How Scooters Work
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Basic Engine Operation
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Gas-powered scooter motors work in the same way as a motorcycle motor. When the throttle is opened, air is pulled into the carburetor and mixes with fuel. This mixture of air and fuel is pulled into the engine's cylinder as the intake valve opens and is compressed as the piston travels upward. The intake valve closes at the height of the piston's travel and the spark plug fires, igniting the compressed air/fuel mixture causing to it to combust, or explode. The force of the combustion forces the piston downward, turning the crankshaft and opening the exhaust valve, which expels the spent air/fuel mixture. As the piston reaches the bottom of its stroke, it returns to its upward stroke and begins another revolution. The process happens at a quick pace, occurring as many as 1,300 to 1,500 times in 60 seconds, just with the scooter idling. As the throttle is opened wider, the process speeds up and increases the amount of revolutions per minute (RPM), which in turn spins the crankshaft faster. The crankshaft is typically attached to a continuously variable transmission that drives the rear wheel through a belt or chain system.
Continuously Variable Transmission
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The CVT allows the scooter to maintain an effective RPM, while providing a wider range of speeds. Scooter CVTs are typically pulley-type systems, using two pulleys set perpendicularly by their rotational axes and are connected by a V-belt. The shape of the V-belt adjusts between the pulleys, rising or lowering as the RPMs change, effectively changing the final gear ratios. In a nutshell, as the rider increases throttle, the crankshaft spins faster causing the belt to move across the pulleys. The belt tightens and causes the rear wheel to spin faster.
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Charging and Ignition Systems
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Scooters are initially powered by a battery that feeds power to the electrical system before the scooter's motor has started. The battery powers the stator, or alternator, and the starter motor, which spins the engine's crankshaft. As the crankshaft spins, the engine's flywheel passes several magnets within the stator that send power to the CDI unit, or Capacitive Discharge Ignition, and fires the spark plug. This starts the motor and allows the stator to produce its own power, which recharges the battery and powers the scooter's lighting system.
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References
- Photo Credit Palindrome6996
