Where should a newbie start?

[superfevergurl]

I've had my zx50 for over 5 years now and have been wanting to learn how to fix it myself for years. My mech and I had a falling out today, because my bike has two main issues. It keeps blowing headlight bulbs (currently on bulb #5 in less than a year) and sometimes will bog down and stop on me. Since my bike is my only form of transportation and I work late hours, I absolutely have to keep my bike in good shape. Three times this year my headlights had died one me while driving home late from work at night. Sunday night I was almost stranded on a major roadway in our town, with no way to transport my bike home (I ended up driving on the sidewalk, trying to avoid the cops). He doesn't understand how dangerous of a situation I was in, and acts like my bike problems are no big deal. Then tells me I need to leave my bike with him for a couple of days so he can figure out the problem. Well every time I leave my bike with him it never gets worked on or even looked at. So I'm cutting ties with my mech and will be catching our unreliable bus system until I get my bike figured out.

Ima newbie, so I don't want to jump right into the bike and tear it down. My bike runs good when it is acting right and really doesn't have any engine or motor problems. My first goal will be the dash and front of the bike. All the other moped shops in town don't have any headlight bulbs for my zx50 so I will have to find some online.

-Replace headlight bulb
-Replace running light bulbs (completed)
-Replace oil light bulb and dash light
-New right rear view mirror
-Replace/Repair glove compartment door (was ripped off when it was stolen)
-Front panel has a square hole (from being stolen) either repair or replace.

Sorry this thread's kinda long, I tend to type a lot.

[Portland Steve]

This is why I prefer to work on my bikes (and cars) myself.
With the internet, there are so many ways to get ideas on how to fix things.
I have always been good mechanically and enjoy the challenge of fixing things.

If you don't have the skill or desire to work on the bike, then you have a rough time ahead of you.
If you have never worked on a scooter or motorcycle before, get ready for some challenges. 

You will need tools and a safe place to work on the scooter.
You will need to be able to dedicate hours and hours to fixing your scooter.
You should get a repair manual if possible.

Do you have any friends who can help you get started?

To make things worse, it sounds like your 50 cc scooter has seen a few miles (how many?).  All kinds of things start to go wrong if you have not been vigilant.  Electrical problems are the worst and can be hard to track down.

The headlight is probably a short.  Again, if you do not work on things in general, tracking an electrical problem is not easy.  You will need a multi-meter.
The bogging down could be a number of things.  Have you had the carburetor cleaned recently?  When was the last time your spark plug and connecting wires were checked?  Have you had the valves checked?  Air filter?

I certainly wish you the best of luck.  There are many good books out there on motorcycle maintenance. 
If none of this makes you feel better, you may want to make up with your mechanic or find a new one.

I think I wrote more than you...

Cheers

[thebatman]

I've had my zx50 for over 5 years now and have been wanting to learn how to fix it myself for years. My mech and I had a falling out today, because my bike has two main issues. It keeps blowing headlight bulbs (currently on bulb #5 in less than a year) and sometimes will bog down and stop on me. Since my bike is my only form of transportation and I work late hours, I absolutely have to keep my bike in good shape. Three times this year my headlights had died one me while driving home late from work at night. Sunday night I was almost stranded on a major roadway in our town, with no way to transport my bike home (I ended up driving on the sidewalk, trying to avoid the cops). He doesn't understand how dangerous of a situation I was in, and acts like my bike problems are no big deal. Then tells me I need to leave my bike with him for a couple of days so he can figure out the problem. Well every time I leave my bike with him it never gets worked on or even looked at. So I'm cutting ties with my mech and will be catching our unreliable bus system until I get my bike figured out.

Ima newbie, so I don't want to jump right into the bike and tear it down. My bike runs good when it is acting right and really doesn't have any engine or motor problems. My first goal will be the dash and front of the bike. All the other moped shops in town don't have any headlight bulbs for my zx50 so I will have to find some online.

-Replace headlight bulb
-Replace running light bulbs (completed)
-Replace oil light bulb and dash light
-New right rear view mirror
-Replace/Repair glove compartment door (was ripped off when it was stolen)
-Front panel has a square hole (from being stolen) either repair or replace.

Sorry this thread's kinda long, I tend to type a lot.

Hey, she did come back....lol
I will be glad to help anyway i can... Seems like you have minor issues going on with simple easy fixes.. Would your H.L holder be worn causing it to "jar" and blow the bulbs?  CheapER bulbs maybe?
Keep us posted and lets get you back on track........ Oh yeah, welcome back....

[sidthesloth]

G'day superfevergurl, with regards to the bogging, my first guess would be too rich, in which case I would look at cleaning, or replacing the air filter, when they get dirty and reduce air flow it has the same effect as putting in a larger jet. Don't bother with valve adjustments, these scoots don't have them. One thing that I have noticed with these scoots, through this forum, is that the electrics are not the best and the CDI seems to be the part that gives out the most. With regard to the headlight blowing, I think vibration could have a bit to do with it, my stock one blew, then the first halogen one  (Hella) blew, then I bought one from scooter assassins and that was still going when I sold the scooter. I now have two spares:). Here is a link to the ones I bought.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ULTRA-WHITE-BULB-UPGRADE-YAMAHA-XT-TW-YBR-XV-Virago-/180638867370?item=180638867370&vxp=mtr
If you don't have a service manual, you will find a link to a free download for one in the general section,
in the thread "links to service manuals" by zombie. If you can't get one from there, I am sure someone will be able to email one to you, they are a good source of info.
and don't forget, feel free to ask any questions, there are people here willing to help.
Cheers,
Sid.

[Hoolander2]

Maybe that top mechanic of yours has been putting in the wrong bulbs all this time. . .  You go girl!  Get the manual for it n read it like the Bible.  You'll probably get on some new tracks and can share more and ask more here.

[superfevergurl]

Hello all, thanks for the replies and welcomes. I hardly have time to get on here because I work two jobs, but I got some days off with the holidays coming up and decided to spend some time with my beloved bike. I ordering a new headlight bulb off of amazon (was going to order the one sid suggested, but the seller's unavailable until Jan 5th), replacement dash light bulbs, a bottle of purple royal engine oil and purple royal gear oil 75W-90 and some brake oil. I was wondering for the brake oil if I should get DOT-4 or DOT-3?? My manual says to use DOT-3, but the brake fluid tank cover says to use DOT-4.

I'm also going to purchase a speedo cable and rear fender (original one was cut off when stolen). I've just cleaned the air filter and will test ride tomorrow or Thurs to see if there is any improvement. I plan to change the trans. oil, replace the speedo cable and rear fender, add brake fluid and replace light bulbs
before the end of the month.

[MaryK]

DOT 4 is somewhat superior to DOT 3 and will be a good substitute for DOT 3.
Your manual may be old enough (older written than the scooter) that DOT 4 wasn't readily available.

If your scooter is blowing bulbs, I would measure the DC voltage when the engine is at 3000 RPM
(Scooter on centerstand and rear wheel is in the air!)  High voltage will burn out a bulb fast.
High Voltage (more than 14.5 volts)  would be caused by a faulty voltage regulator. 
High voltage is also bad for the battery.

Good luck with your learning scooter maintenance. 
Keep asking questions and get a service manual.
Tools also.  Sears has a good digital multimeter for $15 (use to measure voltages and conductivity)

Merry Christmas

[sidthesloth]

Just remember that the zx is a 2-stroke and does not have crankcase oil, so you will need 2-stroke oil.

[superfevergurl]

Sid, so I would need a gear oil that is specifically for 2 strokes and SAE90? The manual only says SAE 90.

Here's what I was looking at:

http://www.amazon.com/Royal-Purple-01300-Performance-Automotive/dp/B0007QGT34/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1324411935&sr=1-1

[dalebor]

Sid, so I would need a gear oil that is specifically for 2 strokes and SAE90? The manual only says SAE 90.

Here's what I was looking at:

http://www.amazon.com/Royal-Purple-01300-Performance-Automotive/dp/B0007QGT34/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1324411935&sr=1-1

The SAE90 gear oil is used in the gearbox in the rear end (Fill and drain bolts on the left side by the rear tire). The gearbox lubrication is the same on 2 stroke and 4 stroke engines. Royal Purple is pretty expensive stuff. You can get something cheaper at any auto parts store. All name brand gear oil is about the same.

The same goes for DOT4 brake fluid. I like Castrol brake fluid but any DOT4 will work. You should probably replace all the brake fluid but that may be a bigger job than you're up for right now. Take a look at the color of the brake fluid in your master cylinder reservoir. If it's a pale yellow, it's okay. If it's a dark yellow or brown, the whole brake system needs to be flushed. The dark color means that there's water and crap in the brake fluid. That can cause corrosion and it can eventually cause the the brakes to not work properly (or maybe at all).

Dale B

[thebatman]

The zx had a rear fender?? Mud flap yes but fender?
If your going to order a speedo cable i'd go with this one here..(it's alot cheaper than kymco will charge... Ask me how i know. )
http://www.scrappydogscooters.com/COMMON_PARTS.html
About half way down the page....($9.95)
He also has the bulbs you want/need on the same page. I have ordered some things from scrappy, they shipped pretty quick.
Royal purple is good stuff but i agree, it's pretty expensive
Oh yeah, IF you have a Harbour Freight close by, They have multimeters very cheap....
http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?keyword=multimeter
Hope this helps some......

[sidthesloth]

My 2-stroke oil reference was to the engine oil.

[superfevergurl]

Sorry I meant mudflap. Luckily for me I live close to a harbor freight and sears so I'll stop by there soon. I'm getting all the royal purple stuff for free with amazon gift cards. 

@Sid: yes I have personally seen the effects of 4 stroke engine oil in a 2 stroke bike (not my own) and I will never make that mistake.

I will probably have to flush the brake system, because I just realized there is no brake fluid in my bike. The little window in the front is empty and I've never seen it like that. Of course I asked my mech 2 months ago to check it and he said it was fine. (there's no way I've used that much brake fluid in 2 months!) sigh.

[superfevergurl]

Ok guys, I'm really going to need your help on this one. I went to replace my dash light bulbs and realized the there were only 3 spots for bulbs instead of 4. I figured that the spot for the turn signal blinker light was missing and that was something I could live without. When I replaced the bulb, the blinker light came on, which means that the housing for my oil light is gone! I was told by my mech that I just needed to replace the bulb and the oil light would come back on, however when my bike was repaired, they just put a rubber cap in place where the oil light is supposed to go.  How do I fix something like this? Do I have to buy a new wiring harness just to replace the oil light?

Also I cannot get the lid off of the brake fluid reservoir, it's stuck. I took the screws out and the lid will not come off. Anybody have any ideas for this too?

[sidthesloth]

If you have the manual, you will have the colours for the various lights. You can then check that the  bulbs are in the correct positions. That blanking plug is for an unused hole, I think it may be the high beam.
The brake fluid cap would be corroded to the reservoir, try a little wd40 or similar on it, I am willing to be corrected on that as it could be a contamimation risk if it gets into your brake fluid.