How to Tune-Up Your 50cc Scooter

If you’ve got a 50cc scooter, you’ll know how important it is to regularly give it a tuning, so that it can function to the best of its abilities. It’s especially important to tune your scooter when you’ve not ridden it for a while too. Giving your 50cc scooter a tune-up is a simple process that you don’t need to be an experienced mechanic to do. With a few readily available tools, then you can tune-up your scooter in less than an hour. We’re now going to go through each step to follow for a successful tune-up.

Step One: Replace Your Scooter’s Spark Plug

Spark plugs are inexpensive and easy to replace, so even though your current one might still be functioning sufficiently, it’s best to replace it with a new one, unless you have recently put in a new spark plug. All you need is a trusty wrench to remove your current spark plug and tighten your new one.

Step Two: Inspect and Clean Your Scooter’s Fuel System

An essential part of any scooter tuning is the inspection of the fuel system and the cleaning of any dirty parts – and there will be several parts that will be filthy.

Your fuel system is comprised of a fuel tank, a fuel line, a fuel filter, and the carburetor. Now, you want to inspect each of these parts very closely. While you’re examining them, you want to keep an eye out for rust, cracks, or any leakage.

It’s recommended that when you’re doing a 50cc scooter tuning that you replace the fuel filter. Just like the spark plug, these parts are affordable, and they can be replaced easily. They will impact the efficiency and the effectiveness of your scooter, so it’s worth the time and money.

The biggest part of the fuel system to focus your time on is the carburetor. This requires a thorough cleaning. It will likely be covered in filth, grime, and other debris.

The carburetor needs to be removed from your scooter for cleaning. You’re also going to need to take it apart. The first component you’ll need to remove from the carburetor is the float bowl, which you’ll find on the carburetor’s underside.

After you’ve taken the float bowl off, you’ll want to do the same to the brass, main jet, which is right in the center of the carburetor. This part needs to be cleaned thoroughly with a wire brush. You should also blow through the holes inside it and ensure that you’re able to. If not, you need to get some wire and unclog the holes by poking the wire through them. Once you’ve done this, hold it up and try to look through it. If you see light coming through it, then you’re golden. If not, then you need to give it another clean.

Now you want to clean the rest of the carburetor. To do this as well as a mechanic would do, you should purchase an aerosol cleaner designed for carburetors. These cleaners are readily available for an affordable price. You can get them at the same place you buy your new spark plug and air filter. Follow the instructions on the aerosol, and then you’ll have a perfectly clean carburetor, which will function much better after your tune-up.

Step Three: Check the Battery – If Your Scooter Has One

If your scooter includes a battery, you should take the tune-up opportunity to remove it. Put it on to charge. Then, return to the scooter with the wire brush. Clean the terminals that your battery connects to your scooter with.

Step Four: Check the Levels

Now, you have to ensure that your scooter is perfectly topped up to run efficiently and effectively. This means that you want to see where the oil levels are and the fluid levels. Ensure that they’re at the right levels, and if they’re not, give them a top-up. Some 50cc scooters will have a transmission, too. You’ll want to have a look at it so that it’s full.

Step Five: Examine the Tires

You must check your tires if you want to complete a successful tune-up. The first element of the tires to check is the tread. It’s illegal in most countries for people to ride vehicles with tires that have worn down treads. You may want to measure the tread and check if it’s a legal depth.

After checking the tread, you want to study them and see if you can find any cracks or holes. If not, pump them up to the right tire pressure, put an ear to the tires, and listen for any air leaking out of them.

Step Six: Give it a Once-Over

Now that you’ve cleaned out the essential parts and put in some new parts, it’s important to check it’s running correctly, so turn the engine on. If everything sounds good, make sure that the signal lights and the brake lights are working. Hop on the scooter and briefly accelerate before stopping, so you can check that your brakes are functioning correctly.

Step Seven: Clean Your Scooter

You’re almost done. But the final step of any good tune-up is a cleaning. It might seem like this is done to improve the aesthetics of the scooter. But it’s quite important for how your scooter functions too. Cleaning off all the grime, dirt, and debris from your scooter will allow your engine to function more efficiently. Take your time over the cleaning process, ensuring that you remove every ounce of dirt that you can find. You can either use water or a cleaning product designed for scooters.

Step Eight: Check Your Papers Are in Order

Before you set out on the open road on your tuned-up scooter, you should check that all your paperwork is in order. That means that you should make sure that your tags are currently active and not expired. Your insurance should be valid too. Depending on where you live, you might need to check that your license plates are currently valid.

Step Nine: Ride

You’re all tuned-up. You can head out on the road now on your scooter. You’ll notice that the tuning has made a world of difference. You’ll also realize that it isn’t hard to tune a scooter yourself, nor does it take a long time. So, keep this in mind and ensure that you tune your scooter regularly. Enjoy the ride!