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Author Topic: Stig's back on the road.....  (Read 4679 times)

Stig / Major Tom

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Stig's back on the road.....
« on: July 22, 2014, 01:09:58 AM »
My LIKE200i is in the shop for warranty work (I hope) due to engine cutting out - now at various speeds.
The final thing I tried before attempting the cross-town ride to the dealer was to re-install the orig. coil with a used plug lead & cap. The stupid thing of course only miss-fired once all the way there. This - after sitting for a week - as I mulled things over.
I will report what the dealer finds, if anything. They sell Ducatis and Gold Wings - surely they can fix this little Chinese-made scooter. I must have patience.

For some time I have been wanting to make a modest move up ....from this little LIKE200i.
I was pretty much all set to purchase a new white Honda PCX150. Perhaps the most popular scoot in the UK.
As most of you know the PCX150 will outrun the LIKE 163.....but more importantly it would provide me with years of reliable transportation for my simple commuting and weekend-goofing needs.
My wife looked at it and asked if this new scoot would carry two of us.
Well, no....why do you ask?
Cut to the chase - I've  been having too much fun on the scooter to not be sharing the experience with my best girl.
So, the Honda Forza and the Piaggio BV350 were explored.
The BV is gorgeous to the eye of a LIKE owner....
The Honda is more easily serviced where we live.(shoot, there are 4 Honda scooter dealers around here)
I had the 2 Honda dealers and the Piaggio dealer bid for my $ - two made reasonable counters to my offers.

PIAGGIO BV 350

HONDA FORZA



I do not know how long the Piaggio dealer can hang on in his small-town rural setting (the SYM dealer in the same town went belly up 2 yrs ago)

So, I brought home the Forza. One big thing I like about the Forza....I've already re-set the handle bars and brake levers way 'up' to comfortably clear my knees.
Jury is out on what to do with the LIKE200i - if it is repaired and running perfectly I may keep it since it now fits me so well...or pass it, along with all my spares, to a new lucky owner.
Stig

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TroutBum

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Re: Stig's back on the road.....
« Reply #1 on: July 22, 2014, 01:24:53 AM »
Congratulations. Nice looking scooter. I hear great things about the Forza. You'll have nice getup and go and a comfy ride. You can't go wrong with a Honda. Their distribution in the states mean parts and service are much much easier to come by.

Happy trails to you and Mrs Stig.
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jmwood1968

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Re: Stig's back on the road.....
« Reply #2 on: July 22, 2014, 02:04:45 AM »
Congratulations!
You better keep the Kymco your gonna get Mrs Stig on the back of that Honda an the next thing you know mammas gonna want her own.
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zombie

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Re: Stig's back on the road.....
« Reply #3 on: July 22, 2014, 02:16:12 AM »
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zombie

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Re: Stig's back on the road.....
« Reply #4 on: July 22, 2014, 02:18:55 AM »
Just so the comparison is fair...  New is always better! Good luck Bruv!

« Last Edit: July 22, 2014, 02:20:29 AM by zombie »
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"They have nothing in their whole imperial arsenal that can break the spirit of one Irishman who doesn't want to be broken."   Bobby Sands...

200i

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Re: Stig's back on the road.....
« Reply #5 on: July 22, 2014, 02:21:26 AM »
Stig, thanks for the update.  I to purchased a new ride this weekend, a 2006 Honda Big Rukus with only 8500 milles...what a blast to ride.   It's just for the longer rides I go on at times, I still plan to use the Like for shorter in town runs. 

I hope you do keep us posted and keep your Like as well.  I've learned much from your input.
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zombie

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Re: Stig's back on the road.....
« Reply #6 on: July 22, 2014, 04:57:24 AM »
Gotta love a Ruk! good luck.
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big blue

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Re: Stig's back on the road.....
« Reply #7 on: July 22, 2014, 04:18:18 PM »
Congrats Sig on the new ride. You probably won't need to do any tinkering to be comfy on the Forza. When you start to get the itch for a new scoot you gotta scratch! Keep hanging around even if you sell the Like. ;)
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2012 Kymco Like 200i LX (Sold)  Salem, Oregon USA

SgtShak

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Re: Stig's back on the road.....
« Reply #8 on: July 22, 2014, 05:58:52 PM »
Gotta love that new bike smell.    Good luck with the new scoot. 
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bluesin

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Re: Stig's back on the road.....
« Reply #9 on: July 22, 2014, 08:22:33 PM »
Could have gotten the Forza at my dealer, but- the Downtown 300i has more power and rates better in most motorcycle reviews ( especially for the price ) . Not a big fan of the bulbous look of the Hondas, now.

Love my DT300i ... I can flick that bike anywhere I want .
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Stig / Major Tom

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Re: Stig's back on the road.....
« Reply #10 on: July 22, 2014, 08:26:23 PM »
Quote from: big blue on July 22, 2014, 04:18:18 PM
You probably won't need to do any tinkering to be comfy on the Forza.
Actually, I had the salesman remove the backrest hump on the Forza seat for a look-see, before I bought it. I told him how the new Piaggio BV350's backrest bump can be removed with 3 screws. A lot of perspective buyers were put off by the hump on the BV seats - so the dealers learned to show them how easy it is to remove. (there is a world-wide hope that all manufacterers will quit putting those stupid things on scooter seats!! There's a nice business in the Philippines selling PCX Honda seats with the bump removed.) Didn't work on the Forza...seat would have to be repadded and recovered.
The owner of the shop came around while the salesman was unbolting the seat bump...he calmed down after he was told that Piaggio's are being sold in the next county with it removed. Keep the customer happy!
Stig
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Boston Strong
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Stig / Major Tom

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Re: Stig's back on the road.....
« Reply #11 on: July 22, 2014, 09:00:44 PM »
Quote from: bluesin on July 22, 2014, 08:22:33 PM
Could have gotten the Forza at my dealer, but- the Downtown 300i has more power and rates better in most motorcycle reviews ( especially for the price ) . Not a big fan of the bulbous look of the Hondas, now.

Love my DT300i ... I can flick that bike anywhere I want .
Glad you like your Kymco!
Truly, glad you're happy with your scoot!
For some of us - bigger, faster, etc. is not where we're at.
My 4 Honda bikes were never the fastest in their class....but there were 3 reasons I kept buying them:
Build & engineering quality
Reliability
Value

If the DT300i were about $1000 less I would have given it more consideration on the showroom floor.
IMHO the $1900 to $2500  Kymcos are their best values.

We all buy our vehicles with something in mind.
Hondas fit my ....whatever you want to call it.
Ride safe!
Stig
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Boston Strong
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bluesin

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Re: Stig's back on the road.....
« Reply #12 on: July 22, 2014, 11:09:40 PM »
Quote from: Stig on July 22, 2014, 09:00:44 PM
Glad you like your Kymco!
Truly, glad you're happy with your scoot!
For some of us - bigger, faster, etc. is not where we're at.
My 4 Honda bikes were never the fastest in their class....but there were 3 reasons I kept buying them:
Build & engineering quality
Reliability
Value

If the DT300i were about $1000 less I would have given it more consideration on the showroom floor.
IMHO the $1900 to $2500  Kymcos are their best values.

We all buy our vehicles with something in mind.
Hondas fit my ....whatever you want to call it.
Ride safe!
Stig

WE all like what we like on our bikes. That keeps originality in play... a good thing. Hope your new ride is a good fit for your  :) :D ;D .

Ride safe , yourself and enjoy!
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SgtShak

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Re: Stig's back on the road.....
« Reply #13 on: July 22, 2014, 11:25:15 PM »
Stig....I don't know if that rider seat hump mounts like many of the others....but if so, check out www.bestbackrest.com and see if it's something you might like.  I used them on my Burgman(s) and they were pretty comfortable and had a good look.  Basically an Isuzu headrest.
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scooto

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Re: Stig's back on the road.....
« Reply #14 on: July 23, 2014, 07:12:38 PM »
Stig,
take a look at this picture of my Beverly 350 and you'll see that you made a mistake....  ;)

I still own a Like 200i (21.000 km's) and love it, because it looks like a "real" scooter.

When looking for something stronger last year, the Beverly turned out to be the only "grand" scoot that did not look like a malformed, blown-up insect, but has at least some remains of italian style.

Nevertheless: please don't feel offended and have fun with your new toy!

Greets from Germany
scooto
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