Basic taotao ATM50 build

[tomcatsdb]

Hi everyone. 

I'm in a similar situation to a few other posters in that I got a 2013 taotao ATM50, but rather than going for top speed, I'm more concerned with longevity of the scoot (it's new, got for $632 assembled from a local dealer).

It seems to run fine (in it's break in period), but there's a few things I want to mod based on the info from the PDI vids and other places regarding this model.  The first thing I'm going to change is the fuel lines, the second is the carb adjustments.  I've got the tools for unsealing the carb, but I'm pretty new to the scooter scene and modding things like this in general (though I'll rig pretty much anything to keep it running, so not afraid to try some preventive bits here).  Any suggestions on where to get new carb jets (and which ones to order)?  I don't want burnt seals or other heat problems form the machine running too lean.

Also, aside from the two mentioned changes, any other best practices to keep this thing from developing problems down the road?  Thanks much for any advice.

-TomcaT-

[flqu06]

Yoy may not even have to change the jet. Look at your plug then adjust AF if needed. My 2013s are spot on colors from the factory. If you gont mod chances are youll be ok.

[aeroxbud]

Welcome to the forum.
A lot of people on here seem to think that the standard oil these Chinese scoots come with is not very good quality. For peace of mind I would change out all the oils for something of better quality

[90GTVert]

Mine was just about right on the jet as well. When I did the PDI vid I was expecting it to be more lean because I heard so many others say theirs were lean and they were needing about an 85 main jet. I think they may get over-jetted a lot. I run a wideband on my Tao Tao now so I can monitor air/fuel ratio. Running a little on the rich side, the plug looks like what many would say is lean if tuning simply from plug reading. Mine came with a 79 main jet, I'm 40ft above sea level, and in the summer when it was tuned I moved down to a 75 main jet with everything else stock. That gave me 11.5-13:1 air/fuel ratios at wide open throttle. Now that it's cooling off here, I can see the air/fuel creeping toward lean the colder it gets. If you don't want to re-tune, you'd prob do pretty well if your stock carb comes with a 78-80 main jet. It's always good to check though and not just assume it's fine.

If you want a jet kit, check out Parts For Scooters part # 114-49. 10 jets for $16 (72, 75, 78, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100, 105 & 110)


Definitely change the oil and change it regularly (every 1000 miles or less). I like to use magnetic drain plugs to keep the metal debris from circulating in the engine.

49ccscoot.proboards.com/thread/344/periodic-checks-maintenance

[tomcatsdb]

Thanks for the advice. I'd heard from the dealer that the lean jet issue was caused by the "secret 63" (larger piston and no adjustments on the carb to compensate), so when they moved back to 50cc, the problem corrected itself. I was told at the shop they already did the initial oil change, though I'm going to go in behind and take care of it myself just to be sure. Planning on conventional 10w/40 then moving to synth after the break-in period. Going w/ the usual plug changes and whatnot.

The dealer said they'd do the oil, valve adjustment, etc @ 100 km. But for $80, I think I can manage that bit myself (only tool I lack is a feeler set). Thanks for the info on the part # / site for the jets.

I'll try to get some pics of the machine as the work gets done on it, planning on doing a fair amount of it on Wed. Happy scooting

[90GTVert]

As long as you're comfortable with the work for $80 you can get feeler gauges, a quart of oil, magnetic drain plug, jet kit, NGK plug, NGK plug cap, and maybe still have enough left over to get a set of clutch springs or pay for most of a set of sliders.

[tomcatsdb]

True. Doing the maintenance myself will pay for pretty much all the parts I need and then some (I think at that price a completely new carb could be done too). I'll check the parts site for the drain plugs while I order the new jets. I'm in the middle of cleaning the garage to get enough work space for this, so hope to be done and ready for replacing fuel lines tomorrow. While the jets can wait, the fuel lines are a different story

[flqu06]

I saw a guy who had a powerful magnet stuck to the outside of the drain plug and it still had plenty of power to pick up a screwdriver through the plug.

[tomcatsdb]

Heh. There are some powerful mags running around. If you have an old hard drive, for example, crack one of those open. There's some pretty beefy ones in there in terms of power.

Edit:  For the jets IIRC there should be a main and a pilot, correct (pilot being the smaller of the two.  Is there a separate part number for the pilot jets?

Edit 2:  Looks like there is an idle jet as well.  Any reason to change that one out?

[flqu06]

Pilot is the longer of the two. Pilot controls idle to half throttle. If your idle is good then no. If you have adjusted the AF and you if you turn it all the way in and it still runs its too big. If you need to turn it out more than 3 turns its too small. Ideally you can raise or lower the needle to do additional fine tuning as well.

[90GTVert]

Pilot and idle are the same. Part # 114-38 for 1 pilot jet, pick the size.

[tomcatsdb]

Cool, thanks. Got the garage in order then started on the scoot. Got the panels off. Man, the fuel lines are _really_ cheap. I've seen stronger aquarium tubing. Got some fuel line from advance, going to change it out tomorrow morning, then set the yard up for Halloween.

[tomcatsdb]

Fuel lines on these are 3/16 inch. I'm not sure if the plug they put over the air mix screw is a softer metal now, but my screw extractors continued to drill through the plug rather than actually turn the damned thing. So rather than bore through and hit the screw, going to run as is for a bit then change out carb for an adjustable one after the next paycheck. Reset idle speed and adjusted the throttle cable, so is all good and it runs pretty smooth. Need to find a 3/16 fuel filter (I put the stock on back in place since I could only find a 1/4 filter at advance). But no leaks and much better fuel lines. I won't catch fire going down the road

As a side note, when unsealing the carb, it might be a good idea to put some plastic wrap over the holes (I used elastic to secure the plastic wrap during my attempt). Those metal filings tend to go all over creation, and it probably wouldn't be good for one to end up wedged in the carb somewhere and work its way into the engine.

[koda]

Hey Tomcat try something pointed and try to pry that cap out now that you have a hole. Mine popped right out once I went thru it. 

If you want a Keihin PD18j, you can get one at The Scooter Doc.
Comes with 85 main. Just recently picked one up.

[tomcatsdb]

Hi Koda. Yeah tried that. There's a small section where I'm completely though the cap, but it didn't want to budge. I'll try again later though, maybe with a small pair of needle nose pliers.

I've seen several people complain of vibration on the taotaos. When I had the thing on the stand and the back tire was spinning at higher speeds, you could see the thing wasn't in good round (and the scoot was trying to bounce around). The wheel hub is fine, it's just there's a large amount of wobble in the tire. I have a feeling that if people changed those out, they'd have a much smoother ride.

I'll be spending some time just riding the thing this weekend (this is first scoot I've owned / driven, so I need to get used to it). When I had it apart, everything seemed pretty solid (no loose bolts or other hazards that I could spot).

I do have a few pics of the new fuel lines, and I'm going to do a comparison shot of the stock ones. When I was draining the fuel tank, just applying a bit of pressure on the line so it'd angle into the gas can crimped it. One thing I did notice though, is the back splash / rock guard also doubles as an extra shield for the gas tank should you run over debris (something would have to go through the normal fender and through the additional plastic before hitting the tank.