If you live in or near Louisville KY, need some volunteers to ride their scooter

[winginman]

If you live in or near Louisville we need some volunteers to help in the Ironman Triathalon.  I am in charge of getting motorcycles to carry media people out on the race course.  We normally use sport touring bikes, but last year we had two maxi scooters and they worked out very well.  One was a Burgman 650 and I used my wifes Scarabeo 500GT.  This year I will use the X500.  If you live in the area and want to volunteer let me know and I will contact you with the details.  It is a long fun day and since you are part of the media have access to all parts of the event.  Last year I carried a local TV cameraman who used a small camcorder.  He even did interviews with the racers as we rode along beside them.  It was cools to see the shots on a TV special later.  The scooters worked really well on the run portion of the race where we tooled along a very slow speeds.  They actually worked better than the motorcycles due to being lighter and not having to mess with the clutch or shifting. 

What is the the Ironman?   We have 2400 contestants who race?  They start out at 6:00 AM by swimming 2.4 miles in the Ohio river then climb out make a fast change grab bicycles and race 112 miles through the countryside, then jump off the bikes and run 26.2 miles and end up downtown at the finish line in Louisville.  These are one bunch of tough people.  Last year the winning man did all this in 8 1/2 hours and winning woman in just over 9 hours.  Check it out at http://ironman.com/louisville .   

Race day is Sunday August 30th. 

[winginman]

Update: The 2009 Louisville Ironman is now for the history books and with the great weather we had a 96% finish rate.  I used the X500 to carry a live TV cameraman on the run course.  They rigged a transmitter and battery pack and put it in the trunk box with an small antenna clipped on the lid.  The cameraman was able to shoot live TV transmitted back to the media center and out over a satellite link.  It was really cool.  We followed the lead woman and then doubled back and picked up the 2nd place woman then the 3rd place woman.  The X500 worked great.  I had no problem holding position and not jerking the cameraman.  It took a lot of concentration to keep the right speed and position and weave through the other runners and not hit anyone.  It was a long but fun day.  Got some pictures we posted on the web on one of the motorcycle group web sites.  Most of the moving shots were shot from the X500 out on the bicycle course when I was checking on the motorcycle volunteers.   http://www.gwrrakya.org/09Ironman.html   

[Bryan]

Hi Winginman, that sounds like you had a great time. I was wondering about maintaining a smooth ride when you were going slowly. I have noticed with my X500 that when the traffic is inching forward slowly I struggle to keep it smooth, it's almost as if it surges a bit and it's hard to dial in just the right amount of throttle. Mine is still at the dealer where they are working on the acceleration problem, and I was wondering if the problem I'm having isn't also contributing to the surging, also I seem to think there may be a bit too much free play on the throttle cable. The scooter is also still new so it may be that when the engine loosens up a bit and I get more used to riding a scooter things will be better. Regards from Durban RSA.

[winginman]

Bryan, throttle response is very smooth. I could ease along with the runners at a slow pace just keeping ahead of them.  They are not going very fast on that last leg, in some cases it more like a fast walk.  I have been following your thread and it would be my guess there is a carburetor or fuel supply problem.  Fortunately my X500 has fuel injection, which is one of the reasons I chose it.  However with the new carburetors now days yours should be just as smooth at all speeds.  Your scoot sure sounds like it is starving for gas at times and that points to ether a fuel flow issue or the carburetor.  Replacing the carburetor since it is under warranty is a good step.  I would also check fuel lines, pump (I am not sure it has one...), fuel filter and even the tank and fuel pickup in the tank.  Good luck and keep us all posted.  That is what makes this forum so helpful and interesting.  When I have a problem I look here, chances are someone else has had the problem and found a solution and can save me a lot of time and trouble.  But, it's a pain when you are the first one  with that problem so your solution will help out someone else.  Keep up the posts and once you get it running right the X500 is one fine machine.

[Bryan]

Hi Winginman, Thanks for your comments. I have to admit that I'm very dissapointed at the moment with the scooter. I have been riding bikes for over 40 years and currently have 2 bikes but this is my first scooter I have ever bought. My kids say it suits my age but the buddies laugh at me, I have warned them when the scoot is sorted I'm likely to turn up at the breakfast run with it. I was really enjoying the scooter for commuting and the handling through traffic and especially the convenience of the storage space under the seat, but the way it has been is a real struggle when I get out onto the open roads and need to run with the traffic flow. I also think it is a fuel or air starvation issue. I took it in on Saturday and this morning is Thursday and I'm still waiting. I have been in touch with Kymco the Importers as well and while the guy is very polite, his english is not very good and I can't speak his language so I get the feeling they are not too worried about the situation. So far I have had 7 working days and 4 leisure days that the scooter has not been available for my use due to this and other defects, that's why I'm so dissapointed. I'll be taalking to Kymco again this morning and keep you posted. Regards from Durban RSA.

[winginman]

That is so sad to hear.  It the shop has a decent mechanic they should be able to figure out the problem.  First thing is they need to ride it and see what is happening so they get a feel for the problem.  If they can fix the problem I think you will love the scoot.  I have a Goldwing that I use for touring, but hands down for commuting, riding around town, riding with my friends on ice cream runs, dinner runs and just taking off for the day I like the scooter.  No shifting   The Wing is starting to feel neglected... First time I showed up for a Saturday ride with the motorcycle group they laughed, then when we were stuck in traffic I was waving with my left hand while they were bitching about the stop and go and shifting and clutches, ha, now it's envy.  Since then we have more scooters or should I say STM (Step through motorcycles).  Just too much fun.  My wife has a scooter as well and last weekend we put 755 miles on em and rode in the mountains.  In some cases we were pushing the bigger bikes through the curves.  I am going to have to get a throttle lock, my throttle hand gets tired on long stretches.  Riding a highway speeds on good roads 75 MPH it's smooth as a sewing machine.