KymcoForum.com
Scooters - 125 to 300 => LIKE 200i => Topic started by: Stig / Major Tom on July 22, 2014, 01:09:58 AM
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My LIKE200i is in the shop for warranty work (I hope) due to engine cutting out - now at various speeds.
The final thing I tried before attempting the cross-town ride to the dealer was to re-install the orig. coil with a used plug lead & cap. The stupid thing of course only miss-fired once all the way there. This - after sitting for a week - as I mulled things over.
I will report what the dealer finds, if anything. They sell Ducatis and Gold Wings - surely they can fix this little Chinese-made scooter. I must have patience.
For some time I have been wanting to make a modest move up ....from this little LIKE200i.
I was pretty much all set to purchase a new white Honda PCX150. Perhaps the most popular scoot in the UK.
As most of you know the PCX150 will outrun the LIKE 163.....but more importantly it would provide me with years of reliable transportation for my simple commuting and weekend-goofing needs.
My wife looked at it and asked if this new scoot would carry two of us.
Well, no....why do you ask?
Cut to the chase - I've been having too much fun on the scooter to not be sharing the experience with my best girl.
So, the Honda Forza and the Piaggio BV350 were explored.
The BV is gorgeous to the eye of a LIKE owner....
The Honda is more easily serviced where we live.(shoot, there are 4 Honda scooter dealers around here)
I had the 2 Honda dealers and the Piaggio dealer bid for my $ - two made reasonable counters to my offers.
PIAGGIO BV 350(http://i59.tinypic.com/339sm15.jpg)
HONDA FORZA
(http://i62.tinypic.com/rjla87.jpg)
(http://i62.tinypic.com/6dxw6d.jpg)
I do not know how long the Piaggio dealer can hang on in his small-town rural setting (the SYM dealer in the same town went belly up 2 yrs ago)
So, I brought home the Forza. One big thing I like about the Forza....I've already re-set the handle bars and brake levers way 'up' to comfortably clear my knees.
Jury is out on what to do with the LIKE200i - if it is repaired and running perfectly I may keep it since it now fits me so well...or pass it, along with all my spares, to a new lucky owner.
Stig
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Congratulations. Nice looking scooter. I hear great things about the Forza. You'll have nice getup and go and a comfy ride. You can't go wrong with a Honda. Their distribution in the states mean parts and service are much much easier to come by.
Happy trails to you and Mrs Stig.
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Congratulations!
You better keep the Kymco your gonna get Mrs Stig on the back of that Honda an the next thing you know mammas gonna want her own.
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Lloyd Cole "Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken" @ El Mundo (Klubb Supermix) Stockholm (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4My6unHLt1c#ws)
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Just so the comparison is fair... New is always better! Good luck Bruv!
Lloyd Cole, 'Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?' live, 1985 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z0-m31oh2w#)
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Stig, thanks for the update. I to purchased a new ride this weekend, a 2006 Honda Big Rukus with only 8500 milles...what a blast to ride. It's just for the longer rides I go on at times, I still plan to use the Like for shorter in town runs.
I hope you do keep us posted and keep your Like as well. I've learned much from your input.
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Gotta love a Ruk! good luck.
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Congrats Sig on the new ride. You probably won't need to do any tinkering to be comfy on the Forza. When you start to get the itch for a new scoot you gotta scratch! Keep hanging around even if you sell the Like. ;)
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Gotta love that new bike smell. Good luck with the new scoot.
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Could have gotten the Forza at my dealer, but- the Downtown 300i has more power and rates better in most motorcycle reviews ( especially for the price ) . Not a big fan of the bulbous look of the Hondas, now.
Love my DT300i ... I can flick that bike anywhere I want .
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You probably won't need to do any tinkering to be comfy on the Forza.
Actually, I had the salesman remove the backrest hump on the Forza seat for a look-see, before I bought it. I told him how the new Piaggio BV350's backrest bump can be removed with 3 screws. A lot of perspective buyers were put off by the hump on the BV seats - so the dealers learned to show them how easy it is to remove. (there is a world-wide hope that all manufacterers will quit putting those stupid things on scooter seats!! There's a nice business in the Philippines selling PCX Honda seats with the bump removed.) Didn't work on the Forza...seat would have to be repadded and recovered.
The owner of the shop came around while the salesman was unbolting the seat bump...he calmed down after he was told that Piaggio's are being sold in the next county with it removed. Keep the customer happy!
Stig
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Could have gotten the Forza at my dealer, but- the Downtown 300i has more power and rates better in most motorcycle reviews ( especially for the price ) . Not a big fan of the bulbous look of the Hondas, now.
Love my DT300i ... I can flick that bike anywhere I want .
Glad you like your Kymco!
Truly, glad you're happy with your scoot!
For some of us - bigger, faster, etc. is not where we're at.
My 4 Honda bikes were never the fastest in their class....but there were 3 reasons I kept buying them:
Build & engineering quality
Reliability
Value
If the DT300i were about $1000 less I would have given it more consideration on the showroom floor.
IMHO the $1900 to $2500 Kymcos are their best values.
We all buy our vehicles with something in mind.
Hondas fit my ....whatever you want to call it.
Ride safe!
Stig
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Glad you like your Kymco!
Truly, glad you're happy with your scoot!
For some of us - bigger, faster, etc. is not where we're at.
My 4 Honda bikes were never the fastest in their class....but there were 3 reasons I kept buying them:
Build & engineering quality
Reliability
Value
If the DT300i were about $1000 less I would have given it more consideration on the showroom floor.
IMHO the $1900 to $2500 Kymcos are their best values.
We all buy our vehicles with something in mind.
Hondas fit my ....whatever you want to call it.
Ride safe!
Stig
WE all like what we like on our bikes. That keeps originality in play... a good thing. Hope your new ride is a good fit for your :) :D ;D .
Ride safe , yourself and enjoy!
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Stig....I don't know if that rider seat hump mounts like many of the others....but if so, check out www.bestbackrest.com (http://www.bestbackrest.com) and see if it's something you might like. I used them on my Burgman(s) and they were pretty comfortable and had a good look. Basically an Isuzu headrest.
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Stig,
take a look at this picture of my Beverly 350 and you'll see that you made a mistake.... ;)
I still own a Like 200i (21.000 km's) and love it, because it looks like a "real" scooter.
When looking for something stronger last year, the Beverly turned out to be the only "grand" scoot that did not look like a malformed, blown-up insect, but has at least some remains of italian style.
Nevertheless: please don't feel offended and have fun with your new toy!
Greets from Germany
scooto
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OK, Stig! Good on ya for getting a new scoot. BUT I WANNA HEAR WHAT IT TAKES TO GET YOUR LIKE RUNNIN' AH, LIKE IT WAS. Like it was said, you have to get it running well to either sell it or let the "missus" ride it. Since my "missus" has one I want to be locked and loaded if it ever has the symptoms of yours.
Karl
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OK, Stig! Good on ya for getting a new scoot. BUT I WANNA HEAR WHAT IT TAKES TO GET YOUR LIKE RUNNIN' AH, LIKE IT WAS. Like it was said, you have to get it running well to either sell it or let the "missus" ride it. Since my "missus" has one I want to be locked and loaded if it ever has the symptoms of yours.
Karl
Exactly! Inquiring minds want to know. ::)
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OK, Stig! Good on ya for getting a new scoot. BUT I WANNA HEAR WHAT IT TAKES TO GET YOUR LIKE RUNNIN' AH, LIKE IT WAS. Like it was said, you have to get it running well to either sell it or let the "missus" ride it. Since my "missus" has one I want to be locked and loaded if it ever has the symptoms of yours.
Karl
Will do!
No phone call from dealer yet.(Weds eve, Jul 23)
They said they'd get to it straight away since I bought it there.
Took it in last Sunday morning.
Already rec'd my Forza serv. manual (nice! 0nly $30) and a box of oil filters for it ....1st oil change at 600, but won't wait that long.
Yes, I miss my LIKE.
Great brakes and plenty of zip when it was healthy....good runner in a summer downpour, too! And that Bestem lights up the whole back yard at night while I'm riding.
Stig
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Hey Stig.....I poked my head into the local HONDA dealer today and sat on a FORZA. That really is a nice bike. I like the firmness of the seat and the bar reach was really comfortable. Enjoy it!
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Another idea, Stig: Your Like was always SPOTLESS even in the engine room. Could a little rinse water wound up in that mega-plug that connects the TPS, ISC & MAS to the ECU? A little silicone contact grease on the connection after some Radio Shack contact cleaner should fix any "fuzzy" connections.
Karl
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Went by the dealer today to pick up some Honda oil for my 1st change....looked in the service area.
The good news is they didn't quickly give it back to me in the same condition I brought it in.
Nothing to report. Since I'm no longer riding the city bus and walking to work - I want them to take their time finding out what is going on (read a woman's post re. her scooter issue: It was a failing start switch on her scoot's brake lever acting up intermittantly - for 2 yrs! Makes me wonder...)
Here's my Honda:
Cool beans! A real spin-on oil filter! The "X" label says not to use the filter as a jacking point.
(http://i61.tinypic.com/lcdw0.jpg)
Took me a moment...a cable operated rear disc brake? Nope - a parking brake! (you have to sort all this out on your own. Salesmen are nice guys, but...)(http://i58.tinypic.com/sys0up.jpg)
2014 Honda "Forza" (from a rare African shrub, I think)
(http://i57.tinypic.com/6pu87k.jpg)
Went on the web looking for a Forza Club to join.
So few Forza owners....lead to some inbreeding, I guess. Won't be the same fun as the Kymco folks - but will give it a try.
(http://i60.tinypic.com/i3w11d.jpg)
Stig
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Another idea, Stig: Your Like was always SPOTLESS even in the engine room. Could a little rinse water wound up in that mega-plug that connects the TPS, ISC & MAS to the ECU? A little silicone contact grease on the connection after some Radio Shack contact cleaner should fix any "fuzzy" connections.
Karl
I never wet the under-seat area...though the blokes in the Philippines hose down everything...kept it clean with a rag and key-board blower. I took apart every connector I could get my hands on ....and some that I couldn't...cleaned and hooked them up again. (removed the injector, soaked it in Techron, blew it out, reinstalled - no difference.) Spent a few evenings staring into the engine bay with a flashlight.
I hope the boys at the dealer will find something.
Waiting on their call.
Stig
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Stig, That is one very pretty bike!! How does the comfort and overall ride compare with the Like?
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Stig,
I see a lot of Forza owners are on the Honda PCX forum. You might want to check there as well.
Do let us know what they come up with on your Like. It would be nice to know for reference.
How many miles do you have on the Honda now?
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Stig,
take a look at this picture of my Beverly 350 and you'll see that you made a mistake.... ;)
I still own a Like 200i (21.000 km's) and love it, because it looks like a "real" scooter.
When looking for something stronger last year, the Beverly turned out to be the only "grand" scoot that did not look like a malformed, blown-up insect, but has at least some remains of italian style.
Nevertheless: please don't feel offended and have fun with your new toy!
Greets from Germany
scooto
Oh I DO love the looks of the BV350!....
This youtube just about put me over the edge for the BV!
Vespa Motorsport Employee Scooter Spotlight: Alex's BV350 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsOf9NhWZb8#ws)
Very sadly....servicing and parts for a lovely Italian scooter in the middle of Ohio corn fields is not a happy thought! If I lived closer than 50 miles to a big Ohio city it would be a different story. (Cleveland, Cincy, Columbus, etc. have Vespa dealers...)
I almost bought a lovely red BV250 with 1000 miles on it for $2050.00 about 4 hours ride from here. Did not pull the trigger on that one either...for the same reason.
The 'insect', 'zoomy' look of the Honda is growing on me....and I sleep better knowing it is in the garage. (If I were wealthy..I'd have a BV350 in the living room with a lamp on it!)
As a lot of folks have pointed out...Kymco made stuff for Honda years ago...so it must be good.
Therefore - imagine how good a Honda must be!
(you have a pretty scooter! -send more pictures! - and of your LIKE!)
Stig
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Stig, That is one very pretty bike!! How does the comfort and overall ride compare with the Like?
It would not be fair to the LIKE200i to compare it to the Forza.
The Forza benefits from bigger tires, longer wheelbase, lower center of gravity, twin headlights and an extra 200lbs. The Forza is very smooth, very stable - in large part I suspect this is due to the weight, tires , wheelbase, this new engine design and the bigger squirrels under my seat! Fit and finish is perfect.
My son says the Forza looks to fit me better. (I always knew I looked like a circus bear on a tricycle with the LIKE- but I never gave a d_mn because, with that rebuilt THICK seat, I was having so much fun on it !)
Stig
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Stig....I don't know if that rider seat hump mounts like many of the others....but if so, check out www.bestbackrest.com (http://www.bestbackrest.com) and see if it's something you might like. I used them on my Burgman(s) and they were pretty comfortable and had a good look. Basically an Isuzu headrest.
Thanks for the info!
I'll look into that.
This winter might look into sending seat out with pix from asia of custom (backrest deleted) Forza seats...even some asians take it straight in for a rebuild .. often to add some height as well as getting rid of the stupid "seat cutting" backrest. There's a big business axing the little backrest on the PCX.
Still....enjoying this Forza
Sat on a Grand Vista the other day....seat as big as a horse saddle compared to a LIKE.....but was jammed against the front...NO way I could have ridden that scoot!
Ride safe and thanks again for the info.
Stig