KymcoForum.com

In future be advised...
The factory fob battery may or may not last more than a year. The batteries in both my new fobs died almost exactly one year after buying my AK. I replaced the battery in one fob and it has lasted fine since Nov 2022 until now.

There IS an indicator that shows if the battery in the fob is good or not. When you press the silver button on the fob and see the LED light flash on/off then the battery is still good. If no LED light then it is a bad battery.

There is also an alternate way to start the AK if the fob battery is dead. If you look on top the panel over the right glove box you will see a symbol of concentric circles. Place the AK molded logo of the fob directly on that set of circles and press the startup button on the ignition knob and the bike will start. NOT the Kymco logo but the AK logo. This will only work if the battery is actually dead since the system is smart enough to sense a fob with any amount of battery charge left. When replacing a battery in the fob there is a foil antenna sticker on one of the shells of the fob. DO NOT LOOSE THIS. It is needed to start the AK using the fob with a dead battery.

This feature of starting the AK with dead fob is the same feature as almost any vehicle with keyless start. My Rav4 will do that also. That is why I only put the battery in one fob. The other spare fob I keep without a battery in it and I keep that one in the storage box of the AK so I don't waste a battery. I also installed an emergency seat latch release on my AK so there is no need to turn on the AK to open the seat. It is hidden so can only be used if someone knows exactly where it is. I posted how to do this on this forum a few years ago. I actually use that latch release for much more than emergencies since it is so easy to get under the seat without turning on the AK.

Great info. Thanks, Bob!

I have a repeating resonance, I would not call a vibration, when I am holding a steady speed, at any speed, not there during acceleration or decel.

Pretty sure I have the same thing. It feels like the final drive belt to me. It's a minor problem to me unless it gets worse.

While reading through the service manual I've found this:
18.8mm +/-0.5mm
This may come handy if nether the overpriced sonic tool nor the spring loaded gauge are available.

That might get you in the ballpark with a new belt but I doubt it's very useful as the belt stretches. The cheap belt deflection tool mentioned previously is what I've decided to use.

Thanks, Bob!
It was about 85 F that day, not super hot, but it was sitting in the sun so maybe the temp sensor was activated. Also, I have been running 93 octane gas so maybe that is part of it. The recommended octane is somewhat confusing due to the differing octane systems. On the fuel door, it simply says unleaded gas 95 octane.  Even the owner's manual states "#95 unleaded gasoline". So, I'm curious how you came up with 87 octane, not that I doubt you. --Ken

Wow, Bob, that Vulcan looks very comfortable! I can tell you're a very experienced rider with lots of experience with bikes. The seat height appears fairly low and slightly forward controls means less knee bend, also great for comfort. No doubt, way more comfortable than the Ninja 1000 I had previously, lol.

I've also had many bikes of various kinds and since adding the AK550, I thought I would never again have a chain and manual transmission. That preference didn't hold up ultimately since I missed my sporting days and added a Yamaha Tracer 9GT+. Like you, I'll put up with the chain maintenance. As far as the manual transmission goes, this bike has a great quick shifter both up and down. It's actually fun and the performance is pretty incredible. At any rate, I plan on keeping the AK simply because it's a great grocery getter and perfect for shorter rides and errands. The new Tracer is, for me, a thrilling ride and one I can go unlimited distances if desired.

I didn't see any info about this in the owner's manual. Since the belt is not centered in the rear wheel pulley, I want to attempt to adjust this. I assume I can simply do this by adjusting the tensioning bolts but I need to know how much tension there should be in the belt. Anybody have info on this?

Well, yes, this is an old posting but I decided to add my two cents rather than start a new thread. Hopefully, this will be of some benefit to AK550 owners who are interested in an aftermarket windscreen. I first bought the Puig windscreen and it wasn't much improvement over the stock screen. Recently, I got the Givi sport touring screen and it's a huge improvement. There is a tradeoff however in that I have to look through the top of the screen, something I've never liked, but the wind protection is totally worth it (IMHO).