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Post by mickatm10 on Nov 7, 2015 22:38:12 GMT -5
A neighbor kid found a scooter, a mini-bike, in the woods. He called the police to report it, and a patrol car came out soon after, but the cop said that since it didn't have a VIN, they weren't really interested, implied he could have it, and left without it. I offered to help him fix it up. (It's missing some parts and others are broken) I found manuals and downloaded them. I hope you can help us.
It's a Taotao ATM50, blue.
1) Does the bike have a VIN? None of us could find it, including the cop.
2) Will it start and run without a battery?
3) Do I want a lead acid or a sealed lead acid battery? The latter is a gel, right, and that doesn't have enough output?
4) No key for the gas cap. Do you think I can pick the gas cap lock or get it out somehow without a drill?
5) Where is the emergency Engine Stop switch?
6) The instructions say to keep one's hand on the brake when starting it. Is that only because something not standard might make the engine race, which would put it in gear?
Thanks a lot for any help you can give us.
I meant to call myself MickATM50, but used 10 instead and now I can't change it!
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Post by JerryScript on Nov 8, 2015 0:31:40 GMT -5
A neighbor kid found a scooter, a mini-bike, in the woods. He called the police to report it, and a patrol car came out soon after, but the cop said that since it didn't have a VIN, they weren't really interested, implied he could have it, and left without it. I offered to help him fix it up. (It's missing some parts and others are broken) I found manuals and downloaded them. I hope you can help us. It's a Taotao ATM50, blue. 1) Does the bike have a VIN? None of us could find it, including the cop. 2) Will it start and run without a battery? 3) Do I want a lead acid or a sealed lead acid battery? The latter is a gel, right, and that doesn't have enough output? 4) No key for the gas cap. Do you think I can pick the gas cap lock or get it out somehow without a drill? 5) Where is the emergency Engine Stop switch? 6) The instructions say to keep one's hand on the brake when starting it. Is that only because something not standard might make the engine race, which would put it in gear? Thanks a lot for any help you can give us. I meant to call myself MickATM50, but used 10 instead and now I can't change it! Welcome to the forums, and kudos for helping get this project running! We will help all we can. The ATM50 is a very common model, and all parts are easy to find. 1) the vin is usually located on the main front frame member, there is often a rectangular piece in the body panel that can be removed to show it. 2) It may start and run without a battery if it's an AC system. 3) A standard lead acid battery will do fine, at least 7cca 4) Do not attempt to drill the gas cap lock, sparks and gas don't play nice!!! If a screwdriver jammed into it won't turn it, take it to a locksmith for safety (empty tank is not safe, fumes ignite, not fuel) 5) The emergency kill switch is on the right handlebar, it's usually a red switch that slides 6) The brake does have to be pulled while starting, it completes the starter circuit (some models have a side-stand kill switch, only allowing it to start when up). Hold the brake lever in and either press the starter button, or kick the kickstarter. You'll need to flush the fuel system, and take apart the carb and clean it. Let us know how it goes. |
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Post by lain on Nov 8, 2015 9:55:03 GMT -5
A neighbor kid found a scooter, a mini-bike, in the woods. He called the police to report it, and a patrol car came out soon after, but the cop said that since it didn't have a VIN, they weren't really interested, implied he could have it, and left without it. I offered to help him fix it up. (It's missing some parts and others are broken) I found manuals and downloaded them. I hope you can help us. It's a Taotao ATM50, blue. 1) Does the bike have a VIN? None of us could find it, including the cop. 2) Will it start and run without a battery? 3) Do I want a lead acid or a sealed lead acid battery? The latter is a gel, right, and that doesn't have enough output? 4) No key for the gas cap. Do you think I can pick the gas cap lock or get it out somehow without a drill? 5) Where is the emergency Engine Stop switch? 6) The instructions say to keep one's hand on the brake when starting it. Is that only because something not standard might make the engine race, which would put it in gear? Thanks a lot for any help you can give us. I meant to call myself MickATM50, but used 10 instead and now I can't change it! Welcome to the forums, and kudos for helping get this project running! We will help all we can. The ATM50 is a very common model, and all parts are easy to find. 1) the vin is usually located on the main front frame member, there is often a rectangular piece in the body panel that can be removed to show it. 2) It may start and run without a battery if it's an AC system. 3) A standard lead acid battery will do fine, at least 7cca 4) Do not attempt to drill the gas cap lock, sparks and gas don't play nice!!! If a screwdriver jammed into it won't turn it, take it to a locksmith for safety (empty tank is not safe, fumes ignite, not fuel) 5) The emergency kill switch is on the right handlebar, it's usually a red switch that slides 6) The brake does have to be pulled while starting, it completes the starter circuit (some models have a side-stand kill switch, only allowing it to start when up). Hold the brake lever in and either press the starter button, or kick the kickstarter. You'll need to flush the fuel system, and take apart the carb and clean it. Let us know how it goes. Umm I think you mean amps not CCA. The CCA of a standard 7Ah scooter battery is around  . The VIN on the ATM50 is located on the frame behind a small rectangle shaped piece of plastic that can be removed by hand directly below the handlebars about a couple inches above the floorboard. If the VIN is scratched off it is stolen, period. If it is not scratched off I would check it with a VIN lookup service, many of them are online just google it. It sounds like you got a dumb cop, they are all usually dumb about things like scooters because they are not something they need to know to apprehend or cuff a suspect. Cops are dogs, simple as that, they follow trails and bite crime in the butt, but they cannot be counted on for thinking. I once had a cop try to convince me that rain would cause my air conditioner to go up in flames if I didn't remove all the A/C's from my house before every rain storm -_- ... By law he should have reported the vehicle and had it taken to the lot anyways, a random bike stashed int he woods is obviously something stolen. It should have been investigated, the cop has no right at all to let you keep it without doing an investigation, you are dealing with bad cops. What happens when you get hit by a car and they find the VIN because I know forensic and CSI is a lot smarter, and that VIN turns out to be stolen? You get to go to jail right after getting out of the hospital, how fun does that sound? By allowing you to keep the bike he has made it improbable to find any fingerprints of suspects, and because of that now if anything happens if it is reported as stolen it will be on you when shiz goes down. |
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Post by JerryScript on Nov 8, 2015 10:05:21 GMT -5
Yep, thanks for catching that, 7ah.
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Post by mickatm10 on Nov 8, 2015 14:55:14 GMT -5
Welcome to the forums, and kudos for helping get this project running!
>> Thanks <<
1) the vin is usually located on the main front frame member, there is often a rectangular piece in the body panel that can be removed to show it.
>> I found it! I thought I would have to unscrew a whole panel but it was little rectangle like you said. But it has no plates and I suspect it's never been registered. I will call the police again on Monday <<
2) It may start and run without a battery if it's an AC system.
>> Air-Cooled? That it is. <<
3) A standard lead acid battery will do fine, at least 7cca
>> I want it to run before I spend money on the battery, but I have old-UPS batteries and a charger that should be enough to test the lights, etc. <<
4) Do not attempt to drill the gas cap lock, sparks and gas don't play nice!!! If a screwdriver jammed into it won't turn it, take it to a locksmith for safety (empty tank is not safe, fumes ignite, not fuel)
>> Hard to take it because it won't fit in my car and I probably can't lift it either! But I got it out in a few seconds with a small square-shaft screwdriver and an adjustable wrench. I used as little force as possible and I don't think I broke or bent anything. The number stamped on the cap is TT5002. I wonder if that represents the key and if he'll already have keys with that number. <<
5) The emergency kill switch is on the right handlebar, it's usually a red switch that slides
>> You're right, of course. It is red which makes sense, and the symbols, which can be hard to understand, match the symbols in the manual for that switch.
6) The brake does have to be pulled while starting, it completes the starter circuit (some models have a side-stand kill switch, only allowing it to start when up).
>> I forgot you said that. There seems to be gas in the tank, though I have to check again with a better light and a better stick. But again it wouldn't start. I went looking for the spark plug wire and I thought I found more damage that the thieves had done. Instead I found the mirror stuffed, or fallen, under the seat area. Both mirrors are broken off, the rear box is broken off, the seat and its box are broken off (but they are still there), two body panels are missing, the battery is missing, and the tail light lens is missing. The last thing might precede being stolen. The driver has fallen over a couple times.
>> Do I have to hold the left brake, the right one, or both?
Hold the brake lever in and either press the starter button, or kick the kickstarter.
You'll need to flush the fuel system, and take apart the carb and clean it.
>> Okay <<
Let us know how it goes.
>> Okay <<
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Post by JerryScript on Nov 8, 2015 19:07:16 GMT -5
If the tail light itself is busted and not just the lense, that can prevent starting on many models, not sure about the atm50.
By AC I meant alternating current. Most scooters are AC, some are DC. On most but not all, you can tell by turning the ignition on, if the headlight comes on before starting the scooter, it's usually DC (meaning most components run off the battery). If the headlight only comes on when the engine is running, it's usually an AC system. Most AC scooters can be kickstarted and run with no battery.
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Post by hawk on Nov 12, 2015 0:20:27 GMT -5
The same key is used for the ignition and the gas cap and the seat storage release.
Do you have any keys with it?
Post up progress with photos because I have a blue one.
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