danholt
03-28-2005, 09:14 AM
So, the weather finally broke here in Northeast Ohio so I decided it was time to break out the Zuma.
I bought it new late last summer and, since I've never owned a motorcycle or scooter before, I went to the dealer in November and asked what I should do to it before storing it. The guy at the parts counter was pretty casual abut the whole thing. He sold me some fuel stabilizer, told me to put some in (mixing it according to the instructions on the bottle) fill up the tank drive it around for a week, so the stabilizer could work through the fuel system then put a little more in, top up the tank and I would be all set. I followed his instructions and put the bike in a friends garage (no heated but attached to his house), put the battery on a battery tender in my basement and waited for Spring.
When I went to start it it cranked and the engin turned over but it wouldn't fire. First I tried spraying a little starting fluid in the spark plug hole - it sputtered briefly and then nothing. Then I replaced the spark plug, still nothing. I checked to see if I am getting spark and I am so, I guess I have a fuel delivery problem.
I called the dealer and spoke to someone in service who said "that fuel stabilizer doesn't always work, you may need to have your carburator cleaned.." So, I'm taking it to the dealer later this week to have them get it running for me....which is probably gonna cost me seventy five bucks or so..
My questions are: what should I have done differently? and does anyone have any suggestions for getting it started? The scoot was running like a dream when I put it away for the winter..Would it help if I next winter I just stored it in my basement? If it's going to be in a heated place do I have to do anything to the fuel or whatever?
I hope I haven't submitted this to the wrong section of the board, I really wasn't sure which best applied to my question. Any thoughts or advice would be great.
Oh it's a completely stock 2004 Zuma with around 500 miles on it (like I said, I just got it in August of 2004) and I live near Cleveland, OH
I bought it new late last summer and, since I've never owned a motorcycle or scooter before, I went to the dealer in November and asked what I should do to it before storing it. The guy at the parts counter was pretty casual abut the whole thing. He sold me some fuel stabilizer, told me to put some in (mixing it according to the instructions on the bottle) fill up the tank drive it around for a week, so the stabilizer could work through the fuel system then put a little more in, top up the tank and I would be all set. I followed his instructions and put the bike in a friends garage (no heated but attached to his house), put the battery on a battery tender in my basement and waited for Spring.
When I went to start it it cranked and the engin turned over but it wouldn't fire. First I tried spraying a little starting fluid in the spark plug hole - it sputtered briefly and then nothing. Then I replaced the spark plug, still nothing. I checked to see if I am getting spark and I am so, I guess I have a fuel delivery problem.
I called the dealer and spoke to someone in service who said "that fuel stabilizer doesn't always work, you may need to have your carburator cleaned.." So, I'm taking it to the dealer later this week to have them get it running for me....which is probably gonna cost me seventy five bucks or so..
My questions are: what should I have done differently? and does anyone have any suggestions for getting it started? The scoot was running like a dream when I put it away for the winter..Would it help if I next winter I just stored it in my basement? If it's going to be in a heated place do I have to do anything to the fuel or whatever?
I hope I haven't submitted this to the wrong section of the board, I really wasn't sure which best applied to my question. Any thoughts or advice would be great.
Oh it's a completely stock 2004 Zuma with around 500 miles on it (like I said, I just got it in August of 2004) and I live near Cleveland, OH