Kymco ZX50

[sidthesloth]

G'Day all, having problems with ZX50 and while looking on net found this site, couldn't resist signing up, (I have a lot to learn and you people seem to know a lot about these scooters. Looking forward to joining in and learning
Cheers, Rob.

[Shaka]

Welcome!  I am a ZX50 owner as well!  There is plenty of great information here! 

[zombie]

Welcome Rob! ZX  Yeah, Yeah!!! What year do you have? Any Mods? Here's another site you may like...  http://www.scooterinvasion.net/forum/index.php   By the G'day I assume you live on that upside down continent. I can fix a scoot but can't for the life of me figure how people don't just fly off into space?!?  Post any ?'s you have. there are plenty of people here that are willing to share what WE have learned. Lot's of easy going fun too.

[wordslinger]

..welcome to the forum sid!

[thebatman]

[/<a href="http://" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://</a>..what up? welcome to the forum, i too am new here..my zx is an 04 model.....im learning alot here...

[sidthesloth]

G'Day,

Thanks all for the welcome, the scooter is an 07 Model blue in colour, no mods but has been derestricted, would like a 70cc kit for it but still trying to get it running properly! Parts are not easy to come by here at the moment, the scooters were imported by a third party(Bug scooters) but now Kymco are going to set up a dealer network. Hopefully, things will improve. As for problems, it can be difficult to start especially when it is at running temperature. The carby insulator was cracked and it has taken nearly ten months to get a new one!! Doesn't seem to have solved the problem though 

As the wife no longer uses it (she now rides a 1999 Kawasaki GPX 250(Ninja), so I take it to work and buzz around town on it (Harley riders don't appreciate a wave lol )

Yes, zombie I am from Australia but it's our anti gravity boots that stop us from flying off into space!   

Cheers
Rob

[thebatman]

mine was hard to start also...mine was between carb or piston,rings...starts first kick now!!! HOOAH.....LMAO

[zombie]

There are a few possibilities for a hard start when warm. First is the spark plug itself. There is a TINY resistor inside the ceramic that will go bad even if the plug looks brand new. Second could be the idle mix is off, and third could just be dirty jets in the carb. There are a few other things to look at like clamps being tight on the carb/manifold. the reed cage screws should be tight. Try a NEW plug, and adjust the smaller screw on the carb 1/4 turn at a time to get the best idle you can (when warm). If the rpms, get too high turn down the idle stop screw (the larger one). check the other little things for poss. leaks while you are at it. If that doesn't get it you may need to pull the carb for a THOROUGH cleaning. I use Brake Clean, and sewing needles to clean all the passages. One more Maybe, the choke tube may have some grit in it that is preventing it from seating. You can pull that apart to inspect/clean. Last thing I can think of is the air filter. Clean that up. Ps. Do you get the grav. boots at birth or do they wait to see how you do in school first? If you hook up the batteries in reversed polarity ( I assume they have batts. because solar power...)  Cheers mate!

[sidthesloth]

G'Day Zombie, the first thing I tried was a new plug though the old one looked ok, I have tried adjusting the idle mix, 1/8 turn at a time, over a period of time, sometimes it seemed ok until it would not go, replace plug with old one and she would go, (kept spare plug under seat), a couple of times it would refuse to start until left a couple of hours.
When I found the cracks in the carb. insulator I thought alright here it is so I sealed it up though I couldn't guarantee the seal. I have stripped the carb a few times blowing through with compressed air, washed air filter all semingly no good. I was running it on 98 octane fuel but a couple of weeks ago changed back to 95. I fitted the new insulator a couple of days ago and now it seems to be better but not yet right. When it won't start on the button it usually only takes a few kicks to start. When at it's worst changing the plug seemed to get it going even though it was an old plug. The spark doesn't seem to be very strong (I am used to cars) but when going it seems to run ok. As for compression I don't have a guage but the feel through the kickstarter is prety good, (must get a compression guage). Do you think I should be looking at replacing the coil? As I said, I have a lot to learn.
Thanks for your assistance.
P.S. The anti grav. boots are from birth, being Aussies.

[zombie]

Allright that is narrowing it down a little. What do you mean by carb insulator? The rubber boot to the manifold? That will wreck your day if there is an air leak there. I have had all three major electrical hot start issues. First off though, as you are riding does the performance drop off? A weak spark could be the coil, cdi, or stator. Could also be a bad ground to the frame/ battery. Check all your wiring connections. clean them w/ wd-40, pb blaster, or any type of spray lube you like. Do the same for all your switches. If there is a bad connection somewhere it will draw down the current to the cdi, or coil. Try those things and post back w/ the other answers. It just needs to be narrowed down. Lucky Aussie's. You get cool boots, and we get stuck where it sucks. OOhhh Welll~

[sidthesloth]

G'Day zombie, when running she goes fine up to about 72~73kmh where I think the rev limiter cuts in. It is now at its best since we got it a little over a year ago. the carb insulator is the 'plastic' plate between the carb and the manifold. Luv them boots.

[zombie]

That plate I believe is your reed block. Let me find a pict.  210-212  http://www.stadiumyamaha.com/pages/parts/viewbybrand/default.aspx    Is that what you are referring to? Any leak in that area is a bad place to be for your engine. Omc perfect seal may help, or Yamabond I hear is also good. That will lead to overheating the piston, and hard starting because the fuel mix is burnt lean before it can ignite

[sidthesloth]

G'Day again zombie, the insulator is between the carb and manifold, the reed block is between the manifold and crankcase.what you said about burning lean and being hard to start sounds close to the mark. the nex insulator has made an improvement though not quite right.

[Shaka]

I believe you are referring to the diamond shaped spacer with recessed o-rings that goes between the carb and the manifold?  But you're right that will definitely cause some problems if it's leaking!

[sidthesloth]

Yes, it was, but now that I have replaced it I was hoping for a better result. if compression was a problem I believe it would affect performance as well but she runs fine, (though there is always room for improvement).