Kymco People 150 Drive Train Upgrade-itis Rant

[Mr. Paul]

I have posted this in the general discussion board, but thought my experience may be helpful here;


   I purchased a 2009 Kymco People 150 a few months ago and immediately started to add parts in hopes to improve its performance and longevity. I replaced the drive belt with a kevlar one. I replaced the rear contra spring with a stiffer one. I replaced the original variator rollers with sliders. And the list goes on and on.
   None of these "upgrades" improved performance one bit. In most cases the performance was worse! I have come to the conclusion that the engineers who designed the ENTIRE drive system on the Kymco People 150 know more than I do about what works best for that model. I have since replaced the drive parts with original Kymco parts and am very happy to ride and enjoy a well made and well designed machine.
   I now have a newfound respect for the people that made this machine. They really knew what they were doing. Instead of upgrading, I am researching the  next scooter for me when the time comes. It will have a little more  cubic centimeters ;-)
   

[CROSSBOLT]

There is not a thing wrong with "hot rodding" anything. However, it will take time to get the comprimises right for your taste. The engineers do pretty well as a rule, more so on these scooters since there is little to work with.

Karl

[Mr. Paul]

Agreed Karl! I have been hot rodding things for years and with good success. My experience on this particular machine is that the time/cost/benefit of upgrading was just not there for me.  That being said, this has been a good learning experience for me and I now pretty intimately know the machine I am riding. I guess all education has to cost something, eh? I appreciate your knowledge and contributions to these posts and have learned from them. Have a great one man..