This board was created as a reference for you to be able to troubleshoot and figure out why your scooter won’t start! Over the years, we’ve discovered that MANY issues could be resolved with some quick troubleshooting tips!

The reason a scooter won’t start is usually related to one of these three things:

1. No Spark:

Possible problems: Kill switch, kickstand kill switch, spark plug, CDI, coil, and/or stator (which is like an alternator for a car).

2. No Fuel:

Possible Problems: No fuel, cut or disconnected fuel line, clogged fuel filter, gunked up or defective carburetor, cut or disconnected vacuum line, clogged or bad fuel petcock (fuel pump).

3. No Compression.

Compression Definition: Ratio of the volume of the cylinder and the combustion chamber when the piston is at the bottom, and the volume of the combustion chamber when the piston is at the top.

Possible Problems: valves, cylinder, cylinder head, piston and/or piston rings.

LIST 1. START HERE

1. Set your scooter on the center kickstand.

2. Turn the key to the “on” position.

3. When you turn the key to the on position, does the fuel gauge go up? Does the horn work? Do your blinkers work? [We are establishing whether or not the scooter is getting electrical power.] If no go to LIST 2. If yes, go to LIST 3.

4. If the scooter starts up, but won’t move anywhere, see LIST 5.

5. Fuel is stale / bad because the scooter has been sitting without use. See LIST 6.

LIST 2: Scooter has no electrical power.

Possible problem 1: Fuse is blown. See video shown above.

Possible problem 2: Battery is dead.

Symptoms would include no electrical power, blinkers that stay on or “buzz”, or when you try to start the scooter, it just “buzzes.”

Solution: Kickstart your scooter and bring it to the shop for a battery replacement.

Possible Problem 3: Scooter was tampered with / someone tried to steal your scooter.

The wiring behind the ignition itself may be cut and a new ignition might be needed to repair the problem. Note: Scooters with cut ignition wires very often kickstart, but to prevent further damage to the electrical system, it is best to not drive the scooter and have it picked up.

LIST 3: Scooter has electrical power but still won’t start.

Ensure you are starting the scooter correctly (especially if you haven’t had a scooter very long. 😊 

1. Put scooter on center kick stand.
2. Make sure the side-stand is up.
3. Make sure kill-switch is on the CIRCLE, not the X.
4. Turn key to the “on” position.
5. Pull brake handle and ensure brake light lights up.
6. Press e-scooter button. Try to start without giving the scooter any throttle. If that doesn’t work, then give the scooter only a little bit of throttle. (Giving it too much will flood it out).

Possible problem 3: Scooter has been sitting too long / Bad fuel. –> See LIST 6.

Possible problem 4: Kill-switch is engaged. This is a common occurrence with many new scooter owners. They simply forget about this swich.

Solution: Check and make sure that the kill-switch is pressed toward the CIRCLE and not the X.

Possible problem 5: Scooter has a side-kickstand kill-switch and that switch is engaged.

Solution: Place your scooter on the center kickstand and make sure side kickstand is up.

Possible problem 6: Brake switch is faulty.

1. Turn your key to the “on” position.
2. Pull the left brake handle. Does your brake light work? If it does, great!
3. Pull the right brake handle. Does your brake light work? If it does, great!

Note/Example: If you are used to pulling the right brake handle to start your scooter, but the brake light is not lighting up when you pull it, then the switch is most likely faulty. If it works when you pull the left brake handle, then the scooter SHOULD start by pulling the left brake handle (or vice versa).

Solution: If one or more of your brake switches is not working, schedule an appointment at the shop for replacement. 

Possible problem 7: ‘Flooded’ Carburetor In some cases, we find that some people get. impatient and start giving the scooter too much throttle causing the scooter to ‘flood ‘ out. Follow steps for ‘cold start’ troubleshooting in LIST 4 to fix the problem. 

Possible problem 8: When I try to start the scooter I hear a ‘clicking’ sound. This is usually caused be a starter solenoid ‘sticking.’ The scooter is getting power from the battery, but when you press the e-start button, the starter solenoid (the part that relays the power between the starter button and the starter motor) isn’t connecting causing a ‘clicking’ sound.

Solution: The starter solenoid is faulty and the part will need to be replaced.

Note: The scooter WILL kickstart if the starter solenoid is faulty, so you should still be able to get the scooter started to get where you need to go.

LIST 4: Scooter won’t start because it is cold outside. 🥶

Luckily for us, we live in Florida, so ‘winter’ doesn’t last too long, but cold weather definitely causes issues when it comes to starting a scooter. Here are some tips…

1. Be patient. Hold the e-start button, sometimes for 30+ seconds or more, and try to NOT give the scooter any throttle until you start to hear it catch. When it sounds like it is about to start, then give it just a tad-bit of throttle.

2. Let the scooter warm up once started. Let it sit idling for 5 minutes if possible.

3. We know it’s not ideal, but some people wait until a warmer part of the day. The early morning hours when it may be freezing out is when it will be the most difficult time to start the scooter. So, if possible, try again in the afternoon when it is a little warmer.

LIST 5: Scooter starts, but won’t move / run correctly / or dies out.

Possible problem 1: Broken belt.

If your scooter starts up fine, but when you give it throttle, the scooter will rev up but the rear wheel will not move.

Solution: The scooter will need to come to the shop to have the belt replaced.

Possible problem 2: Throttle cable snapped.

If your scooter will start up, but there is no resistance at the throttle handle, your throttle cable is most likely broken somewhere between the throttle handle and the carburetor.

Solution: The scooter will need to come to the shop to have the throttle cable replaced. 

Possible problem 3: Scooter dies out while riding.

We sometimes here “Every time I come to a stop, my scooter dies out and I have to start it back up.”

Note: When the scooter is new, it is normal for this ‘idle speed’ to be a little low. It will usually increase as the scooter breaks in and is usually not an issue after a few minutes once the scooter has had a chance to warm up.

What is ‘idle’? The idle is when the scooter is getting just enough fuel to keep it running when it is stationary.

Solution: Most people do not want to wait a few minutes for their scooter to warm up. Therefore, we recommend holding the throttle just enough to keep it running when you come to a stop. After a few minutes of riding, it should warm up and not happen anymore.

What if it dies out ALL the time?

Solution: We can adjust the ide for you if you would like to stop by the shop or you can follow the instructions in the ‘adjust your idle video’ shown above.