What is Normal?

[stiffi]

So, you may have read about my issues with "Engine Dropouts at High Speeds" on my brand new P150.

Somebody said my scooter was back to "normal"

Speaking of "normal" Kymco, I'm wondering if somebody could help me figure out if mine is "normal".

I've had so many problems that I can't really tell.

First, let me say, I had a scooter a long time ago (the 1980's), then got away from it for a while. I bought a motorcyle and rode that for a while, then got heavily into electric biking before realizing the need for speed again, and looking at scooters once more. I bought a Yamaha Vino 125, and now my People 150. My dealer does not do test drives, so I was stuck buying without riding. The bike feels great a lot of the time, but still feels strange to me. I'll try to describe it as best as I can.

I am expecting the bike to coast. I guess it goes back to my motorcycle days, when I would put the bike in neutral and coast to a stop. The scooter doesn't do that. I find that unless I have the throttle down, it always has some pull back to it. Even at high speeds, it will roll pretty well, but as soon as I let go of the throttle, the bike slows down quite a bit. I know my Yamaha was the same way. What I'm trying to figure out is this "normal". Are my expectations just off? With all the problems I've had, I keep getting worried that something is still wrong, becuase it feels like the bike is bogged down. But then, it is a 150, and I may be expecting too much.

If you could provide some feedback, I would really appreciate it.

[Carol]

   I was wondering about that coasting thing too, and just decided that *Rosie* doesn't have a "neutral" because of the "automatic" way the scoot is built.  I assumed my scooter is always in gear.   I have no idea what normal is, lol.  I just know I am not!   

[art]

 Ha! Thats fairly normal.

[Agent Bob]

You're probably experiencing "compression" braking from the engine, if that's the right term. You're alway in gear until your RPM slows down enough where the clutch dis-engages. In neutral on the motorcycle...sure, you're just coasting.

[lankeeyankee]

Yes engine braking is also known as compression braking.
You stated you felt coasting when you pulled the clutch in on your motorcycle, when you did this you took the load off the transmission by free wheeling with the clutch pulled in.

On scooters we use a CVT transmission Constant Velocity Transmission. Constant is the keyword here.
Yes you will feel a "nose dive" when you let off the throttle on a scooter cause the transmission is under a load until the RPMS drop lower then the stall speed of your clutch springs which are factory around 1500 RPMS.
Ride your scooter at 10 mph and let off the gas I bet you feel the free wheeling which you felt with your motorcycle when the clutch was pulled in or in a high gear at a low speed.

[wordslinger]

On scooters we use a CVT transmission Constant Velocity Transmission. Constant is the keyword here.


...uuummmmm...


..i always thought that CVT meant....

A continuously variable transmission (CVT) that can change steplessly through an infinite number of effective gear ratios between maximum and minimum values. This contrasts with other mechanical transmissions that only allow a few different distinct gear ratios to be selected.


..in my experience, there is NOTHING constant about my scoot's transmission...

...the flexibility of a CVT allows the driving shaft to maintain a constant angular velocity over a range of output velocities. This can provide better fuel economy than other transmissions by enabling the engine to run at its most efficient revolutions per minute (RPM) for a range of vehicle speeds. Alternatively it can be used to maximize the performance of a vehicle by allowing the engine to turn at the RPM at which it produces peak power. This is typically higher than the RPM that achieves peak efficiency.

[lankeeyankee]

On scooters we use a CVT transmission Constant Velocity Transmission. Constant is the keyword here.


...uuummmmm...


..i always thought that CVT meant....

A continuously variable transmission (CVT) that can change steplessly through an infinite number of effective gear ratios between maximum and minimum values. This contrasts with other mechanical transmissions that only allow a few different distinct gear ratios to be selected.


..in my experience, there is NOTHING constant about my scoot's transmission...

...the flexibility of a CVT allows the driving shaft to maintain a constant angular velocity over a range of output velocities. This can provide better fuel economy than other transmissions by enabling the engine to run at its most efficient revolutions per minute (RPM) for a range of vehicle speeds. Alternatively it can be used to maximize the performance of a vehicle by allowing the engine to turn at the RPM at which it produces peak power. This is typically higher than the RPM that achieves peak efficiency.

Ummm yeah you are correct and its more commonly used.

A constant velocity transmission which provides maximum torque and speed from a power source such as an internal combustion engine to an output shaft of the transmission while maintaining the engine at optimum operational speed. The transmission takes advantage of the principle of fluid friction to transmit rotational forces from drive blades mounted on an input shaft to stater blades positioned on the inside of a drum encompassing one end of the input shaft and the drive blades. The drive blades slidably mounted on a slanted surface of a drive drum on the input shaft and move closer to and away from the stater blades when laterally translated. Fluid driven by the drive blades imparts varied force and torque to the stater blades depending on their distance therefrom thereby transmitting variable speed and torque to the output shaft attached to the drum.

My gear head is still in automobiles. Honda also used a CVT in one of there motorcycles, but that didnt last long....

Throwing you a cookie, good catch!

[wordslinger]

..honestly, i knew the term, and how it works, from my experience with my agility50...


..but the post i gleaned from wikipedia...

..explained what i knew much better than i could have...


peace