KymcoForum.com

Hey everyone!

Recently I joined the Kymco AK550 family! Living in Korea, it’s pretty rare to come across other AK550 owners, but lol here I am. I got a 2018 model with only 13,000 km on the clock (around 8,000 miles). It’s really in mint condition, and I just swapped out the stock Metzeler tires yesterday! and I’ve got a chinese Android Auto, Garmin, dash cam, OBD gauge, and 10Hz DIY Racing GPS installed. definitely some pretty cool setup for traveling around

I absolutely love my ak, its literally a beast. Its quick. Its comfortable, and yet very practical. still has a few quirks. those quirks that I’m facing now are the TPMS not working properly - sometimes it displays orange tpms light, and 100% chance it means tpms sensor connection somehow has a problem - and the parking brake light staying on, which is a bit annoying but still fine since it does not affect performance

I do have a few questions for experienced AK550 owners:

1. Where do you guys get your drive belts? I’ve seen prices ranging from $170 to $550, and yeah a single belt costs around 500 usd can't make any sense, even bmw belt is cheaper than 500 usd. What’s a fair price, and when would you recommend replacing it? In addition, I noticed some fabrics exposed on the side of the belt that's found around 10000km (6000miles) but haven’t experienced any issues like chirp. Is that normal?

2. For the clutch, I can get J-Costa and Malossi clutch disc set locally. Would you recommend either of these brands? And at what mileage should I look to replace the clutch components?

3. What’s the general lifespan on other transmission parts? I read about a TMAX owner who had a clutch replaced after 43,000 km with gentle driving.
For reference, my clutch engages at 2100 RPM, I’m at 5000 RPM at 100 km/h, tops out at 165-170. and I typically start out at 2500-3000 RPM. Does that sound normal, and recommended for the AK550?

4. Hows everyones fuel economy? I get around 20 km/l when pushing hard and up to 24 km/l when driving gently. Weather gets cold these days, and i found it dropped to 18km/l in 5 degrees celcius ambient temp with pushing hard. Just curious how that compares with yours!!

5. Mine makes bird like noise from a belt drive. Many local owners reported this issue, and they claims its a problem but will not affect its performance or parts lifespan, so try not to care about them for your mental health.

I also really like my AK 550. I have the 2022 USA model. Basically the same as the Euro4 model. I bought mine in early November of 2021 so have had my AK for 3 years now. I have about 18640 miles (about 30,000 km).

So far I've kept using the OEM Metzeler Feel Free tires since they are reasonably priced and last the typical miles for this class of bike.
I built a hitch for my AK and pull a Uni-Go mono-wheel cargo trailer when I go cross-country for camping.
This summer my TPMS stopped working right in the rear wheel and is starting to read wrong in the front as well. I know it is the battery in the sending unit that is getting spent. I have a good pencil tire gauge so I'm not concerned about that issue. TPMS is just a bonus feature to me that is an extra. I might think about replacing the sending unit next time I need to replace the tires but those units are $55 each so maybe not. It hasn't affected anything yet. When it was working fine before this summer I would see the tire warning come on solidly without any flashing wheel indication when PSI was too high or after stopping to go into a shop for 5 minutes and then continuing to ride. That last bit would only show the warning for a short time until tire temps and PSI equalized. It would indicate normally if PSI was low with a flashing warning and the front or rear tire indicator would also flash. Now I just ignore it since I can tell from the handling of the bike if the PSI is too low. I started riding bikes in 1979.

I don't know what to say about the parking brake light other than to double check that the parking brake is off (lever moved to the right all the way). And maybe try to go through the adjustment steps for the parking brake.

Now for your other questions:
1. I get many parts as needed from a few different sources but mostly from TBSS https://taiwanbigscootershop.com/collections/ak550. Do you mean the CVT belt when you say "drive belt"? The service manual calls the CVT belt a drive belt but it also calls the final drive belt (the one you see at the rear wheel sprocket) a drive (timing) belt. The service schedule calls the final drive belt a "timing belt" as well. I bought my CVT belt from TBSS and replaced it at 12,000 miles (20,000 km). It is normal for the CVT belt and also the final drive timing belt to show a bit of fabric on the sides. That is simply the fiberglass fibers sticking out a little and won't affect anything. Totally normal. The final drive timing belt should last about 65,000 miles (about 105,000 km) give or take a bit. It is basically the same type (construction, width, thickness) of final drive belt used on Harley Davidson bikes, as well as some Can-Am Spyder and even other brand/model motorcycles. and they last at least that long on those bikes. Just inspect the final drive timing belt often. At least every time the rear tire is replaced. The service schedule shows the interval for replacing the CVT belt. There is no set interval for replacing the final drive timing belt.

2. For clutch parts I'd check out TBSS. They have a LOT of parts for the AK. Compare prices. I don't know yet what kind of miles you'll get from the clutch parts but I mentioned how many miles I have on my AK and haven't detected any issues yet.

3. Transmission? Do you mean CVT? When I replaced the CVT belt at 12,000 miles (20,000 km) I did notice very slight wear on the outer variator plate. I might replace that plate next time the CVT belt gets replaced, or at least inspect it again and decide after that. I also am thinking of replacing the roller weights at the next CVT belt change. I did notice one roller starting to show a very little bit of flattening but it was barely detectable. No issues whatever with performance yet. The RPMs you mention are totally normal and recommended. I had something similar with my Burgman 650... especially at the lower RPM range where the clutch would engage at around 2100-2200 RPM.

4. Fuel economy matches with what you are getting. Usually I get between 52-57 mpg (22-24 km/l) depending on headwind or tailwind, and regardless of speeds. Actually, I get better economy at 45-60 mph (72-97 km/h). I got the same economy with my Burgman 650. So that's typical for this class of bike.

5. Bird-like noises could possibly be a belt squeal from the CVT. That would be caused by dust getting into the CVT. I did notice that several months ago on a longer trip I took after passing through a heavy cloud of dust kicked up by farm machines in the field. That is almost gone now though. You might want to check your CVT filter and clean it. No need to replace it unless it is damaged. No performance issues came of that and I don't expect any other issues from it either. Air is pulled into the CVT through the filter and blows out through open channels on the front and side of the CVT casing.

I hope this is helpful. I found the service manual as a downloadable PDF file at https://kymco.at/kymco_store_view/dowloads/kymco.html. You have to scroll down the page to find the AK 550 manuals. The manuals are in English even though the titles are Austrian/German (at least the manuals I downloaded are). There is also the electrical diagrams here in color.

Hello group I have a 2014 Xciting 500 in need of a new tire. A local shop said they are no longer a Kymco dealer and that I should bring just the wheel, this is also my cheaper option.
I have watched several videos and it doesn't appear to be difficult, but I worry about putting the wheel back on, safety first after all.
Should I use a torque wrench or just tighten bolts?  I've seen both options. where can I get torque specs, is there a post I can look at?
Thanks for the help.
Matt.

I don't know what model year these service manuals are for but they are downloadable PDF files and are in English, even though the web site is Austrian/German.
Go here: https://kymco.at/kymco_store_view/dowloads/kymco.html

Then scroll down to your specific model (500, 500i, 500i EVO ABS) and look for the item named "Werkstatt Handbuch Xciting 500..." which is the workstation service manual. Click on it and a PDF file will open which you can download and save someplace on your computer. You will be able to find the torque specs for the axle nut and brake caliper bolts in that manual.

There are also electrical diagrams there for each model. Look for the item named "Schaltplan Xciting 500i..." and those are the electrical diagrams. Unfortunately the printing, while it is in English, is really blurry in those.

Just a note: MOST vehicle speedometers are offset from actual. It's a percentage so how many mph it is off by should vary by how fast you are actually going. Less if the actual mph is slower and more if the actual mph is faster.
Cars are usually, on average, 3-6% offset from actual and motorcycles/scooters are, on average, up to 10-11% offset from actual. But always faster than actual. Manufacturers would be in serious legal trouble if any speedo showed slower than actual speed. My Subaru Legacy is spot on with a GPS and my Rav4 as well as my AK 550 are both 5.5% offset. My Burgman 650 was 10% or 11% offset depending on the tires. My CTX1300 was spot on with my GPS device. GPS devices are typically 0.3% offset from actual... so essentially accurate with an insignificant deviation.

OK, I’ll be the wet blanket.

I wince when I see no protective gear like this. Maybe only tooling around town at low speeds, but even so, gravel rash hurts like crazy!

I guess those pictures didn't show until I selected to quote this post. Looks like she has plenty of ablative material, too bad it's all just part of her body. I know all about road rash from when I was in HS and young and foolish riding my bicycle. Low sided that bike slightly under the side of a car that suddenly decided to take a right turn with no warning right in front of me. The scar on the side of my leg is finally almost gone now, 53 years later.

I also put a flashing rear brake light LED bar on all my bikes.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/PPUzwUY3jXgJibd6A
It is not way up high but traffic from behind still see it and slow down and stop long before getting to me.

Really sorry to hear this. One more reason to make absolutely certain to turn off the ignition knob to the left off position!
Fingers dropping off won't be enough. They need to lose both hands!!

My 2022 model has the round keyless knob which has 2 off positions indicated. The "off" to the right does not really turn off the AK but only shuts off the engine and lights for refueling. The remote fob is not needed when using that position to turn off the engine/lights and the bike can be started by simply turning the knob back to center "on" position. I never leave my AK unattended when I turn it off to the right side of the knob.
The "off" to the left actually does turn off the AK and the remote fob IS needed to turn it on. But I also have verified that if my remote fob is within 48 ft in front of the bike my AK will still sense the fob and turn on. I have a RFID pouch to put my fob into when I want to make sure it cannot be sensed by the bike, like when I am camping.
That's all with MY 2022 model.

The 2023 model has the piano key/buttons. I don't know if there is a similar function with 2 "off" settings where one actually turns it off and the other only shuts off the engine and lights. Still sad to know that it was somehow started and stolen.

I've plugged a rear tire before with lots of tread remaining. Had no issues with it holding air for the next 6000+ miles until the wear bars were even with the tread. As long as it was a nail that made a clean entry and not a coarse threaded screw you should be fine. I've had a coarse screw go in once and the screw threads cut/shredded the belts in the tire. Only replacement solved that one. A nail is relatively smooth and actually slips between the strands of the belts somewhat making plugging work well.