So everything was looking good. I was test-riding it after a short hiatus, and the moped was running fine. Near the end of my ride, I stopped at an intersection to make a left turn. I revved the engine while still stationary in anticipation of the light turning green -- I didn't want to hold up traffic, and the 50cc engine takes a while to get going. I pushed off from standstill, the scooter started moving fine, but soon thereafter started lagging. It absolutely refused to go past 20 MPH even though I'd usually go 27-28 on the same stretch of road. It was consistently going slower afterwards, and I scurried back home as best as I could.

I've revved the engine like this in the past (with the moped stationary), but for shorter durations. This time I'd say I was on full throttle ~5-10 seconds while stationary.

A couple of days later I fired it up, but it ran horribly. I managed to get it moving, but it hit 10-12 MPH on mostly flat land (where 27 MPH was common). It felt as if the engine was providing power for a couple of seconds, then stopped the power delivery for a couple of seconds, and it kept doing this over and over. It was so weak that I had to push it up a hill to get it back to my residence.

I thought -- for just a second -- that I smelled a burning clutch when I was riding it back home after the intersection incident. After I got home, I "smelled" around, but couldn't pick up any burnt clutch scent.

I sincerely hope the clutch isn't the culprit, since it's an expensive fix. Please let me know if you have any ideas as to where I can start troubleshooting (aside from the clutch, of course), as the weather's nice and I'm hoping to get it going this weekend -- fingers crossed!

I swear guys, I'm not crazy. There was a problem with the moped.

This morning I fired it up the usual way, hoping to analyze how it runs. It hit 29 MPH on flat land like nobody's business and I rode it around for a good half hour with no problems. I have no idea what changed in the last couple of weeks -- perhaps it had some time to think about its problems and resolved them.

I have a feeling this won't be the last time this problem pops up. I will most likely be coming back to this post sometime in the future :)

Thanks for all the replies!

⟐ Answered May 23, 2025 at 4:45 MST

Fast-forward four months. I decided it would be a stellar idea to create a teardown for the moped, clean the carburetor, and figure out the throttle problem. I managed two of the three (teardown is almost done, and the carb is clean), but to this day I cannot figure out what the heck is wrong with the throttle. Since it's a pretty involved piece of machinery, I created another teardown that described the stuck cable problem in greater detail. Please take a look at it here:

Suzuki FA50 Moped Throttle Cable Teardown

I would love to hear any suggestions you have on how I can fix my Suzie's throttle. I miss riding it.

I have since resolved the stuck throttle problem. After screwing with the throttle for hours, I figured out I've been inserting the cylinder off by 180 degrees.

I was actually about to order another throttle cable online, when I came across a schematic (which I already had in my manual). I glanced at it, and noticed the position of the cylinder in relation to the carburetor. What I found odd was that the notch (which I've seen dozens of times before) was 180 degrees rotated from how I was inserting it...

So I went outside, rotated the cylinder 180 degrees, and presto-blamo the entire cylinder assembly went into the carb about twice as deep as before!

What sucks is that I've tried the cylinder in that position before, but it didn't want to enter the carb in my previous try. I had actually rotated the cylinder multiple times, trying to insert it into the carb, and the only position that I thought worked was the one I was trying all along.

Finally after inserting it correctly, reassembling the throttle handle (I took it apart out of desperation), trying to get the thing started and fine-tuning it for three hours, I managed to go for a ride down the street!

...And then the weather turned inclement and poured rain for a week straight, rendering the moped useless for a while longer...

⟐ Commented September 21, 2016 at 2:29 MST

⟐ Commented October 30, 2023 at 21:17 MST

Please help.

⟐ Commented January 08, 2023 at 7:50 MST

⟐ Commented November 18, 2017 at 18:39 MST

⟐ Answer accepted May 09, 2017 at 20:57 MST

⟐ Answer accepted July 24, 2016 at 8:19 MST

⟐ Commented February 12, 2023 at 11:26 MST

⟐ Answer deleted October 27, 2020 at 23:43 MST

What could be causing this...I've gone through a full tank of gas in less than half a mile. Also what house is the nipple next to the main fuel line for?

⟐ Commented May 13, 2022 at 15:30 MST

⟐ Commented October 11, 2018 at 17:14 MST

⟐ Commented May 02, 2023 at 7:48 MST

⟐ Commented December 24, 2021 at 5:20 MST

Therein lies yet another problem. The throttle cable routes through the frame of the moped. What's the best way to route the new throttle cable through the frame without taking the frame apart (if taking it apart is even possible)? Once I get the cable through the frame, how do I connect it to the actual throttle on the moped?

For reference to the original problem, take a look at my throttle cable teardown.

Thanks a lot!

⟐ Answer accepted December 04, 2009 at 11:50 MST

⟐ Answered April 01, 2015 at 17:21 MST

HOWEVER the problem now is that the electrical stuff like the turn signal lights and horn etc. aren't working very well. They're just very weak and inconsistent. The speedometer and the tail light aren't working at all. The headlight and brake light work fine but get dim when I put on the turn signal. This was not a problem until after I got it running well. I tried to see if the battery needed charging but the needle on the charger didn't do anything, so I guess it doesn't need to be charged?

Before getting this scooter I was totally new to all this small engine/scooter repair and I have limited experience in electrical maintenance. So any good advice will be helpful. Thanks.

⟐ Commented July 12, 2023 at 21:06 MST

⟐ Commented May 18, 2021 at 11:02 MST

⟐ Commented May 04, 2013 at 8:12 MST

⟐ Commented June 25, 2023 at 6:55 MST

Any idea?

⟐ Commented April 27, 2018 at 5:39 MST