Great little pony!

[Hairy Bob]

G'day all, Hairy Bob here,sending a big hello from the Gold Coast, Australia ! Hope all you fellow Cruisers have been getting a few nice rides in here and there. Went this morning, but the weather turned to crap so headed home. But, I have had some really good cruises through the hinterland of the Gold Coast and northern New South Wales on the little pony, solo and two up and I've gotta say gang , I'm absolulutely stoked  with her. She does feel the hills a bit, especially two up, but hey, give her a break, she is a 250, not 750. Besides, when your out for a cruise, you're not in that much of a hurry are you ? Bought mine March this year, 2010 show room model with 39 klms her, so she'd been sitting around for a while. Noticed a tiny bit of miss here and there from when I bought her, so I told them about it at the 1000k service, and guess what, they couldn't get the carbys set up properly, so they ended up putting a brand new set on, under warranty ... pretty cool hey! She's purring like a kitten now. I reckon I'm getting about 23klms per litre, does that sound pretty right to you guys ? She'll do the 110klm speed limit that we have over here no problem, but I prefer to sit on about 90 - 100 on the highway, fast enough, but not flogging the girl. Any way groovers, thats my two bobs worth for now. Have really enjoyed reading some of you guys comments on the forum, look forward to seeing some new ones soon. Ride safe gang. Regards, Hairy Bob.

[Hairy Bob]

My fuel economy is actually a bit better than I first calculated. Seems to be a frakko over 24klms per litre! Happy days!!!

[ce]

Dig it, Bob, you got it right about the sweet ride of the Venox, and you'll be good to go for a long while now that she's running right.

I have an '06 that I bought on ebay from a dude in Nebraska for $1100, and it came with the Kymco saddle bags and a windshield.

I tuned the carbs to run a little leaner since I'm at 5300 feet in elevation here in New Mexico, and I bought a 44 tooth rear sprocket to replace the stock 39 tooth. That should really give better torque in all gears, but right now top end is 70 miles an hour, which is fine, but the RPMs seem a little high.

The Harley dealer here in Albuquerque has free hot dogs and chips every Saturday, so I rode on over and parked with all the Hogs to see if anyone noticed anything unusual, but either they're all bored with motorcycles or didn't look close enough to suspect it was a 250.

[Paperkrain]

I've recently bought a 2012 model about three weeks ago brand new.

I've already put 400km on my Venox, and can't wait to keep riding. Weather's been really bad here in Sydney too, only had a few nice days to ride around town.

I'm having problems sitting at idle trying to getting it from 2nd to 1st gear then neutral, this happens sometimes. Seems the bike stays on 2nd gear and no matter how hard or how many times I press down gear, I can't get it to lock into first gear.
 
But other than that, I'm happy with her.

1000km service due soon, hope the dealer mechanic's don't overcharge. After this first service, I'll be changing the oil, coolant, sparks and air filters myself to save $$ and get the mechanics to change brakes and brake fluid when needed.

[ce]

Check out the gear shift linkage and see if it's set right for the size of your feet and riding position. You can move the lever up or down to make it more comfortable.

Also the clutch tension and position is adjustable, so examinethat as well.

[max oradea]

if the speed is high it will be difficult to jump straight from second to 1st. but if you need it to go into 1st bleep the throttle then it will slide into 1st. just as same as on a car if you have lots of speed it will be hard to go into 1st.

[Hairy Bob]

Hey there Paperkrain, if you got your bike from new, best not to stuff around with it too much your self mate, you might void your warranty, your covered for two years. Make sure you tell them about anything you reckon needs fixing at your first service, and get a printed copy of the workshop report and keep for your records. It cost me $220 for my 1000k service, and man after that bullsh** with my carbys I'm happy to have paid that, the carbys alone where worth over $1000.00 !! Wouldn't I have spewed if I'de have had to fork that out of my own pocket. I'll be getting the proper services done, and on time, that's for sure ! After the warranty runs out I'll be doing all my own servicing though. I got a copy of the full workshop manual download for about $10. So me, personally, I wouldn't be doing my own oil changes until after the two years is up. I'de hate to see you not covered for something you should be.   Anyway, happy cruisin' & ride safe ... regards, Hairy Bob !

[Paperkrain]

Hey there Paperkrain, if you got your bike from new, best not to stuff around with it too much your self mate, you might void your warranty, your covered for two years. Make sure you tell them about anything you reckon needs fixing at your first service, and get a printed copy of the workshop report and keep for your records. It cost me $220 for my 1000k service, and man after that bullsh** with my carbys I'm happy to have paid that, the carbys alone where worth over $1800.00 !! Wouldn't I have spewed if I'de have had to fork that out of my own pocket. I'll be getting the proper services done, and on time, that's for sure ! After the warranty runs out I'll be doing all my own servicing though. I got a copy of the full workshop manual download for about $10. So me, personally, I wouldn't be doing my own oil changes until after the two years is up. I'de hate to see you not covered for something you should be.   Anyway, happy cruisin' & ride safe ... regards, Hairy Bob !

ahh thanks for the tip!   definitely don't want to void the warranty. I guess $220 isn't that bad for the first service, apparently the manual says:
Engine Oil, Engine Oil Strainer and Gear Oil - Needs to be changed
Clutch Lever Free Play - needs Adjusting
Bolts and Nuts - tightening

Where did you pay and download your workshop manual by the way?
Is it the same manual as this :
Kymco Venox 250-250i EN
^ this is a service manual someone uploaded on scribd.com


-J.B

[Hairy Bob]

Hey there J.B. , got the service and parts manuals from myxmanuals.com. Make sure your getting the english version of the service manual !!!  I tried a download from some other mob, and it was in bloody Spanish. Oh well, if ever I go to Spain, I'll know how to ask for spark plugs etc I suppose ! ... Regards, Hairy Bob.

[Hairy Bob]

Dig it, Bob, you got it right about the sweet ride of the Venox, and you'll be good to go for a long while now that she's running right.

I have an '06 that I bought on ebay from a dude in Nebraska for $1100, and it came with the Kymco saddle bags and a windshield.

I tuned the carbs to run a little leaner since I'm at 5300 feet in elevation here in New Mexico, and I bought a 44 tooth rear sprocket to replace the stock 39 tooth. That should really give better torque in all gears, but right now top end is 70 miles an hour, which is fine, but the RPMs seem a little high.

The Harley dealer here in Albuquerque has free hot dogs and chips every Saturday, so I rode on over and parked with all the Hogs to see if anyone noticed anything unusual, but either they're all bored with motorcycles or didn't look close enough to suspect it was a 250.

G'day CE, ... Mate, you scored well getting your bike for $1100.00. Holy hot camel crap, it would probably cost three or four hundred bucks to buy the saddlebags & windshield over here, without the bike ! Well done sport, you'de have to be pretty happy. Take a photo of her & post it on the forum or send it to my email, I'de like to have a look if that's cool with you. Keep us tuned on the sprocket conversion too if that's okay. Anyway, keep on cruisin' fella ... regards, Hairy Bob.

[Hairy Bob]

Hey gang, the fuel economy  is even better now the little pony's been run in, she's got about 1800klms on her now. Had a nice little cruise through the countryside yesterday, and for 295 klms it only took 10.5 ltrs of fuel, that's about 28klms per litre ! That was all solo riding ... I'm gettin about 24 - 25 klms per litre riding two up. I'm pretty happy with that ! Keep on cruisin' groovers. Regards, Hairy Bob.

[Paperkrain]

Hey there J.B. , got the service and parts manuals from myxmanuals.com. Make sure your getting the english version of the service manual !!!  I tried a download from some other mob, and it was in bloody Spanish. Oh well, if ever I go to Spain, I'll know how to ask for spark plugs etc I suppose ! ... Regards, Hairy Bob.

Thanks  I noticed the link I gave had the last two chapters missing. Might try and look for a copy online before buying it

Hey gang, the fuel economy  is even better now the little pony's been run in, she's got about 1800klms on her now. Had a nice little cruise through the countryside yesterday, and for 295 klms it only took 10.5 ltrs of fuel, that's about 28klms per litre ! That was all solo riding ... I'm gettin about 24 - 25 klms per litre riding two up. I'm pretty happy with that ! Keep on cruisin' groovers. Regards, Hairy Bob.

Nice I booked my 1000km service next Monday, at the moment at 600km i'm still about 250km per tank. Still having that 'clicking/flapping' sound when I rev though   but it doesn't seem to get louder - although when I squeeze the clutch in to neutral when I'm riding, the sound goes away. Still guessing until the mechanic takes a look see ^_^

Here's a picture of my ride btw

[max oradea]

very nice. i too have that sound... but my mechanic says it nothing to worry about. it is honda behind that kymco badge. and honda gear box and clutch is a bit noisy. but as everyone know honda are tough and last for ages. good oil is all you need. honda type gear box gives you the feeling of control and lets you know if you are in gear.

[Paperkrain]

very nice. i too have that sound... but my mechanic says it nothing to worry about. it is honda behind that kymco badge. and honda gear box and clutch is a bit noisy. but as everyone know honda are tough and last for ages. good oil is all you need. honda type gear box gives you the feeling of control and lets you know if you are in gear.

Awesome, thanks for letting me know it's not just my bike 

About the oil, I wonder if I'm allowed to change the oil myself without voiding the warranty (only to put a better oil than the standard one at the dealership). I'll ask them From what I've heard from other motorists, there's nothing wrong with doing our own oil change within our bike's warranty.

[max oradea]

the oil they should put in is 5w50... hard to find from other company such as Repsol, castral or Mobil.
so if they are giving you 5w50 full synthetic stuff then its not too bad. changing your oil and oil filter is easy enough, just have to have the right tools, and the right oil filter. but 220 usd for that job is a ripoff. oil 2 liters and oil filter... wont go over 50 bucks.