Rough ride on mine compared to friend's 200, front fork issue?

[Momma bear]

Hi
I'm new to this forum. I have red 2012 200i that ride really rough over 40 mph. I thought it was just a scooter thing, but my friend has the same scoot and it's much smother at top speeds. Our back shock settings are the same . Tire pressure 25/29. Could this be a front fork problem? Had the dealer balance the tires but no real difference.
Thanks for your help
Momma bear

[TroutBum]

Please define rough riding. Do you and your friend have the same brand and model tires? Check your front forks and make sure the tubes are of equal length as mounted. Sometimes when installed they don't match up the fork tubes.

If you dropped you scooter or if it has been in a crash you could bend the frame causing riding issues.

[TroutBum]

Forgot to mention, welcome aboard!

[Momma bear]

Thanks

Exact same scoot . Never dropped it 1300 miles.

[TroutBum]

Can you explain in more detail by what you mean by a rough ride? Does it wobble above 40 mph, shake, vibrate? Does it feel like you are riding on cobblestones? The more info we have can help us help you - hopefully.

I can tell you my scooter like your friend rides fine at 40 mph and above. I have ridden at 60 mph with no issues. The scooter exhaust gets throaty above 40 mph, but the ride as long as the road is good is smooth.

If you bought it new you have a 2 year warranty. You should consider taking it to the dealer to get it resolved.

[Momma bear]

It's like a vibration. Spoke with the mechanic at the dealer. He said it may be a headbering . I'm going there tomorrow.
Thanks for your reply.

[TroutBum]

I hope the dealer gets it sorted out for you so you can enjoy your ride. Let us know how your trip to the dealer turns out.

[Stig / Major Tom]

Yes, Welcome aboard!
Geez, hate to hear about your issue with your scoot's rough ride above 40mph.
If you are on the same road, with identical scoots, same tires and PSI in the tires - and yours shakes and his doesn't - yes, please do keep us abreast of the service findings.

Recently here, had a fellow complaining about his 'egg shaped' tires bouncing at speed on his new scoot. He was thinking of having a good set of Michelins put on.
Do the dealers do a full-blown hi-speed spin ballance with our tires - or is a static "see which side drops and add a weight to the other side" kinda ballance?

Wonder if it's your Kenda tire, which might take the high-speed spin to pick up an issue?
Seems like you could spot a head bearing issue by just taking hold of the front forks and looking for movement.
Does friend's scoot have significantly more miles on it than yours? Lot of guys here say their scoot runs better with a couple thou miles on it......although mine was fine from the get-go.
Anyway, I'm a carpenter not a mechanic.
Do keep us posted - and hope you get back to a perfect scooter riding experience (as perfect as it can be with cars out there with us)
Stig in Ohio wildlands

[91cavgt]

Can you describe the vibration that you are experiencing in a little more detail?  Do you feel it in your bum or in your hands more?  Does the vibration get faster the faster you go, or is it really bad mostly at a certain speed?  Have you ever taken it over 40 mph?  If you did, what happened with the vibration?


I'm leaning more towards a tire being out of round, which will be perfectly balanced on a tire machine.  If a vehicle sits for a long period of time without being moved, it can distort the shape of the tires.  The easiest way to see this is to put the scooter on the center stand, then rotate the tires, one at a time and watch the tire near where the tire would make contact with the pavement.  If you can see the tire moving up and down as it spins then it is out of round and the dealership should replace it. 

[CB024]

I'm on top of it momma bear. My wife's scooter has the same issue and guess what color it is..... RED. I think its pigment of the paint throwing the bike off balance Kidding of course.

I'm going to pull the wheel this weekend. I'm going to set up a jig so I can see if the wheel is in fact out of balance using the static method.

If you can, take a look at the side wall of your front tire. There should be a yellow dot somewhere on the side wall. That is supposed to be the lightest part of the tire and should be lined up in close proximity to the valve stem. On my wife’s scooter its about 3 inches off from the valve stem. I’m not sure if this is what’s causing the problem or not but its where I’m starting. I'll know better when I static balance.

If my wife’s ends up being slightly off and it appears that it’s in the area of the valve stem then I will remove the tire and line the dot with the stem to see if that helps. While the tire is off I'm going to check the runout on the wheel as well. It could be a bad wheel casting but I think if that were the case there would be a lot more complaints about shaky front ends.

No matter what I want to get this figured out so that it can help others like yourself who are experiencing this issue.

[Momma bear]

Just got back from the shop and the guys at Sarasota Fun Machines are the best!  The wheel was out of round. They swapped it out and what a difference. Did 50mph on the way home, smooth as glass.  If anyone else has this kind of problem make sure the test rider is about your size.  My mechanic is 80 lbs heavier than I am and did not  feel it as much so a salesperson, who is more my size, road it and diagnosed the problem. Gonna grab a bite and off to scoot. 

[tclhb]

Super cool! Happy for you!

[CB024]

Just got back from the shop and the guys at Sarasota Fun Machines are the best!  The wheel was out of round. They swapped it out and what a difference. Did 50mph on the way home, smooth as glass.  If anyone else has this kind of problem make sure the test rider is about your size.  My mechanic is 80 lbs heavier than I am and did not  feel it as much so a salesperson, who is more my size, road it and diagnosed the problem. Gonna grab a bite and off to scoot.

The wheel or the tire? Glad they fixed it and you got good service from your dealer. I havent been so lucky unfortunately

[Momma bear]

Both wheel and tire. The wheel might have caused tire problems.  Maybe you could contact kymco USA and see if they can help you. I just got back from a 40 mile jaunt and if it weren't for butt fatigue I'd still be riding .  That will be the next project.

[Stig / Major Tom]

That is great !
Super fix by your dealer!
And good on you for staying with it!
Now, settle down and ride safe!
(my 4-way SailRite vinyl came in the post and I'm practicing shooting at squirrels with my staple gun, getting ready to try the re-cover again of my built-up seat. Was not sure which to buy - a couple of blues which might have matched my blue/white LIKE LX, or the non-slip black - but thought I might want to move a bit while riding - so just bought the reg. balck vinyl. It does seem to be pretty stretchy - so hope it will look better than the heavy Classic Saddle Brown vinyl I tried first. Took it back off and covered my daughter's desk chair with it. Looks nice!)(just kidding about the squirrels - shooting at cats)(not)