Earlier this month I picked up a Simson Schwalbe KR51 scooter as a winter restoration project. It won’t be just a restoration project per say, it’s going to be an electric conversion project as well. One of the perks of working for an electric scooter manufacturer is that I know just the right people that can help me with such a conversion. I’m very grateful for the help I’ve already been offered, on all levels within our organization, you know who you are.

Here are both scooters side by side, thought my company scooter does not reflect the official color scheme and is a one-of “Angry Bird” special.

Step one will be getting all of the metal parts repainted so today I started to disassemble the scooter piece by piece. The more I took off the more I started to think that this will require much more of a special touch than I anticipated. I can already see a few parts that will require welding as one of the passenger foot pegs is missing completely due to the fact that the metal bracket holding it in place is broken. The other foot peg is fine, but the bracket looks like it has been welded before, by a child! Luckily my dad can handle this part and weld the parts right, after I find them on local eBay.

I already know that the original speedometer will not work again once I reassemble the scooter.  The speedo cable was connected to the transmission and being that this part will no longer be there later on I need to find a new way of showing speed. It would be ideal to get our electronic speedo to fit, but it’s too big.

There is one mystery so far, and it deals with wiring. What is that cream cable for?

It comes out of the rear hub, it seems electric, was it the power source for the rear light? I don’t think so.
I got the exhaust pipe out today also. Engine removal is next, but that’s not a task for today.

Please excuse the cell phone quality of all of these photos. My phone is all I had handy in the garage.