Air, fuel, transmission, or clutch?

[Petey4]

Yeah, I've been keeping an eye on your battery posts. Assuming the shop doesn't find anything else pertaining to the starter issue, I'll definitely get a new battery pretty soon. Can't hurt.

On the fuel expansion problem, I've inspected the cap many times looking for clues. Seems to function fine, but maybe something's wrong with it. Whenever I smell gas, even if it's not enough to be dripping on the street, I look under the seat and there's always pooling around the cap. Seems like some sort of vacuum would have to be responsible. Unless somehow it's related to bad signals being sent to the pump??

Thanks for sharing interest. Will post new discoveries. I've not yet been spending tons of time and effort investigating every thread for every symptom -- mainly to wait until I find out if the the worst problems (like the lurching) are connected to some of the smaller symptoms.

[vespbretta]

If I were you, I wouldn´t give this starter issue (which isn´t really an issue by the way) too much attention.
My Like 200i has and always had the same "issue" for 4 years now since new. I also changed the battery but the "issue" remained.
I guess the reason for it is that the starter motor is a bit too weak for the engine in some cases when the piston is in compression stroke to start and turn over. At least at the second attempt the scooter always starts immediately.
See it positively that your engine (piston/cylinder) has a good, strong and healthy compression ratio.
By the way, the much more expensive Vespa scooters do have similar issues with starter motors. An observation I repeatedly made on my brothers Vespa GTS 300.

The TPS could be resetted also for a first attempt. Therefore the pink wire in the battery compartment needs to be put against ground (green) for a few seconds while ignition key is on.
Repositioning of the TPS afterwards is done by just 3 cycles key on and off for each a few seconds (I guess 3 or 5 seconds after each turn).
There is also a blinking code reset procedure available, but it´s more tricky to achieve propperly. I guess an instruction is already available here in the forum.

And as a general hint: Do not manually try to set the TPS unit by turning any skrews there!!! You will ruin it. It´s all factory preset and every possible adjustment needed afterwards can only be done electronically by the diagnostic tool from kymco!!!

Depending of which weights/rolls you are using there might be also a little issue in the drivetrain. If you are using the specially designed sliding rolls from Dr. Pulley you or your mechanic should have made sure that the variomatic plate edges were filed/polished down a bit. Otherwise the sharp edges could make the sliding rolls flip over and at least wear more rapidly and cause troubles also. If you want to know more about this, go to the Dr. Pulley website and read the blog there.

And your gas tank ventilation issues also have been discussed here many times already I guess - as far as I can remember.
The whole gas tank ventilation system is more complicated in the US than everywhere else on this planet.

And Stig for example is a very active and experienced member and administrator in this forum for the Like 200i. He has written many excellent point by point service guides with pictures - almost essays.  He knows a lot, if not almost everything. 
Just try to read a bit in this forum - you will find tons of good and helpful stuff here.

[Petey4]

Thanks, Robo, for the tips and perspective. I'd been waiting to get too deeply into greasy troubleshooting, partly because I'm an old guy with limited energy, but mainly to allow the shop to do what they can while under warranty. I had never been very confident about them, but my recent visit was all the more discouraging.

First, they informed me that it was showing no error code, and the diagnostic tool showed no record of any errors. Frankly, I believe they probably reset it before doing anything. I had been checking for any change in the six-blink code every day for weeks -- including just before riding it to the shop. Big coincidence if it just happened to clear the moment it was in their hands. Then they told me if it had been showing an error it would have been recorded in the diagnostic history. Well, I said, then that's evidence of another chip problem (I had not ingested any LSD in decades, so I doubt I was hallucinating those blinking lights). They told me they'd call Kymco to ask what it might mean, but, of course, I never heard back from them.

After leaving the bike overnight, they said their test rides produced no halting or bad performance. I have trouble believing this as well. While it doesn't lurch badly like it used to, it definitely struggles periodically -- and always before it's warmed up. Always. When applying the throttle from a stop it bogs down at first, before kicking in roughly. Not fun.

So unless something new develops in the next couple of months before the warranty runs out I'll be gradually trying some of the many things I've already been reading here. Perhaps the problem will turn out to be something relatively clear and simple, but I'm still not even sure whether to start with the tranny or the fuel. Meanwhile I'm annoyed with the shop, because I know what this machine feels like when it's running smooth. That ain't happening now.

I agree, the periodic rough starting has never left me stranded, so I'm not overly worried -- and one of these days I'll replace the battery. The shop suggested my fuel overflow problem might be splashing when hitting bumps, but I would have thought that would have been documented here many times. (Maybe something's wrong with my cap though?) Mostly I've seen posts about overfilling the tank, which is not my issue.

BTW, a salesman told me he believed the rumor that Kymco won't make this model in 2019, allowing the "superior" 150 to completely take the Like 200's place in the market.

[CROSSBOLT]

Ho-hum. (Yawn)(scratch, scratch) Same-o, same-o from a dealer. BS and delay....

[Stig / Major Tom]

The lurching due to a ailing TPS can be hard to replicate. My dealer had my LIKE200i so long.....i bought a nice Honda Forza!

That gas leak.....has just about got to be a bad cap seal.....or a bad weld around the tank neck, or the seam in the tank.. Something like that.
Sure wish you were local.....I love looking into these LIKEs. That early TPS was about the only hiccup this scoot has had in it's 8 year run. Maybe it's crept up again with a new batch of TPS's....or maybe not. Might be that blasted EPA breather junk we have in the States - which can get fouled with one over fill.

Lurching, to me, otherwise is glazed belt or more likely, glazed clutch pads.
Man, wish you were down the street!.

Stig