⟐ Commented April 03, 2026 at 15:19 MST

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

⟐ Answered March 17, 2026 at 10:59 MST

⟐ Answered March 07, 2026 at 20:34 MST

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⟐ Answered May 06, 2024 at 19:43 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

The thing won't start until the speedo sweep has finished and the yellow light does a faint blink.

I have taken the cover off of the decompression assembly, and it doesn't activate until the faint blink.

It cranks pretty good considering the decompression spoon isn't activated for a time!

I've read the manual and have checked all of the electronic connections.

I suspected the ignition unit since the schematic shows a direct connection between it and the decompression unit. Replaced it with 2 other units to no avail.

Any clue where to look next?

The battery, starter, starter solenoid and rectifier have been changed.

⟐ Answered May 26, 2025 at 1:37 MST

⟐ Commented February 26, 2025 at 7:52 MST

⟐ Answered October 06, 2023 at 8:28 MST

⟐ Answer edited February 12, 2026 at 1:57 MST

⟐ Answered November 26, 2025 at 0:10 MST

Please help.

⟐ Commented January 08, 2023 at 7:50 MST

⟐ Answered September 23, 2024 at 10:42 MST

Filters, plugs and oil also changed

⟐ Commented March 29, 2026 at 22:31 MST

⟐ Answer edited January 02, 2026 at 18:11 MST

⟐ Answered February 05, 2026 at 15:25 MST

⟐ Commented November 18, 2017 at 18:39 MST

It has new battery and ignition coil and plug.

Turns over fine just won't catch

⟐ Answered January 14, 2026 at 3:22 MST

⟐ Answered November 16, 2025 at 18:49 MST