When temps creep up into the 90’s and beyond we begin to field calls from folks who’s scooters are stalling and sluggish.  Intense heat can cause a myriad of mechanical complications.  Worry not, though, friends.  Scooters were made for Summer fun and, if you understand the sources of heat-related performance issues, you can sail through the season problem free.

These are the things we typically see go wrong with scooters when it’s extremely hot:

Vapor lock

If you once drove an older car you probably remember vapor-lock, a condition that all but disappeared from vehicles with the development of modern fuel-injection systems.  Carbureted vehicles have a tendency to choke of fuel vapors on really hot days.  The gasoline in the tank pre-maturely turns from liquid to vapor, expands, and causes the carburetor to overfill as pressure in the fuel system builds.  The vehicle will often smell gassy, stutter, hesitate and die at idle.  The vehicle will only run properly when being operated at higher RPM.

The cure for vapor lock is simple:  vent the fuel system by removing the gas cap.  Wait a few minutes for fuel vapors to escape.  After that, you should be able to restart your scoot and have it function normally.  If you are experiencing frequent vapor lock, it could be a good idea to drill a small hole in your gas cap so that fuel vapors can more easily escape.  Remember, vapor lock issues are far more common at high altitude.

Overheating

It stands to reason that your scooter’s engine temperature can rise along with the outside temps, especially on longer rides.  This can lead to over-heating which manifests it’s self in different ways depending on the type of scooter you ride.

Water-cooled machines can suffer from “traditional” automotive-type over-heating with coolant escaping from the radiator due to the massive pressure building up inside.  In this case, all you can do is allow your scooter to rest until it cools down, then make sure to replace any coolant that escaped.

Air-cooled scooters can become dangerously hot, too.  However, because these machines do not have a radiator, there is no coolant to have spray out.  Instead, air-cooled scooters will begin to run hot without any obvious signs aside from the massive heat pouring from the engine it’s self.  Running hot can cause severe internal damage.  On long rides when the temperature is over 90 degrees it is a good idea to give your air-cooled scooter 10 minute “cooling off” periods every so often.

Modern fuel-injected scooters are often build with heat-sensitive fail-safe circuits intended to protect the engine in cases of extreme heat.  Models like the Genuine Buddy 170i will automatically retard spark, causing the scooter to cough and sputter and to produce very little horsepower.  Riders often confuse this condition for a failure.  In fact, the system is working perfectly.  When the fail-safe system kicks in it is time to allow your scooter to cool down.  Once the core temp of the engine falls a few degrees, the computer will reset and your scooter will run normally once again.

Kick-stand fall-overs

Each and every July we begin to hear from customers who’s scooters have fallen onto their sides because they were parked in their side-stands.  It’s critical to use your center-stand on hot days because, when temps rise, black-top becomes soft  and side-stands can sink into it, causing scooters to topple.  The damage is typically minor when this happens but it is never fun to leave a meeting to find your beautiful scooter laying on it’s side.

Hot Seat!

It’s very possible to burn your inner thighs to a crisp when hopping on a scooter that has been sitting in the sun.  Black vinyl seats can get very, very hot.  BEWARE!  Place a wet towel on your seat for a minute or two or, better yet, get a reflective, insulated seat-cover like the Prima brand seat covers we carry at Sportique.