• There has been a recent cluster of spammers accessing BARFer accounts and posting spam. To safeguard your account, please consider changing your password. It would be even better to take the additional step of enabling 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your BARF account. Read more here.

Assistance with friend's Sym scooter - sitting 1 year+ with gas

HappyHighwayman

HappyHighwayman

It's all in the reflexes
Joined
Apr 8, 2009
Location
San Francisco
Moto(s)
Rad Rover
Name
Jordan
My friend got a 2019 Sym fiddle iii 200i, put like 100 miles on it, and then never rode it again. It has been sitting for SIXTEEN MONTHS without being run, with gasoline inside.

What are our best courses of action and likely how much money will this take to resolve? I assume it needs to be drained? What else might have gone bad?

SHe wants to fix it and then sell it as she no longer rides.


Thank you for your help
 
Put a battery in it and see if it starts. I assume it is fuel injected so no carburetor to clean.

If it starts, air up the tires and take a quick spin. If all kinda mostly works sell it as is "has been sitting but runs. Needs deferred maintenance"
 
Thank you. I have instructed her to charge the battery, put in air in tires and see if it runs. If not we'll siphon out the old fuel and put in fresh.

I assume we should change the oil?
 
Battery will most likely be dead if she has not been trickle charging it. You could still try charging and see.

If you try jump starting, do not do the normal thing with a car jump start, will be too much. I'm sure googling how to jump start a motorcycle will give you some great info. If I do this, I connect it to a car battery and have the car turned off.

For the oil change, not really needed, but if you are trying to sell it, kind of sounds good "fresh oil change" and all that, and guessing that is cheap and easy for that scooter.
 
Fuel injected bikes are much more tolerant with old gas than carbs

Mad
 
I am a stickler about fuel that old. If it was mine, I'd drain it. I would not pump it through the pump, filter and injector. I'd then fill it with fresh gas and a triple dose of seafoam or other good fuel system treatment and ride.
The battery will probably be toast.
 
She borrowed a trickle charger from another friend, and it started. It has about 3/4 a tank of fuel. I told her to get seafoam.

Thanks everyone for your help. Is there any specific maintenance we should prioritize to make it safe for sale?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top