Add a 12v socket to any scooter

There are lots of uses for a 12v power outlet on your scooter. For example:

• Charging or powering a cell phone
• Powering a GPS unit
• Powering a Radar detector
• Powering an electric tire inflator
• Powering an auxiliary light
• Charging your scooter battery
• Powering heated gloves

Adding a 12v power outlet isn't difficult at all. You can find one at places like eBay or Amazon.com. What you'll usually get is a 12v socket (also known as a "cigarette lighter" socket) with an attached inline fuse. If it doesn't come with a fuse, it's a good idea to add one. To mount the outlet you'll usually have to make a hole about 1" in diameter somewhere on the scooter. I've seen them installed inside the "glove box", though that would mean you'd need to open the "glove box" to get access to it. On my scooter I installed it just below the front of the seat. There's an access panel below it which allow you to get at the spark plug and valve cover, and that also allows access to the back of the power socket for easy wiring.

The socket can get its power from any 12v line. You can pick one that's activated by the ignition switch, or you can do what I did and connect it directly to the battery (via a fuse of course) so that you have power available at all times, not just when the ignition is turned on.
Most motorcycle batteries have a capacity in the 3-7 amp.hour range, so you can't draw a huge amount of power from them. My outlet is fused at 8 amps, which is enough for a 55W auxiliary light (which draws about 4 amps) or a tire inflater (typically 2-3 amps), heated gloves (typically 1-2 amps) and more than enough for any electronic gadget such as a radar detector or GPS unit (typically well under 1 amp). Don't try drawing huge amounts of power though. The battery is quite small and could run down quite quickly if the engine isn't running to recharge it. Even if the engine is running you could strain the alternator (generator) if you try to draw too much power.
Installation of a 12v outlet is simple. The one I added mounted in a 1" diameter hole. I cut it out with a hole saw and smoothed the edges with a file. Since you're likely to be cutting the hole in plastic, this isn't a lot of work. The negative (black) lead connects to the chassis of the scooter. The red lead connects to the fuse and the fuse connects to the positive (+) terminal of the battery. Make sure the wires are secured using nylon cable ties so that they don't get caught up in any of the scooter's moving parts and they don't rub against any hot parts of the engine which could melt the insulation on the wires and cause a short circuit.
As I mentioned above, as well as using the 12v outlet to power external equipment, you can also use it to charge the battery. On my scooter it's not easy to get direct access to the battery terminals. You have to remove the "floor mat" and then remove a door to expose the battery connections. With the 12v outlet wired directly to the battery (via an 8 amp fuse in my case), you can simply attach a 12v plug to the charger (mine came with one) and plug it into the 12v outlet. For most scooter and motorcycle batteries a charger of 2 amps or less is fine. I use my charger to keep my battery in good condition over the winter when the scooter sits in the garage for weeks at a time waiting for a day that's warm and dry enough to ride!
I also use the outlet to power a 12v tire inflator. The battery has plenty of power to inflate both the front and rear tires from 0 to 32 psi. After inflating both tires the scooter started right up, so there's no danger of running the battery down in normal use. Having the outlet available makes topping up the tires a simple job, and if it's easy to do you are more likely to do it.

wiring diagrams

a basic set of common wiring diagrams for the 150cc scooters as well as many of the 50cc gy6 scooters

Okay, so from time to time, we get queries about wiring diagrams so I thought I'd post a couple of generic diagrams I have.  Feel free to add your own diagrams!

Note: Your scooter may differ from these but they are a good guide anyway...





This pic shows the location of some of the components under the front plastic on a lot of scoots. Your scoot may differ...

proper kick start mechanics for 50cc and 150cc scooters

50cc:

The kick starter on your Chinese scooter is for emergency use only. It's not designed for every day prolonged use.

50cc:

If you want your kick starter to last for the life of your scooter then go ahead and remove the lever and re-install it at a 1:30 or 2 o'clock position so you get a little more travel when you kick it. This way you won't crack the case as easily. The case cracks when the lever is on the bottom of it's stroke and you're still kicking, or if you kick it too hard. You shouldn't have to kick with all your might to start a healthy engine. Moving the lever up a little will allow a better mechanical advantage and lessen the chance of cracking the case. 

You have to remove the bolt from the lever completely to get the lever to slide off. Tapping a flat screwdriver in the space where the bolt goes through will open the clamp and the lever will slide off with little effort.

The little half-moon shaped gear should be positioned as show in the second and third pics to get full range of motion. You can change the position by pulling the round gear out a little bit to un-mesh the gear teeth, then use the kick lever to re-position the half-moon gear and push the round gear back in to lock it in place. You'll see.   

 To remove the cover you simply remove the 8 (short case) or 10 (long case) bolts around the perimeter of the cover and it will pull off. The kick lever makes a good handle to pull on but if it's the first removal, you may need to hit the case on the back with a rubber hammer to break the seal on the gasket. If the gasket tears it's okay. Just replace it torn or remove it altogether. It's really not necessary to even have a gasket on there.

When kick starting, it's best to work the kicker slowly until you feel resistance against your foot. That means the engine is on a compression stroke. At that point, let the kicker come back up to the top before you kick it. The engine is more likely to fire on a compression stroke with a full kick. If it doesn't start on the first kick then repeat the process. Don't just kick it willy-nilly.   

Kick lever re-positioned.


Proper position of the kicker gears. I always put a small dab of grease in the starter clutch bushing.



Case cracked 


150cc:

The kickers on the 150cc scoots are fragile as well. There are a lot of moving parts that are subjected to belt dust so keeping things clean and a little dab of grease on the shaft ends of the gears is good preventative maintenance. And like the 50's, DON'T KICK TOO HARD!  The case can/will crack rendering the kicker useless.

Clean and grease the ends of the shafts where they pivot only! Some grease where the kicker shaft passes through the belt cover is okay but just a little. You do not want grease to migrate to the belt and pulleys.

You can remove the lever and reinstall it so it's a little higher up on some scooters so you get a little more travel. On some scoots the body plastic prevents you from doing that.

Dirty gears... YUKK!


Proper position of the gears when re-installing:



Components:



thnx to fox of scooterforumonline

Issues with the electric start

When dealing with the electric start, and it is not wanting to crank but it will start via the kick-start the things to remember is that the electric start functions through something known as the flywheel. The flywheel is essentially copper wound up on some coils spinning on a wheel tapping against conduits that will generate a current which in turns start the scooter up. If you find that it is not starting with electric but will start with the kick start then you must pull the flywheel of and clean it as well as check the coils for looseness if they are loose in any way then that will take out the integrity of the electric start as tight coils are a must for proper connectivity, if they arent tight take a pair of pliers and tighten the coils up. also check the ignition coil for any build up on the connectors as well as if the spark plug boot is loose or gummed up. if all these are ok then the next step would be to follow up with both a valve tune up and carb cleaning to ensure proper function and fuel flow.