Care, maintenance & hibernation
Even the best scooter is not free from ageing processes. If one neglects the care & maintenance, which starts with the cleaning, continues with the lubrication of various moving parts and finishes with the renewal of wearing parts, one has an unsightly and also dangerous rust bucket under one's butt instead of the fancy model. Weather influences are often underestimated enemies of scooters and mopeds. Do not leave your scooter (in the double sense of the word) out in the rain. Like humans, the species "scooter" does not like wetness. The danger of a cold does not exist, but with lacking care rust makes itself fast on the two-wheeler to create. While the cold disappears again, permanent damage occurs to the scooter and moped. In the following article we will show you what you can look out for yourself and which products are part of the sensible basic stock in the hobby workshop.The right care for scooters and mopeds
"Thorough cleaning" is the top priority if you want to be on the road with a scooter that not only looks good, but also works as it should at all times. If, for example, cable pulls are dirty, it is easy to overlook cracks and other damage. This also applies to the tyres and other scooter parts. There are several ways to clean your scooter. The scooter is still most thoroughly cleaned with the good old-fashioned combination of water bucket, cloth and gentle cleaning agent (detergent or better ready-to-use Motorcycle cleaner Motul E2 Moto Wash, which in any case protects the paint, does not corrode rubber parts and, thanks to its active gel form, can act for a long time). With this cleaning method, you are the closest to the vehicle and any problems are already visible during washing. Make sure that you always clean with enough water, especially if you are cleaning the painted surfaces of the scooter. There you should also use a second, soft cloth, which is not already dirty with brake dust, tiny grains of sand, grease etc., because otherwise scratches are pre-programmed.Water should not be spared when cleaning painted parts in particular. The cloth can be moved over the surfaces without pressure. In practice, it has proved helpful to use a small pump pressure cleaning bottle (pump sprayer) for rinsing. The roller is always cleaned from top to bottom. Care should be taken in the washing box at petrol stations. If you don't want to do without the high-pressure cleaner (e.g. for a quick intermediate wash), you should at least pay attention to the correct distance to the vehicle. The minimum distance of 40cm should be kept in any case, because seals on the scooter can be damaged by the high water pressure quickly and the water can even reach the inside of the scooter and unintentionally "wash" cables and parts of the electrical system. The use of a special cleaning agent such as the motorcycle cleaner Motul E2 Moto Wash is also recommended at the filling station. Firstly, the exact ingredients of the filling station shampoo are not known (is it e.g. free of silicones?), secondly it is cheaper in the long run to spray the moped or the scooter with your own cleaning agent and to use the cleaning radiator only for pre-rinsing and rinsing. If everything is finally clean, a care product like High gloss deep care Motul E5 Shine & Go reduces new soiling.
If parts of the brake system (brake disc, brake calliper, brake pads etc.) have to be degreased, the use of Brake cleaner is recommended. The Drive chain should be cleaned with a special chain cleaner, because brake cleaner is too aggressive and may destroy the O-rings of the chain links. The chain should be cleaned every 300-500km best with a suitable cleaning brush and thoroughly cleaned with a special spin-off resistant chain spray like Motul Chain Lube Road + be greased again. The chain should also be re-greased after rain rides. Motul has thought that you can't always be close to the home workshop and that your Chain Lube can also be filled into a practical, refillable 100ml bottle, which should be with you on every long trip. If you don't take care of the chain, you can expect to have to buy new parts during the season, because the chain wears out in a hurry, almost at the same time the sprockets, which wear out without lubrication. In the worst case (but until then you must have been very careless) the worn chain jumps off the sprocket and gets entangled on the way between the rear wheel and the motor - drive pinion. At full speed this promises nothing good. Result: Who wants to save money here, pays later on it. Good chain care products cost a few Euros, but are profitable, because they significantly extend the life expectancy of the chain. Also Bowden cables (like the throttle cable) should be lubricated regularly. The use of WD-40 Multispray is a good idea. The versatile creep oil belongs to the basic repertoire of the screwdriver and should always be available.
Maintenance according to plan
The regular maintenance of the scooter not only takes it to a high age with over 100,000km of mileage (which a Yamaha Aerox, for example, can easily handle), but also gives its rider a sense of security when he knows that everything is fine. Depending on the model and manufacturer, there is a maintenance schedule that should not be ignored. For a lot of maintenance work the corresponding Tools for scooters and mopeds is required. Before repairing or servicing, you should make sure that, in addition to all necessary spare parts, you also have the appropriate wrenches (conveniently as a set of sockets in the case), locking tools and type-specific tools such as spark plugs, pullers and Oils, chemicals and lubricants etc. at hand. If you have any doubts about your own abilities, always consult an expert. This applies in particular to maintenance work on the brake system and steering. Basically, the same maintenance work must always be carried out (at least once a year, even if the mileage is not reached):- All 500km:
- Clean and lubricate drive chain, if necessary check and adjust chain tension
- check engine oil level (only 4-stroke) / oil tank fill level (only 2-stroke, which have a separate oil tank)
- check tyre pressure (if not stated otherwise usually front: 1,8-2,2bar rear: 2,0-2,3bar)
- All 1000km:
- with acid battery: check acid level, refill with distilled (!) water if necessary
- check steering head bearings (scooter on main stand, front wheel free): move handlebars left and right until stop and ensure smooth running. If locking points are detected, replace, retighten steering head bearing if there is play, loosen and tighten again until just smooth. Caution: overtightening damages the bearing quite quickly
- check brake system (hydraulic system + brake linings)
- at manual gearbox: adjust clutch lever play
- at spoke wheels: Check spoke tension (each spoke must "sound" if you flick your finger against it)
- Check brake fluid level, change completely every year and bleed
- Check fuel system, especially fuel cock for tightness, Every 4 years Replace fuel lines
- Check tyres for tread depth and damage
- Change gear oil / engine oil and oil filter (oil filter change recommended, but at the latest every second change)
- Check lighting system, vehicle electrics for functionality
- Check idling speed (depending on model 800-1100 rpm)
- For liquid-cooled engines: Check coolant level /ul>
- All 6000km:
- Clean carburettor
- check timing chain / timing belt
- check wheel centering
- check wheel bearing for play
- change air filter
- check valve play and adjust
- check fuel lines
- All 12000km:
- Change fork oil
- check / measure vehicle frame and suspension
- change spark plug(s)
The scooter hibernation
In November, when the sun is only low in the sky and the days are getting colder, it is time for scooters and riders to take a winter break. The scooter then usually stands still for a few months and the vital signs are reduced to a minimum. The awakening after this break is a bit difficult for one or the other model. However one can prevent this "spring tiredness", if one brought the two-wheeled companion to the end of the year correctly into bed and covered properly. In detail this means that you have done all maintenance work and cleaned your scooter thoroughly.
- The oil change (with 4-stroke engines) should still take place in the old year, so that the spring awakening does not begin with old Schmodder oil in the engine. According to the engine one reaches to the 2-stroke engine oil, which on some scooters and moped models is put into a separate container and checked again at the end of the season and refilled if necessary or used for the 4-stroke engine oil, which is changed completely when the engine is warm. Many manufacturers recommend to change the Gear oil (depending on the scooter model Motul Gear / Gearbox 80W90, Motul Transoil 10W30 or Transoil 10W40 is used).
- The battery should be removed and stored warm. Temperatures below zero often lead to deep discharge and the energy storage can sometimes no longer be reanimated in spring. The battery should also be connected to a charger with trickle charge function (or battery trainer function) over a relatively long service life. Cheap chargers can, however, fail and there can be short circuits in the device. Therefore, it makes sense to invest once in a professional device that can also be used immediately for the car battery. The Speeds BL530 is definitely worth a recommendation. The good piece costs about 50 Euro, but the batteries will be much older with good care and when the first rays of sun want to breathe life back into the scooter, you save the trouble of an empty battery, because the charger had an unnoticed defect. The high charging current of 5.3A provides a convincing and battery-saving quick charge. A small scooter battery with the Speeds BL530 is already fully charged after about 1 hour.
- If the power supply is well accommodated, one dedicates oneself to the carburetor float chamber. This can be completely emptied via a screw near the bottom of the carburettor, as the flammable parts in the fuel evaporate over the longer service life and the restart in spring is hardly possible. Alternatively, you can simply close the fuel tap while the engine is running and wait until the scooter starts on its own. The chamber is then empty.
- The tank, on the other hand, is filled to the brim with fuel to prevent corrosion inside the tank. A plastic tank is also completely emptied.
- The tyre pressure must be increased by 0.5 bar compared to normal driving. Due to the longer service life, the tyres tend to be flat, resulting in an imbalance in the coming year. If things run really badly and the circumferential surface has deformed considerably, only a new tyre can help. It is best if both wheels have no contact with the ground during the winter break anyway. A correspondingly small substructure made of solid materials (the Literatur-Banause takes books for this) tilts the scooter a little bit in the right direction.
- The fuel tap is closed.
- Rubber parts keep one or the other supple with silicone spray. Care should be taken with this product, however, with gaskets, as silicone causes rubber to swell. The use of High gloss depth care Motul E5 Shine & Go is less dangerous and has a preservative effect. The agent gives the paint a fine shine, keeps plastic and rubber parts supple and coats the entire scooter with a fine protective film, which also keeps moisture away from the scooter to a large extent, as the treated surfaces become smoother. A radiant scooter not only looks better but is also less susceptible to the weather. An anti-fog spray for the helmet visor, by the way, makes the surface smoother in a very similar way by filling the unevenness / gaps with nanoparticles. The water melts at the surface and cannot get stuck.
How to make your bed... - the right roller tarpaulin
For all those scooters that don't have it so good to be allowed to stand in a dry, weather-protected place like a garage, the purchase of a winter-proof two-wheeler tarpaulin is urgently recommended. But before you go for the wrong tarpaulin, you better use the experience of a competent manufacturer. Our tip: The Speeds accessories assortment contains specially developed Outdoor two-wheeler garages , which among other things are 100 % waterproof, UV-stabilized and cold-stable. Once you have felt the robust polyester fabric of the Speeds Garage between your fingers, you will certainly never again throw a cheap DIY store tarpaulin over your scooter. In the on-line trade unfortunately very many products circulate, which are actually conceived for the interior and are only covered with a waterproof barrier layer. Like the Speeds, these tarpaulins are absolutely waterproof, but also uncompromisingly airtight, which often results in waterlogging. Due to their low strength and lack of UV resistance, they do not withstand wind and weather permanently and are very susceptible to tearing. Thus, they are completely contrary to their purpose of protecting against moisture. Depending on its size, a real outdoor tarpaulin can sometimes cost less than 10 euros more.
Rollers that have found a fixed, dry accommodation should, however, be covered with an indoor tarpaulin. An indoor two-wheel tarpaulin keeps dirt away from the scooter during the winter and protects against paint damage. Also here you should reach directly for a Speeds, because this lightweight of a tarpaulin is particularly breathable, where others only promise this. If the scooter is not outdoors, this property is important, because lack of air circulation leads to condensation under the two-wheel garage. In both indoor and outdoor areas, care must be taken to ensure that the tarpaulin does not end at ground level with the ground, but remains a gap for air exchange.