KymcoForum.com

I've been looking at some used Kymco scooters and after hearing what some said about the xCiting 500 I'm leaning toward getting a Grand Vista 250 instead. If you own or have owned one, would you give me your honest opinion about them? Please feel free to answer as many or as few questions as you want...

1) How long have you had your Grand Vista/Dink?
2011-2019+ 8 years

2) How many miles do you have on your Grand Vista/Dink?
Purchased with 2,600 mi and now have 28K

3) Do you like your Grand Vista/Dink a lot and would you recommend it (would you buy a Grand Vista/Dink all over again) or should I wait and find another one?
Yes, good torque and balance.  I *would* recommend it but I don't because it is too hard now to get oem kymco parts.

4) What's your typical gas mileage?
50-52mpg because I run full throttle on the highway to keep up with traffic & I have the big givi windshield.  Stock windshield & limit speeds to ~60mph you can get 60+ mpg.

5) How many miles do you get out of your tires?
Not many.  Rear tire is bald @ 5K mi.  Front ok up to 7K.  Got 7K on original rear tire but have never found that exact model tire.  Avon Viper Stryke last the longest of the various brands I have used.

6) Any problems to look out for, and if so what's it typically cost?
YES: but most seemed to start at 10K+ total miles: #1 Exhaust cracks - and I know of two other GV's same issue.  Also, Exhaust is murder to remove and esp reinstall.  Ended up welding my own custom exhaust - not easy.  #2 Another know problem / defect - At around 11K? the AC inverter back light starts to go on off randomly - 5 hr job to solder a generic inverter which resolved the problem for good.  #3 Electric mirrors - work great but $$ expensive to replace ($180 at my local dealer years ago just for the part.) and must always be folded in every time you park.  Still, I have spend and excessive amount of time repairing them and they get loose often requiring re-tightening.  Radiator fluid is a pain to remove the front assembly to access the radiator cap - you must do this and not just fill the coolant bottle or you will get a giant air pocket and over heat.

Finally, the carburetor - not the scooters fault but when it clogs it is very hard to get it right and is no longer available as a complete unit and was not cheap at around $280 online  -- aftermarket carbs can be fitted if the air box / snorkel if completely modified - a lot of work and very little to gain.

Suspension - Sux! Small wheels mean harsh ride, low ground clearance, limited travel. 

In summary, if you dive 3K / year like I do it eventually gets to be death by 1000 cuts.  Overall, a great design with a few shortcomings.

7) How does it ride on the highway/Interstate?
Pretty good - coming from bigger heavier motorcycles I found it sketchy at first but got used to it and drive most of my miles on the highway but switch over corners and aggressive driving and the handling falls apart and becomes dangerous.   Drafting a car down a big hill on the highway I have hit indicated 94mph - 8mph (speedo error) = 86 mph - not safe but I have done it many times over the years.

Thanks for your help .. again.

-OldCoot

I ordered a Gates drive belt on ebay that is supposed to fit my 2009 GV 250. It is a PL30904, with 894X23X28 on the sleeve.

Is this a belt that is OK for the GV 250?  The original belt disintegrated at 10K miles and from the markings on the remains it seems different from the one I bought, less beefy.

I am having a problem loosening the nut on the variator because one of the holes in the face plate for the holding tool is broken off and I am taking a lot of time to come up with a strategy to loosen it; in the meantime I would like to know if the belt is the correct one so I can return it if it isn't.

Anybody?

#1 nut - ** try ** to see if you can buy a new front pulley - I messed up the spline teeth on my years ago.  Replaced it with a new oem one from Kymco Parts Online - I think it cost between 20 to $30.  Either way to get the nut off you could remove the plastic and metal covers to expose the belt and ** carefully ** drive to your local tire shop or mechanic and ask if the will loosen the nut for you both the front and rear pulleys both 19mm - normal tread for both - counter-clockwise to loosen.  Bring a pry bar and replace the belt and pay attention to the DIRECTION arrow on the belt ** after changing and hand tighten with socket / ratchet -- be sure front plate is seated and on the spines and not being pushed out of place by the belt.  No ask the mechanic to use air impact wrench to "snug it up" ...

*** take a test drive in the parking lot *** and use a small mechanics mirror to check the front pulley (see attached pic) now go home and reattach the covers - the belt is reinforced with steel so no need to change it for 18K + miles & 10+ years (** IF driven properly ** that means don't spin the belt at stop signs on a hill etc -- always get full engagement ~ 12mph before flooring it.  I drive full throttle all over  but never below 12mph where the clutch is still unlocked.

REMARK: belts don't just disintegrate - my oem kymco belt has 18K miles and  was mfg'ed in 2009 = 10 years old and is still in spec.  A previous owner probably "baked" the belt by doing things like using it to hold the scooter in place on a hill at a traffic light.  If you "spin" the belt without full engagement the rear clutch housing metal will get so hot in seconds you can't touch it!

Second, ANY belt can easily be measured - most auto stores have a simple plastic device that will tension the belt and in the center is markings - I have my original belt with 10K and could measure it -- if necessary -- and report the length unless Stig or someone else or the manual contains this info.  Also my oem belt is mfg by Mitsubishi and the numbers on it should be something that can be cross referenced.

Third - when you install the new belt most critical part (after getting the 19mm nuts off) is to pry the rear clutch "driven pulley" part and shove a block of wood in there to reduce tension up front or you will damage the splines of the drive face pulley (the one in front with the fan blades).  You can watch my youtube video here:

Well, that is one way of dealing with it!  Interesting that last fall, one of the dealers "on the list" said that a replacement carb for my scoot was not longer available.  I see it now listed on their ebay site for sale.  Must have cleaned off the shelves...

I watched " World' fastest Indian" a few times - there is a lesson in there.  If you need to make a repair and parts are not available, think "outside the box".  Let's keep these scoots rollin"!

I fully admit it's a hack but I did it because where I'm at is: 2005 so it is old, salvage title from a car rear-ending me at a stop sign.  It has a bmw muffler after I got tired of welding the stock exhaust every time it cracked.... also about 7K miles ago I replaced the head gasket which solved an overheating problem.  So now the 38mm nut holding the rear clutch assembly goes out and the online vendors website show that the nut is NOT available. 

I just wanted to keep it going and replace the bald rear tire before I buy my next ride - probably a motorcycle since used scooters are becoming old and scarce and/or discontinued.  It will be hard to sell the scooter in running condition and impossible if it is not working.  If this weld holds ok I might buy an aftermarket clutch for ~ $100 and grind the welds and replace the worn out stock clutch so the next buyer never need to worry about changing it.

I saw the world's fastest indian - great movie.

STICKY

GENERAL DISCUSSION
"buy KYMCO parts here"

Stig

Thank you Stig I have heard different things bounced around over the years and just wasn't sure what was good or safe to order from anymore so I'll check out that sticky link thanks

That's a good point about the champer on the socket and flattening out a little bit I hadn't thought about that I have a set of jumbo sockets from Harbor Freight and I used the giant 38 mm socket in the setting that seemed to work good in the past.

Where is the best place to get a OEM Kymco Parts these days?

eBay $22.00,  plus $19.00 shipping. 

It’s the shipping that keeps me from pulling the trigger on that. 

I will try blowing it out 1st.

Rinsing it in gas or alcohol would be a bad idea???

Wow $19 for shipping. Use compressed air instead of gas which leaves its own sticky nasty residues behind I think very warm water and a Degreaser like Simple Green and then let it dry out thoroughly.  Look at YouTube for generic cleaning instructions for the paper element.

Just blow it out with compressed air.  I changed mine on my 2005 Grandvista @10K miles 6 years ago with an OEM filter just to establish a baseline.  Now I have 28K miles and everything runs fine.