Suzuki FA50 Moped

Repair and troubleshooting information for the Suzuki FA50 Moped.

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Suzuki FA50 Moped Teardown

Teardown

Teardowns provide a look inside a device and should not be used as disassembly instructions.

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My 1984 Suzuki FA50 was exhibiting some interesting problems. Although it ran fine a year ago, I could not get it running for the life of me. The problem was most likely a stuck throttle cable that I unstuck using some brute force. However, I figured it would also be nice to get my hands dirty and do an overhaul of the carburetor and engine. So here it is!

Note: The teardown was done backwards. I already disassembled the moped, and then took pictures reassembling it together. You may notice that some parts look new -- it's because they are.

Note #2: I figured it would be good to ring in the new year with a solid teardown, so I published it right on 12:00 AM PST, January 1, 2010 :)

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Edit Step 1 — Suzuki FA50 Moped Teardown ¶

There's no rage against this machine.
Looks great, except it doesn't run.
Its 50 cc engine lets me go downhill at almost 28 MPH when it does run. Uphills, not so much. Depending on the hill (and my head start), I may or may not have to walk it up.
- The seat advertises "185 LB max." In the USA??
- The above weight limit can be used in a "Yo mamma" joke. Note that I said can be, and not should be.

Edit Step 2 ¶

Safety first. Disconnect the battery and store it in a safe place.
The battery's readily accessible underneath the seat.

Edit Step 3 ¶

In retrospect I figured out i that I didn't need to remove the exhaust cover, but what the heck... When in Rome, right?

Edit Step 4 ¶

Took off the air intake box.
That's contractor-grade 3M packing tape holding the airbox together. Only the best for my moped.

Edit Step 5 ¶

I went to the other side of the bike and removed the carb/oil pump protective cover.

Edit Step 6 ¶

The foot rest came off next, in order to gain access to the engine and spark plug.

Edit Step 7 ¶

While down there, I unplugged the spark plug cover.

Edit Step 8 ¶

I then proceeded to access the wiring underneath the gas tank.
The wires needed to be disconnected in order to remove the frame away from the engine/crankshaft.
First I removed the protective brace on top of the oil/gas tanks using a 10 mm socket wrench.

Edit Step 9 ¶

I had to take off both oil and gas caps in order to remove the plastic protective cover.

Edit Step 10 ¶

I set aside the fuel tank and bam! -- the wires were ready to be disconnected.
The wires must have been minding their own business since '84... Separating them was quite a challenge. Thankfully they had those round connectors on them, so I didn't have to solder or crimp anything when reassembling the moped.

Edit Step 11 ¶

I then unplugged the emergency fuel valve .
The valve should remain in the "On" position while working on the moped.

Edit Step 12 ¶

I paused for a minute to enjoy a cold cup of Diet Coke, and to drain all the 2-cycle oil...
I got the Goliath "freezer" mug in Six Flags Magic Mountain about 6-7 years ago. Best investment I ever made, aside from marrying the wife. It's the gift that keeps on giving!
Ikea bowls come in quite handy. Turns out there was enough 2-cycle oil to fill the entire bowl to the brim!

Edit Step 13 ¶

I had a difficult time figuring out what I was doing in these pictures. According to the manual, I was removing the oil pump cover and oil hose.

Edit Step 14 ¶

Unscrewing the smaller valve, which I believe to be the carburetor choke cable.
My culprit resides beneath the carburetor top cover. Even though I reassembled the moped, I'll have to investigate the throttle cable going into the carburetor.

Edit Step 15 ¶

Rear brake gets disconnected next. The cable needs to be free since the brake lever will come off with the rest of the frame.

Edit Step 16 ¶

The rear spring gets unsprung using a 14 mm socket wrench.
Disconnecting the spring may be potentially dangerous, as it may be under tension.
Nothing crazy happened when I disconnected it, however.

Edit Step 17 ¶

Finally, the large frame screw can be removed. This is the last piece of hardware holding the frame to the rear wheel / engine.
I had to use two 17 mm wrenches -- a socket on one side, and a ratcheting wrench on the other.

Edit Step 18 ¶

And just like that, the frame comes off!

Edit Step 19 ¶

A 12 mm and 10 mm hex socket take care of the muffler.

Edit Step 20 ¶

Now on to the engine.
Spark plug comes out with a strong flick of the wrist.
The plug looked like it was the original one that came with the moped. Dirty dirty!

Edit Step 21 ¶

I continued by removing the front part of the engine using a 10 mm socket wrench. I found plenty of buildup inside.

Edit Step 22 ¶

I wanted to see what a "flywheel magneto" looked like, so I decided to remove this cover. I figured anything named after an X-Man is worth a look...
I stripped the Phillips originals while taking the cover off. I replaced them with appropriately-sized 20 mm hex-head screws.
This is a 65 mm replacement I ordered online, along with news seals and stuff.

Edit Step 23 ¶

Some shots of the engine...

Edit Step 24 ¶

The reed valve comes right off. You can see the engine internals from the hole -- cool!
I was careful not to accidentaly put any crap inside the engine. I figured the Shuttle wouldn't run well on dirt and Cheerios.

Edit Step 25 ¶

The reed valve is a very important part of the moped, according to the service manual. The metal bars have to be bent a certain way, and other stuff.

Edit Step 26 ¶

I had quite a difficult time shooting a "final layout" shot. I gave up after 5-10 pictures; this one was the best of the bunch.
That's it! Hope you enjoyed my teardown!

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