Author Topic: AK 550 Not starting  (Read 1421 times)

Quick-Star24

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AK 550 Not starting
« on: June 28, 2023, 12:29:34 PM »
Rode my bike 3 days ago several miles.
This morning it would not start.
Red light on left grip blinking.
Dash says 9.2 volts.


rjs987

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Re: AK 550 Not starting
« Reply #1 on: June 28, 2023, 01:35:41 PM »
Which OFF position did you turn the knob to?
If to the right then the bike was not really turned off but just the lights were off.
If to the left, then the bike should have been turned off... especially if you saw the ring around the knob turn red and heard a beep.

Sounds like you need to keep it plugged into a Battery Tender if possible. That is still very quick for the battery to run down unless there is a bad cell in the battery. It is not unusual for a relatively new battery to have a bad cell that runs it down quickly. Not common, but not unusual. I've read on other forums of rarely a motorcycle owner getting a brand new battery that was effectively doa. Not surprised that it would not start with just 9.2 volts. Need at least significantly over 11 volts. I've been able to start my AK with 11.7 V showing on the dash... but just barely. That was before I started keeping mine on the Battery Tender when it is parked in the garage.

Red light on left grip blinking is the heated grips system error indication. The blink "code" indicates what or where the error is in that system. If the battery volts is too low then that would be the issue... or possibly the cause. Hard to say without more investigating. Charge up that battery and see what happens when the dash shows more than 12.3 V.
/bob
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RETIRED - US Navy and Air National Guard and civilian career

Quick-Star24

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Re: AK 550 Not starting
« Reply #2 on: June 28, 2023, 04:57:47 PM »
Which OFF position did you turn the knob to?
If to the right then the bike was not really turned off but just the lights were off.
If to the left, then the bike should have been turned off... especially if you saw the ring around the knob turn red and heard a beep.

Sounds like you need to keep it plugged into a Battery Tender if possible. That is still very quick for the battery to run down unless there is a bad cell in the battery. It is not unusual for a relatively new battery to have a bad cell that runs it down quickly. Not common, but not unusual. I've read on other forums of rarely a motorcycle owner getting a brand new battery that was effectively doa. Not surprised that it would not start with just 9.2 volts. Need at least significantly over 11 volts. I've been able to start my AK with 11.7 V showing on the dash... but just barely. That was before I started keeping mine on the Battery Tender when it is parked in the garage.

Red light on left grip blinking is the heated grips system error indication. The blink "code" indicates what or where the error is in that system. If the battery volts is too low then that would be the issue... or possibly the cause. Hard to say without more investigating. Charge up that battery and see what happens when the dash shows more than 12.3 V.
I had not rode the bike for a couple of weeks since I was painting whole bike and wheels. After finishing it up the other day I took a quick 5 mile ride even though I’m waiting for new rear brake pads.

randyo

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Re: AK 550 Not starting
« Reply #3 on: June 28, 2023, 05:18:03 PM »
mine also has a parasitic drain that only takes 3-4 days to get to the point it won't start (yes, before it's asked, I turn the dial to the off position)

I now keep mine plugged into a trickle charger when parked at home
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Re: AK 550 Not starting
« Reply #4 on: June 28, 2023, 11:42:28 PM »
Mine died after 3 days of sitting if someone finds out why this is happening let me know ill check things out over the weekend .
I now have it plugged in to trickle charge but that is just bullsh** and I think that if 3 of us have a problem mine is a 2022 there are others that don't use the internet .
I HAD THE RIGHT-OF-WAY will look splendid chiseled on your tombstone !

  Be Careful out there
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Stig / Major Tom

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Re: AK 550 Not starting
« Reply #5 on: June 28, 2023, 11:56:01 PM »
Agreed...this should be tended to by your dealer...and Kymco. This is their flagship model!
Is there room for a 14 or 16ah battery?
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rjs987

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Re: AK 550 Not starting
« Reply #6 on: June 29, 2023, 03:53:24 AM »
Mine is also a 2022 model and has a 14 Ah battery. I never liked OE batteries anyway and have had more than my share of batteries in new vehicles of several kinds fail sooner than expected. Aftermarket batteries, even if the OE battery is the very same brand/model, seem to last much longer. Like ink cartridges in inkjet printers. I am watching my battery closely for any sign that it is going to fail and plan to replace with the best non-Kymco branded Yuasa battery I can find with the same dimensions. As long as it is 14 Ah or more, is 12 vdc, and has the same physical dimensions then it will work. More CCA than OE would be good as well.

My AK will last more than a week before there is any issue starting. I tested this for a week without connecting to any charger or maintainer and was still able to easily start the AK after checking the voltage shown on the dash each day. Though it did just begin to struggle just a little at the end of that week but still started. I have no worry about going on a long camping trip and being stranded but I still do take my Battery Tender Jr along for the ride anyway. Never had to use it yet. But then I usually do ride the bike somewhere at least every other day while on those trips.

But to put in perspective, I have 2 cars 2015 or newer that have the same issue after just a few weeks of sitting. And both have sat for at least 2 weeks time and ended up being unable to start after that. None have any failure or problems that can be fixed other than to disconnect the battery from the vehicle to prevent what is considered the normal phantom loads. One of those cars has the keyless start system and the other has an actual key ignition. I have had batteries die in almost all my vehicles at least once. Yeah, once again BTDT. Fortunately so far this has happened sitting in my garage and not out on the road since my vehicles usually only sit for a while in the garage. Well, maybe once while visiting family out of town but still after leaving the vehicle sit for a day or so with the battery near end of life anyway (one of the Chevy cars I owned before my current vehicles). The most modern vehicles of any kind, 2 or 4 wheeled, all have so many more electrical devices that are always-on so batteries will naturally run down faster. I took my car in to service for this issue and the mechanic told me that this was normal for modern cars. That was just last fall.

I had read online about the battery in the AK 550 running down faster than some older tech bikes/scooters so came into this prepared. That is why I insisted on a Battery Tender pigtail be installed and use a Battery Tender Jr battery maintainer (not a trickle charger or smart charger since I wanted to be able to just leave it connected without damage to the battery). I did do this with my Burgman 650 also as well as my Honda CTX1300 before that. Though I didn't always connect the Battery Tender to those unless they were going to sit for a week or more. I bought a few extra Battery Tender devices for my cars as well... one car sits for several weeks, and sometimes over a month, at a time.

It used to be just clocks using battery when the vehicle was turned off. Then clocks and radio station set points. These days it's all that plus display settings, and constantly sensing for proximity of a keyless fob and push button hatch backs/boots/trunks (my Rav4 has a tail gate that if the car is unlocked will open by pushing a button without the keyless fob being near). One of the first things I disabled on my AK was the Welcome screen/light (a setting in the Noodoe phone app) to make the AK stop constantly looking for proximity of the keyless fob... or at least reduce what was looking for it.
/bob
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RETIRED - US Navy and Air National Guard and civilian career

randyo

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Re: AK 550 Not starting
« Reply #7 on: June 29, 2023, 04:07:45 AM »
Agreed...this should be tended to by your dealer...and Kymco. This is their flagship model!
Is there room for a 14 or 16ah battery?
Stig

I have a 14ah battery in mine now, original was 12ah, dealer put it in under warranty.

my local dealer is very aware of problem with several customers, they have made Kymco aware as well. I wonder if a second battery under the seat might help, all the electronics makes me think of my son's BMW 750il, 2 huge batteries in the trunk
« Last Edit: June 29, 2023, 04:09:59 AM by randyo »
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Re: AK 550 Not starting
« Reply #8 on: June 29, 2023, 01:20:51 PM »
I have a 14ah battery in mine now, original was 12ah, dealer put it in under warranty.

my local dealer is very aware of problem with several customers, they have made Kymco aware as well. I wonder if a second battery under the seat might help, all the electronics makes me think of my son's BMW 750il, 2 huge batteries in the trunk
I've had the chance to open 3 new Kymco LIKE200i's - all 3 had Kymco batteries - 2 were 8ah, and one was 9ah.
With my freq winter rides miles from home - I measured the stock battery - and found a 12ah and a 14 ah battery that fit with only minor adjustment to the battery box in my LIKE200i.
With an 8ah battery the LIKE is famous for leaping to life at the touch of the start button!.....so the 12 & 14 are ....smile makers on 18°F mornings when it's time to start home!

Stig
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lewtwo

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Re: AK 550 Not starting
« Reply #9 on: July 04, 2023, 06:06:31 PM »
Among other things they have to keep the clock running. There are other sensors that may be draining power as well ... oxygen, temperature, speed, voltage. Without a accurate wiring diagram (which the uncles in mailine China can not produce) it would require extensive diagnostics with some sophisticated electronics or a great deal of good fortune to identify and eliminate the source(s) of the power drain. A trickle charger is likely the most practical solution.
The more I learn the more obvious the immensity of my ignorance becomes.
https://www.keywild.com/scooter/Kymco150i/

rjs987

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Re: AK 550 Not starting
« Reply #10 on: July 04, 2023, 06:32:22 PM »
China has nothing to do with it. Kymco is Taiwan (no, not the same in spite of what China would like to believe) and has a good electrical diagram of the AK 550. I downloaded a color copy in English from Kymco.at before I bought mine.
Download this to see it clearly and to be able to zoom in for better detail.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gkeWiqN1z3GszvQ16XbYZVUi2HarMq2Y/view?usp=sharing
« Last Edit: July 04, 2023, 06:34:22 PM by rjs987 »
/bob
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lewtwo

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Re: AK 550 Not starting
« Reply #11 on: July 04, 2023, 10:15:50 PM »
China has nothing to do with it. Kymco is Taiwan (no, not the same in spite of what China would like to believe) and has a good electrical diagram of the AK 550.
Management is Taiwan. Engineering, Design and Manufacturing has been farmed out to the uncles in mainland China.

That is indeed a much better wiring diagram than the uncles have provided for the Like 150i series. but the point remains: active sensors have to have power regardless what position the "COMB SWITCH" is in. Some of that stuff is routed via ECU and/or ABS black boxes and there is no clue what is going on inside of them.

« Last Edit: July 04, 2023, 10:30:45 PM by lewtwo »
The more I learn the more obvious the immensity of my ignorance becomes.
https://www.keywild.com/scooter/Kymco150i/

randyo

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Re: AK 550 Not starting
« Reply #12 on: July 05, 2023, 04:27:50 AM »
Management is Taiwan. Engineering, Design and Manufacturing has been farmed out to the uncles in mainland China.


they have manufacturing plants in Taiwan, China, Indonesia & Malasia
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rjs987

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Re: AK 550 Not starting
« Reply #13 on: July 05, 2023, 01:00:59 PM »
Just like Harley Davidson bikes have parts made in Taiwan, Japan, Italy, Germany, and Mexico. And sometimes bike assembly is done at overseas facilities. Same or similar can be said for every vehicle on the road. As long as management and oversight of parts and bike manufacture is maintained by the home country (Taiwan for Kymco) the quality of parts and/or assembly can be maintained.
/bob
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RETIRED - US Navy and Air National Guard and civilian career

Stig / Major Tom

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Re: AK 550 Not starting
« Reply #14 on: July 05, 2023, 02:17:25 PM »
Some owners on the Vespa forum are really bummed to learn their Vespa was manufactured in Vietnam.
They just paid big $ for an Italian 150 - and they interpret their VIN numbers every way possible to prove to themselves, and us, that it isn't true :)
But no Vespa owner in this country is pleased to learn their scooter is from Vietnam.

Looking at my avatar - it is plain that I'm not excited that my Piaggio Liberty is from Vietnam.

Thing is - I've looked over most every part of my Liberty - and I found nothing but quality parts and assembly.

Stig
« Last Edit: July 05, 2023, 02:21:45 PM by Stig / Major Tom »
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