Just bought an 06' xciting 250

[slunkmonky]

Hey everybody. This is my first post. I have been hunting for scooters or motorcycles for some time and went to two dealers today ready to seal the deal. I looked into financing a dr-x400 motard setup (suzuki 400cc dualsport with street tires) and after I didn't like the finance rate and the 425 dollar fee for certifying a used vehicle I took the quote and told them I'd think about it.

I ended up going up the highway a bit to another store and bought a 2006 Kymco xciting 250 Burnt Orange (I live in austin tx and someone had put the UT longhorns skull on the front wheel fender since burnt orange is the team color) with 3500 miles on it.

I bought it on a credit card and it totalled out at $2700. The bottom line price was 2450 but I bid them down to 2325 and they accepted.

I have my MSF class done but need to go monday to get my actual license and then monday afternoon I'm driving it home! It also had a dead battery sitting on the lot so they are going to throw in a new battery for me. Not bad since the place pretty much sells Harley's exclusively and you can tell this orange scoot stuck out like a sore thumb next to the black and chrome sportsters and such.

I've been on the fence about SYM 200 HD or a small shift bike for a long time. It seems like Kymco's have a good reputation. It's my first bike and I'm really Xcited haha.

Any advice for a new owner? I'm going to have a long ride home so someone is going to drive behind me so I don't get plowed.

It looks like someone dropped it and it has some dings but for the price I think that was taken into account. For the same 2325 I think I'd be luck to end up with a new 50cc ruckus if I didn't buy this ride.

Look forward to meeting the scooter community in Austin TX and on the web. We have a yearly scooter rally weekend here and I'm really looking forward to getting signed up for next year!

[scooter65]

Welcome to the Kymco Forum.  Congrats on your 250 Xciting.  I have a 2009 Xciting 500cc.  It's a bigger engine than yours but the same body style etc.  I love my Xciting and have only been riding a scooter for about 2 years.  I never rode any 2 wheel cycle until hopping on a cheaper Chinese 150cc scoot a couple of years ago.  The 150cc was too small to go on the Calif freeways so I wanted something bigger.  The 500cc Xciting is big and strong enough to go anywhere.  I did alot of research on scooters and decided on Kymco because of price.  For the price compared to the Yamahas and Susukis the kymco is great.  I think the quality is good as well.  So enjoy your Xciting and welcome to the Kymco Forum.
Scooter65

[Hoolander2]

Hey, slunkmonkey, welcome!  You don't mention if you have riding experience other than the MSF class.  The Xciting is a fairly heavy machine so my advice is to take it easy and be careful especially when making slow turns and while making slow manuverings such as backing it up and such.  It can go over in a hurry.  If at all possible, take a good while to ride it around a parking lot or somewhere without intersections, stop signs, traffic, etc so you can at least get some feel for it before heading out on the roads.  Wear shoes with good tread in the soles, especially the toes and heels cause one slip and it could be bad news. That's just real basic stuff but we don't know what your experience is and want you to be well and happy!  Assume you sat on the X 250 to see if you can touch ground ok?  Members here can give lots of advice besides this but tell us what your past experience is please.

[CommuterScooter]

Welcome slunkmonkey to an Xciting new world!  I'm sorry I couldn't resist, I know its bad.  I ride a 09' Xciting 250 and it is also my first entry into the two wheeled world.  I couldn't be happier with mine....except now that I have some miles under me a 500 would be fun although I don't need one for my needs.  I use mine to commute to work everyday with a 40 mile round trip.  I don't have any freeways that I take so its top speed suites me just fine.  Like others have said, do be careful this is a heavy bike and will go over on you quickly if you are not paying attention.  I had mine tip one morning in my garage when I was getting ready to leave for work and my coffee hadn't kicked in yet.  It just so happened that I had a roll of carpet laying next to it when it fell so no harm done other then the major cramp in my leg from trying to save it.  The extra weight does come in handy when the weather isn't so nice and the wind starts blowing.  I've had mine out in some pretty windy and nasty weather and it felt solid, you still have to ride with extreme caution though.  Also you may find that the seat is a bit tall if you are shorter in stature.  I had to have my seat custom lowered which made a big difference but it is still kind of high.  I wasn't blessed with height genes.  I also have turned my front turn lights into constant on running lights which helps in being scene. http://www.customled.com/products/magic_blinker/magic_blinker.htm 

My wish list for other mods would be to add some driving lights, convert my rear turn signals to running lights, install a louder horn, add some more rear lighting.  Since I ride so many miles in a fair amount of traffic my whole goal is to be scene.  I gave up looking cool a long time ago, coming home to see my wife and daughter is way more important.  Remember; Ride Safe, Ride Smart and NEVER trust the other guy on the road.  Enjoy the ride!

[slunkmonky]

Thanks for repsonding guys!

I dont' have any experience riding at all beyond the MSF course. I do hit the road however with tons of bicycling experience. I have had 4 bikes in the last 2 years with about 6500 miles on them cumulative. I bike in traffic regularly but obviously a bike and a motorcycle have lots of differences because of weight and handling.

"I gave up looking cool a long time ago"

I hear that. Wearing a helmet is a no-no in Austin for cool people so when I go places with my helmet and helmet-attached 250 lumen head light, clear glasses with rain-x outside the lens and anti fog inside, yellow jacket with reflective piping on the seams, upgraded brakes, tools etc etc etc,, i get plenty of smirks from the too-cool-for-school. Then then week after week, they break pelvises, get roadrashed,,,, lose legs, end up in comas,  die... I am shameless about safety. Having two legs is A-W-E-S-O-M-E! When my friends see how dorked-up my kit is they go out and buy lights and such and don't feel as bad because next to me they are still a hell's angel. I feel bad ass enough having a 3/4 helmet instead of a full face.

Too answer the other questions. I did sit on it and it felt fine. If I was an inch taller it'd start getting cramped but as it was I was just the right size for it at 6'1. I've always had smaller cars so other guys my size would probably never ride the 250.

I weigh 190 lbs and I'm a triathlete and weight lifter so I felt great with the weight of this bike. Its' really windy in Texas so I can use the heft to my advantage.

I'm kinda stressed about the ride home tonight but I planned out a route I know well from cycling and I'm only on teh highway (on a feeder road, not the 'upper deck') for about the first 6-7 miles. I'm having my gf follow me in a car to keep traffic off my ass while I cruise at 50 or so as a top speed. Then I'm on surface streets that I biked dozens of times to work and back over the last 2 years so I'll be able to pull over in safe places and let traffic pass and such. Those roads are 30mph tops. It will take longer than a straigth highway shot but Austin highways are dangerous anytime.

The whole time I took teh MSF course I was like "I want to go faster!" and now I'm having to go on the highway and I'm like "uh,, not that fast."

[jas67]

You will get used to the speed of your scooter soon enough.     I am also an avid cyclist (although, I don't do nearly the miles you do; 1200 miles in a year is a good season for me).     The thing you'll love about your scooter, is once you get used to the speed, you'll find, in some ways it is much safer, as you are flowing with traffic, and not having cars blast past you with inches to spare as you ride on the very narrow shoulder, or share the lane with them because there is no shoulder. 

As a bicyclist, resist the habit to ride in the right third of the lane all the time, and remember what you were taught in the MSF course about using the entire lane, and pick the third of the lane which gives you the best margin of safety, AND makes you the most seen.    I usually use the left third, which puts me in the mirror of the driver in front of me, and, also right in front of the driver behind me.    It also makes drivers less likely to try to pass on your left in your lane if you are going slower than they want you to go.

Also, don't let the driver behind you pressure you to go faster; esp. if you are already doing the speed limit.   As you get more comfortable, and if conditions permit you to do so safely, you'll want to go with the flow of the traffic, which may mean exceeding the speed limit by 5-10 MPH.     This helps reduce your exposure to other drivers making unsafe passes.

You already seem to be very safety conscious, so AGATT (all gear, all the time) should already be in your mind.   If you're going to do much  freeway/highway riding, get yourself a full-faced  helmet.

Enjoy your new scoot, and RIDE SAFE!
Jay

[CommuterScooter]

Sounds like you've got the right mind set. I would also reiterate what Jay said about a full face helmet, they did a study on what part of the helmet takes the most impacts and the chin was by far the greatest.  Also after you have put some miles on the bike, reread your MSF booklet and search for some riding technique videos.  That really helped me out to help understand some of the principles they teach and relate them to real world situations.  Again welcome and be "uncool".

[slunkmonky]

Just had my first ride to get it home! It was a blast.

In the dealer lot I did some low speed maneuvering and felt out the acceleration a bit. I found out quick not to let your knees wander to the sides like you have a tank in between them,, because you don't. My knees hit the left hand controls for a second but I wouldn't say I almost dropped it. I just learned real fast,, don't do that. I put my knees together and them gradually got used to how to sit comfortably. Being able to stretch as stop lights is a real bonus to this thing I never thought about. I can't take a moment to stretch outside my car at stoplights.

After getting acclimated in the lot I hit the road. I got up to a nice speed and thought "if I can go this fast I shouldn't hold up traffic too much." So I looked down and it said 80! Then I realized,,, that's KMH. It was 50. Still I thought, 50! Good god, I hit 50 in moments.

Once I got into traffic downtown towards the end of my trip I didn't like getting passed on the left all the time because I figured it was a good 'cut-off' session waiting to happen. I became ultra aware of the fact that people put on their turn signal about a half second AFTER they are entering the right lane. So when I was the first person at the light I felt better giving it some real twist and getting away from traffic. I didn't have to speed or drive it hard because I just drifted away so easily up to the speed limit. I can really get used to that. I'll probably have to watch that actually haha.

My g'f followed me home to keep Austins wonderful drivers off my ass. I have to remember to tap my brakes all the time because when you take off the throttle it slows down so nicely with the wind and CVT engaged that stopping never took much brakes up until the last moments. There was one yellow light I decided to stop for instead get the red halfway through the intersection and I had plenty of stopping power.

One question I cannot believe I didn't think about before I left and hit the road,,, but I'm sure I'm probably right about,, I assumed the right brake lever is the front brake? I unconsciously braked like I was on a bicycle the whole time with both brakes all the time and of course I tried to maintain speed or slightly accelerate in turns. I should have made sure but I just thought the front brake is always right? I guess in some other countries that's not it and when there was big KMH's looking at me instead of MPHS I started to wonder what else I didn't think about.

It was such a nice comfortable ride. I'm not ready for the highway at rush hour by any stretch of the imagination but I definitely never felt out of control. Some bumps were a bit concerning but when I put a little weight on my feet I could absorb the shock from things I didn't dodge pretty comfortably.

Well on thing is for sure, I don't feel like I've made any kind of a mistake! I really like my new ride.

So, my big question for everybody. I'm a guy who likes to be prepared. What kind of tools and such should I keep under the seat? I want to get a kit together before I need it if possible.

[CommuterScooter]

Honestly I just keep the tool kit that came with the bike, a rag to wipe my helmet visor, mirrors and seat down with, a flashlight and my registration and insurance card in a zip lock bag taped to the back of the battery case. I'm not much of a mechanic so if something goes wrong outside of the tools in the kit I'm going to have to take it somewhere.  I'm sure others have good suggestions though and I wouldn't mind hearing myself.

[Hoolander2]

I think your '06 250 is the same as my '07 500 as far as brakes.  The right lever operates one front disk.  The left operates the rear and the other front.  Think they did away with the linked deal for the left lever on maybe the 2010 model year and later.   Believe it or not, I've worried about you getting home safely!  I just had visions of you stopping casually somewhere, putting a foot down and letting the scooter get a little too far leaned to one side and not being able to stop it from falling.  Glad that didn't happen!!!    ===  it can, though.  One thing I like to do when I get on a new ride is, while stopped with motor off, place both feet down and rock the bike back and forth quickly between my legs.  It gives me a feel for the weight and balance and how much I can let it lean before it'll be too far gone to save.  Obviously, a 50cc scooter won't be any problem as such, but if you're talking heavier machines like we have it's an important consideration in my opinion.

We can go on and on about all sorts of safety considerations and perhaps we should but let me just throw in one sort of quirky thing for now.  When you park it, try to never have the front end pointing down even a slight slope.  Especially if there's no way to get out going forward.  Because, backing a heavy bike up a slope is darn near impossible!  I've done it once or twice when not thinking and almost needed to ask for help backing it up and out!     Embarassing!   

Oh yeah, almost forgot your tool question.   I'd say a tire plug kit.  They're easy to use, small and cheap and will save you a lot of grief and money.  The tires are tubless, just find the hole, ream it, apply glue to a plug and push it in with the tool.  Cut off excess that sticks out.

[jas67]

One question I cannot believe I didn't think about before I left and hit the road,,, but I'm sure I'm probably right about,, I assumed the right brake lever is the front brake? I unconsciously braked like I was on a bicycle the whole time with both brakes all the time and of course I tried to maintain speed or slightly accelerate in turns. I should have made sure but I just thought the front brake is always right? I guess in some other countries that's not it and when there was big KMH's looking at me instead of MPHS I started to wonder what else I didn't think about.

Scooter brake levers are opposite those on a bicycle, typically right=front, left=rear (my PS250 is this way, anyway), but if your scoot has linked or integrated brakes, then it varies.    On many scoots with dual front discs, and "linked" brakes (I think Aprilia Scarabeo 500's are this way), the right lever is one from disc, the left the other front disc, and the rear.    Check your manual to be sure how yours are configured.   You are doing the right thing by always using both -- they taught you that in the MSF course.   You get the most effective braking, and there is less chance of locking up a wheel when using both brakes, because you are asking for less stopping force from each wheel.

As for the speedometer, I don't know wha tthe Xciting's speedo is like, my PS250's speed only backlights the kph #'s, so the already small and almost unreadable (dark red) MPH numbers are not even visible at night.     Also, you might want to use a GPS, or one of those handy radar-speed signs to "calibrate" your speedo.   The one on my PS250 reads about 10-14% high, and that varies with speed.    It is typical for speedos on all makes of scooters to be off between 5 and 15%, and it isn't even consistent with a given model, as the review I read on the PS250 said the speedo was off by 6%.    So, at least on mine, and indicated 80 KPH (50 MPH) is 43 MPH.    100 KPH (62 mph) indicated is 54 MPH, 120 KPH (75 MPH) is 65 MPH.

[slunkmonky]

I read the manual, it's combined braking on the left, front only on the right. I also found out this model has ignition shutter keys and I don't have them. Hmm.

I didn't realize this thing is 400 lbs+! You can tell when you put it up on the stand or are handling it from the side. I did wiggle it a little at lights to remember it's weight and I would bounce the suspension a little. I had been putting one foot down after a while when stopped and decided to go back to both feet. That's a cycling habit to use one so you can start to pedal with the other, no need for that when you have an engine.

I'll drive to UT campus tonite and play with their "This is your speed" radar sign for the calibration. My GPS is on the fritz but that's another forum haha.

[CommuterScooter]

Keep us posted on how things are going for you in the future.  I'd like to hear your feelings after you have 500+ miles on it.

[slunkmonky]

I'm up to my first fill-up. I didn't track mileage for the first tank too well but I set the trip counter at the gas station for this tank. I think I got about 45 MPG. I spent most of my time on the vehicle in gridlock so I'm hoping with less idling I can get better mpgs. Also, the gas in the tank when I bought it migth have been old.

My only complaint at this point is that there is a squeel in the front. It's not when I brake. I can't figure out whether it's the forks or the wheel turning but I'll do a more in depth diagnosis later. I dont' really notice it when I'm moving so I don't care. Only when parking in a quiet driveway. I just don't know if there's something I need to do prevention-wise that this is warning me about.

I had it up to 60-65 MPH (indicated, my GPS is on the fritz) on the highway for a low-traffic-hours jaunt after some shopping. It was very stable. I can't remember teh RPMs exactly but I want to say 6500? The wind in texas is pretty sudden and hard. I sure appreciated the 410 lbs underneath me. I had to tuck in a little closer to the windscreen than usual because the wind was pushing me around on the seat a bit when it gusted.

One thing I had to get used to, it's kind of hard to control the speed of the vehicle when turning from a stop or making a 90 degree turn. I learned in MSF that you judge the turn, slow down, lean and then  maintain throttle or slightly accelerate through turns to keep more weight on the larger rear wheel. The kymco manual, however, says to stop accelerating in turns. I think with a manual shift motorcycle you can always use engine noise as a direct indicator of engine speed and use that in turns, but with CVT you may keep the same engine speed RPMS while your rear wheel speed is actually climbing? I don't have it down to a science yet.

[Hoolander2]

Wow, slunkmonkey, for an admited newbie you sure write like a savy rider!    My hat's off to you!  I'll take a wild guess at your front end squeal and say it might be brakes dragging.  I sometimes clean the disks by spraying brake cleaner on a paper towel and wipe em off.  The scooter rolls easier and braking is then smoother for a while.