KymcoForum.com
Scooters - 125 to 300 => Downtown 300 => Topic started by: oldcoastie on March 04, 2012, 04:27:37 AM
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Picked up my DT 300i this afternoon... my! what a nice ride! Very stable, very peppy... rode her home for 40+ miles! In many ways very similar to the Grand Vista, only with more space and speed and stability...
I'm having my first problem though (and I'm sure I could get the dealer to take care of it) - the left mirror is uh... floppy, I guess... it spins in circles... on a regular bike without the turn indicators, I'd just spin the mirror around until it tightened up... tried that on the DT, but if I spin too much, the turn signal doesn't work...
Any suggestions on how to tighten it up?
I want to take her out for a good spin in the morning...
(pictures soon)
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Congratulations, please post some pic's dying to see your new ride!
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Hi Oldcoastie. There is a plastic cover on the stem where it angles into the bars. Remove the cover, and there is an Allen head bolt to tighten. UNFORTUNATLY you may have either loosened the bullet connector or "pinched" the 12volt leads to the blinker. IF you have trouble with the blinkers this is where to look first. Don't over tighten the stalk either. You want it to give if there is an impact (elbows, hitting a garage door ect.)
Old Coastie... Retired Coast Gaurd? I grew up near a Coast Guard station, and partied w/ alot of the guys (early '70s). We called them the Toastie Coasties. May be we've met?
Enjoy the scoot Bro!
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Welcome to the group and enjoy the bike. My service guy has a GV and they of corse test ride the bike at each service. He had mentioned the bike had a bit more zest than the GV when it was stock. He was amazed at the difference once they put in the new slider rollers.
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zombie, my uncle was killed in the coast guard years ago and before I went into the Army, I tried to enter the Coast Guard and it was closed/full and couldn't enlist. I was really hurt with that. Anyway his story which is quite long and remarkable I wish I could tell you about. I always had respect for the Coast Guard and even wear my Coast Guard hat often in honor of....
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oldcoastie, good luck with your new ride. too bad you had the mirror problem, but you'll find you will very much enjoy the 300i in rides to come. I have this constant anxiety for the weather to get warmer here in PA and it is coming too slow. I started with the 200 which just wasn't enough for me. I was new and thought it was all I needed. It was great but just not strong enough for the hilly area I live in. I am 6'1", 245 and this 300 is right for what I do.
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Zombie - there's a rubber boot covering the "angle"... am I looking for plastic? higher up? and yes, I did "pinch" the wires, but they seemed to recover after I loosened the mirror up a bit... hopefully, I did not do any damage.
Syl, I'm just a little bit of a woman and the DT REALLY goes like snot... I had to bring her back through the canyon last night (a 55mph road) and it was all I could do to keep her under 60mph.... she just wanted to run!
And, yes, I'm former CG.... spent my years in New England (MA and ME)... late 70's and 80'S...
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Here's the glamor shot :D
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I just took a quiet putt around town this morning - trying to keep the speed down for awhile longer anyway...
Syl - I have a question on "our" trunks...( and it is making me feel like an idiot)... I know that the key must be inserted and turned horizontally to lock the case. I understand the mechanism inside must be lifted to hook onto the lid via the black plastic piece above the red "push me" button... but I'll be darned if I can get the case to lock...
I locked it at the dealer with supervision and I locked it last night at home, but I sure can't remember what the trick was...!
Tried to get in to tighten up the allen nut on the mirror stem but it's not allen and it is not torx...
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oldcoastie...I had the same difficulty and finally figured it out!
1. With the case resting in down position to lock.
2. The key in upright unlock position.
3. Press down on the BLACK BAR above the RED BUTTON until it clicks in the down position.
4. Turn key to right to lock only after the BLACK BAR is pressed down and snaps down.
Hope that helps, I thought I had a reject had first too!
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oldcoastie...forgot to add
1. With the case LID just resting in the down position in order to lock.
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Thanks, Syl - went out and argued with it a bit more.... there are 2 steps to getting it locked (if you don't count having the key in the lock)... a push at the top of the black plastic thing and then a push at the bottom snaps the whole business into place...
Now if I can REMEMBER that next time go to use it!
awful fiddley for something so basic!
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Good you have it settled. We look alike other than the side packs.
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Syl - Did I read you were doing photography from your bike?
If so, how are you keeping your camera(s) from getting all jiggled up? my canon lives in a soft case and then in a fairly well padded holster (and then under the seat but on top of a folded up towel) but I'm still worrying about vibrations...
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I have several different cameras. I don't take the good ones out the way I take the Kodak Z981. If I take the Kodak, I merely place it in a water proof bag and than into a side bag. If I am concerned about vibration, I use a good case for my camera/s and place it in the Givi Case which I have a 1 inch foam bottom on. The inside straps in the Give are great to keep the bag tight onto the foam. Never had any problems with any of it. If you want an all around great camera to carry and not have a great deal of money..check out the Kodak Z990..it has all one wants for a all around box.
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oldcoastie, I am a retired news photographer...better know as a photo-Journalist !!! Just a high class name !!!, Further, taught photo class in an Art Institute and gave classes for basic's and up in the local YMCA. I found it difficult to purchase a Kodak Camera but I learned that was a great move. I talked several friends into the same and they never looked back. Hey, there are other great cameras out there and I am not advertising this one. No way to talk about anything if one doesn't mention what he/she is talking about. At work we used all Nikon Gear and some Hasselblads. Canon was the first company to make a camera with everything on it right from the start while others added on through the years. Canon it a great outfit but again..cost has to be a consideration. If one wants undefined quality, shoot Raw being there is no reduction in original shot quality. Many cameras are coming into play with this feature today and as long as your editing software can handle it. Also today, one doesn't really need anything much bigger than a 12 or 14 mp and if along with the RAW, it can go to much greater resolution. Rattling on here but whatever you decide, good luck and looking forward to seeing some of your pix's.
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oldcoastie...I failed to mention my thought about under the seat storage. I wouldn't place mine in there being there can be a somewhat heat build up which is more to be concerned about than the vibrations. I do carry a break down tri-pod in there and sometimes in the Givi.
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Hey Coastie! The Hampton Bays Station is the one I was referring to. You had one of the busier posts, compared to ours. Mostly relocating channel markers, and such out there.I cant picture the fitting for the mirror. Do you have a set of METRIC allens? That is what is on most every scoot with your type of mirrors. The only other fitting would be a tamper proof torx, and that doesn't make sense.
Syl... God bless your uncle!
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zombie...thank you very much, if you heard the lengthy story it would honestly give you chills I believe. Those many years ago, he was aboard the Coast Guard Cutter EastWind. 11 all toll were killed. Again thanks.
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I will look it up, and think of your uncle...
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I hope I don't offend...http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Eastwind_1944.asp (http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Eastwind_1944.asp) WOW!
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The mirror is locked in place by a 17mm nut under the rubber boot. I have had mine off several times.
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Racewalker - am I looking at the wrong nut? (see pic page 1)...
The Coast Guard was always dangerous duty... I was a Boatswain's Mate, mostly running small boat search and rescue... it was often exciting duty... sometimes a little too exciting...
::)
Syl - I just got a nice Canon "somethin'" T2 SLR digital... it takes just gorgeous pics and in RAW.... handles light extremes very beautifully - I just don't want to jiggle it up and have it lose its abilities (especially before I learn to use it).... I've got a couple good little point and shoot cameras that I will be carrying most of the time, but I want to SAFELY carry the big camera on occasion... good to know about the givi with the foam... it is currently well wrapped but I'd like to make it float along in complete blissfulness... never having its electronics disturbed in the least...
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zombie...thank you for finding and reading. All they found of my uncles is his hand and ring and guitar. This is my mothers (susan) brother. part of the chilling story...my mom felt him pulling at her feet while in bed in the early morning, "susan I need you", she woke up call from Naval Dept. "brother is missing". First ship to the rescue was the susan. in 1961, Feb 19th, my troop transport coming from Germany almost sank and coast guard called and standing by in a big storm, Feb 19th year ?? uncles son on fishing boat in Florida, cracked in storm sinking, coast guard rescued them. I truly respect the coast guard and feel it was a miracle right from the beginning. For some reason I couldn't get into the coast guard as I earlier wrote.
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Racewalker - am I looking at the wrong nut? (see pic page 1)...
Yes that is the bolt. The lock nut is further down, same place as the plug for the turn signals. I am not sure if I can find a picture or not.
I do not know how to get a picture in here!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/racewalker70/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/racewalker70/)
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well congratulations on your new ride...all i can say is i went through the same learning curve as you are experiencing......need to be careful with the boots.....before you tighten or adjust your mirrors......move the boots up so you can see the exposed wires and will not clip one of them by mistake in the tightening process......my right mirror kept loosening up and i nearly severed the right turn signal light ...on one occasion.....in your case if it keeps loosening try putting an open lock washer between the two adjustment nuts.....i did this and the mirror has not loosened ...
as re the lid to the seat......i went through the same drill with the dealer.....who opened and closed it with no problem.....once i got the scooter home i could not open.....and i had about 5 people who tried to open it and could not....i did not want to force it so ...i rode back to the dealer...an hour ride.....once i got there he opened it with no problem.....i felt like a complete idiot......
the trick was to turn the key to the left ....you will hear it click...keep pressure on the key and will be able to lift.....when closing one steady motion down and ....if the red light goes out....its closed...
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Goose bumps and provenience Syl.
Sorry for the double interest on Coasites thread.
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racewalker - that pic is exactly what I needed!
thank you!
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nut all tightened up and all is well... I was careful with the wire...
thanks, racewallker - your pic helped immensely...
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Got my first "real ride" in yesterday morning... Up until now, it was that first, slightly nerve-wracking ride home from the dealer and a lot of little around town jaunts. Still, it wasn't all THAT much of a ride - maybe 50/60 miles.
I picked as many sorta slow roads as I could (everything in and out of town moves at 55mph). I'm just babying her until we get a few hundred miles together.
The thing I am probably most impressed with is the stability of the bike - I can practically just sit at a stop light with my feet up on the floorboards. My Grand Vista never felt unstable with the 12" wheels but the larger wheels are most amazing... no bobble or wobble whatsoever.
I am having to adjust to the width of the bike. I have short little legs but I'm starting to find the subtle cutouts at a stop and feel like I have a little more leverage for supporting the bike.
I'm glad I've been reading the board so thoroughly... apparently I have a very typical DT. Last weekend, when I was just putting around running errands with lots of stops and starts, she stalled just after I started her up for about the 4th time and did not want to restart. It was hot... so I used the "flooded engine procedure" and she fired up after that little dance. So, that was good.
And I do have a little flat spot in the acceleration between about 4700 and 5200 rpms.... the Grand Vista had the smoothest, most linear pull of any bike I've ever owned - this one has that little hesitation - enough to make me look down at the speedo to see if something is wrong. It is not a huge issue and I'm getting used to it but I sure wish it was smoother. I'll be very patient about it until we get thru break-in.
I've got about 150 miles on her now and she still is pretty darn tight.... but she sure likes to go 60 in a blink of an eye...