Scooter won't start - no spark

[tbourner]

My 125cc Chinese scooter is stuck at work and won't start, not that I fancy riding it in this weather! It has trouble starting anyway and I've been kicking it the last few weeks, kicked it last week and got it to work, it stalls when cold if I throttle too quick but I think that's sticky valves, made it to work then in the afternoon it wouldn't even kick over.

It was acting as if the sidestand was down, I bridged the switch connector with no change, so it's not that. Swapped the plug for an old one and no different, checked for spark and it doesn't seem to be sparking.

 

Question I have though, would a flat battery cause no spark? When I say I have to kick it it's because it doesn't turn over easily on the starter, it obviously turned over much easier on the starter with the plug out but still wasn't sparking. I was under the impression it would spark but wouldn't turn the starter motor? Surely if it's got enough juice to turn the motor at all it would spark?

 

Might just phone the AA and see what he says.

[Suprab1]

Could be the coil.

 

Another thing easy forgot is the kill switch. For some reason i forgot to turn my switch back on a couple of times lately & thought it was dead, 16 years riding bikes & only done this in the last 6 month lol.

[Graham S]

Pedal faster!! In theory with no electronics, ie a flat battery, there will be no power from the coil to the plug or however the thing is set up. Basically, you could steal the thing if you didn't need a battery as you wouldn't need a key for any electrical switch.

[Suprab1]

Pedal faster!! In theory with no electronics, ie a flat battery, there will be no power from the coil to the plug or however the thing is set up. Basically, you could steal the thing if you didn't need a battery as you wouldn't need a key for any electrical switch.

 

I've run a good few bikes without a battery, doing it now with a quad.

[Graham S]

I've run a good few bikes without a battery, doing it now with a quad.

 

Can believe it mate just depends on whether or not its mechanical or electronic ignition I suppose.

[tbourner]

AFAIK it's a stator on a flywheel through a rectifier, so I gues that's how mechanical ignition works? So the flat battery doesn't mean no spark I should be able to kick start it without a battery?

[nevins]

Flat battery will cause a non runner, you have an electronic kill switch. My cousin's yz 125 had the same problem it works like an immobilizer well it did on his bike.

[tbourner]

Mine hasn't got a kill switch.

[Suprab1]

Flat battery will cause a non runner, you have an electronic kill switch. My cousin's yz 125 had the same problem it works like an immobilizer well it did on his bike.

 

Are you sure it was a YZ 125?

 

A YZ 125 is a moto x bike & dosen't have a battery.

 

Any luck with your bike yet tbourner?

[tbourner]

Still in the work car park!! Might get the AA out when the weather's a bit better.

[Guest ugp]

The majority of the chinese stuff will kickstart even without a battery in place. Kicking them over (literally sometimes) chucks enough juice through the alternator and back into elec circuits. You will need the kill switch in the run position, side stand up etc. Have you tested to see if there is a pulse from the crank sensor? A multimeter across the wires set to ohms, kick it over, should see a fluctuation in resistance. Also check the coil, does it have one wire (pulser coil) or two? If its one wire, take a 12v feed from the battery and very breifly touch the terminal, you should get a spark on the end of the plug lead (stick your finger in it if you're unsure - JOKE, DONT TOUCH IT!)

 

If its got two wires, you will need +12v permanant to one, and a very quick +12v to the other, again you should get a spark from the plug.