Stole a SYM RV-250

[Gary]

Thanks Scos. I'll take a look ....

[Kiwiscoot]

My Citycom has a 17mm one on the opposite side too. The centre stand covers it when it is up. Nuisance as the oil drains over one of the legs of the stand. I put the scoot on it's side stand when I drain oil and wedge a bit of wood between the engine and the center stand to keep it down and out of the way of the oil. Rocking the scoot from side to side as low as you dare to go without dropping the scoot gets quite a bit of extra oil out. I have a few computer hard-disk magnets in my oil strainer, but they have only a little bit of fine sludge on them, last time almost nothing. It is my idea of a oil filter and stops the stuff from floating through the engine.
Gary have you done the coolant yet. I would suggest you do it as soon as possible. Easy as pie. In my Citycom review is a description of the procedure. I don't think the coolant they use is that good.

[Deleted]

Okay Guys, first the apology for not talking about my Sym RV250 I bought May 30th. I got 1800 miles and love it. However, I ordered the taller windscreen in June through my local dealer and it still hasn't arrived. In July I wrote Carter Bros and was told they are made in Italy near where there was an earthquake and would be delayed till end of July. I thought that a pretty good excuse. Now I hear you guys are getting your windscreens and I still dont have mine, grrrrrrr. I have been wanting it so that while I am into the front end installing it, I want to see if I have enough room to put in a beefier horn and also to see if I can adjust the low beam up a bit.
I went on a 275 mile ride on July 3 and found that if I take off the drivers back rest, I can straighten out the legs, resting my feet up on the upper deck which helps to get down the road a little longer before your butt starts to burn and your hip locks up.
When installing my luggage rack, I goofed up the switch to the trunk light/dash indicator. I kinda thought the open trunk indicator light a bit silly being that it did not come on till the seat was completely open. Think I might already know the trunk is open since I would have to be standing next to the bike for it to even engage. However, since the switch is messed up, I have a plan to bypass the hinge switch with a manual rocker switch that I got at Pep Boys and fits nicely in the blank next to the trunk light. That way the trunk light is on only when I need it and the dash indicator would let me know if I left the trunk light on.
So far the only problem I have is it starts hard when the engine is cold, I have to use the throttle to get it started, but after it warms up no problem. I took it in and the mechanic didn't find anything wrong with the enricher, but he tried adjusting the carb which didn't make any difference. Hmmm? :$
Other than that, I ride most everyday to work on it and the occassional joyride and love it except for the wind issue.
Question for you possessors of the tall windscreens. Do the flares on the side of the large WS deflect wind off of your hands? I ride in the winter too and was hoping it would help with frozen fingers.

[Kiwiscoot]

Great to hear from another satisfied SYM owner. As I have the Citycom I can't comment on the Rv250's taller windscreen.
SYM stand for "Smile Your Miles"

[Gary]

Kev -
Thanks for your report. I ordered my tall windshield from Derrick Bell, 334-735-9761, [e-mail]. Derrick was very helpful. Shipping took about a week to CA; you are closer - should be faster if he still has them in stock.

Unfortunately I doubt that the flares will help much in keeping wind off one's hands - the hand grips are located way outboard of of the flares and still in the air stream.

You are right about the open trunk indicator being a bit silly. It almost looks as though the blank was designed for a rocker switch but then SYM left it out in fabrication. In any case I like your idea on that.

I'm sorry you are having trouble with cold starts. This must be a solvable problem; my scoot starts right up warm or cold.

Sounds like you are having a great time with your scoot. I certainly am with mine.
Cheers,
Gary

[Deleted]

Gary,
Thanks for your post and your opinion on the WS flares. Guess I'll have to come up with an idea for grip guards or buy thicker gloves. I'm gonna call my dealer who i ordered the WS from. If I remember, the price they quoted was less than what you guys have stated. Plus I ordered a spare belt that hasn't come in yet either so I will give them a little more time before I call your supplier.

Remembered another mod I want to do under the front end after driving down the road with my blinker on. I've bought a buzzer to connect to the turn indicators and want to install it at the same time as the windscreen and see if the low beam is adjustable. Lot's of light but a little too close to the front end, or I'm driving too fast at night. : )

As for the cold starting, as long as it gets figured out before the warranty runs out then it's all good.

I don't know how effective the "foggy lights" are, but I ride with them on day and night. I figure the more lights to get noticed with the better.

Thanks again Gary, you too Kiwi.

[Deleted]

And Gary, I found out something that your scooter will do that you really don't want to find out for yourself. If you should find yourself driving your scoot and the reserve block on your gas guage turns off, a red fuel pump light will appear in the indicator ring, the LCD fuel pump will blink on and off, and your sphincter will tighten significantly, though that last feature is not standard equipment.

[Gary]

Kev -
Coincidentally I learned about the low fuel warning on the way to work this morning. Certainly gets your attention! Went directly to the nearest gas station. Glad I did - scoot took 3.1 gallon in a 3.2 gallon tank...

On the way home I paid particular attention to the wind on my hands. To my surprise the WS flares do make a substantial difference - they deflect the wind away from the hand grips pretty well.

I too want to install turn signal clickers. Although the indicator lights are large and super bright, they are not in your field of view so it is easy to not notice them.
gary

[Gary]

Received the 30 SMD LED turn signal lamps from JP Warden and installed them over the weekend. They are certtainly as bright as the the incandescents they replaced, maybe brighter, its hard to say. They sure look cool when off - no more amber, just white and silver. They look like some sort of high tech space weapon.

Also hooked up some radio shack piezo buzzers to the turn signals. Had to connect them to the rear turn signal bulbs - the wiring to the front turn signals was so well protected with plastic coverings and zip ties that I couldn't find a place to tie in. The buzzers will hopefully keep me from bopping down the road with my signals on.

Also received and installed a Shad SH-40 top case. The flat black looks great on the scoot. The case is pretty large, but not overwhelming. I really like how the open/close mechanism works. It has a nice solid feel to it, and you can lock the top closed separately from locking the trunk to the scooter.

The scoot continues to run just awesomely. I guess I'll have to post a picture one of these days.

Cheers,
Gary

[Kiwiscoot]

PICTURE,PICTURE, WHY ARE WE WAITING, why are we waiting....
;D ;D

[Gary]

Recently passed 6,000 miles on the SYM. Have had absolutely no problems. Just about everything about the scoot is fantastic - power, handling, brakes, lighting, instrumentation. The build quality is fantastic - solid as a rock, no squeaks or rattles, nothing comes loose as you are riding. The scoot is stable even at freeway speeds and has plenty of reserve power.

I'm only averaging about 56 mpg but I think a lot has to do with the sort of riding I do - its either stop and go on city streets, or going 70+ down the freeway. I have the tall wind screen on which doesn't help the mileage but sure does a nice job of blocking the wind.

I picked up the scoot used for $2,700. I couldn't be more pleased with the purchase.

Gary

PS: Ole' Yeller has been in storage in my garage but still runs fine. My son will start riding her soon.

[Kiwiscoot]

Hi Gary - good to hear the RV is still going strong. I've done 15000+kms on the Citycom and my experience is the same. They just go and go. They would be easy scoots to abuse and just ride with not maintenance because they ask for no attention!!

[Deleted]

Hey Gary, I got my taller w/s last fall and installed. But noticed a fair amount of flexing when doing 65mph. I tried putting some bracing in between the w/s and instrument panel, but doesn't seem to make a difference. Are you having the same flexing and does it bother you?

[jim63]

Have had my taller SYM windscreen over a year now, have had no issues with flexing myself. It is a night and day transition from the original windscreen, I am 6'2" and the wind goes right over me for the most part. My wife has to look through her large windscreen, she is 5'6". She has not experienced a flexing issue. Most of my riding is at 60+mph. Now at 16,450 miles and still runs as good as the 1st day I got it, love this scooter.

[Deleted]

Jim, is your taller w/s from SYM or another company?

[jim63]

The tall windscreens we have were purchased from a SYM dealer, and come with a SYM logo on them. Under $200 delivered to my house.

[Gary]

Wow Jim, you are really putting on some miles. Awesome scoot.

Kev - my taller windscreen flexed at freeway speeds (70+) so I stuffed some pretty dense foam rubber between the windshiled and the back of the instrument cluster. I used a thickness of foam that kept it as high as possible for maximum leverage. This worked out well - the screen is solid now.

Probably at some point I will cut down the windscreen. I'm only 5'6" and the screen is way bigger than I need. I cut a screen down for my 150cc scoot a few weeks ago and it wasn't too hard. So, I think I'll give it a shot on the Sym. This should further reduce the screen flexing and maybe will help my mileage a bit.

Regards to all,
Gary

[Deleted]

Thanks Gary and Jim. I tried using some high density foam like you Gary, but didn't notice any significant improvement.

[Kiwiscoot]

My Citycom's tall Givi screen flexed so much at speed that it started to crack along the bottom between two rubber-mounted mounting points. There is no tension on the mounting points as they are rubber mounted. I don't know who the manufacturer of your screen are, but I would do something about it as you can end up like me. I have to melt a small hole at the end of the crack to stop it from migrating all the way thru the screen, which will split it in two. ;(

[Gary]

About 6,500 miles on the SYM now. It is running fabulously.

Within the last week or so a grinding noise has started coming from the front end on braking. I removed the front brakes for inspection; what I found is really interesting. I knew the scoot had linked brakes, but I did'nt know how they worked. There are actually two sets of front brake pads; each driven by its own brake cylinderm with two brake lines. One set of pads is driven by the master cylinder conjunction with actuating the rear brake. The other set is actuated on its own.

The first set (whch actuates with the rear brake) was worn to the point where it needed replacement. The other set of pads was OK, but I'm ordering a full set front and rear so I'm ready when the time comes.

I continue to be impressed at the very high quality of the SYM.
Gary

[Gary]

Kirkrosin -
I thought I stolea SYM. You REALLY stole a SYM. Congratulations, you will love the scoot.
Gary

[Gary]

Experienced my first problem with the SYM. At 6,800 miles the odometer reset itself to zero. Evrything else works fine and the odometer is back to counting off miles as usual. So my scoot just got 7,000 miles "younger."

Over the last few weeks I've done a few things to the scoot. Now that it is warmer, I switched back to the smaller OEM windscreen. The scoot feels more lively with this screen and I like that I can look over the top of it. I also installed Dr. Pulley sliders, dropping in weight from 22 grams to 20 grams. This gives the scoot a bit more pop off the line. Finally, I replaced the air cleaner, which was surprisingly dirty. Hopefully this will help my MPG a bit.

The scoot continues to be an awesome ride.
Cheers,
Gary

[Kiwiscoot]

You're not the first to have that "problem" (more like a very good feature to me) haha, but even with a replacement your scoot would be 7000miles younger.

[Gary]

Just passed 10,000 miles on the SYM RV250. I've had absolutely no problems - the scoot runs flawlessly. Its really a remarkable machine. Handles great, has plenty of get up and go (will do 85mph if needed), brakes great, has great lighting and instrumentation. I just can't say enough good things about the scoot. Would recommend it to anyone.
Cheers,
Gary

[kwaidonjin]

That scooter is awesome looking, I don't know why they are so hard to find. From what I have read it is the best kept secret in Scootering.

[jim63]

I fully agree with Gary on the superb SYM RV250's. My wifes is over 10k miles mine is over 27k miles. Knock on wood, only 2 headlight bulbs as my only non-scheduled maint items. Looking forward to scooter vacation #3 on them this summer. We both love riding them.

[ootscoot]

The RV250 is a great bike - we have sold quit a few and so far only one major problem with one of them- the little plastic clip for the carb needle broke, making the bike in-operable - the part is impossible to find without ordering a whole new carb ($350).
We have replaced the flimsy little plastic clips on the storage lids with velcro on a few...
Many of my riders are over 21000 mi - just replaced belts (usually at around 16k mi) and tires (Pirelli's) and low beam headlight bulbs (H7)
Several bikes have reported the speedo resetting @6825 mi.

[tinstar]

I also LOVE my SYM RV250! The original owner had done the same thing...instead of getting a whole new top cover (only to have it break again), she used velcro and it works great. I have no problem with it at all. I had not heard about the carb needle, but other than that and the cheap plastic clips on the storage lids, the bike is rock solid. I have done nothing to it and it runs like it's brand new. I have ordered a Laminar Lip to solve the windshield problem. Although they don't list it for the SYM RV250, the one listed for the Yamaha Majesty 400 will work. I have read good things about the Laminar Lip. Sure hope it solves the problem.

[chaz12]

Ya, I love my Bali 250.. A little over 5000 miles on it and running good.. Wife has a Honda Rebel.. Take care Gary.. Let your son ride Ole Yeller.

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[imnts2]

re water in the oil. Since there is no sign of compression pressure or exhaust gas pressure and heat in the cooing system or oil in the water, i suspect a tube or bottle or radiator seal will stop the water intrusion into the oil. But gosh, get the water out of the crankcase. It will ruin bearings overnight.
good luck