LIKE 200i Tachometer Readings/RE-Figured!

[Stig / Major Tom]

FOLKS - DOUBLE MY FIGURES HERE.
I GOT SMART, FINALLY, AND OPENED MY MANUAL
IDLE SPEED IS 1700 RPM
sorry.......not smart enough to figure out the instructions.

Tach Readings after one day - LIKE 200i with 1950 miles, NGK Iridium Plug, BP 93 gas , 275 lbs of tools, books* and rider,  dead stock otherwise:

1200 rpm - start-up
950 rpm   - as it warms at idle (within 30 seconds after cold start)
3000 rpm - flat road, cruise, 30MPH
3100 rpm - as above, 35MPH
3150 rpm - as above, 40MPH
950 rpm - idle when engine hot

Max reading from drive home : 3450rpm**

(**this was busting an up hill turn,  from a dead stop, to get out of a 40MPH intersection, 4 lanes all directions)
* Scooter books!

My general impression was this: seemed like every time I glanced down, no matter what speed, even mildly accelerating, engine was turning around 3000 rpm.

[Stig / Major Tom]

Green is the spark plug & spark plug wire.
Red is the tachomter sensor wire winding inside the black sleeve.

[tclhb]

Interesting. Thanks!

[Vivo]

Eyes on the road, Stig... 

[Stig / Major Tom]

Eyes on the road, Stig... 

Amen~! I'm not peeking in traffic - !

[tclhb]

If my math in my head is correct, comparing 30 and 40mph, you had a 33% increase in speed, but only a 5% increase in rpm. The drive ratio really increased quite a bit.

[Stig / Major Tom]

Yes, I noted the engine speed settles in around 3000 -3200 rpm when I'm cruising between 30 and 40 mph. My max rpm coming home today was 3240.
I don't know how that works with a CVT transmission. But the engine sounds & seems comfortable at that RPM. Which then causes me to like riding at that speed, traffic permitting.
I gotta say, I took it onto a 55mph country highway the other day - I did not last 2 miles before I wanted off that road! I was at 50mph and did not like it. I told my wife I don't think I'll be able to travel to any distant sites (scooter dealers, etc.) on these country highways. I think I see why people want a 400+lb scooter under them at these speeds, and longer wheelbase. A LIKE on I-70 with our new limit of 70mph - never!  Maybe I just need more riding time......

 What's the red line on these LIKE's , about 7000? , best torque in the 6000's?

[TroutBum]

Stig,

Trust me ride the 50 mph + range for a few days and you'll stop having death and destruction thoughts - really. Right now you are trying to reason how a 12" tire can handle those speeds. It can. I ride 50 mph plus all the time. I don't even think about it anymore. The scooter is more than capable. Just make sure you always scout ahead for hazards. It's really a head scratcher for cagers. They are blown away that a scooter can travel that fast. 

[Vivo]

You just need more riding time and experience Stig... and more speed experiments... The mere fact that you are enjoying your ride means you're o.k.  When boredom strikes, go to 50 mph teritory... or go off-road...what the heck.... or do big block... or customize... whatever you like with your Like...  Ride safe...!

[oskuk]

Highway is ok. What is the thing making nervous is not the speed -it's the lack of it. When trucks are licking your bum it would be nice if You can get rid of them.

[claynine]

That's what I find here in North Dakota too.  The highway speed limit is 65 MPH and the Like can't keep up with traffic, so it gets annoying to others drivers to have to pass on busy two lane roads.  The trucks are bad.  Quite often, they pass you then pull into your lane before they clear you.  It forces you to hit the brakes or hit the ditch.  They are making a statement that isn't real nice.  I like the Like for cruising around the resort area etc, but for open road I need a bigger scoot.  I am thinking about a second scoot...the 2014 Honda Forza or a GT 300i.

[TroutBum]

That's what I find here in North Dakota too.  The highway speed limit is 65 MPH and the Like can't keep up with traffic, so it gets annoying to others drivers to have to pass on busy two lane roads.  The trucks are bad.  Quite often, they pass you then pull into your lane before they clear you.  It forces you to hit the brakes or hit the ditch.  They are making a statement that isn't real nice.  I like the Like for cruising around the resort area etc, but for open road I need a bigger scoot.  I am thinking about a second scoot...the 2014 Honda Forza or a GT 300i.

I won't ride highways during commute hours in the San Francisco Bay Area because of this. Drivers don't have the temperament that a good driver should. So I ride the backroads or wait until commute hours are over. I hate the fact that the Like lacks reserve power to move you out of harms way, especially above 35 mph. I am considering a second scooter in the 300 or higher cc category.

[tclhb]

I agree with the 50 mph being fine. Cruising at that speed nothing seems at its limits. The bike is happy. If yours isn't Stig, maybe something is wrong? I know with the motorcycles I've owned, you can have a wheel misaligned for example. I had a repair shop replace my sprockets and chain, and they had the wheel aligned at different hash marks between left and the right side. I knew something was wrong riding home because of the noisy chain.
Do your wheels have balancing weights? Mine doesn't. I don't notice any vibration though.

[Stig / Major Tom]

I really appreciate these repsonses from you guys! Really. I was a little bummed when I got home after my 50+MPH thrill ride. There went my country road rides.......

I don't know. There are two 55mph roads within a 1/2 mile of my house. Maybe I'll venture out on them more often , and at low traffic times. I guess I was thinking that I could cruise around off of the interstates at my leasure - but I just drove my daughter to camp - all on back roads. 80 miles each way. Those roads were 55mph. and of course I was freq. tailgated because I drive the speed limit. Sure couldn't see myself enjoying that same 80 mile ride on my scooter.
Troutbum is so right - people just don't have the temperament which a good driver should have. Seems like people just want to "get there" - and rather than driving safely - they just push through anyone in their way.
Before I can go visit some fun villages around here - I'm simply going to have to get good at 55mph riding.

Or start watching for a nice used scooter with more weight and cc's.
I sometimes think that the $3200 I spent on this LIKE might have been better spent on a low mileage bigger scooter. But I must remember why I have this scooter in my garage : I was attracted to the vintage look of the LIKE , and the reviews were good, and the price this for new scooter was a very good bargain.
I still don't much care for the 'pointy' sport scooters (I do like the People and Scarabeos and scooters of that ilk) but I am coming to appreciate the difference those bigger scoots can make on the roadways!
Thanks again, And you guys keep riding smart and safe!

[Stig / Major Tom]

I agree with the 50 mph being fine. Cruising at that speed nothing seems at its limits. The bike is happy. If yours isn't Stig, maybe something is wrong? I know with the motorcycles I've owned, you can have a wheel misaligned for example. I had a repair shop replace my sprockets and chain, and they had the wheel aligned at different hash marks between left and the right side. I knew something was wrong riding home because of the noisy chain.
Do your wheels have balancing weights? Mine doesn't. I don't notice any vibration though.

Yes they balanced my Michelins when they put them on a few weeks ago. Nothing wrong with the scooter - other than the vivid imagination of the rider! I spend my days riding around in town or in the park on roads posted no higher than 35mph. 2,020 miles of that so far. A couple of times I have found myself going 40mph - for a few hundred yards.
50mph is still like the back side of the moon to me.  I have maybe 15 mins of plus 45mph under my helmet.
(I gotta stop watching those compilation youtubes of dozens of scooter wrecks in Malaysia - I used those to learn from. What a came away with is that speed is bad ~! Don't be in a hurry. Slow down and WATCH for darn near anything!)
I wish I lived in Florida, or the Philippines. Lots of scooters, people are used to them, and you can get around just fine at 40mph or less! (Plus you can put a poncho on in the worst weather and keep on scootin! Man that seems like scooter Heaven!)