Battery Issues?

[Luked]

Hi!

I just got a Taotao scooter! It runs great, but I need to charge the battery before I use it, so I figured the battery was dead, and that I need to get a new one!

It sat all winter which could explain it, but when I pulled out the battery to get the number, I saw it was not the original battery, but was one from Wal-Mart.

That would be at least the second battery since its birth in 2010, and I wonder if replacing the battery is what I need to do... Any thoughts?

One more thing, I know very little about autos... When I pulled the battery out, I noticed two red wires were connected to the positive, and the green wire was connected to the negative polarity. I thought red was negative?? Would the scooter run if it was in backwards? Would that drain the battery, or would it even run? It sounds like the chain isn't 'catching' when I try to start, but then the battery sounds low.

Thanks for any input!