Wanting to make Modifications to my new Xciting 400i

[EvilTessmacher]

And because I can't get any access to a Service Manual, I  have no idea how or where to start.

In the US (which means stupid regulations on turn-signal placement, etc)

The only major things I don't like about the bike are that the built-in, standard turn signals are non-functional, and there's no place to put my cupholder. 

I'd like to connect the wiring to the front and rear stock turn signals, and get rid of those unsightly pumpkins on stalks on the rear. But, no wiring diagram, no manual on how to remove any of the body-panels to get to the wiring, and no access to any information. I also want to remove the front and rear pancake reflectors, and replace them with 12v-15w LED Truck lights to act as running lights.

However, as neither Kymco International in Taiwan nor Kymco USA in South Carolina will reply to any of the emails I've sent.

So, I'm going to be without decent turn signals and added safety-running lights for the foreseeable future.

[CROSSBOLT]

Hey, Evil! Even WITH a service manual, you gonna have lotsa company not knowing hoe to reeve Kymco Tupperware! AaaHAhaha (wheeeze) hahaha! You will get a bit nuts doing it the first time because there is NO official information available. Just make sure the air temp and bike temp is 70 F or above and really take your time. You will be the authority since it sounds like you are the first to actually have one of these things. Do a pre-delivery inspection to be sure since dealers usually just put 'em together.

Call Kymco USA in South Carolina and tell the nice lady Yo want to talk to your regional sales rep. Works better than emails.

Ask your dealer if he has a pdf of the service manual asap. Maybe you can get a freebie before cyclepedia.com latches everyone out.

Go learn things.

[Stig / Major Tom]

Hey, Evil! Even WITH a service manual, you gonna have lotsa company not knowing hoe to reeve Kymco Tupperware! AaaHAhaha (wheeeze) hahaha! You will get a bit nuts doing it the first time because there is NO official information available. Just make sure the air temp and bike temp is 70 F or above and really take your time. You will be the authority since it sounds like you are the first to actually have one of these things. Do a pre-delivery inspection to be sure since dealers usually just put 'em together.

Call Kymco USA in South Carolina and tell the nice lady Yo want to talk to your regional sales rep. Works better than emails.

Ask your dealer if he has a pdf of the service manual asap. Maybe you can get a freebie before cyclepedia.com latches everyone out.

Go learn things.

For Pete's sake Karl, I just shot some Dino's house blend out my nose!
C'mon....I look pretty dam silly sitting out here laughing on the sidewalk, no one around.
Stig
FYI. I've asked KYMCO USA to forward all calls about cup holders to me.

[EvilTessmacher]

You will get a bit nuts doing it the first time because there is NO official information available. Just make sure the air temp and bike temp is 70 F or above and really take your time. You will be the authority since it sounds like you are the first to actually have one of these things. Do a pre-delivery inspection to be sure since dealers usually just put 'em together.

Call Kymco USA in South Carolina and tell the nice lady Yo want to talk to your regional sales rep. Works better than emails.

Ask your dealer if he has a pdf of the service manual asap. Maybe you can get a freebie before cyclepedia.com latches everyone out.

Go learn things.

Yes, I am absolutely certain that I will want to scream, pull out what's left of my hair, and throw things. In addition to needing massive quantities of Bourbon to deal with the frustrations. Nice tip about the 70F+ as I hadn't thought about that. It's late April, and we're finally getting up into the 80s around here. Starting next Friday, I'm on break from the college, and so will have eleven days off to do things. If my wife doesn't already have a list of things for me to do already, that is. Knowing her, she does.

I thought about calling them on the phone, but I just really don't do well on phone conversations, and I don't like the fact that nobody can re-read a phone call. I'll wait a few days, and then maybe I'll dial them up. Maybe.

I did talk to my dealer, and he went so far as to give me a link to their online manual system, but I can't get into it without an official Kymco login, and I would neither ask for one, nor expect to be given one. 

I wish I could have done a pre-delivery inspection, but they called me when it was already ready to ride out the door. Damn that thing is big. (I know, that's what she said!  ) It's almost twice the size of my old PCX that I traded in.

When I acquired that little Honda, the first thing I did to it was add a set of really neat LED marker lights in the place of the pancake reflectors front and back, to act as running lights. If I knew how to add photos into a post here, I'd put up some pics to show what I did, and what I want to do to the new Kymco.

If I'm going to be the authority, then the gods help us all. 

[CROSSBOLT]

Maybe you could fudge a little on phone conversations since those seem to work pretty well and emails don't. You may wish you had down the road when your dealer hands you a plate of brown, smelly stuff in place of an honest answer! There, that outta be good for another shot of coffee outta Stig's nose! I worked for several weeks trying to get my "dealer" to respond for his back-room dummy forgetting to put the battery cover back in on my brand-spanky-new Yager. Cables worked loose and caused weird things or I may have found out way later. Anyway, dealer was unresponsive so I emailed Kymco USA and got nowhere. So I called 'em. Talked to nice lady and she had the east coast rep call me back. Stuff started to happen after that! Dealer still won since he ignored the part numbers I HAD SENT HIM and he sent sheet metal screws instead of the metric machine screws for the cover. You may have one of the two really good dealers in the US but the track record is in favor of your guy being motivated only by one-time sales and peddling dirty magazines to sailors getting ready for deployment.

[EvilTessmacher]

Maybe you could fudge a little on phone conversations since those seem to work pretty well and emails don't. You may wish you had down the road when your dealer hands you a plate of brown, smelly stuff in place of an honest answer! There, that outta be good for another shot of coffee outta Stig's nose! I worked for several weeks trying to get my "dealer" to respond for his back-room dummy forgetting to put the battery cover back in on my brand-spanky-new Yager. Cables worked loose and caused weird things or I may have found out way later. Anyway, dealer was unresponsive so I emailed Kymco USA and got nowhere. So I called 'em. Talked to nice lady and she had the east coast rep call me back. Stuff started to happen after that! Dealer still won since he ignored the part numbers I HAD SENT HIM and he sent sheet metal screws instead of the metric machine screws for the cover. You may have one of the two really good dealers in the US but the track record is in favor of your guy being motivated only by one-time sales and peddling dirty magazines to sailors getting ready for deployment.

Karl: I'd like to think that my dealer's guy is the exception that proves the rule. He's been honest, upfront, and open. Followed up every time I asked him to, and has done everything he said he would do. The other motorcycle dealer in town isn't as well-known to me as this guy is, but they aren't too bad. Only charged me a $30 labor fee to change both tires on my PCX last year. They're both big-brand-name dealers, and I suppose they'd have a lot to lose if they were as you've described. I don't live in the biggest city around, and it isn't the smallest ville either. It's just big enough that reputation means a great deal.

I intend to keep on top of things, as best I can.

Thanks for the heads up, and the experienced advice!

[EvilTessmacher]

By the way... I think I figured out what I need to do to add some photos.

These are the running lights I added to the PCX


Front Running Lights


Rear Running Lights


Rear Light Mount


This is a photo of the bracket I invented to attach the two-hole light to the single-hole mount.

These show exactly what I intend to do with the 400i, once I figure out how to do it.

[Stig / Major Tom]

Have seen Asian scooter mods of the thin side reflectors....with lights added inside. Look very stock.
Also, 3M tape used for adhesion of auto-body moldings is considered permanent. Simple and tough. No hardware needed.
Stig
 

[EvilTessmacher]

Have seen Asian scooter mods of the thin side reflectors....with lights added inside. Look very stock.
Also, 3M tape used for adhesion of auto-body moldings is considered permanent. Simple and tough. No hardware needed.
Stig
 

Stig: I think that's exactly what I'm going to have to do to the front reflector/light mount. It's on the front mud flap/fender, and there's nothing to attach the thing to. So, 3M auto tape it's going to be.

As for the rear, well, there's a place where the reflector mounts on the rear mud-guard/fender, and I'm going to have to make a bracket to adjust the position a little.

I've had an idea regarding brake-light/running lights for the rear, but I don't know if I really want to do it or not. The rear of the bike is so clean and good looking that adding too much on to it will detract from appearance.

So, I'm going to bounce the idea off of you guys, to see what you all think...

First, the explanations. All of these are stock photos, because I haven't taken any pics of Diana yet. But they are coming soon.


As I mentioned above, the front running lights will have to be attached to the fender, but that's not a problem, I don't think. I found a nice set of round amber and red LED lights, and this is what they look like:


I have them in red and amber, and the round light part comes out of the black bracket part. They're the same size as the pancake reflectors.


I found a set of these really neat bullet turn signals with red LEDs. I am going to replace the pumpkin turn signals with these, and wire them up to the brake light, so that they are only on when the brake is engaged. They'll be off at all other times. Black, so they're unobtrusive and don't stand out.



This is the rear of the bike, showing two things. On the left is where I'm going to install the new LED bullet light that will act as another brake light. On the right, shows the location of the rear pancake reflector.


An image of the left-rear of the bike, showing how close up under the turn-signal stalk they are. I'm probably going to have to craft some kind of bracket to drop them down and to the rear a little more, so there's some separation between the brake-stalk lights, and the running light, so it will be a more visible from the side. This is going to take some thought, so that it doesn't look like a rigged-up job. I'd like things to look as professionally/factory done as possible. It's just my aesthetics, but I'd like it to look nice.  I also haven't decided yet whether or not I'm going to replace that square reflector at the bottom of the mud-guard with a running light. I think it would be overkill if it were to be a brake-light, since the bullet lights will be bright enough to catch attention. Unless the cager following me is on the phone...