Is a little “moped talk” okay for this forum? My 1985 Suzuki moped has been looked at, fixed, and given a new spark plug & new battery twice in the past 4 years. It will run for 1 or 2 times and then dies. It’s almost 30 years old (so it’s an antique, technically?) - is it worth trying to find the final answer to keep it running? I’m no mechanic and I believe it’s going to require more work than it’s worth. What’s a moped rider to do?
What model is it? A ‘moped’ is a combination motorcycle and bicycle, with pedals. Is that what you have?
Here’s one:
After it dies, is the sparkplug black?
If you’re using gasoline that contains ethanol, the ethanol can damage components in the fuel system. And that may be why the engine won’t run.
Tester
These are simple machines. If it has a spark and a supply of gasoline, it will run…Checking for spark is easy. Remove the plug, re-connect the wire and place it on the engine so you or a helper can see the gap. Turn the key on and kick the engine over while you observe the plug. You should see a spark jump the gap of the spark plug. Once you know you have spark, you can concentrate on the fuel system…
Remove the fuel cap and look inside the tank with a bright light. See any sign of rust? if it looks okay, trace the fuel line to the carburetor. Shut off the fuel valve, remove the line from the carb. Open the valve. Fuel should flow freely from the open end of the fuel line. Still won’t run? Then the carb is probably gummed up. lets us know if you think you can remove the carb from the engine and we will continue…
I think @Caddyman is on the right track. I suspect your carb is gummed up - this is especially easy to get these days with the wonderful (/s) ethanol additives we have in gas now.