New Kawasaki J300 scooter is really a Kymco Downtown 300

[zombie]

It's the margin of error that scares them off. Scooters are always broken/not running right.
Their "guy" can spend Days on a 15 minute choke issue, and replace every part he can get his hands on. There is no money in it for them so they don't bother learning.

In a town w/ 50-80 scooters I make my house payment on 20.00 per hour fixing scoots in my shed on weekends, and "slack" time.
If a dealer had ONE trained scooter tech at 85.00 an hour he would pay the salaries for 4-5 guys himself.

Big pictures intimidate small minded people.

[AMAC1680]

You're absolutely right.  I think that another thing that comes into play is the disdain that most motorcycle mechanics have for the scooter.  At our local bike shop (a Yamaha dealer), they refuse to work on any scooter that isn't Yamaha, and the mechanics are pretty clueless on top of that.  I went in one time and asked a question about a variator, and the mechanic looked at me and said "what's a variator?"  The sad part is, they also work on snow mobiles there, so for him to not know what a variator is, is laughable.  After I explained to him what it was he said "Oh, that's what that's called?" and then told me that they don't do that kind of work there (wanted to change the rollers and didn't have the tools myself to do it).

Folks will argue with me but the cycle dealer sees the scoot as the step child.
I got excellent service on my Goldwing yet the same dealer had "issues" when working on my Honda scoots. They admitted to me that the techs hate working on them and added that if they see three or four a year it's a lot. I also had a horrible experience with a dealer in Indiana while on a road trip. Couldn't find/fix a variator problem on the silverwing.

Just for sh**s a giggles I stopped  by a few Honda and Suzuki dealers over the summer looking at scoots but seeming "undecided" on if I should get a scoot or a cycle. Not a one tried to sell me on the scooter. Zero, nanda one. They pointed me at small cycles. All four of them.

I prefer to walk in and talk to people that know me and know scooters not cycles.
Get ready here come the Honda guys to tell otherwise. Ever wonder why they spend so much time here as opposed to the Honda sites? Confuses the hell out of me.

I get it in some places there is no other choice so it's Japan's market. Must suck.....

Be Big,
AMAC

[zombie]

No argument here!

[Porkie]

I think the service guys hate to have to take off all of the fragile Tupperware when major service is due, even though they get paid to do so. I hate it myself and I have a real, 7ft tall, hydraulic lift that makes servicing things easy. CVT's are still foreign to most people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuously_variable_transmission

These CVT's are in many modern autos now and are very problematic and unreliable and difficult for mechanics that are used to manual and 'normal' torque convertor type automatics.

These cycle and scooter mfg's design things so maintenance and repairs are almost impossible or very difficult for the owner:

Replacing the air filter on my 2012 Goldwing is time consuming and difficult, normally taking 3+ hours to do if you have done it before--the first time may be an all day task.

My Harley's air filters could be changed by a blind man in 10 minutes including break time.

Why do they hide spark plugs now? Why do they make valve adjustments so difficult: Screw and locknut, shim under bucket, shim over bucket, buckets that must be replaced in different sizes and then there is the Desmo that most folks have no idea about.

My first new Goldwing, a 1997 Aspencade had hydraulic lifters!!!! My new 1800 has adjustable lifters (34,000 mile intervals) but my Harleys were all hydraulic, plugs in the open as well as the air filter and oil filter!

Some of these scooters basically have to be stripped bare to do valve adjustments for instance and some must have the dual overhead cams removed to make adjustments. No wonder people don't want to work on them. The Vespa has to have the entire engine/ rear swingarm assembly detached and let down to do the valves. Stupid!

Sorry for the rant.

Sam:)

[AMAC1680]

I think the service guys hate to have to take off all of the fragile Tupperware when major service is due, even though they get paid to do so. I hate it myself and I have a real, 7ft tall, hydraulic lift that makes servicing things easy. CVT's are still foreign to most people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuously_variable_transmission

These CVT's are in many modern autos now and are very problematic and unreliable and difficult for mechanics that are used to manual and 'normal' torque convertor type automatics.

These cycle and scooter mfg's design things so maintenance and repairs are almost impossible or very difficult for the owner:

Replacing the air filter on my 2012 Goldwing is time consuming and difficult, normally taking 3+ hours to do if you have done it before--the first time may be an all day task.

My Harley's air filters could be changed by a blind man in 10 minutes including break time.

Why do they hide spark plugs now? Why do they make valve adjustments so difficult: Screw and locknut, shim under bucket, shim over bucket, buckets that must be replaced in different sizes and then there is the Desmo that most folks have no idea about.

My first new Goldwing, a 1997 Aspencade had hydraulic lifters!!!! My new 1800 has adjustable lifters (34,000 mile intervals) but my Harleys were all hydraulic, plugs in the open as well as the air filter and oil filter!

Some of these scooters basically have to be stripped bare to do valve adjustments for instance and some must have the dual overhead cams removed to make adjustments. No wonder people don't want to work on them. The Vespa has to have the entire engine/ rear swingarm assembly detached and let down to do the valves. Stupid!

Sorry for the rant.

Sam:)

I'm right with you my friend !
More naked scooters

Be Big,
AMAC

and more naked scooter girls. (I'm a pig by nature)

[NeoGenesisMax]

So if the Kawa scoot is a Kymco does that mean that mean that Kawa dealers/service centers will come to a grinding halt when they have to service these things because they have to wait months for parts from Kymco?  This is my biggest bitch about Kymco. I got my People and learned the hard way that it will rattle apart. I lost three or four bolts and a panel to normal operation (now thats quality right?) and have been waiting over two months for simple bolts, washers, and panels. If they dick Kawa around like that it will give Kawasaki a bad name.

[BettinANDlosing]

So if the Kawa scoot is a Kymco does that mean that mean that Kawa dealers/service centers will come to a grinding halt when they have to service these things because they have to wait months for parts from Kymco?  This is my biggest bitch about Kymco. I got my People and learned the hard way that it will rattle apart. I lost three or four bolts and a panel to normal operation (now thats quality right?) and have been waiting over two months for simple bolts, washers, and panels. If they dick Kawa around like that it will give Kawasaki a bad name.

That sir is a problem with whoever you ordered parts from, not Kymco. I order parts direct from Kymco daily, they are always 5-10 days out and faster if you pay 2 day UPS.

[AMAC1680]

That sir is a problem with whoever you ordered parts from, not Kymco. I order parts direct from Kymco daily, they are always 5-10 days out and faster if you pay 2 day UPS.

I've never had a parts issue either.
Sounds like a dealer problem, the scoot shouldn't rattle apart if it was PDI correctly. Loose not or screw here and there sure but not parts flying off.

I hope it works out for you, all the best.

Be Big,
AMAC

[AMAC1680]

BTW it has been reported that the J300 carries a registartion plate that says:

Kwang Yang Motor Co, Ltd

[zombie]

Naked... 60mph

[BettinANDlosing]

Naked... 60mph

^^^^^^^ best reply ever haha

[ts1]

If you can market and service thousands of Kawasaki motorcycles a year then working on a scooter should be child's play---and it is

n't!
The scooters small frame and overlapping fairings lead to unique access difficulties.
Example: A spark plug change on a Vespa LX50 4T 4V needs not only some fairings removed, but also releasing of the engine mounting!
Similar with bulb / rear tire change, valve adjustment, ...
You can service one 50cc scooter or two decent motorycles in the same time.
Try to explain to your customer, why the service bill for the kawa/yammi/beemer/... is 120€ every 10000km and for the little scooter 200€ every 5000km.

[Porkie]

Zombie, I don't like to ride NEKED especially at 60 mph as the-ah-Guy's get very cold---well, maybe not in Florida:)

Sam:)

[zombie]

I don't know what to say...

[Doc Wheezer]

You're absolutely right.  I think that another thing that comes into play is the disdain that most motorcycle mechanics have for the scooter.  At our local bike shop (a Yamaha dealer), they refuse to work on any scooter that isn't Yamaha, and the mechanics are pretty clueless on top of that.  I went in one time and asked a question about a variator, and the mechanic looked at me and said "what's a variator?"  The sad part is, they also work on snow mobiles there, so for him to not know what a variator is, is laughable.  After I explained to him what it was he said "Oh, that's what that's called?" and then told me that they don't do that kind of work there (wanted to change the rollers and didn't have the tools myself to do it).

That's pretty darn sad.
We don't have Snowmobiles here in southern Nevada, but don't some of the older ATV's use a variator for their drive systems?  Don't  those same dealerships sell ATV?