There are restrictions on this Like for sure. Mostly emissions stuff, but I agree with you on two things...the muffler and the CPU. I am looking into the CPU and whether there is a restriction. My Aprilia SR50 had a huge restriction and once it was re-programed, that little fuel injected 2-stroke became a screamer! I really miss that scoot. The Like (to me) feels the same way, in that at 60 mph I feel that everything just stops...there is no more umph. I am waiting to hear back from my scoot shop on that one. Obviously, getting rid of that heavy, choking muffler with something lighter and less restrictive would be a huge improvement. However any changes could/would have drastic and most likely bad effects on the performance since the fuel mapping and O2 sensor are set with a finite range of tolerances. So again the CPU may be able to compensate for changes, but until I can confirm this is the case I am not touching nothing. Especially since a new muffler is not cheap which brings me back to rule #1...if you are spending more than $1,000 on mods to get 5-10 mph (maybe) on your top end...just get a bigger engined scooter that is purpose built for strong 2 up riding and freeway cruising.
The first easy thing you can do is the air box mod. Search around for the post. That took all of 10 minutes and (for me) made a noticeable improvement for $0 dollars. I would suggest not only removing the restrictor in the inlet tube (most likely put there for sound) but also to cut away a nice size of the silly "plate" that also is restricting the intake air. I cut out about half of that silly thing to make sure there is good air flow into the air box.
In the meantime there really isn't much you can do with so little miles on the scoot. As noted, after 1000 or so miles, these engines do improve without doing anything, so hang in there.
Once you are in the "post-1000 mile" stage, you can/should look into rollers. Too much info to list here, but you can make a nice improvement with either Dr. Pulleys and/or heavier/lighter rollers (depending on your preference). And check/adjust the valves. Mine were a bit loose and after the adjustment, the engine ran very smooth.
Hang in there, it will get faster and peppier. These Likes are set up to shine in the 40-45 mph range, but I have no issues getting to 55-60 mph and holding 40-45 mph even uphill. And my only engine "mods" are:
- Air box restriction/removal
- Synthetic Oil
- Dr. Pulleys 14g rollers
- Iridium spark plug (jury still out on whether this has any improvement- I have been using Iridiums for years on a variety of scoots, never had an issue)
Congrats again, be safe.
PS- BTW, by far one of my fav scoots was the Honda Elite 150 Deluxe. OMG what a great engine. 62 mph WITH TWO PEOPLE. My wife and I (in our much "lighter" days) would hit a highway here and there for a bit and kept up with traffic NO problem. 10 inch wheels and liquid cooled torquey 150cc equals one great ride.
