50cc Solona (Chinese) Moped struggling to start By freyrd (Read 1,528 times)

[freyrd]

Hey all- I'm looking for some advice!

I have a 50cc Solona (Chinese) Moped. The electronic start isn't working- when it's pressed, the engine makes no sound at all. I've been kickstarting it for a while now, but now it's beginning to struggle with that too (takes about ten kicks + firing the throttle). 

I replaced the sparkplug, and the battery today but that hasn't made a difference with the starting issue. When I replaced the battery, the battery box was half full of water- so I'm assuming that the fuse is for sure blown from that.

What next steps should I take + any suggestions?

Thanks!

[cyborg]

Its time to check the starter solenoid and the wires that actuate the solenoid,,,also check the air filter clean/change it

[freyrd]

Gotcha, cleaning/replacing the air filter should be easy. So for the starter solenoid, how do I go about checking that? 

[lostforawhile]

it's not a Solana, that's the dealers name, they have several dealerships in FL and possibly other states, they sell a number of scooter brands, Mine is also Branded the same but it's a Yiben, they have a bad habit of not putting the bikes name on, but branding it themselves

[lostforawhile]

do your turn signals work when you turn the key on? or your horn? if they do, chances are it's the starter solenoid, they are really cheap online and easy to replace. if you take a heavy piece of wire and jumper the heavy wire from the battery across the two big terminals, the starter should turn over. are you pulling the brake when you try to start the bike? it could be the switch,

[lostforawhile]

does your scooter have big chrome letters that says solona across the sides? there is also a Jonway Solana which looks like mine, but it has an A in the name instead of an O , these are not factory applied letters on mine

[cyborg]

That's correct a jump across the main terminals of the solenoid with tell you if the starter is bad and get a test lite type tester (they are really inexpensive),,and clip it on the smaller wires that go to the solenoid,,,this will tell you if you have power to the solenoid to activate it

[lostforawhile]

I'm still wondering if yours is a Solana , jonway brand or it has one of those dealership things on it, if it says Taizhou City Kaitong on the plate, it's probably a Yiben, they make several brands but that is their main brand, they have a pretty good reputation for a Chinese Scooter company