Finished prepping the Viva VX200SX many problems. Mods too

morespl · 03-24-2007, 01:48 PM

Hello all,

I just finished prepping and putting together my new Viva VX200SX. I have some info to add to the prep list and will do so later with pictures.
My bike appears to have a defective starter solenoid, I have no electric start. I checked the switch circuit from the switch trough the clutch safety switch and have continuity at the solenoid wiring harness when I press the starter switch and hold in the clutch. I also have power on the battery side of the solenoid but no voltage on the starter side when I press the switch. This would seem to indicate a bad solenoid unless I am missing something?

I can kick start the bike but the kick start gets caught up in the brake linkage and wont return up. I tried to pull the kicker lever out a little on the shaft but even half way out it still hangs. Anyone know of an after market kicker that will work? Another issue I had was when I tried to grease the swing arm all of the grease came squirting out of the un-welded tread boss. I tired to seal it with epoxy and was able to get about 5 pumps in before the epoxy failed. I think I will try JB weld to see if that will seal better. I hope Family Motors comes trough with parts, I have to strip the bike to get the seat off and I have done so 4 or 5 times already.

Here are some basic cheap modifications to add to the list.
JB Weld the battery box tack welds before the tack welds break.
Split loom the wiring harness to prevent wire chafing.
Replace the steel brake line clamp with a rubber insolated clamp found in the electrical
department at Home depot or any good hardware store.

Best regards,
Ray

TheOtherRide · 03-24-2007, 02:21 PM

I guess I've lucked out...no problems w/ electric or kickstart. I did figure out yesterday that we missed the grease fitting on the swingarm. I know someone else posted about that. I see you've already replaced the fitting with an angled zerk; we haven't found one the right size yet--today's project!

The split looms sure look a lot better than the bare wires.

Sorry you're having bad luck. Have you tried calling Viva about it yet? I'm curious as to how their customer service/warranty is.

Trubattleax · 03-24-2007, 02:30 PM

viva is very good about getting parts out to you under warranty, i broke a throttle cable about a month ago it took about 2 weeks for me to get it...not bad considering it had to come all the way across country

cycleway4 · 03-24-2007, 02:34 PM

looks like youve got some good fixes for your issues......

good luck getting it all sorted out!

Akonababe · 03-24-2007, 03:00 PM

You should call tech support and they can walk you through the solution on your electric start. Randi had to do that with her bike and tech was very helpful.

SamM · 03-24-2007, 04:02 PM

morespl,
Can you post a few pictures of your bike? I just purchased one identical to it. I'd love to see what it looks like!

Thanks,
Sam

ob1 · 03-24-2007, 08:31 PM

JB Weld is good stuff, but I dont think it will perform in that fashion.

If you have no luck with warranty on the starter sticking, I would bend the brake pedal enough to clear, with the kick starter fully on the starter shaft, bending the end just before the brake clevis.

The e-start should be no huge problem. There should be 4 wires, or 3 wires with the solenoid body grounded. Of the wires, 1 should come from battery positive, the other from the starter motor, and they should be larger wires. The smaller wires should have 1 to ground, and the other to intermittent + from the starter switch. Shouldnt be hard to trace.

Many bikes these days have starter cut-out switches on the kick stand and neutral tranny. Does yours?

msRandi · 03-24-2007, 11:20 PM

Have you got the electric starter to work? I had somthing like that on mine. had to add a hot leed to the solenoid.

morespl · 03-25-2007, 01:53 PM

Hello All,

I will post some more pictures as soon as my camera charges. The kick starter gets caught up on the hydraulic linkage. There really is no way to bend the linkage but a modified kick starter may be a solution. I still have no electric start. I used my DVOM and checked the start switch circuit all the way to the starter solenoid. The circuit closes at the solenoid connector when I press the start switch with the clutch in. I have 12 voltâ€™s on the battery side of the solenoid but 0 volts on the starter side when the switch is pressed. I can only think that this is a bad solenoid unless I am missing something? The switch circuit to the solenoid only has 2 wires (1) yellow green and (1) stripped green they have no voltage but I would think they shouldnâ€™t as it is just a switch? I did get a chance to ride it yesterday by compression starting it. I left a message on Friday with Family Motor sports and was told I would get a call back Monday at 1pm. I realize that this a an inexpensive bike but I am a little less than satisfied with the build quality as I have to run it down a hill to start it. The other thing I noticed was how stiff the rear suspension is. I am 6-2, 205lbs and I can hardly depress it at its softest setting. At least I get to ride my other toy this weekend. My FLHT is slammed, cammâ€™d, extensive head and port work, modded SE carb, hooker headers and dyno tuned. The thing can definitely supply plenty of pucker factor and has scared the poop out of me a time or two. 8O

Regards,
Ray

Akonababe · 03-25-2007, 02:08 PM

The shocks loosen up after riding it awhile.

morespl · 03-25-2007, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Have you got the electric starter to work? I had somthing like that on mine. had to add a hot leed to the solenoid.

What wire did you have to add? Can you tell looking at the photo?

Quote:

The shocks loosen up after riding it awhile

Thatâ€™s cool, I am a little hesitant to compression starting the bike so I most likely will not ride it much until I can get the electric starter and kick starter fixed. :(

Regards,
Ray

msRandi · 03-25-2007, 04:41 PM

Ok one side of the plug gos to the switch the other is hot when the key is on. there is a black wire on the plug that goes to the rectifier that goes no where. route it to the selinoid. test with a jumper first but this worked for me. but what this does is bypass the nuetral saftey switch. the right fix is to figure whats discconnected at the tranny.
hope some of this helps.
Note; black is hot when the key is on. NOT ground, thats green.

morespl · 03-25-2007, 05:13 PM

Hi,
Thanks for the help, let me see if I understand this. I disconnect the blck wire in the solenoind connector and connect it to the black wire from the rectifier. This would leave one wire (green) going to the start switch and one wire back connected to the rectifier (black hot when key is on)
Is this correct? see photo...
Thanks again,
Ray

msRandi · 03-25-2007, 06:02 PM

Ok let me try again. To start with there is no wiring diagram for the starter on a Viva. I know I asked the service guy in PA. Email me @ randig1049@aol.com and I will give you my phone #
and I will pull the seat off mine and take some pic's.

ob1 · 03-25-2007, 06:17 PM

You have a volt meter, right? You hear the solenoid click when you hit the start button, right? Your battery is fully charged by you, not "as shipped"?

Verify that 12V+ is available to the solenoid, there should be a larger gauge wire connected from it to the 12V+ terminal of the battery.

Got 12V+ from the battery to the solenoid? If yes, next paragraph, if not, make the proper repairs

Connect to the solenoid terminal that leads to the starter motor, looking for 12V+ when you hit the starter button. Got 12V+ there? Yes, next paragraph. No, bad solenoid.

Move to the other end of the wire, where it connects to the starter motor itself, hit the starter button and see if 12V+ is there. No, bad wire. Yes, could be a bad starter motor, or a misaligned motor brush.

03-24-2007, 01:48 PM	#1
morespl Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: SoCal Posts: 24	Finished prepping the Viva VX200SX many problems. Mods too Hello all, I just finished prepping and putting together my new Viva VX200SX. I have some info to add to the prep list and will do so later with pictures. My bike appears to have a defective starter solenoid, I have no electric start. I checked the switch circuit from the switch trough the clutch safety switch and have continuity at the solenoid wiring harness when I press the starter switch and hold in the clutch. I also have power on the battery side of the solenoid but no voltage on the starter side when I press the switch. This would seem to indicate a bad solenoid unless I am missing something? I can kick start the bike but the kick start gets caught up in the brake linkage and wont return up. I tried to pull the kicker lever out a little on the shaft but even half way out it still hangs. Anyone know of an after market kicker that will work? Another issue I had was when I tried to grease the swing arm all of the grease came squirting out of the un-welded tread boss. I tired to seal it with epoxy and was able to get about 5 pumps in before the epoxy failed. I think I will try JB weld to see if that will seal better. I hope Family Motors comes trough with parts, I have to strip the bike to get the seat off and I have done so 4 or 5 times already. Here are some basic cheap modifications to add to the list. JB Weld the battery box tack welds before the tack welds break. Split loom the wiring harness to prevent wire chafing. Replace the steel brake line clamp with a rubber insolated clamp found in the electrical department at Home depot or any good hardware store. Best regards, Ray __________________ RLA Home Theater The Inland Empire THX certified A/V installation company<br /><br />2006 Viva VX200SX (blue) with neon clown blue rims LOL.. Hey at least they aren't pink!<br />
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03-24-2007, 02:21 PM	#2
TheOtherRide Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Montana Posts: 403	I guess I've lucked out...no problems w/ electric or kickstart. I did figure out yesterday that we missed the grease fitting on the swingarm. I know someone else posted about that. I see you've already replaced the fitting with an angled zerk; we haven't found one the right size yet--today's project! The split looms sure look a lot better than the bare wires. Sorry you're having bad luck. Have you tried calling Viva about it yet? I'm curious as to how their customer service/warranty is. __________________ ~Pauli~ Former 2006 Viva VX200SX owner
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03-24-2007, 02:34 PM	#4
cycleway4 Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 269	looks like youve got some good fixes for your issues...... good luck getting it all sorted out! __________________ <div>Steve 2006 Roketa DB-07A/RSX-200E 2008 Roketa 250 Scooter 2019 Brozz 250
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03-24-2007, 03:00 PM	#5
Akonababe Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Douglas, Arizona Posts: 154	You should call tech support and they can walk you through the solution on your electric start. Randi had to do that with her bike and tech was very helpful. __________________ Ride hard and have FUN!!!!
	0

03-24-2007, 11:20 PM	#8
msRandi Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Douglas, AZ Posts: 220	Have you got the electric starter to work? I had somthing like that on mine. had to add a hot leed to the solenoid. __________________ Love from the Arizona High Desert
	0

03-24-2007, 02:30 PM	#3
Trubattleax Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Daytona Beach Florida Posts: 133	viva is very good about getting parts out to you under warranty, i broke a throttle cable about a month ago it took about 2 weeks for me to get it...not bad considering it had to come all the way across country
	0

03-24-2007, 04:02 PM	#6
SamM Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: West Virginia Posts: 1,194	morespl, Can you post a few pictures of your bike? I just purchased one identical to it. I'd love to see what it looks like! Thanks, Sam
	0

03-24-2007, 08:31 PM	#7
ob1 Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 499	JB Weld is good stuff, but I dont think it will perform in that fashion. If you have no luck with warranty on the starter sticking, I would bend the brake pedal enough to clear, with the kick starter fully on the starter shaft, bending the end just before the brake clevis. The e-start should be no huge problem. There should be 4 wires, or 3 wires with the solenoid body grounded. Of the wires, 1 should come from battery positive, the other from the starter motor, and they should be larger wires. The smaller wires should have 1 to ground, and the other to intermittent + from the starter switch. Shouldnt be hard to trace. Many bikes these days have starter cut-out switches on the kick stand and neutral tranny. Does yours?
	0

03-25-2007, 01:53 PM	#9
morespl Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: SoCal Posts: 24	Hello All, I will post some more pictures as soon as my camera charges. The kick starter gets caught up on the hydraulic linkage. There really is no way to bend the linkage but a modified kick starter may be a solution. I still have no electric start. I used my DVOM and checked the start switch circuit all the way to the starter solenoid. The circuit closes at the solenoid connector when I press the start switch with the clutch in. I have 12 voltâ€™s on the battery side of the solenoid but 0 volts on the starter side when the switch is pressed. I can only think that this is a bad solenoid unless I am missing something? The switch circuit to the solenoid only has 2 wires (1) yellow green and (1) stripped green they have no voltage but I would think they shouldnâ€™t as it is just a switch? I did get a chance to ride it yesterday by compression starting it. I left a message on Friday with Family Motor sports and was told I would get a call back Monday at 1pm. I realize that this a an inexpensive bike but I am a little less than satisfied with the build quality as I have to run it down a hill to start it. The other thing I noticed was how stiff the rear suspension is. I am 6-2, 205lbs and I can hardly depress it at its softest setting. At least I get to ride my other toy this weekend. My FLHT is slammed, cammâ€™d, extensive head and port work, modded SE carb, hooker headers and dyno tuned. The thing can definitely supply plenty of pucker factor and has scared the poop out of me a time or two. 8O Regards, Ray __________________ RLA Home Theater The Inland Empire THX certified A/V installation company<br /><br />2006 Viva VX200SX (blue) with neon clown blue rims LOL.. Hey at least they aren't pink!<br />
	0

03-25-2007, 02:08 PM	#10
Akonababe Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Douglas, Arizona Posts: 154	The shocks loosen up after riding it awhile. __________________ Ride hard and have FUN!!!!
	0

03-25-2007, 04:41 PM	#12
msRandi Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Douglas, AZ Posts: 220	Ok one side of the plug gos to the switch the other is hot when the key is on. there is a black wire on the plug that goes to the rectifier that goes no where. route it to the selinoid. test with a jumper first but this worked for me. but what this does is bypass the nuetral saftey switch. the right fix is to figure whats discconnected at the tranny. hope some of this helps. Note; black is hot when the key is on. NOT ground, thats green. __________________ Love from the Arizona High Desert
	0

03-25-2007, 05:13 PM	#13
morespl Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: SoCal Posts: 24	Hi, Thanks for the help, let me see if I understand this. I disconnect the blck wire in the solenoind connector and connect it to the black wire from the rectifier. This would leave one wire (green) going to the start switch and one wire back connected to the rectifier (black hot when key is on) Is this correct? see photo... Thanks again, Ray __________________ RLA Home Theater The Inland Empire THX certified A/V installation company<br /><br />2006 Viva VX200SX (blue) with neon clown blue rims LOL.. Hey at least they aren't pink!<br />
	0

03-25-2007, 06:02 PM	#14
msRandi Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Douglas, AZ Posts: 220	Ok let me try again. To start with there is no wiring diagram for the starter on a Viva. I know I asked the service guy in PA. Email me @ randig1049@aol.com and I will give you my phone # and I will pull the seat off mine and take some pic's. __________________ Love from the Arizona High Desert
	0

03-25-2007, 06:17 PM	#15
ob1 Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 499	You have a volt meter, right? You hear the solenoid click when you hit the start button, right? Your battery is fully charged by you, not "as shipped"? Verify that 12V+ is available to the solenoid, there should be a larger gauge wire connected from it to the 12V+ terminal of the battery. Got 12V+ from the battery to the solenoid? If yes, next paragraph, if not, make the proper repairs Connect to the solenoid terminal that leads to the starter motor, looking for 12V+ when you hit the starter button. Got 12V+ there? Yes, next paragraph. No, bad solenoid. Move to the other end of the wire, where it connects to the starter motor itself, hit the starter button and see if 12V+ is there. No, bad wire. Yes, could be a bad starter motor, or a misaligned motor brush.
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