KymcoForum.com
Offroad => MXU => Topic started by: Oldfriend on August 04, 2015, 12:50:42 AM
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I have a 2015 450i MXU. Its electronic fuel injected. After I’ve been riding for 20-30 minutes and stop, put it in neutral and then put it in drive or reverse, as soon as I touch the throttle it stalls like I’ve turned a switch off. It starts up again without a problem and will drive fine. It happens every once in a while. It will also sometimes do it if I let it idle for a long period of time around 45 or more minutes. I first noticed this happening when I was letting it idle to keep the battery charged over the winter.
I’ve changed the spark plug and put in fresh 91 octane gas and it still happens.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
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Probably not much help but it only calls for 87 octane. I would try that first. I have read were some complained about it fouling the plug if run pretty good and just letting off the throttle quickly. Might be a minor case of flooding. What plug did you use to replace the factory plug with?
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Thanks for the reply. I tried 87 octane first, then tried the 91 after someone suggested it. It does it with both. The plug I replaced was the one that the manual recommended, I don't recall the brand. The letting up on the throttle quickly and causing minor flooding is an interesting note. I believe it does do that.
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I will make one more suggestion, which will not help your problem any, a battery charger. I use one for all my power equipment that sits for any length. I do not use a trickle charger as I believe they are bad for batteries over the long haul. Over the winter I will top off my zero turn, motorcycle, generator and anything else that has not run for a while with the charger. Maybe about every other month. Bike never sits that long though! I also will charge them up some before cranking them up if they have sit for a while. Get one that backs out as they become fully charged. Reason being it is not good for the alternator to have to recharge a battery too many times.
I have tried "chopping" the throttle on mine just to see if it would seem to flood some. Sure seems like it does. I have not had mine to cut off though. More of a stumble when trying to take right back off. Mine is still fairly new with only 20 miles so far. Are you still under warranty? Dealer close by? If so have them take a peek, can't hurt and might help someone else out too!
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I hear what your saying on using a charger. Problem is I don't have power on my property only a small generator. I may bring it home over the winter or maybe just the battery. I was also considering a solar trickle charger. It is under warrenty and I did have the dealer come to my house and take a look at it. He drove it around the block and said it was fine. Said I needed to drive it and not let it just sit and idle. Problem is I live in a city and can't drive it here. I bought it to keep on my property upstate which is 100 miles away. Intermittent problems like this are always an issue. Unless soemone sees the problem they tell you the can't do anything about it. Like I said it doesn't always do it. Drove it last weekend and it was fine. I only have 12 miles on it. I may call Kymco and talk to them.
One question though: you have a 2014 and it's EFI? I thought (could be wrong) that EFI was new for 2015?
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Yes, my 2014 is fuel injected. Just got it recently as a left over in Va. It has right much more power it seems than our 2010 Yamaha Grizzly 450. Hit 96 today so she did not move even though I was off work. I see what your saying about no power. Guess running it is your only option. Solar charger does sound like a decent idea. Sounds like you have a really good dealer, he does house calls! Sounds like a fueling issue that is sporadic at best. Similar to the running fairly hard and chopping the throttle closed. You would expect carb cert. machines to run on the lean side, maybe not. If I can every find were I read that about the plug, seems they replaced with a different plug that helped cure the problem, I will let you know. Keep me posted on how yours does and I will do the same. I drove a fairly good distance to buy mine so don't know how any local dealer would like me coming in for warranty work. Hopefully I won't have to!! I am fairly decent with a wrench. Sync the throttle bodies, valve adjustments and resetting the TPS with a laptop on my Moto Guzzi bike.
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The MXU 450i is basically the same machine as the Arctic Cat 450 H1 and the 500 H1 at least runs the same drive train. Searching last night on some of the Arctic Cat forums produced mixed results. Here is the best I could figure out.
1. Some had the same problem and it disappeared after the unit broke in. Man, do I like the sound of that. So simple, just drive it. Never had any problem fixed so easy in my life, but you never know!!
2. A few found the idle set too low and raised it. Some raised the idle by adjusting the slack in the throttle cable adjuster. Some had to raise the idle at the throttle body itself because they ran out of adjustment at the throttle cable. I would be leery of adjusting the TB screw, I know on my Moto Guzzi it is factory set and is not suppose to be touched. That might result in warranty issues if the paint around the screw is broken, kind of a seal type dab of paint to show tapering has occurred.
3. A lesser few had to lower the idle some because the CVT clutch was still grabbing slightly. This was done at the throttle cable adjuster. I guess you would need a more accurate tach than factory to determine this. Seems I have a spare digital hour meter/tachometer that just hooks to the plug wire. I didn't pay a whole lot for it so you may could find one reasonable cheap and hook It up to see if high idle or low idle was your problem.
4. A couple claimed to have replaced the factory sparkplug with a NGK Iridium (IX version) plug and that cured it.
5. I think I read were one or two claimed going up in heat range one on the sparkplug cured their stalling.
Number four surprises me a little. Iridium plugs only claim to fame are they last longer, nothing else. They do not burn hotter or colder, just longer life period. So with number 4 I wonder if it really was a matter of the machine actually breaking in around the same time they replaced the sparkplug. If yours is actually a rich condition, which I thinking chopping the throttle produces, no TB adjustment will cure that. I don't see how break in will either but there was quit a few that claimed it did.
For number five a hotter heat range plug you would step down one number. Our atv calls for a CR7E plug so you would want a CR6E if you wanted to try that. I don't know if our units come with NGK plugs (it does use a NGK number) but they are the ones I prefer to use, That seems likely a possible fix as lower speeds allow a plug to be slightly cooler and a slight richer fuel mixture could foul the plug under those conditions. Running the unit harder would clear out the fouling until the ideal condition (low speed, slightly rich) presented itself again.
For me I have not had my unit cut off yet so I am opting for paying more attention to hard running and coming off the throttle abruptly. As the miles and hours build if it continues to stumble I may opt for the hotter plug. My choice would be a NGK "racing" version CR6E, not the IX iridium plug.
Best I can come up with after searching pretty hard. Hope that helps you some. Keep me posted if you cure it or it cures itself.
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Wow, thanks for your efforts! I tried some of these, sort of:
I adjusted the throttle cable to remove excessive slack but stopped short of increasing the idle. I read that your not suppose to do that, but I may try it now anyway.
I bought an Iridium plug months ago after reading it fixed some peoples problems , but haven't installed it. I'm going to try that too.
The dealer told me that if I drove it, it would be fine, I can only hope!
It will take a while to try these, as I mentioned I only drive it on the weekends because it's upstate 100 miles away.
Thanks again!
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Well I installed the irdium plug and have taken it on two rides so far and it hasn't stalled. I'm not prepared to say it's "fixed" because it didn't do it on every ride anyway. Stay tuned!
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Interesting, I will stay tuned. Have 36 miles on mine as of yesterday. I am beginning to really like my Kymco.
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BTW, This is my first ATV. Other then the stallimg issue it's great. I didn't want to spend alot and they had 1.9 financing with a 3,000 lb winch! I got it in Camo it looks wicked cool! I'm thinking of changing the wheels and tires on it but 24" seems to be a problem to find. Do you think 25" with work? It sure seems to have enough room. I should probably start another thread for this.
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Yes 25" will work. Our Grizzly 450 has 25" Duro tires on it. The day after I got it I swapped tires to just see if they would fit. I can assure you looking at it that 26" might be a problem. The Grizzly 450 is our first ATV, but we only got in January. I wanted a new one but most were so expensive. Wife almost had me talked into a new Polaris HO 400 left over. When I found out they were 48" wide I passed and went with the Grizzly due to the 43" width. I had just bought my grandson a used Kymco 90 also. Then I did some research and found a right nice assortment of ATVs made by Kymco. Then several weeks ago I found the 2014 MXU 450 leftover and heavily discounted and only 1/4" wider than the Grizzly. Mine is in black and for some weird reason has alloy wheels. It is not a special edition are anything. I started to ask when I went to pick it up but thought better of it. I bought mine in Virginia and live in North Carolina. It was well worth the trip. I thought I had taken some pictures with the 25" tires but can't seem to find them right now.
Okay, took some searching on another computer, lol!!
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Here is mine with the factory alloys and stock 24" tires. Kind of puzzled about the alloys as to why they came on it and for basically free!!
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Thanks again! You've been a big help. If I could just feel cofident that the stalling isssue is resolved, I'd spring for the new wheels and tires. I tried to attach a photo, but they are all too big. I get one this weekend. BTW, I'm in New York.
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You are welcome and glad I could help you out. Bet you have cured yours!! We seem to be part of a pretty small club, Kymco owners with a MXU 450. I kind of thought you were in New York state. We had friends when I was growing up long ago that lived in Fulton. They are the only people I ever heard say upstate, lol. I am in Eastern NC. Imagine you have some nice riding up there. My 33 year old daughter is home from Denver. She has only rode an ATV once in her life, a vacation in Mexico a few years ago. Told me she didn't really care to try one again, ever. After much pressure she finally agreed to give it another shot. Parked mine with 43 miles now, we went over 6 miles with lots of narrow woods trails. Seems it runs better and better. I noticed hardily any stumbling at all now when the throttle is chopped abruptly. We switched up a for a couple of miles because I wanted a second opinion on the Kymco compared to the Grizzly. She pretty much mirrored what my review stated in the other post. More powerful, seemed to soak up bumps better, lighter steering and something I had failed to notice. Much better brakes. Helpful to get a second opinion sometimes. Seems she had to ride some ratty gear shift atv that did not leave a lasting impression in Mexico, she thought they were all like that. She liked the Grizzly right much, but when she tried the Kymco she did not want to give it back, lol! To post pictures I had to use Windows Live Photo Gallery, then click edit, then resize "custom". Kept making it smaller until I got below the 192 kb. I was wrong about the tires being Duro, they are Maxxis but are 25's!
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Fulton is way north of me. We're 20 minutes outside NYC and have 35 acres in Ulster with a small trailer on it as my get away on the weekends. Was in the Outer Banks last October for a week. We love the Carolinas and plan on retiring in the Charleston, SC area in hopefully 10 years. I sure hope your right and it's cured. I have 16 miles on it now and I do think breaking it in has a lot to do with it. Will find out soon. Heading up Saturday for the day as it's suppose to rain in the evening and it's no fun sitting in a trailer!
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Outer Banks is maybe 2-2.5 hours from me. My oldest, here from Denver, lived in Brooklyn for a year. I think she really enjoyed the experience. I visited her once and enjoyed my trip. Country came to town, lol! Sounds like you have a nice vacation retreat and a good plan for Saturday! What's a little ran when you have a four wheeler, right??
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I was able to shrink a couple of photo's. I'll try and take out for a good ride on the street so I can get it up to a good speed. They don't bother you up there. I don't have any real trails on my place so the going is slow but a lot of fun!
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Haven't used the winch yet
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I like the camo. looks real good. They had a 2015 with a sold tag on it when I picked my black one up. I wouldn't have gotten black except for the leftover, discount part. It shows every little scratch. Enjoy your weekend. Hope you don't need the winch!!
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Turned out to be a nice weekend, I spent the night. I put 3 miles on it, though the woods and on the road and no stalling! I know your going to think im a pessimist, but I not prepared to say it's cured. Maybe one more ride. I am happy it appears to be. Still thinking of new tires and wheels. Any brand that you like? So far I'm liking STI wheels. Tires are a whole different matter. So much to choose from and it's not looks that matter (like the wheels) it's function and wear. Also, I have the tires inflated at 12 psi. They are rated for 35 max. Seem perfect at 12. Whats your opinion?
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Rookie at this myself.Right at 4lbs. is recommended. I do think that pure trail riding you will have better traction at 4. If you drive on grass, such as your yard, higher pressure causes less damage. I think I am currently running 6lbs in both our four wheelers. I suggest you try that and see what you think. You will have a softer ride and more traction compared to 12lbs. My granddaughter's four wheeler I have all the way down to 3.5lbs to improve the teeth jarring ride on her little Chinese 110.
Have not owned four wheelers long enough to form an opinion about tires much. Ones I have been thinking about somewhat are the Carlisle Badlands XTR. They are radials, 3 ply, and fairly light. They also seem a little expensive. You would need the 205/80 and 255/65 to up one size. I would be careful about 6 ply or 8 ply tires unless you are really concerned about punctures. They are considerably heavier tires. I man a couple of hours from me is selling a nearly new set for a good discount, wants a more swamp, heavy lugged mud tire. I am seriously considering making the ride if he would meet me part way next week. At the same time I can't say the Kenda tires they come with are bad. Kind of prefer them over the Maxxis that come on the Yamaha.
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I looked around a bit myself and 4 or 5 lbs seems to be popular. I'm not sure I got an accurate read on the gague because it's the standard pressure gauge I use on my truck and it seems that to get a more precise reading you need a low pressure gauge which I just ordered from Amazon. The tires do seem a bit hard though.
The Kenda tires that are on it are 6 ply I believe. Puncture resistance is a concern being that my place is in the moutains with no real trails and lots of sharp rocks and broken tree branches. They also seem to be resonable in price. Thanks for the feed back once again.
You had mentioned in a prvious post that we seem to be a rare few with the 450i MXU, your absolutely right, little info out there on our machines. Haven't found anything with anyone with a 2015 machine. Seems that a lot of people mistakenly think the Kymco's are Chinese. There's a world of difference between Chinese and Taiwan. My backround is manufacturing and I'm very much involved with importing parts from around the world. Taiwan quality is far superior to Chinese and costs considerably more. Just my two cents!
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Your Kymco should have a low pressure gauge in the tool kit under the seat. You are correct that right many think it is the same as a Hisun, Qlink and such. It surely is not. I use to be into astronomy pretty big and Taiwan scopes almost always tested far superior to any Chinese scope in lens figure and mechanics. I really like the width and overall size of the 450.
Mine seemed reluctant to go into gear sometimes. Especially reverse. I adjusted the shifting linkage and now with 46 miles it shifts from gear to gear so smooth. I think they just need a good breaking in to mesh everything together. My oldest daughter's boyfriend flew in from Colorado for the my youngest daughter's wedding. I let him try out the Grizzly for a couple of miles and them the Kymco for a 15-20 minutes. He said he much preferred the Kymco too! Time will tell but I really don't think either of us will regret our purchase.
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I forgot all about the gauge in the tool kit! Well the one I bought is the dial type which I like better then the stick type anyway. I'm going to try going down to 5 psi this weekend and try it. I really like the overall size and width too, it's one of the things that sold me on it. It felt more managable to me, especially since I had never rode one at that time.
I had (still have a bit) the same problem of it being hard to go into gear, especially reverse. Wasn't
(isn't) too bad and never even thought of ajusting the linkage. Did that seem to help any? I just thought that is was because it was new. The stalling issue is what really concerned me mostly because I was worried it might get worse and possibly do it while riding which could be dangerous. I doubt either of us will regret our purchases either. They way I look at it is, I wasn't going to spend more on one so I would have done without, unless I happen to stumble onto a used machine that I felt I could trust for a decent price. I did look around a bit, but you really never know what your getting.
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Reverse was the worse on mine. Seemed like when hot and after being in low range a while it might take two or three attempts to get into reverse. It would indicate it but acted like it was in neutral. I disconnected the shifting rod (if that is what it is called) and looked at it in relationship to how the holes lined up on the shifting handle when in reverse. It was nearly one third the width of the hole off. Adjusted the rod until the holes lined up and locked the lock nuts. That cured the reverse issue on mine, miles took care of the notchy shifting into the rest of the gears. Mine was probably a one off on the reverse alignment.
Another thing I have noticed is it seems to be better on gas compared to the Grizzly. Even considering the slightly larger gas tank. I guess that is due to fuel injection? The Grizzly is tuned up with new plug, air filter and valves recently adjusted by me. Originally I considered them to ride the same. But in hind sight the Kymco rides better and has been confirmed by my two test riders. When I originally got it I forgot the tires were overinflated to around 10 lbs. each when I did my first ride test. Now it and the Grizzly are both at 6#. I would go down to 4# if it wasn't for my yard. Sometimes when the two older grand kids are on their fourwheelers my youngest {4 yo) wants to ride too, so I ride her around. I am really loving the Kymco right now. Rained 3.1" this afternoon. I might bust out on my woods trail in the morning and see how muddy the low spots are. It already needs a bath bad due to dusty conditions so it couldn't look any worse.
You are correct, the Kenda tires are 4 ply. I am suppose to meet the man Friday afternoon about the Carlisle Badland XT tires.
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I'm acually up at my place now. I dropped the PSI in the tires down to 6. Like the feel much better. Will drop it down to 5 tomorrow and take it for another ride. It did stall once when going from N into H, soon as I hit the throttle it shut off. I'm not that disappointed though. I'm willing to accept it maybe a break in issue as others claimed. It's the first stall in 3 rides totalling about 7 miles. Thats a lot for my woods with no trails. I did notice my shifting is very smooth now. I went a head and bought new tires and wheels from Rockey Mountain ATV. I went with the same Kenda Bear Claw tires but in 25" and STI Bead Lock Rims in Matte Black. Should have them Tuesday. Get your tires today?
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Had got into the truck to leave and I thought, maybe I best call to confirm, his wife had sold them to a coworker. Thank God I didn't drive all the way up there for nothing. I think for right now maybe that is a sign. I bought the Grizzly the first of this year, two of my grandchildren used four wheelers also and recently the Kymco. Maybe I best stop for just a little and ride the new tires that are on it.
Hope you like your new wheels and tires. They coming already installed on the rims?
I decided to go ahead and change fluids on mine the other day. She had rolled over 50 miles. The front and rear differential drain plugs are a major pain to get back in with the skid plate installed. Had some leftover Redline 75-90 from my Moto Guzzi so I used it up, only took a pint for both differentials. Used Royal Purple 15w-40 for the engine. Walmart close to me was closing it out for $20 a gallon about 6 months ago. It really is purple, lol! All the plugs are magnetic, don't see that much anymore.
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The tires will come installed on the rims. Was it Grizzly or the Kymco you changed the fluids on? When I bring mine home this winter I paln on changing mine and I'm curious how much of a pain it might be.
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The Kymco got the oil change. Fairly easy oil change, easy access to the oil filter on front of engine. Drain plug is off center to the right and has an access hole for it. Differentials are not to bad. Next time I might drop the front and rear of the skid plate. Only reason I did the differentials is because I already had a piece of a quart of Redline in the barn. No more than they hold I might just change them out every oil change.
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Going up this weekend and going to change the tires and wheels. I have a regular floor jack. What would be good points to use? I was thinking in the back I'll use the hitch. Not sure about the front as it's not here to look at and I don't remember exaclty whats there. Thanks in advance.
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Think I used the forward part of the hitch rear and right at the differential in the front. I have a 12" long 4x4 block I use with my floor jack so it might actually been lifting it by the frame. With the ground clearance and suspension travel they have a block is a must. I believe I also had to use a 1" decking board under the jack, that could have been something else I was jacking up though. Memory is not the best, lol! Don't forget pictures!!!
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Just got back, it went well, have one small problem. I did'nt need the piece of 4x4 my floor jack had plenty of travel, good to keep around though. They look awsome!!!! Now the problem; one rear tire almost touches the outside edge of the fender when I sit on it. Theres about 1/4" clearance. I didn't have time to play with trying to loosen the screws on the plastic and see if I could shift it. Any ideas?
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I know I have a lot of gear on it
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I use it more for utility purposes like cutting and skidding trees
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I lowered the psi to 5
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Oldfriend, they look awesome!! Did lowering the pressure to 5 give that much clearance? Only other thing I could think of is maybe up the preload a click or two on the rear shocks. I sure would hate trimming my new 4 wheeler for tire clearance! Didn't think about it at the time, the 25" tires I tried on mine already had over 702 miles on them. Then I am sure there is differences in width and height between brands. Did you notice any difference in acceleration, ride, etc? They really do look good!
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They are 25x10x12. The stock ones were 24x10x12 so the width should be the same. i really think its the plastic alignment because its only one side. The left side is fine. Anyway, worsrt case is I have to trim the fender. Curious, what is the width on the ones that you tried?
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oh and the acceleration and ride felt different, but not bad or good, just different.
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They were 25x10-12 rear from the Grizzly, but did have 702 miles on them. They don't look worn much though. Probably more a difference in manufacturing difference between brands I would guess. The Kymco factory Kenda 24x10-12 look nearly an inch wider when the two are parked side by side in the barn. Had a thought, wonder if you could elongate the holes a little on the fender trim, slide them a little further away? I might would investigate that before trimming. You don't need much it looks like. Plus, over time a little wear will increase the clearance. If you did have to trim it I would take my time and take off just an 1/8th or so and make it pretty. Probably could clean it up right much with a piece of sandpaper if you did have to trim it.
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I'm a bit surprised that the manufacturers would make such a difference. They must know that it could be a problem on some quads. But it certainly seems thats the case. Anyway, I'll play with it next weekend. I'm sure I can figure something out. The plastics are very flexible and I should be able to shift it or maybe like you said elongate the holes. I'll bring a dremmel with me. Trimming will absolutely be the last resort. Like you siad I don't need much. I did drive it but only up and down my driveway (it's 1,000 ft long) because I didn't want to take a chance going over any large bumps which could have made it hit. I wish I had the time to do it yesterday, but I had a lot of chainsawing that I had to get done as I was out of firewood. I'll post some pictures on all the trees that I have down from Hurricane Sandy, there has to be a hundred of them through out the property. Thanks again for your help.
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You are very welcome! Us two have to help each other out. Maybe one day there will be three of us, lol!
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I'm actually a little surprised no on else has posted anything here. At last count 768 people had viewed this thread.
Found a picture from Sandy. I have clumps of trees down like this all over the property. I was very lucky to not have one hit the trailer or sheds. One did get within 6 ft of a shed though. I've being cutting up what I can, but some of them are massive and are hung up on other trees. Too dangeous for me to handle alone. I'm good with a chainsaw, but I'm no expert!
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We were spared Sandy. Living within an hour of the ocean I have had my fair share though. I despise them, make such a mess! Sucks how they uproot so many hardwood trees. Last chainsaw I bought was due to one several years ago. Made a huge mess at our place. Three trees down in the yard plus one big Bradford Pear tree split in half. Oh, and about a thousand limbs. Always wanted a big yard growing up. I have had 3 acres now for 35 years, not so much fun now, lol!
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So I fixed the issue of the fender being to close to the new tire. There is a large flanged Torx screw on the foot rest that holds it in place. Loosed it, push the plastic forward and bingo, problem fixed! Easiest fix of my adult life!
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How often do you add oil to your machine? I hadn't checked it in a while and it ended up taking 1/2 quart. Never added any before. Has about twenty five miles on it.
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So glad the fender clearance issue was so easily solved! Now I know your are loving your new wheels! I changed my oil at 50 miles. You may have more run time (hrs.) than me though. I think I was around 14hrs. run time. Checked hot right before I changed it and it was full. Poured the old oil into an old 5qt. Mobil 1 jug to measure and added the exact same back. Only 6 miles since the change due to work, having to keep a sick granddaughter 2 days for my daughter to go to work, cutting my super high grass, work and rain. I did four wheel for 30mins. this morning. But I broke the Grizzly out since it has not run in several weeks. Flying out to Denver to visit my oldest Weds. so more ATV down time. I wouldn't be too concerned, not unusual for a new engine to need some in the beginning.
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I plan on changing it and the differentials when I bring it home in two month, that's when I stop going up on the weekends, I hate the cold! No fun just sitting in a trailer and because I don't have any real trails I can't ride it in the snow it would be really dangerous not knowing where holes, large rocks and downed trees are! I hope to mark some paths in the future and remove some of the downed trees. Its time consuming and I try to have a little fun and not work all the time when I'm there. Have a safe trip to Denver.
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Colorado was awesome! Have managed to hit 70 miles since I have been back. It seems to run better and better as the miles start racking up. Like you though the miles will have to slow down for a little while, at least until hunting season is over. Be stuck on my little private trail and yard work until January. Just finished closing the pool and securing stuff down for the hurricane that looks as if it is coming our way. I hate hurricanes! It has rained here almost everyday for two weeks. If it does come it will be devastating, the ground is already saturated.
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Wecolme back! Glad to hear you enjoyed your trip. I've hit 29 miles on mine and your right its definitely running better the more I ride it. Hasn't stalled again which was my biggest concern. Here's a kicker- the new tires I put on are wider in the front then the factory width by about 4". So now it won't fit in between the wheel wells in my pick up! I can't believe the manufacturers don't list this in their specs. The only dimension I changed from the original was the diameter. The back tires are fine.
So it looks like I may have to swap the front out when I need to bring it home. Not a big deal but still annoying. They feel great though, I love the way they ride.
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Sure it is not the offset of the new rims? That is one reason I bought the Kymco 450, fits between the wheel wells of my Ranger. If I ever decide to bite the bullet and get 25" tires I will be sure to checks specs from as many sources as possible.
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Definitley the tires. I'll take a picture of them side by side next weekend. They didn't list anything about that in the specs and it's the same manufacturer as the factory tires - Kenda. All in all its not a huge issue if I have to swap the tires out once a year. How'd you make out with the hurricane?
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Pretty soggy, have lost count of how much rain I have dumped out of the rain gauge. If I was to venture a guess I would say we have had maybe 18" of rain in the past 10 days. Winds have kicked up to 15-20 with gust expected around 30 tomorrow morning. Schools are canceled due to many roads under water around here. We have missed a devastating hurricane and the rain will pass. So we are good!
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Man, that's a lot of rain! At least the winds weren't bad, I always worry about that the most. I've been watching SC on the news, those poor people. Those are some of the same areas we've been looking at to eventually retire. They are calling it the thousand year storm, I hope they're right.
I've been trying to figure out a way to keep the quad upstate year round. The only issue is keeping the battery charged. Without any grid power I'm limited in options. The solar powered trickle charger seems to be the best, but I don't trust it, many have said they don't work reliably. I could remove the battery and bring it home, but it makes it a pain to take for a quick ride when I go up and check on the place which is about every 3 weeks in the winter. I'm pretty certain taking it for a 30 min ride every 3 weeks won't keep it charged. Your thoughts?
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My thoughts are you most likely would be okay. A 30 min run time should have the battery fully charged. You stated earlier that you had a generator there. You have to run it every so often correct, best run under a load is my understanding and how I cycle my generator? You could bring a small 1-3 amp charger along and drop cord. Hook to your Kmyco for 5 mins or so before starting. Generator gets a maintenance cycle and Kymco gets a nice warm battery to start with. When I drove the Grizzly last it had not been started in 3 weeks or so. It wasn't super cold outside either which does make a lot of difference. I really don't know about solar chargers but would think a good one should work for what you need. It needs to be smart enough to back out if battery is fully charged.
My other thoughts are, I have a pea brain that bounces theories around, having slightly low voltage to start with may put excess load on the stator recharging the battery over and over. I use to have a Honda Shadow 1100 motorcycle. On the Shadow forum the single biggest expected failure was the stator at around 50k miles. My feelings was because motorcycles can tend to sit right much that many owners were causing there early demise by starting the bike and then the stator is working hard charging the battery back. That is why I always have preferred a 1.5-3 amp charger and just put a few minutes charge on before starting if my bike has sat for a few weeks over the winter. I can't prove or disprove my theory so it isn't worth much, lol!
How about a small jump start battery? I have one about half size of most. Some times I will hook it up to the grandchildren's atvs if they have not run in a while before starting them.
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That gives me a lot to consider. I have a jump pack so that would be the easiest. I do run the gen set a bit to keep it happy so I could do that too. I might try the solar charger as it's only around $60 and it has a build in battery tender trickle charger. Worst that could happen is I'd end up with a dead battery. It does get wicked cold up there, in the single digits weeks at a time. That could be the biggest issue to consider. Ill have to give it some serious tought. Thanks for all the input!
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I need to make a correction to my previous post, I was able to get a better measurement of the tire issue today and although the tires are about 1/2" - 3/4" larger in width, the rest of the problem is from the offset as you stated. On the battery maintaining issue, I ordered a 15w solar battery tender and going to see how that works. I was able to attach a quick disconnect harness to the battery and leave the other end hanging outside the battery box so I will be able to hook up it up and discconect it quick and easy when I want to take it for a ride. Leaving it up there will elevate the problem of needing to bring it home in the winter, so the issue of not being able to fit in the truck isn't a big deal.
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Sounds like you may have solved your problems then! Rode down my private trail the other day. I had cut a spur off it that heads towards the swamp so away I go! Never got to finish cutting the spur to loop back to my property due to hot weather, mosquitos, and seed ticks. So the spur dead ends a couple of hundred yards back in a sand pit. Had standing water several inches deep and when I got in it with the Kymco I found out the sand was just a thin layer on top of some oozing black mud. I can say this much, our MXU 450 will pull. I was shocked as water came within an inch or two of the center of the rims as I trudged through. Didn't even have to lock it in four wheel drive. Went back in there today and most of the water left is in my ruts. Looked like I was an inch from bottoming out when I went through there the other day. Tried the Grizzly back there too. Maybe mostly tire difference but the Grizzly wanted to spin more to get through. Hit 77 miles taking to the barn.
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Wow, I'm amazed that you got out of that much mud without even using the 4 weel drive! i do know what you mean though, i find that it can handle pretty much anything i need to go through or over. i've mentioned before that I have many trees down around the property and managed to go over most as long as it no more then 10" or so. i go through all kind of brush without worry. i really need to cut some paths though. May try to do some now that its getting cooler. I hate ticks! i'm going to do its first oil change this weekend. I just got the solar battery tender and will mount that on the shed. Getting down to the last few over nights up there before I have to winterize.
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Hey, I went up today and It started fine! I haven't been able to go up in 6 weeks. It was 7 degrees and it started so I'm prepared to say the solar trickle charger worked. I'm very happy with it.
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Brrrr, that is cold!! Good to hear that has worked good for you!!! Have you had a chance to put many miles on it? I think 7 degrees would discourage me a little. I think mine had 139 when I parked it a few days ago. I have managed to put more miles on it than I thought I would. Mainly because one of my daughters bought a house close to a mile from me. Been helping her remodel on my days off so mostly the Kymco and lesser so the Grizzly go there. I have had no stumbling any more when coming off throttle and taking back off. Zero problems finding reverse. Guess it is mostly a break in thing.
Still looking at 25" tires. Have not sprung for them yet!
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No, I didn't ride it at all yesterday. The cold wasn't so bad, but the wind was 20-30 mpg! No way I was riding. I drove it a bit the last week in December. I had brought my niece, nephew and girlfriend up with me and took them for rides. They loved it! It did stall twice. I have a new theory on why it might be happening. It may have something to do with the throttle. I had put a throttle buddy (it's an extension lever) on it which makes it easier on the thumb. I recently took it off because it puts my wrist at a bit of an awkward angle and I wanted to try without it for a while. It then started stalling again. Could be a coincidence, but it really does change the way it accelerates. I'm going to put it back on and see what happens.
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That is weird with the throttle! With 7 degrees and 20-30 mph winds I guess wind chill is negative numbers. Seems we have had abnormal winds around here for the past year or two, sick of it myself. Keep me posted on how things work out for you and I will give a update every so often on mine.
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Yeah, wind chill was -11. Can't wait to retire down south! I'll keep you posted how I make out. In another month I should be spending weekends up there again.
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Hey Bratman2, it's been a long time. Hope all is well. I have a new problem I'm hoping you can help me with. I took it for a ride and then shut it down. After about a minute or so I wanted to start it again to check something out. Turned the key, the display came on, turned the EFI on, then pressed the start button and it immediately went dead! It won't start at all. No display, no anything, doesn't crank, EFI doesn't come on, completely dead. I checked the battery and all the fuses I could find, took the key switch out and checked for power at the connetor, all appears good. Any ideas?
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I think there is a 30 amp main fuse close to the starter that is not in the fuse box. That is weird just the same. If you have access to your book check on location for that fuse. I am assuming battery did check okay on voltage? You have power to the ignition switch? I work 12 hour shift and just got home not long ago. I do have a troubleshooting file for our 450. Also have a rather large file on the AC 450i which is the same as ours. I scanned through it quickly and really didn't see anything that might shed light on your problem. Only other thing I can think of besides the 30 amp main fuse would be cycle your kill switch back and forth a couple of times. If you would like either file message me your email and I will try and send them to you.
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Oh, and I have been doing fine, thank you for asking! Hope you are too except for your minor problem. My Kymco has been running awesome.
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Yes, I found the 30 amp fuse it was in the battery case. It was fine. I have power at the ignition switch. Being that the display doesn't come on when I turn the key, I was thinking maybe the ignition switch suddenly went bad? I'll message you my email and you can try and send those files, thanks!
I'm doing well, thanks. I had hit a tree with the front right tire and bent the tie rod end last fall, just replaced it and played around and got it aligned. Wasn't too bad, but getting parts and then the time to do it was a pain. Then this happened.
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Two other things I just thought of, 1st grounds. I went through a weird electrical problem several years ago with my youngest daughter's Ford Focus. Sometimes it was fine and others it became like it was electrically demon possessed. It was a bad ground on the negative cable from the battery. Maybe went you hit the tree you knocked a ground loose. On my Motto Guzzi Norge if you lose power coming out of the electronic display it will not start. Maybe the display has gone bad or somehow lost power going to it. That is just a wild guess!! The service guides give value for most all electrical components. With an ohm meter you should be able to sort this out. I would start with making sure battery is fully charged and load tested. Then grounds and if that checks out move on to check each connector for resistance of current.
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Yes, I had someone at work mention the possible ground issue. Im going to follow your suggestions first the battery. Even though I checked and had 12v, it wasn't under load. Could have lost a cell and had no current. I'll put my jump box on it. Then I'm going to buzz out the switches, ignition, shut off and start. Then check for bad grounds. Sounds like a fun day. Thanks for your help!
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Electrical troubleshooting can be trying at best. Middle daughter just called a little ago. No AC at her house. Got lucky, or so I thought, and found three wires that had chaffed on the edge of the blower housing. Separated them, wrapped them with three layers of electrical tape and we have compressor running and no blower. Only 83 in her house. She's going to have to call an AC repair guy. That was the limit of my knowledge. Hope you have better success, lol!
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Electrical isn't my area of expertise either. I'm going to go through what I know and hope for the best. Sadly electrical problems can be challenging even for the dealers. I'll hope for the best. Maybe I'll get lucky. Thanks again.
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Okay, I'm almost embarrassed to say, it was a loose battery terminal! Reason it through me was the way it happened. I had just finished riding it, turned it off, decided I wanted to check something, Turn the key on, display came on, turned on emergency switch, EFI came on, hit start button and it turned it instantly off. Figured fuse, switch problem. I did check battery and it had 12v (not under load of course) I do remember tugging at the battery terminal wires and they seemed tight. I was much more aggressive this time I guess and i noticed a bit of corrosion under one so I rocked it a bit. Started right up. Glad it wasn't a major issue. Had I just tried to start it cold and it didn't start and the display didn't come on, I would have immediately focused all my attention on the battery and terminals. Live and learn. Thanks again for all your help.
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Awesome! I am glad it was simple. It was good to hear from you too!!!
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Me too! LOL. Thanks again for the manuals and help. Hopefully won't need them, but good to have. I'm going to send you an email.