Is my Like 200i normal?

[Petey4]

PS: yeah, scooters make all kinds of weird unmotorcycle-like noises. I just sing louder.

Ha, that's really good to hear. I made the mistake of riding mine without a helmet for the first time the other day -- just around the block to test-drive it -- and my uncovered ears heard all sorts of new sounds!

You've given me a lot of interesting things to try next weekend. Thanks much. I'll let y'all know if anything works. Maybe it'll provide evidence of something I can tell the dealer. Maybe it's really a bad ECU. Had no idea there were all these crazy self-tests -- although, for the record, I am suspicious you're just hazing the new guy.

BTW, I felt pretty comfortable on this morning's commute leaving my tires at 30/34. Still felt solid cornering.

[big blue]

I don't know if you have it already but a FREE pdf of the service manual is available here...https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxQrsfGitVuHazh0MVVQWXduUGc/edit

[Stig / Major Tom]

Ha, that's really good to hear. I made the mistake of riding mine without a helmet for the first time the other day -- just around the block to test-drive it -- and my uncovered ears heard all sorts of new sounds!

You've given me a lot of interesting things to try next weekend. Thanks much. I'll let y'all know if anything works. Maybe it'll provide evidence of something I can tell the dealer. Maybe it's really a bad ECU. Had no idea there were all these crazy self-tests -- although, for the record, I am suspicious you're just hazing the new guy.

BTW, I felt pretty comfortable on this morning's commute leaving my tires at 30/34. Still felt solid cornering.

No, not hazing the new guy. we pass along recommendations learned....not directives.

There are these re-sets for the LIKE200i....it's just that the problem is rarely discovered behind one....but then a lot of folks fix things and never tell us. Probably out riding.

30 lbs psi in the front ?, it's your dental work ....On Ohio roads I'd need to bring a string bag for the parts & panels banged off .
Kymco is not hiding something from us when they recommend 25psi in the front tire. (even Suzuki engineers stipulate 25 in the front tire for my 90mph capable 500lb Burgman scooter)

Stig

[Petey4]

No, not hazing the new guy. we pass along recommendations learned....not directives.

I was only kidding. This site is great. But some of those resets remind me of medieval spells.

Big Blue, thanks for the link. I knew the manual was out there, but I hadn't actually downloaded it yet.

Pete

[Petey4]

Seems that only one of the three resets Stig mentioned is supposed to confirm success. But I'm having trouble. I attempted all three resets several times, clocking each action precisely. The one that involved the 10-second full throttle should provide a double CELP blink at the end, but I get nothing. Wondering if others experience the same ambiguity. If not, maybe I'm getting closer to my issue?

I do get the normal two-second CELP light when I turn ignition to "on" (with no additional error blinks).

Out of curiosity, next to the single pink cable in the battery compartment are two unattached modules -- one pink/white, one black. I figure one is for attaching a diagnostic cable, but what's the other one for?

Next stop, I suppose, is seeing whether my dealer has a Kymco diagnostic tool.

[Stig / Major Tom]

If i recall  correctly. ..that extra wire is for something Kymco calls the test/inspection lead? Used when setting up the scoot in the factory?
Agree, it needs to go to dealer for a physical.
Stig

[Petey4]

Getting close... Looks like a bad transmission. The shop temporarily traded mine out for one from a new bike -- allowing mine to reach 68 mph. It's back home for a week while they wait on parts. After a brief phone conversation with the mechanic I'm still a little fuzzy about the cause. Something was out of spec (pulleys? sliders?) -- so there was ongoing friction while the engine was able to maintain full RPMs. The mechanic also felt abnormal vibrations in the floor while riding, which I had also noticed, but assumed was normal.

Anyway, looks like the one possible remaining hitch is that Kymco is reluctant to pay for all replacement parts. Seems the belt is prematurely worn from grinding (he found shavings throughout the tranny) but still usable, so Kymco doesn't want to replace it. (Mechanic agrees that's not fair, since the premature wear was caused by something wrong from day one -- so he says he's going to try to convince Kymco.) I have no doubt the problem was always there, not only because of my sense that the power had never been better (only a sense -- since I tried not to ride full-throttle for a few hundred miles), but also because I've tracked my MPG every single tank -- and it was always 55-57. That's pretty clear data-driven evidence to my mind.

Hopefully it'll all work out in the end, and I'll soon enjoy my scooter's real potential. Probably won't sound as  strange too. It's just weird that it had such important bad parts at .01 miles, and no one noticed.

Thanks everyone for prodding me to keep looking into the matter. As I said, I'd just been assuming my performance was within the normal window for these scooters. I'll let you know how Kymco behaves in honoring their warranty.

[Stig / Major Tom]

Pete,
Thanks for the update - your scoot's issue with a new CVT is a first for me.
Yeah, some belt dust is normal.....but not a lot. If seeing particles of threads, etc. from the newish belt - that is wrong - and weird.

I won't begin to guess what the heck could have been wrong - if all the correct parts were fitted at the factory.
Worse case could be paying for a new belt - @$47.00. But agree you should not have to pay.

Glad you've got a good running LIKE200i finally. Now you see why it has so many fans.
The thing is generally pretty peppy in town and bullet proof. Brakes will toss out your partial.....
Stig

[Petey4]

Unfortunately I didn't get to ride it while they had the temp CVT in. But I'm really looking forward to it. Good to know the belt isn't too pricey. I'll let y'all know if I find out more about what caused everything when I go back to the shop in a week or so.

[Petey4]

Got the work done today: dealer replaced the CVT, the clutch, and the belt -- all covered under warranty. They said they now believe the initial problem (from day one) was a bad clutch, and that led to worn rollers, pulley, and belt.

While they couldn't say why the clutch was bad, they thought it was interesting that Kymco no longer provides the clutch that has been specified from 2010 on (and continues to be today). The replacement part is apparently slightly different and has a different part number. So the mechanic wondered if my problem might have been related to a previously known clutch issue.

Anyway, I haven't ridden it much yet, but was pleased to find it a lot smoother, while easily maintaining 60 mph. Hopefully the mpg will improve as well. The pickup has suffered a bit, but I'm not complaining, since its peppiness had always been amphetamine-like -- lots of noise and vibration.  I guess all that engine torque is now spread out the way it's supposed to be. Feels great to have the sense that there's plenty of power in reserve. Looking forward to tomorrow morning's commute!

[TroutBum]

Thanks for the update Petey4. I hope once the tranny gets worked in you'll notice improvements all around.

[Petey4]

Went through my first tank of gas since the work was done. 71 mpg is a big improvement. I'm dialing back my previous report of 60 mph, since I have not reached that speed since I rode home from the shop, when I was on a long  freeway access road that was probably going somewhat downhill. On my regular commute -- where the top-speed stretch is more limited -- I seem to top out at 57. Still, that's a big improvement from before.

I do feel my floorboard mildly pulsating at top speed, so I'm checking in one more time to see if there's anything else I should be worrying about (since the shop never determined what was causing the bad clutch in the first place). 71 mpg and 57 mph still seems a little shy of what most riders here are getting. But it suits my needs fine if y'all think I'm now in the "normal" zone.

[Stig / Major Tom]

You're about 2mph faster than mine, and 1mpg lower than mine .....the last time I checked. But has been 2 or 3 yrs since I have checked either.
This is my 5th summer with this LIKE200iLX. No issues since 2014.
Running great.
Stig

[big blue]

Here is an old message from the early Like posts about removing the restrictor in the air filter box. May be good for a few MPHs.http://www.kymcoforum.com/index.php?topic=8060.0