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Messages - oldcoastie

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1
Downtown 300 / Re: Stalling, Sputtering, and Starting issues.
« on: March 14, 2012, 04:11:38 AM »
RLTW - I'm sorry you are feeling frustrated and worried... I've got 150 miles on mine and also had a no start issue at around 75 miles on a hot day... fortunately, I'd been reading the forum (had a Kymco Grand Vista) all along and was aware that it might be fussy in changing weather conditions... so I knew just to try the "hold the throttle open and crank for 3 seconds" trick and then she started right up...

Quirky.

And while certainly not perfect, I can live with that quirk.... I also may try just loosening the gas cap for a moment as I get a feeling that there might be a touch of vapor lock and see if that does anything...I'm also not going to get too excited about things that are different from the Grand Vista... my Downtown has a long way to go to even loosening up yet and things will change before the 1st service...

You didn't make a mistake but these bikes definitely have a bit of personality... get to know her awhile and keep reading. My Grand Vista was just a miracle of reliability and I'm willing to take a chance on the Downtown because of it...

2
Downtown 300 / Re: She's here!
« on: March 11, 2012, 02:15:44 PM »
Got my first "real ride" in yesterday morning... Up until now, it was that first, slightly nerve-wracking ride home from the dealer and a lot of little around town jaunts. Still, it wasn't all THAT much of a ride - maybe 50/60 miles.

I picked as many sorta slow roads as I could (everything in and out of town moves at 55mph). I'm just babying her until we get a few hundred miles together.

The thing I am probably most impressed with is the stability of the bike - I can practically just sit at a stop light with my feet up on the floorboards. My Grand Vista never felt unstable with the 12" wheels but the larger wheels are most amazing... no bobble or wobble whatsoever.

I am having to adjust to the width of the bike. I have short little legs but I'm starting to find the subtle cutouts at a stop and feel like I have a little more leverage for supporting the bike.

I'm glad I've been reading the board so thoroughly... apparently I have a very typical DT. Last weekend, when I was just putting around running errands with lots of stops and starts, she stalled just after I started her up for about the 4th time and did not want to restart. It was hot... so I used the "flooded engine procedure" and she fired up after that little dance. So, that was good.

And I do have a little flat spot in the acceleration between about 4700 and 5200 rpms.... the Grand Vista had the smoothest, most linear pull of any bike I've ever owned - this one has that little hesitation - enough to make me look down at the speedo to see if something is wrong. It is not a huge issue and I'm getting used to it but I sure wish it was smoother. I'll be very patient about it until we get thru break-in.

I've got about 150 miles on her now and she still is pretty darn tight.... but she sure likes to go 60 in a blink of an eye...

3
Downtown 300 / Re: She's here!
« on: March 09, 2012, 03:16:49 AM »
nut all tightened up and all is well... I was careful with the wire...

thanks, racewallker - your pic helped immensely...

4
Downtown 300 / Re: Sales trying to talk me into a 500!
« on: March 08, 2012, 12:19:01 AM »
I understand your dilemma, Syl... I only had my Grand Vista for a year and thought I should have MY head examined for the upgrade for an extra 50cc's... but I wanted the bigger wheels for the freeway and the fuel injection for the mountains and altitude. The power of the 250 was actually very adequate.

What I didn't want was too much extra weight and the DT is very satisfactory on that account. I was looking at a Silverwing but it is a beast in terms of weight and I wanted something light enough that I could make my grocery store runs without having to eat my Wheaties first (and feeling like it was manageable when I'm tired, cold and hungry) .

The Xciting is going to be much heavier and you have to decide if you want to be wrestling that extra weight around for your everyday tasks. If it were my decision, I would also think about the engine in the Downtown is the same as the People 300 and parts availability in the future may be a bit better.

But you are right - the Xciting would probably be much more adequate for 2 up riding. Will the dealer let you take an extended test ride?

5
Downtown 300 / Re: High Pressure Wash for my DT 300i
« on: March 07, 2012, 05:06:57 AM »
don't do it, Syl!

resist that urge! chances of getting something wet that doesn't like to be wet is too high!

(ymmv)

I tend to "dust" my bikes mostly... actually I use Meguire's Quick Detailer... the only thing I drizzle water on is the wheels (and I mean "drizzle")... there are so many little electrical connections and those connections may happily work for time immemorial if unmolested by water seeping into some little minor hairline crack in some covering that you would never ever know about if it did not get wet...

but then I don't ride much in any kind of soupy weather... and the bike is in the garage...

what kind of dirt you got on there that needs power washing?

6
Downtown 300 / Re: She's here!
« on: March 07, 2012, 05:05:07 AM »
racewalker - that pic is exactly what I needed!

thank you!

7
Downtown 300 / Re: She's here!
« on: March 05, 2012, 03:59:39 AM »
Racewalker - am I looking at the wrong nut? (see pic page 1)...

The Coast Guard was always dangerous duty... I was a Boatswain's Mate, mostly running small boat search and rescue... it was often exciting duty... sometimes a little too exciting...

 ::)

Syl - I just got a nice  Canon "somethin'" T2 SLR digital... it takes just gorgeous pics and in RAW.... handles light extremes very beautifully - I just don't want to jiggle it up and have it lose its abilities (especially before I learn to use it).... I've got a couple good little point and shoot cameras that I will be carrying most of the time, but I want to SAFELY carry the big camera on occasion... good to know about the givi with the foam... it is currently well wrapped but I'd like to make it float along in complete blissfulness... never having its electronics disturbed in the least...

8
Downtown 300 / Re: DTi 300 screen
« on: March 04, 2012, 09:38:50 PM »
I'm not going to be much help to you, Captain... I'm about 5'3" and the stock screen is as perfect as it could be for quiet and no buffeting. I can ride with my face shield open and it doesn't even whistle...

But my Grand Vista's shield was short and so I can sympathize with the issue... if it were me, I'd try the taller shield but I get cold easily and like the protection.

9
Downtown 300 / Re: She's here!
« on: March 04, 2012, 09:35:25 PM »
Syl - Did I read you were doing photography from your bike?

If so, how are you keeping your camera(s) from getting all jiggled up? my canon lives in a soft case and then in a fairly well padded holster  (and then under the seat but on top of a folded up towel) but I'm still worrying about vibrations...

10
Downtown 300 / Re: She's here!
« on: March 04, 2012, 07:50:42 PM »
Thanks, Syl - went out and argued with it a bit more.... there are 2 steps to getting it locked (if you don't count having the key in the lock)... a push at the top of the black plastic thing and then a push at the bottom snaps the whole business into place...

Now if I can REMEMBER that next time go to use it!

awful fiddley for something so basic!

11
Downtown 300 / Re: She's here!
« on: March 04, 2012, 07:07:02 PM »
I just took a quiet putt around town this morning - trying to keep the speed down for awhile longer anyway...

Syl - I have a question on "our" trunks...( and it is making me feel like an idiot)... I know that the key must be inserted and turned horizontally to lock the case. I understand the mechanism inside must be lifted to hook onto the lid via the black plastic piece above the red "push me" button... but I'll be darned if I can get the case to lock...

I locked it at the dealer with supervision and I locked it last night at home, but I sure can't remember what the trick was...!

Tried to get in to tighten up the allen nut on the mirror stem but it's not allen and it is not torx...

12
Downtown 300 / Re: She's here!
« on: March 04, 2012, 06:59:30 PM »
Here's the glamor shot  :D

13
Downtown 300 / Re: She's here!
« on: March 04, 2012, 01:48:28 PM »
Zombie - there's a rubber boot covering the "angle"... am I looking for plastic? higher up? and yes, I did "pinch" the wires, but they seemed to recover after I loosened the mirror up a bit... hopefully, I did not do any damage.

Syl, I'm just a little bit of a woman and the DT REALLY goes like snot... I had to bring her back through the canyon last night (a 55mph road) and it was all I could do to keep her under 60mph.... she just wanted to run!

And, yes, I'm former CG.... spent my years in New England (MA and ME)... late 70's and 80'S...

14
Downtown 300 / She's here!
« on: March 04, 2012, 04:27:37 AM »
Picked up my DT 300i this afternoon... my! what a nice ride! Very stable, very peppy... rode her home for 40+ miles! In many ways very similar to the Grand Vista, only with more space and speed and stability...

I'm having my first problem though (and I'm sure I could get the dealer to take care of it) - the left mirror is uh... floppy, I guess... it spins in circles... on a regular bike without the turn indicators, I'd just spin the mirror around until it tightened up... tried that on the DT, but if I spin too much, the turn signal doesn't work...

Any suggestions on how to tighten it up?

I want to take her out for a good spin in the morning...

(pictures soon)

15
Downtown 300 / Re: My 300i Happy To Have
« on: March 03, 2012, 03:15:39 AM »
Mine's arrived in the shop now... getting her top case with admore lights installed (givi 46), the clearwater lights (I'll let you know how they go - they are beautiful but did not install the way I thought they would - now on their own switch with a dimmer) and some extra nice foam put in the seat.... I'm hoping to pick her up tomorrow.

I can't wait and it looks like the weather will be reasonably cooperative... wind is blowing hard but not in a twirly fashion.

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