How to handle the Kymco 500 scooter?

[Stig / Major Tom]

In my casual reading of this forum, and of youtube videos, it seems that the Kymco 500 scooter will only reliably start in year around warm climates.
Can we state this as fact....and if so, should not we be informing prospective purchasers?
Kymco scooters are reliable and robust modes of transportation....save for this one 500cc scooter, which has earned a reputaion as being the most unreliable Kymco scooter of their entire line.

Your thought?
Stig

[axy]

GT300i. The same.

[CROSSBOLT]

I think the consensus should be voiced. Whether a prospective buyer would listen would be another matter. With the possible exception of camshaft lobes disappearing the main problem seems to be cold weather starting. Slightly different engines, I experienced poor/no starting in my UXV500I side-by-side. A second 12 volt battery in parallel with the tiny original solved that problem. 5 F is pretty cold for Tennessee and nowhere near de dee's Canada but is a LONG ways from 40 F. I got warm-weather starts at 5 F with that set-up. Conclusion is the batteries are too small. Higher quality batteries seem to work as well. I would consider a 500i scoot if the price was really right to compensate for all the work and expense to make up for the short-comings.

There is another thing that needs publication: the questionable reliability of the Kymco 31600-xxxx-E00 rectifier-regulator. The fix is a Honda 31600-umpety-ump or Shindengen 232-12 rect-reg. Since all three operate on the same principle of regulation the problem is caused by poor internal solid state components, probably chinese. I have sent an email to Kymco in Kaoshiung asking about this. No answer as yet. I would think the suits at Kymco would be motivated to solve these issues.....but that opinion and 2 bucks will get you a cuppa at Tim Horton's.

[Charlie P]

I've had a 2013 500x since April of 2014 and have never had starting problems in the winter BUT I'm in the Fort Worth area of Texas.  It is kept in the garage, but I have done several lengthy cold weather rides (in the upper 30's-40's) with extended stopping (engine all the way to cold).

Perhaps it's just the location that I'm fortunate to be in that allows it to start when cold.

[Stig / Major Tom]

I've had a 2013 500x since April of 2014 and have never had starting problems in the winter BUT I'm in the Fort Worth area of Texas.  It is kept in the garage, but I have done several lengthy cold weather rides (in the upper 30's-40's) with extended stopping (engine all the way to cold).

Perhaps it's just the location that I'm fortunate to be in that allows it to start when cold.

What do you make of all the 'no start in cold' posts re. this scooter? 45 degrees seems to be enough to kill it on the center stand for a lot of owners.

Stig

[big blue]

I understand the start problems on the older non-EFI models but was it still a problem on the later ones? It seems that the fuel injection should have solved cold starting issues.

[xsel777]

My 2010 efi model had major cold start issues, until I replaced the stator, regulator, starter, coil, battery, 😁. One or more of those fixed it.

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