Roguestar 150 w/700 miles on it won’t start By roguestar150pdx (Read 464 times)

[roguestar150pdx]

Hello so I’m pretty new to the scooter game and not mechanically gifted in any way. My scooter ram beautifully until it didn’t at right about the 700 mile mark. Now it had been sitting unused for maybe a month in the garage in the Oregon winter so it maybe got below feeezing once or twice but no extreme temp swings or anything and when I go to start it it just turns and turns and turn and sometime there are intermittent horn honking sounds that it produced when trying to start it and eventually the battery dies. After the month it sat unused there were a couple Of instances immediately after where I did eventually start up but it took an unreasonably long time to fire. After 2 or 3 instances of it really struggling to finally start all the way, it stopped and just turns and turns and kinda honks here and there. Now it’s been a few months since I have been able to ride it. The lights all come on when I turn the key and I have a trickle charger for every time I drain the battery trying to start it (which” has only been a couple times). But why might a virtually brand new scooter act this way? I’ve read an embarrassing amount of stuff online about scooters in general but I can find next to nothing about the roguestar 150, which is interesting because it’s made in U.S.

Also since this problem began, I took it in to the place I bought it from brand new, as they suggested I bring it in when I reached 500 miles for a customary tuneup, which I didn’t get in until about 650 miles were in my Odom and it cost me $80 and they kept it overnight but honestly, I’m not sure if they did a thing because I told it there in the back of a truck (because it wouldn’t start) and I told them this, by the way, this is Sabatino’s Scooters in Notth Portland, Oregon, great reputation, but anyways when I went to pick it up I found the same problem and sat in there in the parking lot for min trying to get it going before it finally fires as the battery was getting low & all the guy told me is that sometime the fuel can get a little stale. But I successfully rode it the 5 miles home, and it was awesome by the way, but since then I haven’t gotten it started once. My wife wants me to sell it cuz it’s “busted” but that would break my heart. I truest love riding this thing. Has anybody had any similar experiences with this scooter? I know that’s not a whole lot of info but I’m new to this and the reason I spent the money on a brand new scooter vs a much cheaper used one was exactly because I have no experience working on engines of any size and b/c of that,I thought that my best course of action.
So any help would infinitely appreciated, as I’m beyond frustrated and just want to ride. I’ve since put new gas in, but not taken the old gas out, but is a few months old gas really that old?

Thank you so much for your time and any help you can provide me, I really really appreciate it more than you know.

Kyle

[kz1000st]

If this scooter isn't that old then the dealer should be fixing it under warranty. Scootstar is a division of Alliance Powersports the importer also for Lance and SYM products. If it isn't I would be looking at the valve clearances and the carburetor. If the valve clearances have closed up you will have low or no compression. If the carburetor has gotten dirt in it then it might need to be cleaned. Possibly the choke isn't working properly. Have you sprayed starter fluid into the carburetor?

Before you do those things call the dealer. It could be a cheap and easy fix that will cost less than dumping the scooter for a loss.

[vapor]

I wouldn’t go selling it. This will be something simple and just a matter of gaining some knowledge or finding a neighbor that is more adept engines. There are several simple tasks to diagnose if your dealing with spark, fuel or compression issues. I’m gathering from years of experiences, Spark or fuel. You’ll be happy for this problem as the piece of mind learning from this repair is an awesome feeling going down the road!

[slowhand]

If the scooter is under a year old and has only 700 miles on it the dealer should stand behind it. Your best bet is to start with him. If that fails then try a different scooter shop nearby that services similar scooters (not sure what US brands would be similar to the rogue). I'm sure they'll be glad to have your business.

When I bought my Chinese scooter last month the dealer told me to use ONLY ethanol free gas or premium unleaded gasoline. He claims that the ethanol blended gasoline tends to gum up the carb and he wouldn't stand behind the warranty if I used regular 87 octane gas. He says this is especially true of scooters that are only ridden occasionally. I ride mine 3 or 4 times a week so the fuel shouldn't go stale but I don't need to give the dealer any excuse to weasel out from under the warranty. So I'm paying the hefty price for ethanol free. It's available here in Florida, no idea if you can find it in Oregon but see if you can find any. Won't help now but if my dealer is correct it might prevent future problems.

If it's struggling to start and it's new it can only be starved for spark or fuel. MAYBE you're losing compression from valves out of adjustment or worn rings/cylinder bore but I suspect not. Well ... unless you rode it with low or no oil in it. I'm assuming that hasn't happened.

Spark is the easiest to diagnose. There are a number of videos on youtube regarding testing small engines (lawn mower engines, etc) for spark. Check them out. You might also check the CDI for a bad connection. A loose ground could definitely make starting it a nightmare. Not to mention keeping it running.

Ignition timing would be next. Timing determines when the spark fires during the engine rotation. Doesn't need to be dead on but it does need to be close. Not hard to diagnose if you have a timing light, impossible if you don't.

Fuel is a LOT harder to diagnose. If you are able to confirm spark & correct ignition timing then the problem is most likely fuel related. No idea how to help in this regard. The carb most likely needs adjusted or cleaned out (if it does suffer from gummed up fuel passages). You'll need to find a shop that can tune &/or clean the carb for you.

Last idea: try starting it on a day when the temp is above 40ish or so. Use some starter fluid before attempting to start it. Maybe it'll help, maybe not. But for the price of a can of starter fluid I'd at least give it a try.