Redlining too soon?

[Mr. Paul]

According to the specs I have seen online, the Kymco Xciting 250 achieves maximum horsepower at around 7500 rpm.  It should be safe to cruise at that level all day. Redline would have higher rpm than that. The main thing is to keep the oil changed religiously. I too have a long history of working on autos and it is still alarming to me the rpms these small engines are designed to handle. My People 150 loves to cruise at 7000 to 7500 rpm. That would have toasted many of my old v-8s! (Except my '70 Camaro with the 350 LT 1 engine.)

[Forbes1964]

According to the specs I have seen online, the Kymco Xciting 250 achieves maximum horsepower at around 7500 rpm.  It should be safe to cruise at that level all day. Redline would have higher rpm than that. The main thing is to keep the oil changed religiously. I too have a long history of working on autos and it is still alarming to me the rpms these small engines are designed to handle. My People 150 loves to cruise at 7000 to 7500 rpm. That would have toasted many of my old v-8s! (Except my '70 Camaro with the 350 LT 1 engine.)

Thanks for the reassurance. I've noticed that redline on my tach is at 7500 . So it's reassuring to know it can actually run safety at that speed for more than a few minutes. Thanks again


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[Forbes1964]

I've decided to order some Dr. Pulley sliders just a couple of grams heavier than the rollers. I've accepted a 65 mph cruising speed as the maximum I'll do for an extended period of time. The mechanic at the place where I bought it told me that a good rule of thumb is if a scooter can comfortably maintain a speed on flat ground at 3/4 throttle with the temperature gauge not rising beyond its normal  position, it's safe on the engine to ride at that speed for extended periods of time. At 65 I have plenty of throttle left.

I'll try the sliders to see if they lower cruising Rpm's a bit without drastically affecting acceleration. If so, great! If not, I'll just put the originals back on and be happy. Either way, I don't plan on doing any other modifications than that.
Even Without any modifications I'm happy with the brisk acceleration all the way to where the rev limiter kicks in. As long as I don't negativity impact that too much, I'll be happy.

Again, thanks guys. Until you hear from me again, stay safe. And Be blessed


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[Forbes1964]

I'll let you all know how it works out. If it doesn't help or has an adverse effect, I'll humbly accept an "I told you so" from Stig and Mr. Paul. I won't be the first time I as wrong by overriding sound advice. Lol.


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[Mr. Paul]

Hey buddy, Mr. Paul can be wrong too. Hope everything goes great!

[Forbes1964]

UPDATE:
Well, I installed the Dr. Pulley sliders today. I went with 23 grams, since that was the smallest increase over the original 20.5 gram factory they had. I'm pleased with the results. Very little, if any loss of acceleration from a standstill. Perhaps a slight loss at the 50-60 range. Increase in top speed from GPS indicated 73 to 78 mph before the rev limiter kicks in. ( Don't intend to ride it that fast regularly. But nice to be able to do so if necessary to get out of the way.) But The MAIN EFFECT is  lower engine rpm's when cruising at 60+. My Rpm's at 65 reduced from nearly  8000 down to approximately 7500. So engine seems to be more relaxed. Seems like I could cruise at 70 if I wanted to.
 
It still holds the speed on hills. So far, I'm pleased. I don't think I'll do any more modifications. I'll let well enough do. If I want to go faster, I'll buy a bigger engined scooter. But for now, a maximum cruising speed of 65-70 is plenty enough.
Before the change, I was getting approximately 60 mpg with nearly all 60-65 mph riding. If it stays the same, I'll be perfectly happy. So far, so good.

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[Mr. Paul]

Great news Forbes! I am glad you got it worked out. Enjoy the ride sir.

[Forbes1964]

I intend to ride it to work tomorrow (if it's not too cold )to test it out on the extended ride. Also, thanks again for the reality check. Like with automobiles, some things can only be modified so much before running into big  money and/or causing durability issues. I know that keeping it within its intended limitations will make for an enjoyable ownership experience.


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[Stig / Major Tom]

I intend to ride it to work tomorrow (if it's not too cold )to test it out on the extended ride. Also, thanks again for the reality check. Like with automobiles, some things can only be modified so much before running into big  money and/or causing durability issues. I know that keeping it within its intended limitations will make for an enjoyable ownership experience.


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Glad you're happy with your scooter.
When I mentioned bigger scooter - I meant more cc's, but also longer wheelbase and more weight - for 70mph cruising.
 A dancing lighweight, short-wheelbased scooter is less secure feeling when mixing with winds & cars & trucks on the interstate..than is a longer, heavier bike. ("dancing"?, yeah - small, lightweight scooters react much more harshly to pavement cracks, tar strips, pot holes, debris on the highway)
But, to each his own.
Stig

[Forbes1964]

Glad you're happy with your scooter.
When I mentioned bigger scooter - I meant more cc's, but also longer wheelbase and more weight - for 70mph cruising.
 A dancing lighweight, short-wheelbased scooter is less secure feeling when mixing with winds & cars & trucks on the interstate..than is a longer, heavier bike. ("dancing"?, yeah - small, lightweight scooters react much more harshly to pavement cracks, tar strips, pot holes, debris on the highway)
But, to each his own.
Stig

I guess the fact that I've never owned a scooter before and have nothing to compare it with my s to my advantage. Lol. I read that the Xciting was less stable at 75+ . But mine seems fine at 65-70. I only want to do 75 + to get out of the way if necessary.

But as far as scooters go, the Xciting has a comparatively long wheelbase. Also, I've noticed that the 14 inch rears and 15 inch front seem larger than most except for the people and the Sym city.

I think I got lucky. I knew absolutely NOTHING about scooters other than the fact that I wanted something with fuel injection. And none of the Chinese scooters that I saw advertised had it. The Sym city 300 was not in good shape. And it was a little more cramped than I wanted. So I ended up getting the 250 Xciting. And the only negative thing I've read is that it has less power than desirable. Some have told me that the 400+ pound weight is an advantage. I'm certain that are right. I rode home Monday in gusty winds, and a lighter weight scooter would have been a real handful.


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[Mr. Paul]

Hey Forbes. I own a Kymco People 150 that I ride every day commuting to work 15 miles one way and running errands on my off days. I rarely drive my car. The 150 loves to cruise at 45 to 50 so it is perfect for the roads I ride on.  My next bike will be a 250, probably a Honda Helix. The 250 size for me, seems to be the right balance of economy, performance, and ease of maintenance. I think you did really well getting the scooter you did. Maybe soon I will be up there running with you big boys and your 250s ;-)

[Forbes1964]

Well, here's a follow up. My belt broke, and I replaced it TODAY. It seems as if it was the belt the whole time. Now my 65mph rpm is about 7000. And at 7500 redline, I'm going about 70-72. I might even install the dr pulley sliders in the original weight and see if what happens. But as of now, I COULD cruise at anything below 70 and stay BELOW redline. By the way, my top speed now is 80+. I guess the old belt may have been stretched or whatever.


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[Forbes1964]

I agree with Stig!!!  Just ride the scooter and enjoy it! IMHO it is a waste of good hard earned money to make a scooter perform better than it was designed to. The better option is to take that money you would have used on unecessary upgrades and repairs and put it towards that faster scooter in the future. Meanwhile enjoy riding the well built machine that you have. I have learned this the hard way!

Final resolution:
By and large Mr. Paul and Stig were right. Thankfully I only spent the price of the Dr pulley sliders. 

But here is a step by step journey:

1. Original rollers: 20.5g. Start- top speed 72 mph @ rev limited ~ 8500 rpm or so. Rpm at 65 around 8000 (past redline) . Engine feels over worked @ 65 mph

2. Installed 23g dr pulley sliders: top speed 76-78 mph @ rev limited rpm's. Rpm's @ 65mph ~ 7500 rpm's ( indicated redline) . Acceleration somewhat slower. Engine feels over worked at 65 mph

3. Replaced broken belt. Still 23g sliders. Top speed 81-82 mph @ rev limited speed. Rpm's @ 65 mph ~ 7100 rpm's. (Below redline) . But acceleration even  slower. Engine feels relaxed at 65 mph

4. Replaced 3 of the sliders with ORIGINAL 20.5 gram sliders, giving an average weight of 21.75g. Top speed 78-79 mph @ ~ 8100 rpm's. Rpm's @65mph ~ 7100 rpm. (Below redline) . Engine feels relaxed @65mph.

CONCLUSION: The greatest improvement occurred and the BEST overall BALACE between MY desired cruising speed (65 mph) @ reasonable Rpm , Top speed consistent with what others are getting without engine rpm going into the stratosphere, and good acceleration occurred when a NEW belt was installed and the variator weights just SLIGHTLY above FACTORY weights.

In addition, my mechanic said that the heavier SLIDERS, unless properly matched with a variator, spring, and rear pulley tends to shorten belt life significantly when driven HARD as I do because the variator closes more than originally designed causing the belt to be strained if the rear pulley limits its travel. He also stated that  most people use LIGHTER sliders for better acceleration.but the top speed is usually preserved.

Long story. If the scooter does not perform as designed, SOMETHING is wrong. So save your money and simply make sure the ORIGINAL equipment is working properly.

[Forbes1964]

By the way, my fuel mileage improve from a range of 55-62 before the new belt to a range of 61-68mpg after the new belt.


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[xsel777]

Forbes1964, that fuel consumption improvement is great news mate.

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