Author Topic: Suspension adjustment on the Like 200i  (Read 1902 times)

PapaSoldTheHarley

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Suspension adjustment on the Like 200i
« on: July 18, 2015, 04:19:35 PM »
Made a short run for dog food (for Hank the Pug) on the Like.
The trip, the way i run it, minimizes the high speed road time.
Wiggle waggle through some back roads and I cut the time on US 41 and CR 54 to a minimum.
54 has construction going on right where I have to ride through.
I get the scooter up to near top speed, maybe 55 mph; and I hit a dip in the roadway.
Didn't see it cause I'm looking backwards intermittently while I'm merging onto the fast road.
This dip was about an eight foot square (roughly).
I am telling you the Ass of my 180 pound body was two inches in the air off the seat; if I wasn't holding onto the grips as hard as I was, I would have been rolling down County road 54...
Any easy way to tell what setting my suspension is on?
Do you think an adjustment to a stiffer setting would help?
I have been riding for over 45 years, that was as far as I have ever been thrown off a seat...

big blue

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Re: Suspension adjustment on the Like 200i
« Reply #1 on: July 18, 2015, 04:52:18 PM »
The rear suspension on the Like has 3 adjustment positions. You can look at the bottom of the shocks for the cam adjuster. Mine came from the dealer on full stiff! To change the setting you just turn the shock to the lighter or middle position. To turn it you can use a spanner wrench or a set of channel locks with a rag around the shock to prevent scratching the chrome. It should say though that at 50-55 mph and hitting a pot hole the seat launch you described will probably occur anyway. Those 12 inch wheels and stiff front forks don't provide much suspension travel. :o
2012 Kymco Like 200i LX (Sold)  Salem, Oregon USA

Stig / Major Tom

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Re: Suspension adjustment on the Like 200i
« Reply #2 on: July 22, 2015, 05:29:47 PM »
Yep, this scoot (most scooters?) is not very forgiving .....with very few inches of suspension travel available, especially at the rear where most of your 180 and the engine wt is sitting and already compressing that travel.
Some scoots carry as little as 25 lbs of air in the front tires due to their light loading.
You can try the different rear shock settings, and see what works best for you, and DO check the PSI in your rear tire. Anything over the recommended PSi is going to be pretty rough.
16" scooter wheels are more comfortable - or maybe just more stable - they tell me....never got a chance to try one.
Glad you stayed aboard!
Stig
Boston Strong
Rural Ohio

And, I'm feeling a little peculiar.

2wheelfun

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Re: Suspension adjustment on the Like 200i
« Reply #3 on: July 22, 2015, 07:56:59 PM »
There's a spanner looking like wrench you can buy off of ebay for the shock adjust, using channel locks I'd be afraid of crushing the shock adjuster housing. Wrench is cheap.

PapaSoldTheHarley

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Re: Suspension adjustment on the Like 200i
« Reply #4 on: July 24, 2015, 12:05:34 AM »
There's a spanner looking like wrench you can buy off of ebay for the shock adjust, using channel locks I'd be afraid of crushing the shock adjuster housing. Wrench is cheap.
I will look for it :)

PapaSoldTheHarley

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Re: Suspension adjustment on the Like 200i
« Reply #5 on: July 24, 2015, 12:07:28 AM »
Yep, this scoot (most scooters?) is not very forgiving .....with very few inches of suspension travel available, especially at the rear where most of your 180 and the engine wt is sitting and already compressing that travel.
Some scoots carry as little as 25 lbs of air in the front tires due to their light loading.
You can try the different rear shock settings, and see what works best for you, and DO check the PSI in your rear tire. Anything over the recommended PSi is going to be pretty rough.
16" scooter wheels are more comfortable - or maybe just more stable - they tell me....never got a chance to try one.
Glad you stayed aboard!
Stig
I am glad too! For a split second I thought I was going to be road kill... I hadn't yet learned the scoot's limitations. That short travel length (suspension) is a significant factor for road deviations at speed...

TroutBum

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Re: Suspension adjustment on the Like 200i
« Reply #6 on: July 25, 2015, 12:02:22 AM »
I use a channel lock wrench to make an adjustment. I first wrap an old bicycle inner tube around the adjustment collar before applying the wrench.

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