Who doesn’t love riding a scooter in a night full of cool breeze or on a sunny afternoon by the roadside? Nowadays, we can see that scooters are everywhere down on the road and are a fun way to get around, too! Part of the scooter’s popularity is because it’s a very much affordable, fuel-efficient transportation alternative.
A scooter is a significant investment, so you want to make sure it will help you to improve your quality of life for a long time. Routine care and maintenance can keep your scooter running smoothly for a longer time.
Essential maintenance is not difficult, and for the most part, can be performed in the comfort of your home. Your scooter needs an excellent routine maintenance schedule to keep on cruising for years to come. As such, a bit of maintenance coupled with a yearly servicing is highly recommended for taking care of your little buddy’s health.
10 Kits For Scooter Maintenance
Some basic maintenance kits are a great thing to have on your scooter for emergencies while on the road. When you’re not on the road, having the right tools at home can help you tackle many of the routine maintenance tasks your machine depends on. Most scooters are relatively simple in design and easy to maintain, but here are some essential scooter maintenance tools you should have at your disposal:
1. Electrical Tape & Duct Tape
These are usually used in temporarily repairing scooter surfaces. If you find yourself out on the road with a punctured tire and are desperate to get home, it is possible to use some electrical or duct tape as a patch; you’ll probably have to stop and pump your tires up a few (or a lot of) times.
2. Flathead Screwdrivers
It is used for unscrewing various screws of a scooter. Wear and tear will quickly prove frustrating with this particular tool. Screwdrivers will damage any screw they are used on if their tip is rounded off.
3. Cable Ties
Usually, it is used for tying bundles of cables together for scooter repairing. Inside the scooter, there are a lot of cables which sometimes need to be tied for repairing. Cable ties can help with this.
4. 3/8″ Drive Metric Socket Set
Socket set is used to tackle multiple sizes and types of fasteners for scooter repairing. It comes very handy when you have to remove tight corners or nuts that are embedded. It is one of the helpful kits for repairing a scooter at home.
5. A Small Vacuum Or Fuel Hose
It is generally used to clean the internal and outer part of a scooter. The scooter needs to be cleaned regularly. A small vacuum or fuel hose helps you to remove all dirt, dust, and debris from a scooter.
6. Pliers & Wire Cutters
Sometimes, when the scooter needs to be poorly repaired or needs a quick recovery, some wires need to be cut and reused. Pliers and wire cutters help to cut wires according to the preference if a scooter needs recovery.
7. Small LED Flashlight
If you want to repair the engine or internal body of a scooter, you will definitely need to look thoroughly inside it. A small flashlight helps to watch wires and bolts on the inner part of a scooter and thus you can easily figure out which part requires repairing.
8. Metric Wrenches
Working on any vehicle will require a wrench set because it is used to provide grip in applying torque to turn fasteners for repairing nuts and bolts. It is very important otherwise the nuts and bolts will not be tight and can lead to severe damage.
9. Spark Plug Wrench & Spare Spark Plug
Sometimes, the existing spark plug of a scooter can be used if the original spark plug of a scooter becomes damaged. When there is no servicing center nearby and the scooter needs to be immediately recovered, a spare spark plug and plug wrench will come very helpful to save the scooter.
10. A Short Run Of Electrical Wire
A short run of electrical wire is used for wiring different parts of a scooter. These wires will also help if any internal components of the scooter need more wire or need to tie up the wires together to repair a scooter.
Daily Maintenance Tips For Your Scooter
1. Clean The Scooter Regularly
Cleanliness is the primary rule of maintenance. Polish and wax your scooter when needed. It is essential to prevent corrosion or any other offensive build up. Getting dirt or dust in the moving parts of the scooter may cause unnecessary damage to the device. Ensure to wash dust or dirt off your mobility scooter before it accumulates.
2. Protect Your Scooter From The Elements
Avoid extreme temperatures or rain whenever possible. When using your scooter in inclement weather, it’s always good to protect the electrical components of the device. If your scooter seat is made of fabric or leather, it is an excellent idea to protect those as well. Try to protect your scooter from dust, moisture, and sunlight.
It is recommended to park your scooter in the shade to avoid extreme temperatures (hot or cold) and rain, as it can damage the body. You can protect it by putting a waterproof cover on it. When not in use, the scooter should be stored in a dry, clean place for protection. This could be a garage, hallway, or outdoor shed.
Monthly Maintenance Tips For Your Scooter
1. Check The Air Pressure On Your Tires
Although the tires of a scooter are durable, they will wear down over time. Always ensure that the tires in your scooter have proper air pressure. When a tire does not have adequate strength, the chances are that it will wear and tear sooner when compared to the tire that has proper air pressure. High wear and tear mean that the tire will have to be replaced more promptly, resulting in increased maintenance costs.
On the other hand, Inappropriate air pressure exerts extra pressure on every ride. This also increases the friction between tire and road, increasing the tire depreciation rate, especially when you have pneumatic tires. It is recommended to maintain the optimal air pressure in tires as recommended by the manufacturer. For a 50cc scooter, the recommended tire pressure is a 2-2.2 bar. Remember that the tire pressure must be enough to carry the scooter as well as your body weight and any other additional load.
Do a visual inspection quickly for any signs of foreign objects, punctures, discoloration, cracks, or other potential problems. Give your tires a spin and make sure they are moving without any vibration or wobbling. If you find any damaged tire, it must be replaced as immediately as possible. Deflated tires will make your scooter work harder, which will result in decreased velocity and shorter battery life. If the tires are allowed to go down and flat, deflated tires can also destroy the tire’s valve system.
2. Check The Liquids
The liquids you need to check thoroughly are transmission oil, engine oil, battery, cooling water, and brake fluid. You don’t have to worry about the transmission oil as it has no direct contact with the atmosphere. What you need to care about is you can see a small transparent section on the engine, which shows the level of engine oil present.
There is a marked level on it that suggests you refill the oil if it falls below the mark. Frequently change the engine oil to enjoy a better riding experience. It must be done for new scooters within the first 300 – 500 miles and then once after every 1500-2000 miles. Use high-quality oil, which will keep your little buddy healthy.
3. Keep A Check On The Battery Level
The battery level of your scooter is also one of the most critical components. Ensure that the terminals of your battery should be corrosion-free. Also, the connectors of the battery should not be loose, and if they are loose, the scooter will not start.
Always charge the scooter battery for eight to ten hours at a time (or the amount of time allotted in your specific manual) and do not use your scooter during that period. Ideally, it would be best if you were charging your scooter battery after each use. Scooters often come equipped with a charge indicator that will inform you when you need to charge the device.
Avoid charging your scooter when the battery has comparatively more charge remaining. Several factors can drain your battery besides driving the scooter, including using your headlights, the rider’s weight, and sloped or hilly terrain. Some attached accessories can also contribute to charge usage. You should be aware of it.
4. Examine Your Tire Treads & Wheel Bearing
Ensure your tire treads have not worn down to less than 2/32″. Try to note any visual changes or ongoing concerns, and get your tires checked out if they aren’t holding air as well as they used to. Take a look at the wheel bearings, fuses, nuts and bolts, and other visible components on your scooter. When the screws are exposed to the foul weather, they are subjected to corrosion, especially the cheap ones like screws for fenders, so replace the screws more often. It’s wise to use high-quality screws that don’t tend to corrode quickly.
5. Change The Brake Pad When Required
Always try to maintain the brake pads in good condition, and it should be at least 3mm. If you do not check your brake pads and change when required, this can lead to severe accidents. You seriously need to check the brake pad after every 5000 km ride or more often if required depending on your riding style.
6. Check The Gaskets
Gaskets are essential if you fail to clean the housing of the engine frequently. Cylinder head gaskets and exhaust gaskets also need a regular checking. Usually, it is recommended to replace the cylinder head gasket in every 2000 km ride.
Yearly Maintenance Tips For Your Scooter
1. Take Extra Care Of The Air Filter
The air filter of your scooter ensures the correct amount of air supply to the engine. It also keeps the air clean and prevents pollution. You might use a special filter oil to keep dust and dirt away from the engine. But if you’re using a metal mesh air filter, you don’t need to apply oil. Rinse the air filter daily, but make sure there shouldn’t remain any excess water.
Generally, rinsing once in a year or after every 5000 km is enough. It may often be depending on the scooter’s exposure to the dusty weather. It will be best if you clean the mesh filters daily with alcohol along with soapy water. If it gets damaged, you need to replace this immediately.
2. Clean The Spark Plug
One of the high-performance parts of your scooter is the spark plug. It ignites more than 10,000 times every minute in case of a tuned engine. Check it after every 500-1000 km. If it has a hazelnut brown color and dry, this indicates that it’s in good condition, and no cleaning is required.
You need to check for the sign of oily tips while checking the spark plug. If you find any, that means you should adjust the carburetor. Another indicator of a lean engine is a whitish tip. You can clean a plug using a wire wool brush, then rinsed off using WD-40 or similar.
It’s recommended to replace the old one of a standard scooter after every 1000-1500 km. But for high-grade, 2500-4000 km intervals may be allowable. The gap between the tip and the electrode should also be measured and set using feeler gauges.
3. Check & Clean The Carburetor
You have to clean the carburetor depending on the air filter condition. Though soapy water or alcohol may do proper cleaning, you can also buy a unique cleanser. Try to avoid using the lemon acid-like cleanser as this causes the cast to dry out and results in breakage.
4. Apply Grease To The Variator Roller & Rear Pulley
At the initial state of use, applying grease isn’t necessary. Over the years, if you grease them, they will last longer. There are various unique greases for rollers, like Malossi, available in the market. Always use as much grease as the rollers need. Extra grease may clog the engine housing. Try to keep the drive belt clean while applying grease.
5. Check The Drive Belt
Over the years, the drive belt’s width decreases because it wears off. As a result, the transmission ratio also changes slightly, which in turn can reduce the speed. See the manual to know the minimum width that has to be maintained.
6. Replace The Valve Membrane When Necessary
When the metal reed valve membranes break, they cause severe damage to the engine. So better use cheap Kevlar fiber or carbon membrane. These are less likely to fail. But even if they do break at some point, they won’t cause any harm to the engine.
7. Take Extra Care Of Tuned Engines
Increased benefits come with increased liabilities. So control the brakes and the tires regularly. Check the drive belt and the Variator Roller for wearing. Another important thing is the maintenance of the piston rings of the tuned engine. It’s necessary to keep the compression level high.
How You Should Clean Your Scooter
Use a soft, damp cloth to clean the surface of your scooter. After every tricky or nasty ride, clean the outside body thoroughly with soap and a water hose. Remember that you should not allow excess watering to the engine elements like the air filter, spark plug, etc. Try to take a ride after cleaning. After hosting the scooter, water may clog up at different internal components. A ride will help to evaporate the water and thus prevent rust on the engine and other components.
Moreover, it is essential to keep your scooter as dry as possible to prevent corrosion and rust from forming metal parts. Always remember to clean the underside of the scooter, and the battery pack as well. Both these areas are often neglected by owners and can be affected by dirt and grime.
Scooter Insurance
Although you are not legally bound to buy insurance for your scooter, it is still highly recommended. Insurance can cover the following issues:
- Significant repairs
- Mobility scooter theft
- Third-Party liability (a collision with a pedestrian, for example)
- Accidental damage to the mobility scooter
- Breakdown assistance
Before buying a specific policy, check your household insurance policy to see if a scooter could be covered under the existing plan. These will help you to worry less about the cost if your scooter needs special treatment.
Conclusion
Keeping some simple scooter maintenance tips handy will help you save you loads of cash. These techniques can simply be done at home and do not require any rocket science or in-depth knowledge to implement. If you want to take proper care of your little friend, these tips will be helpful to you. Moreover, in this article, everything is briefly explained so that you don’t have to ask for an explanation from others. These maintenance tips will enable you to go a long way, keeping your little buddy aside. Happy riding!