Scooters are a great way to move from one place to another, they are fast, easy to handle, small, and unlike cars and motorcycles they have fewer parts, so this means that there are fewer chances of something going wrong. But unfortunately sometimes things will go wrong. And the electric parts are the ones that go out first. So in case something breaks on your scooter is a good idea to know how to properly kick start your scooter.
In order to kickstart your scooter or moped correctly you should follow this steps in order:
- Locate the kick start lever and fold the foot peg
- Make sure you have enough fuel
- Turn the ignition on
- Make sure the kill switch is in the run position
- Press the brake handle
- Use your foot to push down on the foot peg
- Continue to push and release the foot peg until it starts
Doing those 7 things will guarantee that your scooter or moped will start. But let’s take a closer look at each step to make sure that we don’t miss anything.
- Locate the Kick Start Lever and Fold the Foot Peg
So this step is quite easy, the foot peg is usually located at the bottom of the scooter. And it’s usually on the left side of the transmission case.
If you don’t find it on the left side don’t panic, some scooters have it on the right side, but this is not something very common.
- Make Sure You Have Enough Fuel
No matter how many times you try to kickstart your scooter it won’t work if you don’t have enough fuel in the tank for the engine to run.
While this seems obvious, I know a lot of people who forgot to check the fuel and started kick starting their scooter, thinking that there is something wrong with it.
- Turn the Ignition On
This is very important, your scooter won’t start if the ignition is not on. So don’t forget.
- Make Sure the Kill Switch Is in the Run Position
Quite simple to do, and very essential. You can spend entire days kickstarting your scooter if the kill switch is not in the correct position.
- Press the Brake Handle
Now, it’s time to squeeze the brake handle. Nothing special about this part, you just have to do it like you usually do. And make sure that you don’t let it go until your scooter starts.
- Use Your Foot to Push Down on the Foot Peg
As the title says you just have to push on the foot peg. While it sounds simple enough this is where most people get things wrong.
If you don’t put enough power then the scooter won’t start, your push has to be powerful enough to start the engine, but not too powerful to break the peg.
If you haven’t kick started a scooter before my suggestion is to start gentler and push harder until you get the feel of things.
- Continue to Push and Release the Foot Peg Until It Starts
Now you basically have to repeat the last step until it starts. You usually need at least two or three tries before your scooter will start, but it’s not uncommon to use more than that.
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What to Do If Kick Starting Doesn’t Work
If you follow every step described above you should have no problem kick starting your scooter or moped.
But in some situations kick starting won’t help. In those situations you have to look for the course of the problem. Maybe instead of a kick start, your scooter needs a jump start, which is something completely different.
So let’s take a look at some of the things that could be wrong with your moped.
The Battery
If kick starting doesn’t work then the battery might be the problem.
The first thing you should do is to check if your battery is empty. Even if you just got a new battery, if your scooter has no power you should still do this. Your new battery might be bad.
The first and easiest way to see if the battery is dead is to look for physical signs:
- Broken terminal
- Bumps in the case
- Cracks in the plastic
- Discoloration
If you see any of those things on your battery then it’s most probably broken and you should get a new one.
Broken terminals are very dangerous, and can cause a short circuit. If a short did occur, there would be some indication of burning or melting. When a battery short circuits, all of the power is unloaded in an instant. This produces a lot of heat, and sometimes even causes the battery to explode. So If your terminal shows any signs of damage you should get rid of your battery right now and get a new one.
If the battery is still intact, but there is a bump in the case, this is usually a result of being overcharged. And as a result the battery is useless.
Cracks don’t necessarily make the battery unusable or broken but they definitely make them dangerous, so you should get rid of it immediately.
The second method is just as simple, but it will require you to get a multimeter and test your battery.
A fully charged battery should register around 13 volts.
A half charged battery should register between 12.3 and 12.1 volts.
A discharged battery should register under 12 volts.
Multimeters are quite easy to use and can be quite handy around the house. SO if you don’t have one this might be a good moment to get one. They can be found at most hardware stores and online.
If the battery is the problem, then simply replace it with a good one. But if you are in the middle of the road and you don’t have a new battery with you, then you might want to jump start it.
The Start Button
The first thing that you should check is the start button. You can do this by trying to start the scooter with the start button, like you would normally do. If you do this but the starter won’t engage, it means that there is an electric problem and the button could be the problem. If the starter engages then the electric parts work fine, this includes the button.
It’s not that common to have the button broken, but it can happen. There is a small chance that the plastic inside the button that makes things run has broken and you might need to change it.
How the starting process goes
In the end of the article I think it might help you to also know how the wohle starting process looks. This way you might also check a few other parts that I haven’t included in the list above. And this should also give you a better idea on where to start looking.
- The first thing that happens is that the fuel valve opens
- Than the fuel will rush out of the gas tank and into the compressor
- Fuel enters the compressor in each of the engine’s chambers and fills them
- Electricity from the battery powers the starter, which powers the compressor which allows it to compress the fuel
- The fuel is compressed by the pistons of the engine, still using battery power
- At this point the spark plug sparks which will make the fuel to explode
- The explosion of the fuel pushes the piston backward
- The force of the piston being pushed backwards powers a resisting sprocket which restores more power to the battery than was used in the first compression
- Fuel floods into the compressor
- The process repeats and the engine is on
You can use this step by step guide of how things work when you start your engine to see exactly where the problem is.
Conclusion
So if you follow the guide above you should have no problem kick starting your scooter. Just take it one step at a time and your scooter should run in no time.
If your scooter doesn’t start even after you kick started it then the problem might lay somewhere else and you will need another solution. Hopefully you will find your problem in the list I left you.
If you need some help you can always look on my site where I try to cover the most common scooter problems. And if you want you can always leave me a comment and I will answer you as soon as possible, and try my best to help you solve your problem.