snips' cut from zip ties after tightening as a sort of solder to use melting the pieces back together. Milk carton plastic and caps work pretty well.
You will get a stronger bond than from any glue or epoxy, I think, using the melting technique.

I think all the fasteners are metric. even the Philips head screws. Might be worthwhile to locate all the empty holes, borrow a screw or bolt to find what fits, and take a trip to Fastenal, Home Depot, Lowes, or Ace Hardware (northern tool & tractor supply & menards, etc depending on locale) and purchase replacements.
I found that the bolts holding the heat shield on the muffler will come loose from vibration, that or I did not tighten sufficiently. FWIW.


tom

[fuzzyruttin]

Aug 29, 2018 11:22:40 GMT -5 GrumpyUnk said:

If your plastics are cracked ... get a 'woodburning iron' and learn melting plastic. You can re-connect the cracked parts using a 'stab' of the tip(hot) across the crack. Both sides will melt a little, and start to hook back together. Once they are aligned, and kept together by the initial 'tacks', you can proceed to melt the S out of the pieces, smearing them together once again. I use the 'snips' cut from zip ties after tightening as a sort of solder to use melting the pieces back together. Milk carton plastic and caps work pretty well.
You will get a stronger bond than from any glue or epoxy, I think, using the melting technique.

Hmm interesting technique... perhaps i should learn this skill in, uhh, the winter. GOOP has always worked pretty well in lots of different circumstances, but not always to 100% satisfaction (short of just buying new stuff).

[ratdog]

Well i’ll Vote again for getting the stuff that was made just for repairing motorcycle fairings.

easyabsrepair.com/

It comes in a single bottle, bonds the plastic and fills the voids. The repair is stronger then the orginal. You sand it , and paint over it and it will not crack like if you use bonds on flexible plastic.

[jbjhillbilly]

Here's a pretty good tutorial on plastic welding. He's got a couple of good tricks like using wire loops to hold cracks together.

Easier, and cheaper than you might think


One thing I've seen others do, is to drill a small hole at the end of the crack (both ends if the crack is mid-panel) to relieve pressure, and stop the fissure from continuing. Can anyone confirm this technique?

[ratdog]

I is very common to drill a hole at the end of a crack to keep it from continuing to run. For me, it is SOP.

[wahlman]

They sell a plastic welding kit at Harbor Freight tools that works great for $15. You can easily fix the cracks and you will soon find many other uses for the kit.  I used mine even to fix a broken plastic drawer of a refrigerator.

If you run out of filler rod you can also melt zip-ties (they are the same kind of plastic) or cut a gallon of milk into strips (also the same kind of plastic) when you want clear plastic. 

But you CANNOT use a plastic fork or knife because that is a different type of plastic.    

[wahlman]

Personally,

I prefer the retro style that you purchased over the more sporty-style but I bought the sporty style mainly because they are ALOT more common and that means parts are plentiful, CHEAP and scooter mechanics are well versed on repairing them (in the Big City) because they are so common.

I read an article that 90% of the 50cc scooters in the ENTIRE WORLD are in fact this same GY6 style of China scoot so this design is battle-tested all around the world in 3rd world countries where they are used as a PRIMARY means of transportation for people day in and day out. Check out these 2 videos:

[blackpearlx]

Once again I appreciate all the responses and all be it advice and how-to videos on that plastic stuff, also the videos on the GY6 motor.

I definitely like the Retro look myself very much. I found the website which has every single part for this scooter... I already ordered the under seat storage assembly new along with a Speedo cable and the seat I am still waiting on... people @ Beast Parts created a damn label for shipping on Monday and still haven't shipped the damn seat so Idk what's going on but it's not like i have the other parts in yet either so eh... I have a feeling if I need anything else for the scoot its gonna take a good little while like these 3 parts I'm waiting on.

I have been pushing the little scooter today I went to Aventura mall with it, not like its very far but she was hauling ass I was going as fast as traffic lol I just wish I could see how fast I was going... When I was going down this one street a Speed trap sign clocked me going 37mph and I had just gotten to the top of a small bridge.... I though this scooter only did 35? I am thinking it may have a top speed of 40 though...think.

I know there are meetups for Motorcycles and what not but are there scooter gatherings and rides? ha, I could imagine a meetup of all slow ass scooters or fast because I am even planning on throwing a little love to the engine but slow or fast its still fun.

[fuzzyruttin]

Aug 31, 2018 17:52:13 GMT -5 wahlman said:

Personally,

I prefer the retro style that you purchased over the more sporty-style but I bought the sporty style mainly because they are ALOT more common and that means parts are plentiful, CHEAP and scooter mechanics are well versed on repairing them (in the Big City) because they are so common.

I read an article that 90% of the 50cc scooters in the ENTIRE WORLD are in fact this same GY6 style of China scoot so this design is battle-tested all around the world in 3rd world countries where they are used as a PRIMARY means of transportation for people day in and day out. Check out these 2 videos:

It's a great bike... chinese quality sucks... it's a great bike... jeez is this guy a used car salesman or what?! 

[wahlman]

Sept 1, 2018 0:14:05 GMT -5 blackpearlx said:

Once again I appreciate all the responses and all be it advice and how-to videos on that plastic stuff, also the videos on the GY6 motor.

I definitely like the Retro look myself very much. I found the website which has every single part for this scooter... I already ordered the under seat storage assembly new along with a Speedo cable and the seat I am still waiting on... people @ Beast Parts created a damn label for shipping on Monday and still haven't shipped the damn seat so Idk what's going on but it's not like i have the other parts in yet either so eh... I have a feeling if I need anything else for the scoot its gonna take a good little while like these 3 parts I'm waiting on.

I have been pushing the little scooter today I went to Aventura mall with it, not like its very far but she was hauling ass I was going as fast as traffic lol I just wish I could see how fast I was going... When I was going down this one street a Speed trap sign clocked me going 37mph and I had just gotten to the top of a small bridge.... I though this scooter only did 35? I am thinking it may have a top speed of 40 though...think.

I know there are meetups for Motorcycles and what not but are there scooter gatherings and rides? ha, I could imagine a meetup of all slow ass scooters or fast because I am even planning on throwing a little love to the engine but slow or fast its still fun.

Aventura Mall!  There is a little expressway right next to Aventura Mall that is called Lehman Causeway and goes down East to the beach.  Have you ever ridden it on the scooter?  Alot of steep hills, I wonder how a 50cc scooter would fare.