How to install - Yuminashi 2015 variator kit

[FRossi]

Hello guys,

Does anyone knows where to find a "how to" install the Yuminashi variator kit?

I think I also need to change the rear wheel bearing. I've removed the rear wheel but the bearing that goes in the wheel is good, I think the bad one is on the shaft. Is it easy to change?
When I spin the wheel at center stand, it makes a strange noise!

Anyone recommends changing also the transmission oil too? Its a 20k km bike.

[Mel46]

Are you sure that it is the wheel bearing and not the clutch bearing? There have been a few of those that have been bad. On ours we could tell by spinning the rear wheel backwards while the bike was on the center stand. Of course, it sounded just as bad while riding it. It turned out to be the driven clutch bearings.

[Alibally]

+1. Check the clutch bearing. I was told my wheel bearing was noisy but it turned out to be the clutch. I took my belt off and spun the clutch on the rear shaft to check it. If you take the clutch assembly off the spin the wheel I wasn't getting the rumbling noise.

[Mel46]

http://hondapcx.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3136
Read this thread. It might give you some insight into the possible problem.

[FRossi]

Really... its is not the wheel. I can hear it even stoped, when the engine is low rev...

But what about the variator? Any "how to"? Any service manual?
Is it easy to do at home or must be done at honda dealer?

[Branyers]

Very easy to do, and can be done without removing any of the body panels. Remove the crankcase cover bolts, there's 8 or 10 of them. The variator is directly beneath and is held in place by a single large nut that is best removed with an impact wrench. Once you get the nut off, the rest is a cake walk.

[maddiedog]

FRossi, what you're looking for is here: http://hondapcx.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2598

[Mel46]

See....Dave has covered just about everything you could possibly want to know about these little scooters. Make sure you thank him, because without his help i doubt that many of us would be as confident as we are about tearing these scooters apart. If he missed anything, then someone like gn2 has the answer.
This has to be the best forum I have ever had the pleasure of being on. The first thing I ever got the nerve to do on this pcx was because I saw it done by him on this forum...that was to change out my windscreen for a Givi one.

[FRossi]

Hey, awesome help!
First, you are right... Its the clutch bearing for sure!
I can hear the harsh sound with the engine on idle and bike stopped, so it can't be the rear wheel.... In the center stand, when I hear the harsh sound, the rear wheel starts spinning. So, might be clutch related. The one who had this problem, how hard is to take it apart?

And about the variator, how to change the boss? Sorry for my English, but I think you call "boss" a " thick tube" of metal, about 5 to 10cm...
And I also don't have a impact key, should I give up? Any alternative method?

[maddiedog]

You'll need an impact gun to get off the clutch, I've never been able to do one without it. You don't need one for the variator.

The boss is just part of the variator. The whole variator will come off easily after you remove the nut holding it. Just make sure you use the right tool (the variator tool in the thread) or you won't be able to get it off without damage.

The clutch is fairly easy to take apart. The bearings in the final drive are hard to get to though, I'd leave that to a professional if it's bad. The symptoms you are saying point towards a bad bearing in the final drive or drive casing, as Mel has suggested.

Ca

[Alibally]

I've a clutch pulley assembly on order at the moment. It's the bearing held in with the circlip that's noisy but the needle roller bearing has to come out as well. The tool for removing the bearing isn't particularly expensive but not worth getting for a one in blue moon job.

[FRossi]

Hey, i´ve made my way to a Honda Dealer to get a new belt (20k km and still using original belt) and they said me that it´s a very common problem, as everyone said here... It´s the same part that I saw at maddiedog quote. They don´t replace the bearing, since the "labor hours" of removing those would be more expansive than changing the whole housing.

Since I don´t have the tools for it, i'll leave there... Just a pitty, because I really hate to leave my bike at their hands...
Many thanks to every one!! Next week i'll tell about the Yuminashi variator.

[fun2scoot]

FRossi, the transmission is a maintenance item for belts and weights, and if you are reasonably handy and like saving money, you can do this work. Reiterating Admin's excellent tutorial;
Tools are:
Phillips screwdriver
8, 10, 19, and 22 millimeter sockets (suggest 1/2" drive 6 point for the latter two)
Variator holding tool ($17 online - cheap ones need oversize studs ground down to fit PCX)
6" Strap wrench (~$7, for holding clutch)
Impact wrench ($40 on sale at Harbor Freight)
Torque wrench ($20 Harbor Freight)

Recommend the Gates reinforced belt and 12 gram Dr. Pulley sliders in place of the rollers.
Hopefully these pages (Fair Use) will supplement Admin's tutorial if needed. They are sequential for the work

[Valiant]

Is that variator and flywheel holding tool necessary?

I bought the impact driver, but wasn't sure if the holding tool is a necessity or just a waste of money. And would a torque wrench be recommended for retightening? I know someone mentioned numbers like 40 lbs/sq ft, but I wasn't sure if the wrench itself would have anything to indicate how tight a nut or bolt is.

[fun2scoot]

Is that variator and flywheel holding tool necessary?

I bought the impact driver, but wasn't sure if the holding tool is a necessity or just a waste of money. And would a torque wrench be recommended for retightening? I know someone mentioned numbers like 40 lbs/sq ft, but I wasn't sure if the wrench itself would have anything to indicate how tight a nut or bolt is.

Gosh, I don't know if it can be done without a holding tool; I've never tried. I've seen it done in the video without one, but anytime I loosen a center nut (crankshaft pulley, clutch, mandrel, etc.) I put a strap wrench or chain wrench to it. I don't see why one could not just wrap an old bicycle tube around it and hold it that way if using an impact driver. The nuts MUST be torqued when tightened! Over-torque a fastener just once and it will never tighten correctly again. Under-torque it and you could be dead.
The Drive Pulley Face Nut is 44 ft/lbs (you must apply oil to the thread first or it will not torque correctly)
The Clutch Outer Nut is 36 ft/lbs (do not oil the thread)

There are 5 main types of torque wrenches one could use, but the two most common are the Beam and Click type.
Both have pros and cons, and I use either depending on the job. I favor the Click-type for its convenience with multiple fasteners of the same setting. But they are delicate and must be reset to zero when stored or the spring will compress and the tool will be useless. They are safer because you can watch your work instead of the tool.
The Beam-type is cheaper and uses simple physics to move a pointer along a scale as pressure is applied. Modern ones are pretty accurate. The downside really is having to watch the scale while torqueing and often contorting oneself to do so.
If you are getting your first one then get the 1/2" drive beam type - a 1/2" to 3/8" adapter is cheap.

Hope this helps.

[Valiant]

Okay, but how do you tell how much torque is applied to it?

[Alibally]

It's easy. You adjust the scale on the torque wrench to the torque you want and when you tighten the bolt/ nut it clicks when the correct torque is reached.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgwwOJ0B964

[Valiant]

Thanks! Should've known to bow down to the god that is YouTube -.-

[FRossi]

Got the bike today!
Huge difference, now it revs way more... Looks like the engine speed is sensitive to how much the throttle is twisted... Before it was related to the "wheel load"...

But it seems that accelerating beyond 100km/h is slower with the kit. Is that right? I think that before was easier to achieve 110km/h.... Now it passes over 120km/h, but slower, I think...

My old variator was very marked, with some shallow points, indicating wear.
Should my new variator be replaced around 20k km too? It just trow a new belt and rollers?

[maddiedog]

It's a matter of preference. The metal variators don't really wear that much, so I'd just replace belt and rollers.