If you are trying to save a bit of cash by servicing your scooter yourself there are a few things you need to take very seriously before you take on this challenge. Don’t get me wrong, just about anyone can change the oil in the engine, but it’s the other things you really need to worry about that might leave you standing in the middle of the road.

First off, make sure you change the spark plug each and every time you do the service. To do this you usually need to lift the seat up, undo some nuts and bolts and get to the engine compartment. From there find where the sparks plug is, and change it.

Make sure you check the engine oil and the oil filter. On most scooters you will find that there are no oil filters that you need to replace. Most are washable, but some take paper filters which you can buy at just about any bike shop.

When you are refilling the oil, make sure you keep checking it up to 15 minutes after the oil change to make sure you got the levels right. This is very important if you have your scooter deregulated. If you don’t have enough oil in the engine, you run a risk of blowing the engine going downhill, or if you have too much oil in the engine, you run the risk of doing the same thing.

Also, make sure you check your tyre pressure regularly. There is nothing more dangerous than getting a flat tyre while going at full speed. Make sure you check for wear and tear, cracks in the rubber, nails, and cuts. The easiest way to do this is to put the scooter up on the center stand (if you have one) and give the tyres a good spin.

If you are unsure what the pressure should be, check the side of your tyre. Most tyres have the minimum and maximum psi pressure written on one of the sides.

Other things that a mechanic may do when doing a service is tune the fuel/air intake and make it run right. If your scooter is running a bit rough it is best to have a professional look at it. Also, if your scooter is blowing any kind of black smoke, make sure you have a licensed mechanic look at it.

Other than that, scooters are very easy to maintain. Your scooter should have a owners handbook which outlines how the servicing should be done. Each is different. And the frequency between services is different as well. If you’ve lost this book try giving your dealer a call. Most dealers will send you one at no charge.

I find that most dealer services are performed by an unlicensed mechanic, usually an apprentice, than checked by a licensed mechanic. And also keep in mind that most licensed mechanics are used to working on motorbikes and not so much on scooters. So just make sure you find the right one.

I try and get all of my motorbikes and scooters serviced by a licensed mechanic on regular basis. But I make sure to tell him exactly what I want done. Remember, the mechanic doesn’t ride your scooter every day and will most likely miss the most important bits. So make sure you spell out what you need looked and/or serviced.

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Category: Advice
Keywords: scooter servicing, service a scooter, servicing your scooter, get your scooter serviced