New used GV 250

[jak51]

Well, I picked up my new used 2007 Grand Vista 250 Saturday.  Bought it from the dealer who sold it to the original owner (the only owner).  Came equipped with a tall Givi windscreen, a color-matched Givi trunk bag, a captain's seat, and only has 5900 miles on it.  All the fluids were flushed and changed prior to pickup, and the scoot has new tires, as well.  It was a fun ride bringing it home from the dealer.  The last time I rode a scooter is when I first starting riding back in 1966, and that was on a Honda 50 step-through.  I've been riding BMW's for the majority of my riding life, and frankly got tired of swinging my leg over a tall touring bike.  My knees aren't what they used to be.  So that's my story.  Anyway, like I said, it was a good ride home.  I have a question - what is the idle RPM of a GV?  I noticed that the scoot was running at about 2000 (or two bars) at idle, and sounded kind of loud.  Is this what it should be running at?  Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Jeff

[CROSSBOLT]

Not specifically familiar with the GV250 but would guess about in the range of 1600 +/- 100 rpm like most the rest of the Kymco stable of thumper scoots. 2000 seems a bit high. That being a carburetor engine should be simple to sneak the idle stop down a bit.

Welcome to the forum! You have a good time here.

[jak51]

Thanks.  At idle, the scoot sounded a little loud.  I know ny m'cycles all idled at about 800 to 1000 rpm.  The dealer is not too far from my house, so I may take a quick ride there later in the week and have them lower the idle speed while I watch. 

Jeff

[CROSSBOLT]

You could check out the service manual at cyclepedia.com for the authentic idle speed. You had motorcycles before so you already know about throttle cables.

[jak51]

Karl -

Thanks for the suggestion.  I forgot that I had already downloaded the service manual last week, and, by golly, you were right.  According to the manual, the scoot's idle speed should be 1700 rpm, + 100.  If I'm running at about 2000 rpm, I guess it's not much to worry about until I take it in for service.  I also need to get used to how loud the scoot is compared to a touring m'cycle.

Thanks. again.

Jeff

[stuo]

Welcome to the forum! I'm in love with the GV 250, I'm now on my third one.

Yes, they are louder than most other bikes. I replaced the muffler on my first GV, but to no avail: same noisy exhaust.

If the scooter doesn't creep at idle don't worry about the idle speed. 1700rpm  is normal but the  instrument tach, not being very accurate may show two bars. Notice that it will idle fast for a minute or two when first started until the warm-up enricher kicks off. I let mine idle on the center stand for a minute.

A tip: the two screws that fasten the mirrors to the body can easily strip the threads in the pot metal bracket they attach to, so be gentle with that 3mm allen wrench if you find your mirror loose, flopping up and down.   

[jak51]

Thanks!  Good advice.  I appreciate it.  I've checked the stability of the mirrors based on previous posts I've read in the forum.  Right now, they seem to be tight and secure.  But I'll keep your advice in mind if I ever need to tighten the mirrors.  Today was cool but sunny, so I took the scoot out for a quick ride.  This weekend's supposed to be gorgeous and warm, so I plan to take the scoot to a large, unoccupied parking lot (not too difficult to find nowadays) and practice turns, braking, etc.  I've discovered that the scoot handles differently than a larger motorcycle, and even a small training bike.  That's the old MSF instructor coming out.  I need to practice what I taught.

Again, thanks for the welcome and the tips.

Jeff

[stuo]

Another tip: I ran a 14 gauge fused line (15 amp) directly from the battery to the 12volt phone charger socket, unsoldering the factory wires. Now I can run a tire pump, or easily charge the battery while parked in the garage (in addition to  charging my phone on the go). You will need to ground the negative side of the socket to a nearby frame member fastener.

The factory setup doesn't provide enough current for more than charging your phone and you can't charge the battery through it. 

[jak51]

Thanks for the fused wire suggestion.  Sounds like a good idea if I need an air pump.  The dealer installed and hard wired a Battery Tender prior to my picking up the bike, so that's covered.  Bur I do like the idea of having a fused wire running current from the battery to the plug.  Terrific.

Jeff