60 miles & 1st oils changed

[Stig / Major Tom]

Hello, 60 miles on the scooter and still easing off to work each morning in the dark (29F degrees this morning!) trying to keep out of the way , while also following the manual's break-in rules. At or below 35 mph so far. Have no idea what "1/2 throttle" is since I don't wind it up - but will be an adventure to keep this up for 500 miles!

My service manager just told me "these Korean scooters don't need ethanol-free gas, they are changed out when they bring them over here, & you don't need additives if you don't hang it on the back of an RV camper."  (I called to ask how to deal with this issue mentioned in owner's manual here in Ohio > "Do not use fuel that contains Ethanol or Methanol." Also that I've read that Kymco owners are using additives or gas treatments; Stabil, SeaFoam, etc.)

He confuses me each time I dare to ask him something. "Korean"?, it came with a 'Made In China'  sticker on the front, and some videos say they are made in Taiwan. So, I'm slowly narrowing it down to north of Mexico and west of California.

Amsoil 10w40 motorcycle synthetic oil and Pro Honda Shaft Hypoid 80w90  is what they sent me home with. Then I read that Amsoil makes a scooter specific oil (my case arrived today!) and folks recommend non-synthetic oils for new Kymco engines. Following this advice - last night I put in Valvoline 10w40 reg oil and the Honda gear oil and cleaned the screen. Will use the Amsoil synthetic motorcycle oil in the lawnmower, I guess. The scooter specific oil goes in the Like "after break-in, as soon as I can figure out when that is.
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It was scary but fun to do this bit of servicing - geez those fellows in Taiwan/China/Korea run those drain & fill bolts in TIGHT! And they use hard alum washers - showing not a bit of 'crush' when I looked at them. I've worked on alloy (VW) engines for 45 yrs - and I'm careful on tightening things and try to use copper washers - or even the fatter copper 'crush' washers whenever possible. We're not holding a wing on here - just keeping some oil in an alloy chamber. I finally figured out that if I fill my wife's 1/4 cup measuring cup w/the Honda oil I will have very close to .18 L remaining in the 8 OZ Honda squirt bottle, for the Kymco gears.

You veteran scooter folks, and non-mechanical scooter folks who live near an experienced scooter shop, are sooooo lucky.

I'll be sorting this stuff out with the help of the internet,  this forum, and with long distance phone calls to scooter shop owners who don't know me from Adam. Next up will be the valve adjustment .....which is recommended somewhere between 200 miles (the owner's manual) and 1500 miles (per various on-line opinions)

This weekend I will pull that big black piece off, under the seat, and get my first look at my engine!

Issues so far : last few days have noted a rattle upon engine start - lasts for 30-45  seconds - then goes away. Something loose? Can find no source for this so will be most interested in looking under that seat !

[TroutBum]

Kymco is the largest Taiwanese  scooter company in Taiwan. The Like is manufactured in China under strict Kymco quality oversight.

In most states you have no choice but to use Ethanol. It won't hurt the engine as long as you use top tier gas brands.

Use of additives is a highly debatable topic. There are so many additives already in gas that many say adding more does nothing but line the pockets of those companies selling the stuff. I myself use Seafoam once a month if for nothing more than to help remove moisture and help keep the injectors clean. I have no proof if it works or just wasting my money, but a $10 can last me several months so I look at it as cheap insurance. Since I average 2 tank fills a week, I really don't need to use an additive. This especially true with modern fuel injection. Carbs are another story and additives have been shown to help when these scooters are placed in storage for long periods of time, overwinter for example.

Don't use synthetic oils for the first 1,000 to 1,500 miles. Synthetics don't allow the engine parts to wear properly. You want the less friction protecting qualities of dino oil to help aid in the break in process. Especially with older engine designs like those used in the Like.

The rattle might be the air cleaner mounting bolts coming loose. I lost the rear one somewhere on the side of the road. Finding a replacement metric flange bolt in yellow zinc was impossible so I replaced both mounting bolts with standard zinc bolts. There are some online dealers that sell Kymco part and the bolts can be had for a buck or two each, but they change $12 to ship. I can live with the cheaper alternative flange bolt sold at my local hardware store.

[Vivo]

Ride on Troutbum!

to add... open the CVT cover and clean them rubber dust from belt break-in.... lots of dust in there after about 300 miles or so...

Ethanol in fuel actually has no bad effect in the engine... as long as it doesnt get contaminated... the real concerns on the effect of ethanol is mostly on its effect(s) in some parts of the fuel system...like rubber, plastic, paper filter, mesh screens, etc.  The real question is, has the manufacturer improved the durability of these rubber, plastic, etc. parts in our scooter?... I just hope they did... 

[91cavgt]

What I'm about to post applies to the automotive realm and may or may not pertain to our scoots. 


When it comes to additives, the only thing that I personally occasionally use is Techron in the bottle.  GM's fuel injector cleaner in the bottle is basicly the same stuff.  You don't have to use it very often though, AS LONG AS you use top tier gas.  Some people say that gas is the same from one place to another, but I have seen for myself that is not the case.  I have seen a cars computer advance the timing by 5 degrees by using 87 octane gas from Shell vs. 87 octane gas from Racetrac (local cheap gas chain).  In hot weather in stop and go traffic, I have seen as much as 15 degrees of timing difference.  So buying good gas is well worth the extra pennies. 

As far as ethanol goes, any fuel injected engine will get less gas mileage while running gas with ethanol in it.  If you can find a local gas station that has real gas then it may be worth it to use the good gas.  Use this website to search for a local gas station that sells real gas;  http://pure-gas.org/

I too hope that the fuel lines in our Like will hold up to the ethanol fuel.  Luckily, the hose is very short and is relatively easy to replace should it go bad.   

[Vivo]

Maybe what they say that all gas is the same from one place to another refers to the raw gas... but it differs after refining or processing because different companies use different additives and formulations...  Even different stations of the same brand differs sometimes... factors are age of the gas station, maintenance practices, station management, contamination of tanks..etc.   

[91cavgt]

Maybe what they say that all gas is the same from one place to another refers to the raw gas... but it differs after refining or processing because different companies use different additives and formulations...  Even different stations of the same brand differs sometimes... factors are age of the gas station, maintenance practices, station management, contamination of tanks..etc.

I agree with you 100%.

[big blue]

Ditto!