MY 2022 KYMCO AK 550

[Dale]

MY first post got a (error occurred). What constitutes an error? MY KYMCO is the finest scooter I've ever owned but, two things, the battery is buried in the dash. One has to remove the windshield to get to it. To charge the battery during winter, I'll run a wire harness probably out through one of the small compartments to a battery charger. My other THING is the suspension. I cannot find any information about it. Does not look adjustable. The owners manual doesn't even mention it. All comments welcome. Dale

[Stig / Major Tom]

Please ignore the error message.
We all do.
noeyedeer why we get it.
There are no 'steps' on the rear shock? ...is it a semi-horizontal mono-shock? Like my Burgman was? If so - the Burg could be adjusted (with some difficulty) with a tool from beneath the scooter.

Stig

[Dale]

Please ignore the error message.
We all do.
noeyedeer why we get it.
There are no 'steps' on the rear shock? ...is it a semi-horizontal mono-shock? Like my Burgman was? If so - the Burg could be adjusted (with some difficulty) with a tool from beneath the scooter.

Stig

[Dale]

Thanks Stig, I also had a Burg. I adjusted it once. It was a real pain in the .....

[rjs987]

MY first post got a (error occurred). What constitutes an error? MY KYMCO is the finest scooter I've ever owned but, two things, the battery is buried in the dash. One has to remove the windshield to get to it. To charge the battery during winter, I'll run a wire harness probably out through one of the small compartments to a battery charger. My other THING is the suspension. I cannot find any information about it. Does not look adjustable. The owners manual doesn't even mention it. All comments welcome. Dale

Nope, the rear shock is not adjustable. But I don't need it to be anyway since it is good for me as is. I know, not everyone will like the factory shock but it is what it is.

I've posted a thread here in the technical sub forum about replacing the Battery Tender pigtail the dealer put in with a slightly longer one with 16 ga wire instead of the standard 18 ga wire. That is run into the right glove box and is easy to get to there. That's so I can plug in my Slime mini compressor if I need it. That device needs at least 15 amps to work and 18 ga wire is just too small for that many amps. I also have a USB dongle to plug into it if I need an extra one other than the one built into the left glove box and also a 12 vdc socket adapter that can plug into the SAE connector of that cable as well as a 3 ft extension and a battery clamp set to get a charge from another bike if needed (or to GIVE a charge to another bike if needed). All these adapters are kept on the bike when traveling.

I also have removed the windshield and meter cover (that cover under the shield) several times now and it's becoming an easy job to do any more. Once to verify my battery was still good, once to replace the dealer installed Batt Tender cable, and once again to install the electrical wiring for my LED bar on the tail. I added a T handle with sockets and a few Allen wrenches to the tool kit to make it easy to get to the battery while on the road. A 5 minute job if I take my time at it. I put in a post in the forum about those tools also.

My previous bike was a Burgman 650 which had the adjustable rear shocks but I don't know of a Burgman that had a horizontal rear mono-shock. The 200 and 650 that I know about are both dual almost vertical shocks.

BTW @Dale... did you know you can include your comments with a quoted post comments as long as you type your content AFTER or BEFORE the {quote...} or {/quote} codes without changing those codes (brackets changed here to prevent the forum software from handling as a true quoted comment).

[Dale]

Thanks Bob I put my windshield in the HIGH position. Think I'm getting more wind than before. I'll bet there isn't a half dozen adult scooters in Keokuk, Iowa. Were a small town of approx 10,000 and mostly Harley's. I've had a 400 and 650 Burg, don't remember much about the suspension. Harley boys did not like me kicking their butts with my little scooter so I stopped doing that. MY 550 came from Sun & Fun in Iowa City. It would cost me $200 a trip for maintenance so they are sending me an oil change kit for the 600 mile break-in period. The suspension is ok but the seat is a little hard. Dale

[rjs987]

Thanks Bob I put my windshield in the HIGH position. Think I'm getting more wind than before. I'll bet there isn't a half dozen adult scooters in Keokuk, Iowa. Were a small town of approx 10,000 and mostly Harley's. I've had a 400 and 650 Burg, don't remember much about the suspension. Harley boys did not like me kicking their butts with my little scooter so I stopped doing that. MY 550 came from Sun & Fun in Iowa City. It would cost me $200 a trip for maintenance so they are sending me an oil change kit for the 600 mile break-in period. The suspension is ok but the seat is a little hard. Dale

I grew up in Keokuk. My dad was a PE teacher at the highschool through the '60s and also the swim coach for the HS and the YMCA and also AAU swimming during the summer. He was the manager of the public pool while I was growing up and headed up all the Red Cross swimming and water safety programs there during that time. The town has changed a lot since we moved in 1970 but really not all that much bigger than it was then. My grandparents built a really nice (at that time) house 7 miles north of town on the bluffs overlooking the river. It is still there that I know of and was most recently used as an office building by Hendricks River Logistics. It's located between Sandusky and Galland. We spent most weekends there and bought eggs from the farmer just north before the company dug all that farm down to river level and destroyed the farmland there. We used to fish in the pond on my grandfathers land. He had 26 acres and sold most of it for housing development. Lots of fond memories there.

I had asked Sun & Fun about ordering an AK for me last fall but they said they couldn't get one back then. That's when I went to Edwardsville, IL for mine since they also would give me a really good trade value for my Burgman. I stopped in Keokuk on my way back with my AK and stayed at the Super 8 motel on 218 on the north side of town. I did take my AK to Sun & Fun for warranty service once early this year. I used a U-Haul mc trailer that cost me $15 for taking it there and again bringing it back home. I would have ridden it there and back but that would mean my wife driving the car following me each way so the trailer allowed her to stay home.

BTW- I like to keep the windshield in the lower position except during winter. I put it in the upper position from mid November through March. My Burgman 650 had an electrically adjusting shield but I always did the same with that. Down all through the usual riding season and then up from November through March with very little adjusting of it at any other time. That's how I knew I just didn't need the electrically adjusting screen. Same happened with cruise control. I had that with my Gold Wing but almost never used it so never miss not having it since 2006 when I sold that bike. Besides, it's not like it's helpful while riding county roads and smaller highways, especially if they are very curvy (when I travel away from central Iowa of course). I guess I'm easy to please with basic features on any vehicle.

[Stig / Major Tom]

Nope, the rear shock is not adjustable. But I don't need it to be anyway since it is good for me as is. I know, not everyone will like the factory shock but it is what it is.

I've posted a thread here in the technical sub forum about replacing the Battery Tender pigtail the dealer put in with a slightly longer one with 16 ga wire instead of the standard 18 ga wire. That is run into the right glove box and is easy to get to there. That's so I can plug in my Slime mini compressor if I need it. That device needs at least 15 amps to work and 18 ga wire is just too small for that many amps. I also have a USB dongle to plug into it if I need an extra one other than the one built into the left glove box and also a 12 vdc socket adapter that can plug into the SAE connector of that cable as well as a 3 ft extension and a battery clamp set to get a charge from another bike if needed (or to GIVE a charge to another bike if needed). All these adapters are kept on the bike when traveling.

I also have removed the windshield and meter cover (that cover under the shield) several times now and it's becoming an easy job to do any more. Once to verify my battery was still good, once to replace the dealer installed Batt Tender cable, and once again to install the electrical wiring for my LED bar on the tail. I added a T handle with sockets and a few Allen wrenches to the tool kit to make it easy to get to the battery while on the road. A 5 minute job if I take my time at it. I put in a post in the forum about those tools also.

My previous bike was a Burgman 650 which had the adjustable rear shocks but I don't know of a Burgman that had a horizontal rear mono-shock. The 400 and 650 that I know about are both dual almost vertical shocks.

BTW @Dale... did you know you can include your comments with a quoted post comments as long as you type your content AFTER or BEFORE the {quote...} or {/quote} codes without changing those codes (brackets changed here to prevent the forum software from handling as a true quoted comment).

Stig

[rjs987]

I guess I was a bit confused.It was the 650 and the 200 Burgman which both have dual upright rear shocks. And the 400 has that mono shock buried in the body under the middle.

[Dale]

I live a block from the high school in a brick house owned by Leo Murphy who was a teacher. He's gone now. I never thought of a U-haul, have to get a trailer hitch on my car. I was waiting for a new Rebel 1100 when I seen the KYMCO. Sun & Fun had a blue one and a black one. Took one test ride and bought the black one. Disappointed by the flat paint job. I'm older and overdue to get rid of the heavy bikes. Retired from the Coast Guard and bought a Gold Wing. Have rode them for years.

I would like a backrest but the scooter is too new for aftermarket stuff. There is a CC out there that fits most scooters. Very advanced, manual though, sells for $200. I may go for another one of those. Dale