New 2022 Kymco AK 550

[Clampett]

The manual says to use Kymco Original 4-Stroke oil or one matching the specs.
That oil is JASO MA2.

This is not meant to tell you what to do. Just saying what is in the manuals recommended by Kymco.
I am one of those that usually use what I want regardless of the oil thread chatter. All the barking and growling doesn't change what I use.

[rjs987]

And I like how some people think they know more than all the documented facts and statements from a manufacturer and ignore all the photo evidence showing the very thing called a clutch. You must be kidding. Right?


Yep, Clampett posted a few of the pages that indicate the facts of the matter. One pic from the owner manual and other from the SM. You want better facts than the facts. Take one apart. But don't be confused about what certain parts are that you are evidently not familiar with. Such as that round assembly on the left side that receives the output of the CVT. Hint: it is directly connected at the left end of the CVT output shaft and sits in a bath of engine oil. It is the reason there are 2 oil drain plugs on the AK, one for the crankshaft well and the other for the WET CLUTCH well.


The JASO MA(2) spec is the Japan oil spec designed specifically for wet clutch systems. The owner manual you should already have if you own an AK 550 and it states to use JASO oil so I really shouldn't have to post a pic of that. But there are JASO specs that are not for using with a wet clutch, such as JASO MB. Go ahead and use any oil you want but if it isn't spec'd for a wet clutch and you have a wet clutch then don't complain about any clutch issues you have... even if you believe you don't have a clutch. The only surprise to me is that they do mention to use JASO oils but leave out to use MA/MA2. But then it is coming from Taiwan and not from Japan.


To be honest I am convinced you must be pulling our legs and just being contrary because you can. This just has to be a joke.

[jermwars]

And I like how some people think they know more than all the documented facts and statements from a manufacturer and ignore all the photo evidence showing the very thing called a clutch. You must be kidding. Right?


To be honest I am convinced you must be pulling our legs and just being contrary because you can. This just has to be a joke.

Might be the service guy where i bought my bike...

I promise ill stop.

[rjs987]

Right side and left side of AK 550 engine cut away.


Oh wait, no one's going to tell me there's no water pump on a scooter now are they?


Edited to correct markup in photo.

[rjs987]

I was wrong about the JASO terminology in the owner manual. It actually says SAE: 10W/40 MA. "MA" is a JASO specification that is designated for wet clutch applications in motorcycles and scooters. For this application I would highly recommend sticking to oils that designate JASO MA. Also note that the admonition at the bottom of the first column it mentions "If the engine or clutch is replaced..."


JASO MB is the spec for motorcycles and scooters that have a dry clutch or where the clutch does not share engine oil. In this application use any oil desired for the engine as long as all other specs are adhered to.

[Ruffus]

@guys I love this thread, pls carry on...
To put some oil....😊

JASO MA – This was the standard for single unit engines where the wet clutch, gearbox and engine used the same oil. JASO-MA oils don't contain friction modifiers.
JASO MB – This lower standard was for bikes that use separate oils for the engine, clutch and gearbox (e.g Harley Davidson's and BMW's)

[mousejunks]

The manual says to use Kymco Original 4-Stroke oil or one matching the specs.
That oil is JASO MA2.

This is not meant to tell you what to do. Just saying what is in the manuals recommended by Kymco.
I am one of those that usually use what I want regardless of the oil thread chatter. All the barking and growling doesn't change what I use.

Yep, follow the manual and don't go for the cheapest because it's cheap.

[Neil955i]

@guys I love this thread, pls carry on...
To put some oil....😊

JASO MA – This was the standard for single unit engines where the wet clutch, gearbox and engine used the same oil. JASO-MA oils don't contain friction modifiers.
JASO MB – This lower standard was for bikes that use separate oils for the engine, clutch and gearbox (e.g Harley Davidson's and BMW's)

Me too @Ruffus we had an old Castrol TV ad here where the strap line was “Casrol, liquid engineering”!

[rjs987]

My new Battery Tender Plus arrived today. I moved my old battery maintainer to my wife's Metropolitan for now and plugged in the new BT+ to my AK 550. All is good.

Later I'll get around to replacing the BT pigtail that is in the right glove box with the new 15 amp version that I recently also received. I measured the length and the 15 amp pigtail is a few inches longer than the BT pigtail that is installed already. 16 ga wire instead of the 18 ga that is in the BT pigtail.

[rjs987]

Oh, discovered something related to the AK 550 battery seeming to run down rather fast... I also find my phone runs down faster than before I had the AK... unless I turn off location and BT on my phone. I guess it's a good thing there's that USB plug in the left glove box. I have a 6 inch USB-C cord for my phone that I keep plugged in there while riding.

[jermwars]

My new Battery Tender Plus arrived today. I moved my old battery maintainer to my wife's Metropolitan for now and plugged in the new BT+ to my AK 550. All is good.

Later I'll get around to replacing the BT pigtail that is in the right glove box with the new 15 amp version that I recently also received. I measured the length and the 15 amp pigtail is a few inches longer than the BT pigtail that is installed already. 16 ga wire instead of the 18 ga that is in the BT pigtail.

Thats pretty nice coming from the glove box like that...i cant remember if you said that you ran that or had the dealer do it

[rjs987]

Thats pretty nice coming from the glove box like that...i cant remember if you said that you ran that or had the dealer do it

Dealer put that in there. I plan to put a grommet at the hole they drilled to run it into that glove box. Dealer said they had heard how this bike tends to run down the battery in a short time sitting.
Like I said earlier I plan to replace it with the slightly longer pigtail that can handle a 15 amp fuse. That's what I need to run my mini compressor should that ever be needed. I have a 12 vdc socket to SAE connector pigtail that can use on that pigtail if I need a 12 vdc socket.


Having it coming out of the glove box like that helps to grab my attention that it's connected. I did once try to back out with the maintainer connected on one of my previous bikes so good to have reminder.

[rjs987]

Decided to do some more testing of Noodoe navigation on my ride I am planning today. I made a few more changes to the settings that I think were causing issues for me before. When I last used Noodoe navigation I had it set to shortest route and to avoid highways. That last bit may have been my problem since I was constantly being routed to gravel roads that branched off of the highway I was on. With Google Maps and also Garmin units avoiding highways means to avoid Interstate or big fast highways which is what I usually do, but if I happen to end up on one of those the system automatically follows that road until the next logical economical exit. Maybe by turning off the avoid highways and setting navigation for fastest route it will work better for me.

I did find a limitation I didn't know about before. There are only 8 waypoints allowed in a single route!

The last few years I've been using my cell phone and Google Maps for navigation. Google Maps Navigate allows only 10 stop points. This really has not been a big issue to me since I can plan a route with 10 or fewer stop points from start to lunch and then another route from lunch to destination so the limited number of stop points was handled. The one issue I have with Google Maps Navigate is that when each stop point is reached navigation stops until you specifically tap on the continue button. That is really the only issue I have using Google Maps... Well, that and the issue with rain drops running down my screen acting like random finger presses all over the screen making the phone go crazy. My phone has the same water resistance rating as the current dedicated GPS units, IP68, so having my phone out in the rain is not an issue. It's just those darn drops running down the screen.

So because of those two issues with Google Maps I was looking forward to Noodoe navigation. I am still working out about possibly doing like I did with Google Maps Navigate... making multiple routes that I can run one after the other. Will see how that works or if it will.

[rjs987]

I think I've mentioned this elsewhere... The 2022 AK 550 models come in 4 colors:
Matte Silver
Space Gray (gloss finish, not matte)
Matte Black
Matte Deep Blue (mine)


As to cleaning a Matte finish. This is not skin. So the typical knowledge about how to clean skin chemically or otherwise does not apply. There are a number of products that are cleaners and also cleaners and protectants (sealers). Several available at Walmart from Hog Wash and McKee's, or Flitz, or Chemical Guys. They are formulated to avoid creating a glossy shine since that destroys a Matte finish. Dirt really doesn't stick to the Matte finish on my AK. When I was washing it off with just water and a micro fiber cloth any dirt just wiped right off. Even bug guts really were suspended with just water and wiped or rinsed right off after a soak. This seems contrary to how it was with all my other bikes which has a gloss finish. Most of the usual chemical cleaners for body panels will actually dull the finish, which is one reason a polishing wax is needed. You don't want a polishing wax on a Matte finish or it will become splotchy and be ruined. A gloss finish is ruined by grit that can scratch it. Gloss finishes scratch much easier than Matte finishes. Typical cleaning methods used on gloss finishes do not apply to Matte finishes. A Matte finish can also be scratched but if done carefully it doesn't scratch as long as dirt/grit is soaked and a wet micro fiber is used to wipe it off. And if there are any scratches they most likely happened due to not enough soaking being done and there was an attempt to wipe dirt off while still too dry.


This is in answer to a few questions that were asked in a thread on "what did you do with your Kymco scooter". I answer here since that other thread was not intended as a question/answer/discussion thread but was already starting to become just that instead of what it was intended for... a thread to report on daily activity.

[rjs987]

Hello,  Was planning on buying an AK 550 in May....but was watching the Youtube channel "BikeTrips" today and it seems he went with a BMW now because he says the AK 550 was unreliable....

This scares me!

Since I don't want to pay Yamaha or Suzuki prices I may have to go with a motorcycle instead of a Maxi scooter.
I know many AK riders love their scooters and may not want to discuss the problems they have with them.....so what to do?Jeff

Agree with not paying Yamaha prices for essentially the same scooter in the T-Max. Actually you'd have to pay even more and get the Tech Max to have one or two more features than come standard on the AK 550.As to the BMW c650 (if that's the one you were referring to)... Kymco makes the engine for that. From what I now have learned BMW was having quality issues with their c650 until they handed over the engine to Kymco and then things were way better. Maybe that guy on BikeTrips just had a lemon. I do know he had one of the early model years for the AK 550 (2017 or 2018?). The AK just came out at the end of 2017 so I think that was a 2018 model. I've known all brands and models of any kind of bike to have some issues in the first few years of production and some even have issues continuing. I am very happy with my AK so far.