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Messages - willembop

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1
Xciting 500 / Re: My New (to me) Xciting 500
« on: July 28, 2019, 01:49:24 PM »
My speedometer was optimistic by about 15 percent. So if it indicated 90, it was actually going about 76. Stock size tires. As someone else observed on theirs, you could take the km/h reading and divide by 2 to come pretty close to the actual mph.

I hated the speedometer because I could hardy read the MPH red markings anyway. So I used a Sharpie and Dymo labels to mark 20, 40, 60, and 80 around the rim of the speedometer at GPS-verified speeds.

I never checked the odometer for accuracy.

2
The battery light being on might indicate a low battery, and a problem with the charging circuit. Connect a voltmeter across the battery with the engine running above idle and ensure the charging voltage reads above 13 volts. If it doesn't, then you'll have to troubleshoot the battery and charging system. Of course, look for loose connections first.

If the charging voltage is OK, I would check the fuses. There is one that primarily provides power to the instrument panel. If I remember correctly, the fuses are located to the left of the battery. Use a meter to do the check. You can find generalized instructions for checking fuses on Youtube.

If you need a mechanic, you don't need a Kymco garage specifically. Any competent motorcycle or scooter mechanic should be able to handle the problem for you.

3
Xciting 500 / Re: Another Noob
« on: April 16, 2019, 06:27:47 PM »
I have received good service from Powersports Warehouse:  https://www.powersportswarehouse.com/oemparts/c/kymco/parts

4
Xciting 500 / Re: Regulator
« on: March 31, 2018, 01:55:04 PM »
One more note on the function of these regulators. The ones with the black sensing wire are internally different from those without. The ones without the black sensing wire don't need an on/off signal to operate, and they act like an open circuit automatically when their output is less than the battery voltage. So they won't drain the battery when the scooter is not running. The ones with the black wire need the electrical signal to switch them off, otherwise they would drain the battery. So internally there are two distinct types of regulator circuits. The other variable is the capacity rating, i.e., how much current the regulator can supply. This is not shown on the regulators and is not listed in their specifications as far as I can see, but you can get a general seat-of-the-pants estimate by comparing the physical size of the regulator and its heat sink/fins, and also the thickness of its connecting wires. If the wires are thin, they cannot carry much current, while thick wires mean a lot of current capacity. Also, and this is just a guess, I noticed that most manufacturers, and particularly Honda, employ the regulators with the black sensing wire, so I think that is the superior setup.

5
Xciting 500 / Re: Regulator
« on: March 31, 2018, 01:31:18 PM »
I should also note to avoid confusion that the VF700C regulator that I referred to as an example is actually an 8-wire unit. Two green, two red, three yellow, and one black wire. Which is essentially the same as those with 6 wires, just the red and green doubled up. To summarize, the three yellow wires are the AC input to the regulator from the stator. If there are only two yellow wires, that would be a single phase regulator, not compatible with the Xciting 500. The red and green wires are the DC output that charges the battery. And if there is an additional black wire (usually known as the "sensing" wire), it is connected to a switched DC source, which effectively turns the regulator on and off when the ignition key is switched on and off.

6
Xciting 500 / Re: Regulator
« on: March 31, 2018, 01:02:02 PM »
About the dual wires being really one? It's just the wiring design conventions that engineers (usually) follow. Red is most always the hot side of the battery and green is ground. If you look at the schematics for any of those regulators with a double wire output, like a VF700C for example, both of the same colored wires end up hooked together upstream. This is done to provide increased current capacity. They could have used a fatter wire instead, but the two thinner wires are more flexible and easier to group in a harness.

7
Xciting 500 / Re: Regulator
« on: March 30, 2018, 08:27:57 PM »
I would like to find a plug-in replacement for the Kymco regulator, but a lengthy survey online failed to reveal a plug-compatible unit. There aren't many 5-wire regulators in use like the Kymco, but the regulator for the 2008 Honda SH300 seems to be one. Of course, the connectors would not work, but you wouldn't have to splice the black wire as I did. I don't know the dimensions between the mounting holes of the SH300 regulator, so I don't know how easily it would fit on the mounting studs. BTW there are a lot of 7-wire units around, i.e., 3-yellow, 2 red, and 2-green wires (no black wire). They would also work, because the double green and red are connected together inside the unit. You could just cut off one red and one green, or, better yet, tie each pair together.

8
Xciting 500 / Regulator
« on: March 28, 2018, 07:20:21 PM »
I've had cold starting problems with my 2007 Xciting 500. Here's what I most recently did. My regulator/rectifier only put a maximum of 13.2 volts to the battery. Type of battery didn't matter, new, old, or even lithium. Charge voltage didn't rise above 13.2v. The stator output is fine, about 25vac across each phase at idle, 60vac when revved. In my experience on other scooters and motorcycles, the voltage at the battery should rise up to the low 14s, usually about 14.5, when the battery is fully charged. So I got a new replacement Kymco regulator, and it behaved identically, i.e. not more than 13.2 volts. I saw some discussion about replacing Kymco regulators with an old Honda regulator that is a Shindengen 232-12 (used on CM400 and CX500 models, and maybe others). I got one from Ebay for $12 including shipping. The Shindengen regulator is a 6-wire unit, while the Kymco is a 5-wire, and the 6th wire (the black wire) needs to be connected to a switched 12-volt source. The Honda regulator has different electrical connectors. I cut them off and used the connectors from my replacement Kymco unit, soldering them to the Shindengen wires (same color wire: 3 yellow, 1 red, 1 green), so I wouldn't have to alter the stock wire harness. The black wire I spliced into the brown wire of the hazard unit, which is right next to the rectifier. (The brown wire provides 12v to the tail lights.) I used a bullet connector on the black wire, so I can unplug and remove the new rectifier if it should become necessary. The new regulator works great and gets the charging voltage up where it should be. Voltage at the battery is 13.5v at idle, rising to 13.9v in a couple of minutes as the engine warms, and I expect it will rise above 14 after a while, though I haven't road tested yet to see. I'm pretty sure this will give the battery a little more oomph when it's cold, although I'll have to wait for next winter to find out. I should mention, in case anyone is interested, the mounting holes of the Honda unit are slightly further apart than the Kymco, but the aluminum case is pretty soft and easy to modify. I notched out the material inside the bottom mounting hole, using my band saw, until I could get the top hole lined up and secured it with just one nut on top, which seems to be plenty.

9
Xciting 500 / Re: Malossi Kevlar belt longevity?
« on: March 28, 2018, 06:38:31 PM »
I have a Malossi belt in my 2007 500. Only have about one thousand miles on it, so I can't vouch for its longevity. Seemed to fit fine when I installed it.

10
Xciting 500 / Re: My 2009 500 is acting up
« on: January 17, 2018, 06:40:59 PM »
I looked at the schematic and it seems that all power to the display module comes from the ignition switch. Unless you have a shorted wire somewhere, the ignition switch is likely the problem. It should disconnect the power when turned Off. A contact inside the switch mechanism is making a connection that it shouldn't be.  I would get some electrical contact cleaner (comes in a spray can with a thin straw-like nozzle), and spray it liberally down deep into the keyhole. The cleaner won't hurt anything -- it evaporates and leaves a protective film on electrical contacts and a very fine lubricant on mechanical parts. If you have the fairing off, you might be able to get the spray into the ignition switch contacts, which are likely down toward the bottom of the unit. Look for any open slots or holes to spray into. Then, with the battery disconnected, exercise the keyswitch back and forth through its range a couple of dozen times. Reconnect the battery and find out if this helped. Alternatively, or if that doesn't do any good, you can use an ohmmeter in conjunction with the schematic and test the ignition switch, if you know how to read a schematic. Last ditch effort would be to replace the ignition switch -- but I would test the switch first. Last thought: while unlikely, look for pinched or exposed wires in the ignition switch and dash area.

11
Sounds like something broken in the clutch. Maybe a spring let go.

12
Xciting 500 / Re: Oil still vanishing after rings and valve stem seals job
« on: November 09, 2017, 06:20:21 PM »
Wow, that is quite a puzzler. It certainly seems that such a large quantity of oil vanishing should leave more evidence behind, i.e. puddles of oil or smoke. I think you have covered all the bases, but then the oil must be going somewhere. Perhaps it only leaks at higher RPM and blows away at speed. If that were the case (and I doubt it would be), then an inspection of the engine exterior should show some area wet with oil. If 750 ml were leaking out of the alternator wire grommet (and here again I doubt that it could), it should be pretty wet in that area. You said the expansion tank coolant looks okay -- check the radiator, because sometimes the contaminated coolant might not be getting to the expansion tank. Also, your oil is not milky?

13
Xciting 500 / Re: Am I being ripped off? *Please answer quickly*
« on: October 28, 2017, 03:27:25 PM »
Whoops, wasn't finished and somehow hit the POST button. Here's the rest of my message:

I think six hours of work sounds about right. I just did this job on my Xciting 500 a couple of months ago, and I was surprised at how difficult the job was, having done numerous motorcycle stator replacements in the past (which I remember being much easier). I'll describe the procedure and estimate the time it took for each process (not counting head scratching and confusion). First removing a bunch of body panels (about 20 minutes work). Then drain coolant and remove water pump (15 minutes). Drain engine oil and remove oil filter (10 minutes). Remove about 20 bolts that hold the engine right side cover on (20 minutes). Then I had to remove something on the rear suspension (I don't remember what) that prevented removal of the side cover (15 minutes). Disconnect electrical plugs (5 minutes). Finally removed side cover. The side cover gasket was torn upon removal, and it took another 10 minutes to scrape the sealing surfaces clean. Then I had to order a new gasket (it cost about $25 and took 2 weeks to arrive). It took about 10 minutes to install the new stator onto the engine side cover and torque it in place. When the gasket finally arrived, reinstalled engine side cover and tighten the 20 or so bolts (30 minutes). Reattached suspension piece (5 minutes). Install water pump (5 minutes). Install new oil filter, add oil and coolant (20 minutes). Start up and check for proper operation, leaks, etc. (30 minutes). Reinstall body panels (30 minutes). Road test (30 minutes). So I think the times I've estimated add up to almost 4 hours, and I'm probably forgetting some important step. I think it actually took me about six hours of work. I think the dealer shops around Virginia are charging in the neighborhood of $100 an hour. So $440 seems to be a fair charge.

14
Xciting 500 / Re: Am I being ripped off? *Please answer quickly*
« on: October 28, 2017, 03:05:38 PM »
I think six hours of work sounds about right. I just did this job on my Xciting 500 a couple of months ago. First removing a bunch of body panels (about 20 minutes work). Then drain coolant and remove water pump (15 minutes). The remove about 20 bolts that hold the engine right side cover on (20 minutes). Then I had to remove something on the rear suspension (I don't remember what) that prevented removal of the side cover (

15
Xciting 500 / Re: How Crucial is xciting 500 4k Service timing?
« on: September 07, 2017, 01:12:37 PM »
As a retired engineer, I can tell you that the factory service intervals for most equipment are set rather conservatively in order to protect against worst-case problems. You can generally get away with extending those intervals with no ill effects (and here's the catch) but not always. So if you go beyond the recommended service intervals, you are betting that you will be lucky. As a general rule, we allowed 10 percent variance automatically (so a 4000 mile check was fine up to 4400 miles), and in extenuating circumstances, 20 percent was viewed as acceptable (up to 4800 miles). A lot also depends on how you're using it. The factory intervals are for normal treatment. Harder usage would suggest shortened intervals. So as the saying goes, "Your mileage may vary."

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