Comparison of the Honda Elite SA50 & Kymco ZX50 swapability

[oldgeek]

I picked up a 2001 Honda Elite in a trade a couple years ago. The scoots plastics were completely trashed, but it would run, barely. I put it in the loft of the new shop when I moved in and have not touched it since. It was pouring rain here today, so I decided to bring the Elite down so I could part it out and pull the AF16 motor off and get a better look at it. After getting all the trashed plastics stripped I noticed the Elite frame was a slightly smaller, near perfect copy of my naked Kymco ZX50 frame. I tried to take some decent pictures, but I dont think they show the details very well. Certain things such as the mountings for the handlebars are identical, but the handlebars themselves are different. The OD of the frame tubing for the Elite is slightly smaller than the Kymco, and the main tube leading to the forks is roughly an inch or so shorter on the Elite. I am pretty sure it is the Kymco that is a copy of the Elite since Kymco was a parts supplier for Honda in the first place.








Anyway, after seeing that the Elite is so much like the Kymco ZX, I will not be getting rid of the Elite.

I think you know what comes next.

[Lucass2T]

90mph corsa build

[oldgeek]

Apr 9, 2018 1:25:29 GMT -5 Lucass2T said:

90mph corsa build

Nah, I dont wanna go that fast, I'll just use the Contessa to keep the speed to 80 MPH.

I'm gonna build a Naked Elite, of course. I plan to do this one a little better than the Naked Kymco ZX, maybe.

[oldgeek]

Here I will list the parts as I compare them, that I have found to be interchangeable or at least partially interchangeable between the Elite and the Kymco.

Motor Mount: Dimensionally the same, but built differently.The Kymco mount is built better and therefore is a bit heavier than the Elite mount.

Seat: They are different, but partially swappable.The Elite seat is a one up, and the Kymco seat is a two up.The Elite seat will fit the Kymco because it is smaller than the Kymco seat. The Kymco seat may fit the Elite, but it will likely rub or hit the lower body panels on the Elite. I find the Elite seat more comfortable and I use it on my Naked Kymco.

Seat locking bracket: They are identical and interchangeable including the cable.

Handlebars: The handlebars mount identical, however that is where it ends. They are completely different.

Intake: They mount the same, but are different. The Elite intake is longer and slightly more restricted than the Kymco version.

Reed valve: The reed valve design is very similar and are interchangeable. The Elite reed valve that I removed has fiberglass reeds, I do not know if that is stock or not. The Kymco reeds are metal. The Elite reed block that I removed is not as well made as the one from Kymco. They are both made from bakelite and have molded rubber added for the reed seats. The molded rubber on the Elite block that I have is sloppy, and would cause considerable turbulence through that area.

Clutch and clutch bell: They are nearly identical and are interchangeable.

Rear pulley: They are completely different. The Elite pulley is much smaller than the Kymco pulley. The Kymco ZX pulley fits the Elite motor, and is a common upgrade done to the Honda Elite.

Contra spring: The contra spring will swap between each pulley. The springs are larger in diameter than a Minarelli spring, and I believe they are the same diameter as a 4T GY6 spring.

Engine Block: Besides a completely different gearbox between the two motors, I have found other differences.
In the picture below the elite is in the front and the Kymco is behind it. As you can see the pickup coil mounts at the 5 o'clock position on the Kymco, and the 7 o'clock position on the Elite AF16. The stator mounting holes are also clocked to the different pickup locations.

Stator and flywheel: They look very similar. The wiring pigtail on the stator is different between the two, but should be swappable if you also swap pigtails between the two. I THINK you have to use the Elite FW on the Elite only, and the Kymco FW on the Kymco only due to the different mounting locations of the pickup coil. I guess you could omit the woodruff key and use either FW on either engine as long as you get the FW in the correct position.

Oil pump: They are very similar, and are interchangeable. I do not know if they have the same flow rate.

[oldgeek]

Pictures

Reed blocks and intakes. Kymco on the left,Elite on the right.


Clutch and rear pulley, the elite is across the top, Kymco across the bottom.


Elite Af16 with stock rear pulley.


Elite AF16 with Kymco ZX rear pulley.


Pickup coil and stator mounting comparison. Af16 in the front SC10 in the rear.


The following pictures will compare the raw cases and the intake a little closer.
Kymco in the front, Honda in the back.


Kymco from above. Notice the transfers on the honda are larger than the Kymco's. I believe the Kymco transfers can be opened up to be just as large as the Hondas.

Honda from above.


Kymco intake window height = 14mm The windows in the Kymco are significantly smaller than the Hondas are. The difference in size seems to come from the floor of the intake, it is deeper on the Honda. Once again I believe with some work, the windows in the Kymco can be enlarged to the size of the Hondas.

Honda intake window height = 19mm


Kymco intake area.

Honda intake area.

[collinsd84]

Great photo's! The ZX is a blast.
Look forward to seeing it come together.

Had 2006 ZX that got stolen in 2008.

[oldgeek]

Added more info to original posts.

[oldgeek]

Added more case comparison pictures in the picture post above.