KymcoForum.com

Title says it all,  the solenoid stuck. I started the bike and it was running with a slight engine whine but nothing that loud, a couple of miles I noticed the battery light was on and went to shut down but the engine kept turning over. I re-engaged the ignition and about 1/2 mile later the engine stopped with the battery dead as a door nail. then the 2.3 mile trek walking back to the house. Sucks my local shop is on vacation Nov. 1-11.

Hi, Well it has been in storage for 3 years and now the battery is totally dead. I tried a 12v battery on the power port but just the seat unlatching seems to have blown that fuse as well. I am left with no way to lift the seat I can see or find anywhere on the web, is there another way?
Thanks Andy N.

Well got stuck in the rain again yesterday. This time at least I got to keep moving. Even though I spent a good 25 minutes dodging the droplets my pants were only very damp and my shirt was soaked but not dripping wet. Did all of this without even gloves and 70 MPH at times yet no real stinging pains, I should note open face helmet and its shield down.

I can see now there is ample riding protection but I do need to get some real rain gear. I can say as well the bike stayed planted to the road very well. My Honda V65 Magna makes me nervous even on a damp roadway, that could though be having 4x the HP too.

I just had them changed out at the shop on my 3000 mile service. Now have the first 40 miles on them.

0-60 MPH times with my 240 LBS before was about 10.5 to 11 seconds. Now I just tried it twice and I am 8.0 to 8.5 seconds. Acceleration now is at 6,500 RPM at WOT, before about 6,000. so the advertised performance is definately there. You can definately feel it in the seat of the pants.

Top speed for my short runs has not changed. 92 MPH indicated but instead of 8,200 RPM it was at 7800-7900 RPM but still felt like it could have climbed higher but I ran out of space. It did feel stronger accelerating from 60-92 indicated but too short a run and too much traffic for this chicken little.

Casual riding will take getting used too. Take off is smoother as slightly lower geared but at the same time low speed RPMs are up a bit. 35 MPH steady is now 4,300 RPM where 4,100 would do before. 40 MPH is 4,500 RPM and 4,300 would do before. 50 MPH is 5,000 the same as it would do before.  Now at 55 mph and above the RPM's lower. at 60 I do 5,400 RPM where 5,500 before and 70 is now 6,200 where 6,400 to 6,500 before.

Another note is RPM variation under any acceleration is higher. The bike lets the engine run more freely under 55 MPH so when you give it some of the twist the RPM's climb much higher but you feel more juice under you and the engine does not sound as labored. That is unless you are WOT, then you can hear and feel the higher RPM at full juice.

About the best way to describe it is before the bike was lugging it as much of the time it could. Now the bike sounds more normal like it is not lugging. I am sure though this will affect MPG though. The first tank will be a killer as I have the WOT's etc..

So the jury is out still as I kind of liked it as a lugger. The engine load is quiter now though but I really don't need the extra umph that it provides. So we will see as time progresses. If I do change though DR pulley 20x12 16 gram would be the choice as that should put lower speed RPM's back where they were but still give me the lower RPM than stock at 70 MPH...............

Edit; I should note for those not familiar that the torque curve is rated tops at 6,500 RPM and top HP at 8,500 so as it stands the rollers seem to put the engine at its most efficient RPM values for torque. This again will eat into MPG but you really can feel the difference and the sound with the stock muffler can definately be heard as the engine just doesn't have that straining sound like it is in too tall a gear.

Of course it really feels weird at first. Maybe if I hadn't put the 3,177 miles on the bike before changing it would have felt normal. Also having ridden much larger bikes for so long I am not used to bikes with small displacement engines that require the extra RPMs to be in the pipe range.

It stopped raining long enough to take a short 10 mile ride at night. I installed the H8's this morning both low and high beams.

Low Beams;

1.) Daytime running from the front the lights now more closely color match the LED's aroung the high beams.
2.) Daytime stopping behind other vehicles the headlight relection over the stock bulbs is definately more noticable.
3.) Night time riding with the stock bulbs at about 40MPH you start to feel you are overdriving the lights, with these 50 MPH is comfortable with the low beams.
4.) Pulled to the garage and the aim is no higher, good to know I don't have to pull the front tupperware again.
5.) The light doesn't seem too much brighter, but it is slightly, but it is definately more even of a spread.
6.) Viewable light output is whiter in front of the bike but no noticeable blue tint.
7.) it is not overly obnoxious from 100 feet in front so no one will be flashing their high beams at you.

High Beams;

1.) As with the low beams the color now matches the LED's better.
2.) Again with Daytime running looking at the reflection from the vehicle in front it is more noticable.
3.) You never feel you are overdriving the lights even at 90MPH, these do create a slightly brighter cast though.
4.) No real aim issues here but the garage door was definately more viewable.
5.) As with the low beams besides the slightly brighter light the light seems more evenly spread out.
6.) Still no blue cast.
7.) you defiantely will get flashed with these but not overly obnoxious.

Now these are in no way twice as bright. My 55watt Silverstars in the car will handily blow these out of the water. HID's will do so even more. It however is an actual upgrade, my fear was it wouldn't be at all and they would just be all hype. Below are two videos with my bloggie. The bloggie shows better detail with the PIAAs as there is more light and bloggies are junk in lower light situations especially with uneven lighting.

I finally got to pace off the mile markers. at 13 miles per the odometer I paced off 12.8 miles on the mile markers on the GSP. So it comes up as aprox 98.5 miles traveled for every 100 indicated on my bike. Not too bad for a bike but tire ware will increase the inaccuracy............

Edit; this test was done trying to hold 60 MPH the entire time. I add this comment as tires at speed have a minimal expansion to them...........

As the topic states; I have changed over to all synthetic oil in both the engine and in the final drive. Personally I chose to use Royal Purple. Since picking the bike up I've only got to put on 20 miles but tried to get impressions as much as possible for people here.

1.) I used to be able to give slight throttle for just under 2,000 RPM so it would not engage the clutch. Any touch of the throttle brings me well over 2,000 RPM and the clutch starts to pull.
2.) The engine ramps to revs much quicker than before at any throttle position.
3.) Low speed driving requires less throttle than before. At 25 MPH you find yourself between idle and just twisting the grip.
4.) 25% throttle has a quicker launch and stronger pull.
5.) 50% throttle may be slightly more but it hard to tell as it was pretty strong before and I only tried it once. (I just had to show up the laughing teens in the cage next to me)
6.) 0-50 feels quicker and roll on power has slightly increased.
7.) Engine breaking from 50 is not as pronounced.
8.) While easy before to walk backwards from the seat it now seems effortless.
9.) Idle shake in the mirror is down.

I have found in general it needs less throttle to get where you are going. On the highway I used to use about 15% throttle to get 5,000 RPMs and accelerate from 0 to 50MPH, Same throttle puts me about 5,200 or so, acceleration wise I get from 0 to 50 faster now. Cruising is about the same way, I find myself slightly less into the throttle.

Well the topic states the stock plug for our bikes. I am kind of dissapointed they didn't go with the CR7EIX though. The Iridium plugs have proven themselves over stock. So I've ordered mine............