Hi! I got my AK 550! Few things to ask.

[AKinKorea]

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.

[rjs987]

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.

[AKinKorea]

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.

Huge thanks! Super helpful. I found the service manual through Google pretty easily. It’s interesting how these manuals are just out there! I’ve ridden a bunch of scooters, from 125cc local brands to the Cruisym 300i, and even some small-engine manual transmission bikes. But yeah, the Tmax and AK are a whole different breed, from the internals to the way they handle—so I’m really working to get the hang of them.

AKs are rare around here, and the same goes for the Tmax! So, there’s basically no local info source. I’ve seen people claim that the final drive belt should be checked or replaced every 20,000km (12,000mi), which would mean replacing all the transmission belt parts at the same time. Honestly, that sounds like bad info—if that were true, no one would ever go for the AK! Locals already shy away from these maxiscoots because of this kind of maintenance talk.

As for other transmission parts that need regular maintenance, your tips were great! I went ahead and ordered a new CVT belt and clutch set and will pick up stock roller weights, too. From what I understand, the CVT belt and clutch set should be swapped every 20,000km (12,000mi), unlike the final drive belt, which is supposed to last way longer. However some local owner reported that a final belt teeths will chirp out after 40,000km. So it definitely last longer than CVT belt, but not seems to be forever lasting.

But what about clutch plates? I heard from a local Tmax owner that he replaced his clutch plates after about 43,000km (26,700mi) of easy city driving. On the other hand, people who ride super aggressively—like full-on throttle all the time—have had to replace theirs in less than 10,000km (6,000mi). One guy had his engine go out because the burnt clutch pieces clogged the oil strainer, leading to oil flow issues. So now, I’m not sure when to check or replace mine—since afaik inspecting the clutch requires engine disassembly, which is of course a serious expense.

In addition, mine starts up at 2100 RPM, which is totally fine, so there’s no clutch slipping here. However, when I give it more throttle, the RPM increases—but it doesn’t seem to be proportional. For example, with 20% throttle, I get about 30 km/h, and the RPM stays around 3,000 to 4,000. But if I add more throttle, it suddenly jumps up to 6,900 without the CVT ‘gears’ changing, making it feel like there’s a delayed response in acceleration and deceleration. Thanks to the OBD gauge, I can see the exact values now. Is this normal? I’m wondering if it’s due to CVT belt slipping or if it’s just a characteristic of the AK’s CVT style. I also heard that centrifugal CVTs adjust their gear ratios based on not only RPM and speed but also throttle input. I’m not completely sure how this works.

[rjs987]

The final drive timing belt can wear faster if riding in really dusty/gravel infested roads or certain other conditions that might kick up a lot of trash into the timing belt cover. Those belts will not tolerate much junk, if any at all, getting between the belt teeth and the sprockets. The only part I know of that would need replacing when replacing the timing belt is the belt itself. If the front or rear sprockets are found to have damage then those would need attention as well but that should be really rare. No engine disassembly required to do this.

The clutch is on the left side just in front of the passenger foot peg. It is called the mission box in the service manual. Only the mission box needs to be pulled to replace parts in there.

I also do notice that the RPM of the engine is not linear with speed, nor is it proportional. There is a certain RPM required to get the AK moving. More to accelerate faster. But less to maintain a constant speed. RPM with a CVT has several factors involved. Centrifugal forces change the pulley ratios of course. More throttle will increase RPM which increases centrifugal force acting on the rollers. But load will counteract much of that throttle increase... such as more load for going uphill or into a headwind, less load for going downhill or with a tail wind, even while maintaining the same speed yet seeing higher or lower RPM respectively. Accelerating will also require more throttle = increasing the RPM = more load. I notice the RPM increase or decrease while keeping my speed constant when going up or down hills. This is all normal for a CVT. I have noticed my RPM varies from 4000 to 6000 at ANY speed between 45-65 mph depending on going uphill or downhill or accelerating or decelerating.