Colder temperatures this week may cause problems for scooter riders.
Some scooters are not mechanically designed to handle the colder weather, so it is not uncommon to have startup issues in the winter, said David Haslam, president and owner of Campus Scooters, a local scooter store.
“Most scooters are going to fall into the category where they are not designed for operation in very cold weather,” Haslam said. “So they are going to have issues in the cold weather no matter what.”
Today the high is 48 degrees, and tomorrow the high is predicted to be 55 degrees.
Haslam said any temperature below 65 degrees can affect scooter performance. Colder weather, like if it drops to the 40s, is when issues arise.
A seasoned scooter owner, Boo Illingworth said she’s had trouble starting and keeping her scooter running since early December.
“Once or twice I have been driving and stopped at a stoplight and it cuts out,” the 21-year old UF political science and Spanish senior said. “Then I’ll have to wheel it over to the side of the road and figure it out.”
Illingworth said she has noticed other scooter operators with the same problem over the past two months.
Haslam said a number of factors affect scooter startup and operating issues in the winter.
“The exact reason is the engine does not produce enough compression to spark and heat our initial startup for cold weather,” Haslam said.
For the most part, scooters are designed more for warm weather and short intermittent transportation rather than how they are used in Gainesville.
[A version of this story ran on page 1 on 2/19/2015 under the headline “Low temperatures affecting scooters, their riders"]
Cover the scooter overnight
If the scooter does not start in the first five seconds, restart the kickstarting process
Once on, let the scooter warm up for 30 seconds to a minute before riding
Information courtesy of David Haslam
