Following the Footsteps of my Mentours, shop-teacher and David Tracy

"Mercedes Streeter" (smart) 05/20/2018 at 21:37 • Filed to: Two Wheels Good

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I got a $100 scooter that doesn’t work. But this one has a twist, it’s brand new. This is my Gambler 500 Project!!

Literally, it only has 3 miles on the odometer. The original owner’s story is that he bought it in 2008, drove it home, and hasn’t touched it since. In fact, it’s never even been titled. It has a cert of origin, that’s it. I will actually be the first registered owner.

It’s a generic Chinese 150cc scooter with a GY6 engine. The overly generic model is MC-16-150T.

So, can I start a scooter that hasn’t run in ten years? I guess we’ll soon find out! At minimum, it’s going to need a new carb...and GY6 carbs cost nothing.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Mercedes Streeter 05/20/2018 at 21:45

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Gy6s and their ilk are very common engines, so it shouldn’t be too hard!!! Good luck! :D

YAY FOR SCOOTS! :D

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Mercedes Streeter 05/20/2018 at 21:49

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I like how the lettering goes red at 80 kph. Would it do 80? I know nothing about scooters

CTSenVy > Mercedes Streeter 05/20/2018 at 22:06

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If there is ever a peak Miss Mercedes photo, this is it. Love It!

Wacko > Mercedes Streeter 05/20/2018 at 22:17

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I would first try flush gas, at least check oil, and try with fresh fuel and a fresh battery.

Then after it starts replace all fluids. Grease zerks ( if any ) and your good to go.

WilliamsSW > Mercedes Streeter 05/20/2018 at 22:24

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This is an awesome project - congratulations!

WilliamsSW > CTSenVy 05/20/2018 at 22:25

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Come on people this needs more stars

Decay buys too many beaters > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 05/20/2018 at 23:15

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Absolutely, my Ruckus 50cc can do 100kph for short bursts, this thing has 3x the displacement.

Decay buys too many beaters > Mercedes Streeter 05/20/2018 at 23:20

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The plot of this movie sure is moving quick

Congrats!!! The GY will have loads of info (and mods!) available for it, it’s a solid choice for someone who doesn’t mind turning the occasional wrench. I’ve bought mopeds that have sat longer, my procedure is usually as follows

Before anything else

1. Fresh gas

2. A little bit of two stroke oil in the spark plug hole

3. Try and start it

After that start troubleshooting, it’s probably going to be the carb, but it’s a good idea to check spark and compression while you’re in the early stages too.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Decay buys too many beaters 05/20/2018 at 23:27

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Ok now just begins the issue of the red text. I take it to mean wheels explode here.

Decay buys too many beaters > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 05/20/2018 at 23:40

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One way to find out!

shop-teacher > Mercedes Streeter 05/21/2018 at 00:03

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Whoa!!! That was fast!

VERY Nice price, btw!

Mercedes Streeter > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 05/21/2018 at 00:18

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The official top speed is about 60mph, but I bet it can go much faster with some basic GY6 mods.

Mercedes Streeter > Decay buys too many beaters 05/21/2018 at 00:28

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The original price was $500, I bartered him down to $300. But once I saw it in person I got major cold feet and told him I’d pass. He’s like “look, I’m moving away in a week, how about $100?” And the cash left my purse before I even thought about it. lol

It does make me feel better that you bought scooters that have been sitting for longer!

Once I got it home, I started testing all the non-motor stuff I could. Kickstart works...I think (it makes a clunk noise? I’ve never used a kickstart before). So long as the wiring hasn’t gone wonky, the buttons should all still work, including the primary electric starter. I also just noticed that it has two set of kickstands. A normie kickstand (for parking?) and a bigger one that works like a jackstand. Neat!

Everything is all super loose on it. That’s about as I expected. I’ve read reviews on Grom clones and all of them state to tighten everything up before the first ride. And since this is a new scooter, I can’t say I’m surprised that everything is all loose. No big deal.

Thanks for those first suggestions! I’ll also need a battery for it. Thankfully he removed it when he stored it. He also gave me a free battery charger/tender that can be used for both car and motorcycle batteries so...win!

Mercedes Streeter > shop-teacher 05/21/2018 at 00:29

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I move really really fast when I’m interested in something or someone.

The latter part is dangerous. lol

Decay buys too many beaters > Mercedes Streeter 05/21/2018 at 00:44

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That is awesome!

Kickstart should turn over the motor, easy way to tell is to pull the spark plug and see if it cycles the piston, you do have to actuate it with some force and the rod usually rotates between 1/8 and 1/2 of a turn for a full kick. For reference I am unable to put enough force into them with my arm generally.

Center stands (The jack stand one) are great! No worrying about things tipping over or the stand folding away on a hill.
 
Hardware is always loose on those, they come un-assembled and are put together upon arrival. Often times this is by fairly unskilled assemblers.

Mercedes Streeter > Decay buys too many beaters 05/21/2018 at 00:44

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Oh, and the competing scooter was an Aprilia Scarabeo 150 without a title and with a flat rear tyre for $300. My big reservation with that one was despite the fact that it was running and the only *real* issue was the leaky rear tyre (title can be sorted), it was just too darn pretty to hack up as a Mad Max project. Like, it was eye-achingly beautiful. I also have no idea how much a 2002 Scarabeo is worth.

AdverseMartyr > Mercedes Streeter 05/21/2018 at 00:47

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If you end up getting interested in old Jeeps the former part is dangerous as well (ex. David Tracy).

AdverseMartyr > CTSenVy 05/21/2018 at 00:50

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I thought she had pulled a Smart on a trailer using a Smart before. I thought that was peak Miss Mercedes.

Mercedes Streeter > AdverseMartyr 05/21/2018 at 00:50

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Oh I think you can feel safe knowing I’ll never get that far. I can turn a wrench, but taking on a project any larger than this scooter and I’d probably rather just scrap it. lol

And who knows, maybe the scooter turns out to be hilariously easy to get running.

Decay buys too many beaters > Mercedes Streeter 05/21/2018 at 00:52

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Aprilia scooters freaking rip. My buddy has a pair of SR50s and they are right about as quick as my Grom! As for price, scooters are all over the map, in general under $600 for a running Italian is a great deal. But a ton of people buy scooters and never really ride them, they then sell cheap to get space back (I’ve found quite a few deals for this exact reason) .

And yeah, I wouldn’t really want to hack one up either :p

AdverseMartyr > Mercedes Streeter 05/21/2018 at 00:55

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Motorcycles and scooters are always easy to get running. The worst case scenario is to just yank the engine and transplant one from a Squid donorcycle.

Unless your me, then you keep trying to get the engine you have running, because like David Tracy I prefer torturing myself and spending 10x the money/time in order to solve the puzzle.

Mercedes Streeter > Decay buys too many beaters 05/21/2018 at 01:02

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I just looked at the photos the seller sent me again (he also sent a video). Looks like the poor thing’s been crashed.

In the video, the rear tyre isn’t just flat, it’s completely shredded!

The thing is, technically I *could* go back and get that one tomorrow, but I really really really shouldn’t. lol

Mercedes Streeter > AdverseMartyr 05/21/2018 at 01:07

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Thankfully the difference between us and Tracy is that a motorcycle engine is probably much easier to work on than whatever 4.0 behemoth is encased in its rusty Jeep prison that he likes working on. lol

Decay buys too many beaters > Mercedes Streeter 05/21/2018 at 01:34

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Ahh, I see it. A little damage to the leg-shield and the bodywork. Somehow the exhaust seems to have avoided a hit!

I’d say keep to one project bike at a time.... but I very rarely listen to my own advice in this particular area

Mercedes Streeter > Decay buys too many beaters 05/21/2018 at 02:15

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The most baffling to me about that one is the only picture that the seller used in the ad:

That’s not Chicago and that’s not the bike he’s selling. If he had already taken pictures, why did he bother stealing a picture from another ad?

Those are Pennsylvania plates in the background. I reverse image searched the pic and he lifted the pic off an ad in a forum.

Decay buys too many beaters > Mercedes Streeter 05/21/2018 at 02:21

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Typical craigslist BS >:(

I also use plates to confirm suspicions when a deal seems too good to be true, amazing how often “sellers” overlook this.

CRider > Mercedes Streeter 05/21/2018 at 03:27

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pip bip - choose Corrour > Mercedes Streeter 05/21/2018 at 04:08

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awesome buy!

shop-teacher > Mercedes Streeter 05/21/2018 at 06:56

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Yeah, for that price you had no choice. I’ve been impressed with the cheap well cell scooter batteries on Amazon.

shop-teacher > Mercedes Streeter 05/21/2018 at 06:59

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Do not go get that Aprila!!!!! I damn near bought that one myself, but it’s in a REALLY shady area! Like you’ll probably get rolled, or worse. That’s in one of the parts of Chicago that if you get a flat tire, you just keep driving.

shop-teacher > Decay buys too many beaters 05/21/2018 at 07:01

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I contacted the dude about this same scooter. This is in an area of Chicago where you’ll likely to get rolled ... At best.

Mercedes Streeter > shop-teacher 05/21/2018 at 09:35

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At minimum, I think it was stolen...there was just so much wrong with everything on that one...the way he accepted the low ball offer without any real response, his short responses, etc.

Btw, what’s a good scooter battery from Amazon?

shop-teacher > Mercedes Streeter 05/21/2018 at 09:52

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I think the answer to both of our questions about that scooter, is yes. If you hadn’t responded by this morning, I was going to text you to make sure you didn’t go out there. It’s no place for a lady ... or a big dude ... even my buddy with the concealed carry permit called it a no-go.

I’ve been really happy with these cheap Chrome Pro gel cell batteries. I don’t know if the one I linked is the right size for yours, but the one I bought for the Elite performed so well, that I bought one for my Kymco and another for that Corvette Power Wheels in my garage.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Mercedes Streeter 05/21/2018 at 10:10

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Just for the hell of it, i started researching the GY6 engine... and I came across this very interesting article on Chinese scooters... and why this scooter you have was probably never registered and a few other things about Chinese no-name scooters:

https://slowkidsscootergang.wordpress.com/2011/08/22/why-not-a-chinese-scooter-theyre-cheaper-well-this-is-why/

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Mercedes Streeter 05/21/2018 at 10:14

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I’m glad you only paid $100 for it... but even that might have been too much as many of these scooters got around DOT regulations by saying they were for off-road use only.

Though if you live in a place like Toronto and that scooter is limited to 32km/h, then you can get away with using it with no licence or registration.

Mercedes Streeter > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 05/21/2018 at 10:52

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These things are road legal in my state. All you need is a cert of origin or title. A quick trip to the DMV will grant me a license plate same day. :)

Mercedes Streeter > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 05/21/2018 at 10:58

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I knew that going in. A ten year old scooter that has never run won’t be anything but loads of fun.

This is for the Gambler 500, I intentionally sought after something I could easily register, most likely unreliable, and is so generic that I’m not going to feel bad hacking it up.