Stay with Kymco?

[hypophthalmus]

As discussed in another thread, my People 250's engine self-destructed at just over 19,000km (12,000ish miles). The timing got off somehow, and the piston collided with the valves, leaving the crankcase full of tiny metal fragments.

It's bothering me that I don't understand what happened. I maintained it religiously, and it seemed to be working great just prior.

It's making me not trust Kymco engines in general, to the point that if I do find a replacement engine, I might decide to sell it. Maybe they're all at the edge of mysterious and catastrophic failure?

On the other hand they're held in generally high regard and the forum isn't full of people with this problem.

[CROSSBOLT]

Your disaster has shown the rest of us to get familiar with the timing chain tensioner, how it works, how to set/adjust it and how often. That is no consulation to you and the work and expense to get your ride back but is of great value to all that you shared and were very quick to remove and tear-down your engine. I think this is an isolated incident since there are some really high mileage contributors to this forum. I bet De dee has not tensioned the timing chain on his 50000 mile DT300i yet!

Karl

[ScooterLar]

My 2006 People 250 has about 24K KM/15K miles with absolutely no engine issues. I own 6 other Kymcos with considerably less mileage, but also no engine issues. Based on my positive experiences and the experiences of other Kymco owners, I think your engine problem is an isolated incident.  Then again, it wouldn't hurt for all of us to keep an eye on the timing chain tensioner.

[TroutBum]

Unfortunately failures happen. Kymco is known for its high quality and I believe they perform rigorous tests to ensure reliable products. I feel bad for you cause you did nothing wrong to deserve this. Hopefully you can find a replacement engine and be back on the road. I would not give up on Kymco. They have a proven track record for reliability. Even competitors rely on Kymco's to manufacturer components used in their product offers. Those competitors are the most reliable PTW manufacturers on the planet. They are not about to have just any manufacturer make components for them.

[vespbretta]

Timing chain tensioners are totally maintanance free - normally. There is nothing you can service or adjust. They should work reliably for the whole life of the engine.
Hypo just had bad luck with his tensioner. Somehow the spring in this tensioner must have suffered an early fatigue or cracked (material defect) and caused the chain to leap over a tooth or two on the sprocket of the camshaft due to tension deficit.

That´s why I do not baby my engines too much nor treat them religiously. Right from the start. Because only then a weak part can and most likely will be detected soon and preferably within the warranty period. 

[hypophthalmus]

I was just about to say this about the tensioners. It sounds like on modern bikes, they're almost always automatic. They're pushed out by spring tension, but they can't retract like zip ties.

As far as I can tell, mine is normal in the regard. I suppose it's possible that the spring is weak (I don't have another one to compare it to) or it got stuck somehow.

[hypophthalmus]

I do hope my posts helped someone though.

I did get some value out of it as well: I learned a lot about engines. And discovered that these engines are incredibly pleasant and easy to work on. It took my about three stress-free hours to get the head off, versus at least 3 very stressful days on my van.

[MJR]

I don't know what kind of tensioner is on your bike but if you are interested in reading here's a post about my '03 Suzuki Burgman 650 which had a engine rattle clack noise at just off idle. The timing tensioner turned out to be the issue of a poor design/manufacture and how I resolved the problem through a modification. http://burgmanusa.com/forums/15-burgman-650/53149-engine-rattle-idle.html#post526929

[hypophthalmus]

You inspired me to open my tensioner up.

The design is different. Basically, a very long strip of metal acts as a spring, turning a threaded rod down a threaded hole. It can't be pushed straight back because of the threads.

It's well oiled, and mine seems to be working smoothly with the threads in good condition. As hard as I tried to push and jiggle it, I couldn't get it to slip.

[CROSSBOLT]

Sounds like the Honda tensioner. 'Magine that!

Karl

[hypophthalmus]

I've been considering my options in case I do need to part out my bike. Although I'm definitely getting way ahead of myself since it's going to be a long time before I can actually afford anything...

In short, I need something that can reliably take 300ish mile round trips loaded with camping supplies. Windy mountain roads (occasionally rough gravel ones full of pot holes.) and fast (80mph) highways.

The 300cc Kymcos seem very compelling on paper. Do they really put out 29.5hp? That sounds incredible for it's size and weight.

Otherwise, the most compelling scooter is the Yamaha Majesty. Only slightly wore gas mile and larger. In terms of power, still favorable to what I had and I wouldn't be taxing the motor as much. Parts availability would be better (there's a only a Yamaha dealer I think where I'm trying to move to). I briefly saw one on Craigslist where I'm trying to move to for $500... I wish I hadn't.

Lastly, there's the Virago / VStar 250. I've always thought them to be very nice looking. Now I'm realizing that technically they have some compelling advantages. There'd be no worries about cooling failure since they're air cooled. It puts out a good deal of power while being light weight. Apparently fuel efficiencies in the 70's and 80's mpg isn't uncommon. And supposedly v twin engines sound nice (I'm a sucker for nice sounding things).

The obvious problem (and the reason I never went with it in the past) is the complete lack of storage. But maybe with enough bags it wouldn't be so bad? Also, I'd have to learn how to true and tension spoked wheels which has always sounded intimidating.

[Stig / Major Tom]

First option that comes to mind in your price range, after reading your 'needs' list is a 6 to 10 year old Corolla.


Others will disagree, but I think you're asking a lot of a 300 cc scooter.
Stig

[hypophthalmus]

First and foremost, it needs to have two wheels for a number of reasons. The Corollas don't perform well in that configuration, and are out of my price range anyways.

Is there a reason you're suggesting a car instead of a more capable bike?

The Majesty is actually 400cc. But the 300cc Kymcos put out almost as much power, and have a better power to weight ratio.

I'm open to larger engines if it's necessary for reliability and longevity. And there are a lot of tempting Silverwings around that can be had for not much money, if only the gas mileage weren't relatively terrible. Although I'd like to do as much as possible with as little as possible. I've never had a complaint with how the People 250 performed on those roads.

[Forbes1964]

I owned a 2013 Yamaha Majesty for all of one month until I had an accident caused by carelessness and inattentivness that totaled it and hurt me.  I LOVED it. I had put less than 100 miles of 3,000 miles on it in 28 days. I bought it as a previously unsold unit with only 1/10 mile on it. But from what I've read on the Yamaha forum, they are nearly indestructible provided you change the air filters religiously. They get dirty easy and are fairly difficult to change. So many people neglect them. But the maintenance is low. And I've seen a few owners who report 70, 80,90 thousand semi trouble free miles. The biggest advantage I see vs the Downtown is legroom. The seat is adjustable. The thing has a HUGE amount of space under the seat. It held nearly as much as my Xciting 250 which had a top box on it. They did have fuel pump problems but I believe most were repaired under recall. It doesn't have an oil light nor does it have a power point. But I added my own power point. And the battery is fairly difficult to access. From what I've read, off the line power is low (1-20 mph) . But it was more than enough for me. It has a top speed of around 95 mph gps verified. I rode it to work 3-5 day/week 50 miles one way. I averaged around 50-55 mpg at highway speeds (60-65 mph) . It does NOT have abs. And I believe that it has a single disk front and rear. But it always stopped very well and under control (provided I actually applied the brakes. Lol) . I sat on a Honda Forza. It had  somewhat less legroom.

Maybe, I'm just nostalgic because it was taken from me. But I loved it.

But if you do get a Majesty, you'll still want to remain in contact with THIS group of people. They are a lot less grumpy that those on the Majesty forum.

[Stig / Major Tom]

One thing Forbes forgot to mention: a Majesty, in the flesh,  is a gorgeous looking scooter!
(also, recent top 10 article rated Yamaha as #1 in quality)
Stig