Bad Sound Somewhere

[Bryan]

I think there may be something going wrong in my scoot. Last two days I started hearing something sounding different when pulling off. It's way more that the normal growl, a bit more like a bark. It's a bit of a thumping or bumping sound and the scoot feels a bit rough. Last night riding home it seemded to get worse so a took it very carefully. I had a good look once it had cooled off a bit and could see nothing visably wrong. Nothing loose or obvious anywhere. When I start it up and feed in the throttle gently as the revs increase past the idle it becomes a bit rough and thumps then when the clutch starts to engage it seems to go a bit smoother and quieter. I wonder if there may be something loose under those covers. It seems to be somewhere in the back section. I remember the original problem I had when new where it would seem to get hung up around 100km/h and they eventually replaced the whole clutch assembly, or so they told me. I'm not feeling so good about this one, just waiting for the dealer to open then I'll have them collect the scoot and see whats going on. Regards from Durban RSA.

[zombie]

I'll bet it is either the clutch has a broken spring/fly pad or the belt is shredding. Please let us know what they find.

[Bryan]

Had a chat with the dealer and he tells me they had a X500 in last week and replaced the clutch assembly. Seems very similar to how mine is reacting. They have collected the scoot and taken it in so now I wait to hear what they find. I'll keep you posted. Regards fron Durban RSA.

[Bryan]

Dealer tells me that he has opened up and had a look. He says the clutch linings are very badly glazed and this is what is causing the noise and roughness. He says it is caused by pulling off on a steep hill. This incline results in excess spin and slipping and builds heat which glazes the linings. Unfortunately my home is on the side of a hill and the road is a deadend road so I can only travel up that hill when leaving home to get onto the main road. Anyway they are replacing the linings under the warrenty. I'll ask to see the removed parts and try to take a photo of them. Then I'll see how it rides back and keep you posted. Regards from Durban RSA.

[wordslinger]

...it might be beneficial for you to lighten your variator rollers slightly...maybe .2 - .5 gram per roller..

..this would cause your scoot to rev a bit higher at take-off, and the clutch pads would be more engaged as you take off up your hill...might eliminate the glazing that is due to excessive spinning while not fully engaged...


..anybody else think so??


peace

[Bryan]

Thanks, I'll definately consider that a bit later, right now while it's covered by warrenty I'll just let them do it their way. I should also rethink my style of riding, maybe I'm feeding in too much gas when taking off and forcing the revs too high while the incline and weight is preventing the speed from increasing enough and contributing to the excess spin going on in there, what you guys think? I see an advert in the local media that the Vespa agents in Cape Town have been appointed as Malossi agents so I'll also chat with them when the time comes. I certainly can't imagine sitting with this problem every 5000 km. Now the dude tells me he doesn't have the parts in stock and Kymco SA is closed for two weeks for a stock take. I told him make a plan I am not waiting two weeks. Regards from Durban RSA.

[zombie]

All of the 500's here have had the same problem. The only one that cured it went ahead, and installed the Malossi clutch kit. Too much wieght for the materials in the stock clutch. I think slinger is on the right track w/ the lighter rollers, and getting more grab on accell because reving lower will just prolong the locking up of the clutch.

[winginman]

What wordslinger said...   Try the Dr Pulley 28 gm rollers (sliders) it will be a different scoot, believe me.

[axy]

I think there may be something going wrong in my scoot. Last two days I started hearing something sounding different when pulling off. It's way more that the normal growl, a bit more like a bark. It's a bit of a thumping or bumping sound and the scoot feels a bit rough. Last night riding home it seemded to get worse so a took it very carefully. I had a good look once it had cooled off a bit and could see nothing visably wrong. Nothing loose or obvious anywhere. When I start it up and feed in the throttle gently as the revs increase past the idle it becomes a bit rough and thumps then when the clutch starts to engage it seems to go a bit smoother and quieter. I wonder if there may be something loose under those covers. It seems to be somewhere in the back section. I remember the original problem I had when new where it would seem to get hung up around 100km/h and they eventually replaced the whole clutch assembly, or so they told me. I'm not feeling so good about this one, just waiting for the dealer to open then I'll have them collect the scoot and see whats going on. Regards from Durban RSA.

I had a a similar problem around 10.000 kms with my ex. Bev 200 and it was a broken (cracked) plate where the weight rollers are installed.
It was replaced (50 US$ plate, 50 US$ work) and I was good to go.
Bev has now 31.000 kms, no new problems with that plate...

[Bryan]

They called late yesterday to tell me the scoot was ready for collection. They had the parts in stock. I don't really understand how these things work, and have never had the opportunity to see inside or work on one of these. I had a look at the workshop manual but this doesn't help me to understand how it works. The weights seem to be key to this. I certainly don't want to have this problem every 5000 km and I'm not thinking about selling the house and moving to a flat area so I'll seriously consider changing. I was chatting to the Suzuki dealer about the scoot when I dropped off the GSX for service yesterday now he's trying to talk me into trading the scoot on the new Bergman. Will be picking up both my rides tomorrow morning and I'll see how the scoot is performing. Regards from Durban RSA.

[wordslinger]

.search Youtube for videos of cvt tuning...