KymcoForum.com
Scooters - 125 to 300 => LIKE 200i => Topic started by: skipper20 on February 20, 2016, 04:32:52 PM
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My '13 Like has 4300 miles on the clock. When I push the start button it starts to engage but there's a brief pause before the starter motor fully engages. It's like uh oh the battery has died but it's only a split second pause and then it fires right up. And I do keep it on a battery tender so the battery is fully charged. Is this an indication that something in the start system is starting to wear out or normal for a 4300 mile scooter? TIA,
Bill in Seattle
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skipper20. i have a Like 200 i 2012 with about the same amount of miles as your Like. I have noticed the same slight hesitation. it has always started but still hesitates for that fraction of a second.
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That hesitation always comes with anticipation for that split second. Normal for my LIKE as well.
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I have a 2012 Like and have the same hesitation especially on cold starts. A couple years ago I got a Yausa battery under warranty and still the hestitation continues. Once warmed up its not as pronounced, but it's still there. My guess is either the battery lacks the amps needed to spin the starter or the starter motor isn't fully capable of producing enough torque to compensate for the compression of the engine. Perhaps it's both the amps and motor.
Have you noticed if you squeeze a bit harder or apply both front and rear brakes it seems to lessen the hestitation?
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I have a 2012 Like and have the same hesitation especially on cold starts. A couple years ago I got a Yausa battery under warranty and still the hestitation continues. Once warmed up its not as pronounced, but it's still there. My guess is either the battery lacks the amps needed to spin the starter or the starter motor isn't fully capable of producing enough torque to compensate for the compression of the engine. Perhaps it's both the amps and motor.
Have you noticed if you squeeze a bit harder or apply both front and rear brakes it seems to lessen the hestitation?
Right now the scoot is strapped to the back of my Subaru getting rady to head south to Tucson but when I get there early next week, I'll try the hard squeeze and both brakes on procedure. I'll report back and thanks!
Bill in Seattle :)
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I´m also familiar with this behaviour. But I don´t notice it on every start. Just occasionally and rather rarely. I assume that the starter motor is a bit to weak to turn the engine over, when the piston has stopped at compression stroke. At least at the second starting attempt, the engine turned over and started each time quickly and easily so far.
That´s maybe also the reason why this engine has only 163cc. Maximum Tuning (big bore kit) possible on a based 125cc engine....
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Interesting reading here......
This morning I rolled out the LIKE200i for the first time in weeks. Temps have been down to 4 F. on some nights.
Turned on the key, waited a few seconds for red light to go off - fuel pump still humming (does for some time), hit the starter and "bam!" Fired right up.
2 hours later, fully warmed engne - got that "grunt' then Start. Mine seems to do it only on a warm/hot start - and only rarely at that.
Using a bigger CCA YUASA battery - so it is not that. Always goes ahead and starts after that hesitation - so never worry about it.
This scooter starts much quicker than did my Forza or does my Burgman. Both of them turn over for a few seconds before starting. All 3 are EFI'd.
Stig
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My buddy's 2013 Like 200 did the same thing. Unfortunately, his bike was totaled in an accident a few months ago. The good thing is that it doesn't do it anymore 😜
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Right now the scoot is strapped to the back of my Subaru getting rady to head south to Tucson but when I get there early next week, I'll try the hard squeeze and both brakes on procedure. I'll report back and thanks!
Bill in Seattle :)
Please do. I'm curious if someone else notices a slight improvement when squeezing the brake lever a bit harder or when applying both brake levers at start up.
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Like Stig I've found that I get that sort of hesitation in hot starts. In cold starts it always fires right up. I think it could be due to the "overcenter" phenomenon found in old British singles. They would fire up when on the choke when cold (with a lot of kicks) but when hot they could break your foot with kick-back it top center. Since the Like is a single cylinder and when hot gets a leaner mixture from the injector it kicks-back against the starter. Does that make any sense? ???
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It's interesting that the hestitation is not the same for all of us. Some, like myself, find it more pronounced at cold starts while others at running temperature. And for some the hesitation occurs whenever they start their scooter.
I do recall one time when performing a cold start I barely squeezed the brake lever and the resulting hesitation was such that the engine warning light flashed. The code turned out to be weak voltage. After that I cleared the register and made sure to firmly engage the brake lever. No warning code after that in over a year, but the hesitation remains.
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Please do. I'm curious if someone else notices a slight improvement when squeezing the brake lever a bit harder or when applying both brake levers at start up.
That's the secret. No need to squeeze both levers. I squeezed the left brake lever a bit harder than usual and it fired right up with no hesitation whatsoever. I repeated the process 5-6 times throughout the morning and same results each time. Talk about an easy fix. I wish they were all like this!
Bill in Seattle but wintering in Tucson :D
'13 Kymco Like 200i Red (AZ scoot)
'12 170i Genuine Buddy Italia
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Not sure if the squeezing the lever harder is all it takes, but that would be nice. Have the same problem from time to time on my Vespa GTS, Kymco is new so I hope it would be a non issue for a while on it.
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I have a 2014 like 200i. It does the same thing i find if you wait for the red-light to turn of before hitting the button it starts no hesitation. Good luck n ride safe m8
Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk
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That's the secret. No need to squeeze both levers. I squeezed the left brake lever a bit harder than usual and it fired right up with no hesitation whatsoever. I repeated the process 5-6 times throughout the morning and same results each time. Talk about an easy fix. I wish they were all like this!
Bill in Seattle but wintering in Tucson :D
'13 Kymco Like 200i Red (AZ scoot)
'12 170i Genuine Buddy Italia
The brake safety switch seems to act as a sort of resitor. The harder you press the less resistance on the flow of juice to the starter motor. Why it behaves like this I haven't a clue. I would think applying the brake would open the circuit To the starter motor not regulate the amount of voltage going to it.
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Brake lever at rest holds in a plunger....pulling the brake levers releases that little plunger and contact continuity is made lighting the brake lights and completing starting electrical circuit.
The amount of force on the lever has no effect on that little plastic switch or its little springloaded plunger....it is all down to the spring of the plunger and quality of contact made or not made using the force of spring Iinside the switch.
Simply...the brake lever operstes a switch thst is either on...or off...depending on position of the brake lever. A very small movement of brake lever opens the plunger....completing the circuit to start and operate brake light.
Pretty sure....
Stig
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It has been two yrs since I was hunting a gremlin in there.....but that is the way I remember things.( of course the switch had no bearing on my running issue)
Perhaps pulling both levers will give a better start.....two spotty contacts being as good as one good one ? Nah.
But brake lever force has 0 effect on that plunger....it is already open with a slight lever movement. ....and the lever is no longer causing it to move.
Stig
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The starter switch safety on the brake lever does effect the flow of voltage. Try lightly engaging the lever and the results is a weak output of the starter motor torque. Not only that, but if you don't apply enough pressure the engine warning light will flash the code low voltage. This has happened to me. I immediately cleared the code and applied normal pressure and got the usual hesitation while turning over the motor. I quickly killed the engine and pressed even harder and there was no pause while turning over the motor. My guess is the surface area of the switch contact increase the further the switch contact travels through the contact point. This would explain the resistor like action I get from light to heavy engagement of the brake lever. All I know is the hesitation doesn't occur with a heavy engagement of the brake lever or when applying both levers with moderate pressure.
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I thought this sounded familiar....
OK - troutbum has too much experience and too many miles with his scooter to disregard what he is saying ..."pull harder, starts better."
Two years ago....
http://www.kymcoforum.com/index.php?topic=11117.msg112891#msg112891 (http://www.kymcoforum.com/index.php?topic=11117.msg112891#msg112891)
I'll be hanged if I can figure why ....unless that switch's plunger is making spotty contact inside, or the lone screw is loose and switch is crooked. I do hear a click from both sides - and could not get it to play up no matter how lightly I pulled the levers tonight....and got no codes. It just started, or didn't if not pulled to the click. Pulling harder applies no pressure to any switch...it just releases a little plunger, "click", as the tab on the brake lever moves further away from the body of the switch..
Interesting
Stig
(http://i63.tinypic.com/ds19i.jpg)
(http://i63.tinypic.com/b50hfn.jpg)
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I would open the headset to spray electrical cleaner as I did years ago, but I'm concerned about breaking the plastic and especially now that it's older. For me applying more pressure does the trick. When I replace the brake fluid I'll spray the switch again with the cleaner. I wish we knew what exactly is going on.
Maybe a sticky topic at the top of this section where we can collect problems and solutions would be a nice thing to have.
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Clean the ground connector from batt to engines case so it's shiny and you could eat off it. Contact surface not what your eyeball sees. Clean the batt connections same way and see if there's any difference.
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Clean the ground connector from batt to engines case so it's shiny and you could eat off it. Contact surface not what your eyeball sees. Clean the batt connections same way and see if there's any difference.
Did that when my starter acted intermittently. Discovered the bolt anchoring the electrical cable to the engine casing went missing. Cleaned with brass bush and denatured alcohol before applying dielectric grease and a drop of blue locktite. Hestitation still there.
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Does a new LIKE 200i ever do this?
I have a big YUASA so it's not the battery.
Is our starter getting tired?....or something needing new lube?
No one posting "no start" with this.....so maybe an insignificant mechanical issue.
Stig
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My guess would be some where in the safety circuit there's corrosion on electrical contacts from use and arcing. Brake switch or a relay or other safety circuit. Been awhile since I had a scoot so I'm not sure of all the safety circuits.