Robo´s first scooter front/rear tire change report

[vespbretta]

Allright folks, after an unplanned and unwanted delay of almost 2 weeks I now can post: It is finished.  I´m back on the road again. 
Took almost 4hrs for reassembly. But I was very careful this time. No photos taken.

I´m too tired to do a full detailed report on this, so just a few important remarks:
It´s hard to get correct information about torque specs from Kymco. Kind of a mission impossible and a farce too.
I got several torque values for the M8 cylinderhead nuts. Ranging from 21NM to 26NM. I took the lowest. 21NM. Felt already pretty tight. I hope that will be enough. And 10NM for the long M6 bolts on the side.
Camshaft reinstall was easier than expectet. But I marked chain and sprocket before removal. 
27x2 gasket was easily glued in lightly on just some small spots in the groove. With Pattex Gel compact flexible. No problems then to install the intake manifold.
Kymco spare parts via dealer are very expensive. 65% more than a online internet order.  Three gaskets only for €75,-. 
This time torqued muffler bolt nuts only to 12NM.  Greased with copper paste.

Scooter started instantly on the push of the button as always after reassembly.   
Testride was good. Engine sounds and runs like always. No saliences.

New Heidenau tires are way better than the Kendas. Second to none. And balancing wheels seems to be a good thing too. Much smoother ride now. I now can ride freehands without any shimmy.

The heat resistant paint for the exhaust chiped off again pretty soon in the upper aerea of the exhaust manifold between flange and Oxygen sensor. Obviously too hot for the paint there. No big deal. It´s not in the visual range for someone anyway.

Conclusio:
If you buy Kymco (chinese scooters), ride it as long as it lasts and then get rid of it the one way or the other pretty quickly.
Don´t try to do big (engine/gear)repairs on these vehicles yourself. Spare parts are very expensive and you won´t get propper torque specs or propper technical information to do the repair savely yourself. There is always a certain risk remaining due to these undocumented aluminium threads.
And one should have quiet a bit experience as a mechanic to repair chinese scooters.
After this challenge and adventure I do understand much better why many mechanics don´t want to service or repair chinese scooters... 

Thanks to all of you who tried to encourage me and who posted tips and tricks and hints.

[Stig / Major Tom]

Thanks for the last chapter here Robo.
This mini-series had all the ingredients of a good story:
-mystery, anger, kindness, pathos, violence, joy, high finance, heartaches and then humor as the solo scooter rider rides over the horizon  into the Austrian Alps.....still grumbling about, and to, his horse.
You faltered as a human.....then recovered and conquered as in a good western movie.
Well done, you!
Seriously.....you know quite well that this could have been, and has been,  any one of us amateur  scooter mechanics.
Ride safe....and aren't we due a couple more of your truly excellent scooter/Austrian scenery photos?
Your fellow LIKE200i  rider...Stig

[vespbretta]

Yes indeed, there were some good ingredients into that story provided. Just because of a single stripped thread at the right place. 
I´m truly happy that I could make it.

Photos:
At the moment it´s cold again and weather is not too good. But I am working on posting some photos of my aerea plus my "cured chinese horse" again.
But it´s not that easy to take a good scenery picture including the scooter here in and around a busy town. Without scooter it would be much easier, because I could take pictures from the sidewalk as a pedestrian. And on other scenic routes outside of town there is often lots of fast traffic too during the day. Difficult to park on the side of the road to take pictures. Maybe better and easier and safer for the early birds, but I am not that kind of a guy who flees bed at 4a.m. Not yet.  Maybe in a couple of years when my hair turned significantly more grey or white. 

So thanks again and always a good and safe ride to you too! 

[CROSSBOLT]

Hat's off to you! You stuck with it and succeded! Learned valuable lessons! Same way  Stig, I and others learned: by occasionally breaking stuff!

Karl

[vespbretta]

Thanks Karl!  Yes, I truely hope that I finally learned my lessons now. I thought that I already have learned my lessons about aluminium threads.
But as the saying goes: "Never say never again." 
I new quite a bit about it and it was not the first aluminium thread I had to get repaired on cars or bikes...but it was the first one I personally stripped. The others were stripped by service- and repair shop employees.
No wonder why they sell almost everywhere these heli coil repair sets... 

And yesterday I found a pretty good and detailed gy6 cylinder head replacement manual with pictures as a pdf on the internet in german language. Too late for me this time, but at least it confirms the torque settings for the headnuts and sidebolts.
22NM - 25NM (M8 nuts)
9NM - 10NM (M6 bolts)

After a few rides and heat cycles I will open up the head cover again and re-torque my nuts to 22NM. And do the valve check and setting.
Headcover bolts 9NM.

Therefore I am quite positive now, that I will get away with a black eye this time. 

[vespbretta]

Today, after 3 riding and engine heat cycles I reopend the valvecover to retorque the 4 nuts. This time I put 24NM on the torque wrench, but only one nut very slighty turned a little bit further until the wrench clicked again. I think I´ll be fine now.
At this point I also checked the valve lash. But was still the same as before. 0.12mm IN/EX. Didn´t have to adjust.

But the exhaust bolts cap nuts were loose a bit - again...I retorqued them to 12NM. Maybe 15NM needed to remain torqued. I will observe this issue and will keep an eye on it during the next days/weeks.

Cheerio folks! Let´s head em out for the next 12.000 miles within the next couple of years. 

[Redk]

Great thread !
Thanks to all participants !
redk