Couple Of KYMCO Questions?

For a variety of reasons I want to move from a motorcycle to a scooter. My current bike is an 09' 650 V-Strom. Wish I could keep it and add a scooter but that's not in the cards.

My intent is to get a scooter that will allow me to park my gas-hog truck and run errands around town. Maybe a couple of thousand miles a year. I originally planned on getting a newer Zuma 125 but then I thought I may want to head out on the highway for a 50 mile ride to the next town. But, my primary goal is the town errands.

I then decided a newer 400 Burgman might be the best to meet my needs. I decided to stop by a local motorsports dealer to look around and they have a couple of new 09' Kymco's. The dealership changed hands a few months ago and the new owners dropped the Kymco line.

They have an 09' Grand Vista 250 and an 09' Xciting 250. Both have been sitting for along time. The orange paint on the GV has faded. The salesman stated that they actually are still owned by the previous dealership owner and he's anxious to "get rid of them". He quoted me the "dealer cost" but said "make him an offer". I was thinking about offering them 1/2 of the dealer cost which would put my cost around $1500 to $2000. Maybe offer less.

I've got no knowledge of Kymco products. Would either of those bikes be as reliable as a Burgman. Maintenance costs, dealer network? Any issues with the bikes sitting for so long? I know a 250 will work well around town but what about that 100 mile round-trip?

I would appreciate any thoughts you may have.

I have not owned a Kymco, but from what I have studied about them and learned from this forum and others is that they are bulletproof scooters. Except for the agility 125 (chinese), all the other kymcos are made at a top rate facility in Taiwan. I would rank them right under the japenese brands in reliability and workmanship.
Cortez (forum member) should chime in, he has owned ridden lots of scooters and currently has the big wheeled 300.
If i could get a kymco at the offer you are thinking of i would snatch one up in a heartbeat!
I have the zuma 125 and it will easily do 100 mile round trip, but 55mph max is all you are going to see on flat ground with neutral wind. Great little scooter in town and short trips.
Good luck.

Any quality 250cc scooter such as the Kymco ones you mentioned will be good for your 100 mile trip. I had a SYM HD200 which was good for 70 MPH and cruise at 60 no problem so the 250 will be just fine.

Also I would not worry about bikes sitting so long, maybe tbe carb might need cleaning.

I have a 2006 Kymco Bet and Win 250 that we've had since new. Been rock solid (and it hasn't been babied, it gets stored outside most of the time, gets driven on cottage roads, etc.) It'll go on the highway when I need it to, and I've done 800km's in a day on it. Great scooter.

Only ever tried the Xciting 500 - not the 250 - but the 500 was a great machine as well. (Drove one setup as a sidecar tug, worked great for that.)

For reliability - I'd rank Kymco right up there with any of the big name manufacturers. I go on the Mad Bastard Scooter rally every 2 years - 800km in a 24 hour period. Generally a good chunk of the scooters are Kymco (They sponsor the event) and I can't remember a single one of them ever not making it.

I have a Kymco Super 8 150 as well as an Aprilia Sport City 250. I use the Kymco mostly around town and the Aprilia for longer trips. I did an 8 state 2100 mile trip on the 250 so 250cc is certainly big enough for long rides.

My Kymco has not broken down in 2 years and 9200+ miles but have had some problems. Kymcos do tend to have fairly short maintenance intervals so you will need to tinker with it a lot. If you don't do most of your own servicing, scooters end up costing more to operate than you would think.

The GV 250 has a very cramped riding position so unless you are pretty short you may not be comfortable on it. I have ridden the Xciting 250. It is fairly big and heavy for a 250 but was reasonably comfortable. If you can get a really good deal on one of them, get the one you are most comfortable on and go for it.

Also, make sure there is another Kymco dealer in the area so you can get parts and service if you need it.

Having owned a Kymco for over 2 years I wouldn't hesitate to get another one.

Own an '08 GV here, put 9,000 miles on it since I got it last year. As stated, fun, bulletproof, high maint. intervals (1000 miles oil change), a little cramped for my 5'8" frame. Have taken on the highway, but not fun playing with traffic @ 70 or so.
"Try it. You'll like it".

Don't own one but several of the folks I ride with have owned Kymcos over the years. If you can get one for the price you mentioned you'd be getting a great deal. The folks with Xcitings I know are all 500s but they've been at least bullet proof as the Burgmans in the group. Several ride People 250s which I expect is the same engine as the two you mentioned again without issue except for one user created issue where the oil filter wasn't properly seated and tightened before the owner took off. Hint, scooters don't like running with no oil.:huh

I owned Kymco Agility, now I'm a happy owner of Kymco Downtown as well as SYM HD200 which I meant to replace with the Downtown but I ended up keeping anyway because it is just so good and solid. I've had absolutely no mechanical issues with any of them, so let me put your mind at ease at least in one area: for reliable, no fuss day-to-day use Kymco and SYM products are some of the best you can get. Not just 'for an Asian scooter' but the best, period. I trust Kymco and SYM more than I would any euro scooter, Italian or German.

Consider Downtown if you can - it is a bit smaller and lighter than Burgman 400 but still capable on open roads as well as in the city (looks a bit bulky but looks are deceptive!). Yet thanks to its maxi-scooter shape it has pretty decent storage space under the seat which I find very useful.

I have a Daelim S-2 250 that has the same engine and drive train as the KYMCO GV. My experience has been that KYMCO is a step below the Japanese, (Honda at least) in overall reliability. I've got just over 20,000 miles on my KYMCO engine and here's the list of repairs

New- faulty cdi replaced under warranty
16,000- faulty secondary air filter
19,000- stator and rectifier went out.
20,000- burns 1/2 quart of oil every 1000 miles.

I've also had longer wait times on parts then I've had on my previous Japanese bikes. I certainly don't think KYMCO is junk, hell, my scooter will start in temperatures my Buell would not dream of. It's never left me stranded and is a daily driver year round. Average speed for the life of the scooter is around 50mph. I have done some interstate blasts with the throttle pegged for over an hour at a time. I don't baby it and considering the buy in price would look at KYMCO when my current scoot dies.

Kymco has been the OEM supplier and builder of many "name brand" motorcycle products for many years, and is the supplier for the BMW G650 powerplants as well as the new BMW scooter line.

Even KYMCO lower displacement scooters, bui.t in China are of high quality, and their parts and support fantastic.

A very, very safe bet to go with Kymco.

Very good quality scooters along with SYM. Some models have little niggling detail problems, and this is why it's good to have a local dealer or shop that's familiar with them, At $1500 to $2000 these are bargains if they're still like new.

I have bought three and now own only two (gift for the GF). Have a 500 Xciting, and 250 Xciting (high miles) and the GF's is a 250 Bet and Win, All are great scooters very very VERY close to Honda in quality. I bought them used, all well below book. NO one wants a off-brand Chinese scooter. Most people don't know Taiwan and Red China are different countries/ different build standards. I do all my own maintenance and mail order parts thru a place in Texas. The closest dealer is 70 miles away and is an A-hole. Two other local Kymco dealers went out last year. You better know how to change oil, etc. I was hoping to sell one last summer but nobody wanted a scooter made in China. If you buy it, you will OWN it- resale SUCKS. I really do like my Kymcos- local ''experts' be damned..

Kymcos are a good scooter. I own an agility 125 that is made in china. The quality is a little lower than the jap makers. That said it is half the price also. I purchased mine used and have had no problems with it. It performs as well as the Yamaha Zuma 125. As stated the resale is poor. That is a good thing though if you buy used. I paid $900 for my 2008 agility 125. If it was a jap make it would have been $2000 or close to it. I do not plan on selling it. It will probably only get a couple thousand miles a year so it should last a long time. The 250 cc size is the sweet spot for scooters in my opinion. Milage is still good and you can take a trip if you want to. My son drives a Honda Reflex 250 around san diago year round. It is his favorite transpertation around the city. He takes the freeway all the time with it and can do 75 mph with no problems. He puts about 10,000 mile per year on it. He figures that he saves $50 a week on fuel and 4 - 5 hours a week of time by driving the scooter around the city.

I am babysitting my grandsons Like 200 while he is away in "basic training" in Fort Benning, GA. So atm I have three scoots, my SWing, my wife's 2009 Metropolitan and the 2012 Like 200. Actually the Kymco is close to Honda in fit and finish; and it appears to be a fine scoot for the money. If you can snag one for the prices noted above. DO it!!!

Honda's are by far the most reliable and longest lasting of the Japanese scoots. I consider Yamaha to be the best of the rest. The very long valve adjustment intervals indicate to me the inherent durability of the 400's engine. Suzuki's are still worthwhile bikes to own and I've had my share but they are a distant third. Too many electrical problems for my liking.

My Taiwan built SYM 263 has proved to be the most reliable bike that I have owned since my bulletproof Honda twins in the early 70's. I don't expect the SYM to be as durable as the best of the Honda's that I have owned, but I could be wrong. It took my Citycom 20,000 km to fully run in and run it's best. That to me is the sign of a very durable and under stressed design if left stock. I'm really impressed with the ceramic SYM's.

My FLD ( Friendly local dealer ) who is going out of business and doesn't have an ax to grind; told me that the Chinese SYM's just don't compare in terms of assembly or trouble free reliability. They are not mainland junk; just not nearly as good. I also would have no problem buying a Taiwan Kymco and I especially like the idea of Taiwan reliability in the new BMW's.

Compared with my personal experience with German BMW, it is bound to be an improvement.

i like my kymco agility 125 and ride the hell out of it. wot most of the time, wot from the lights, etc. gotta stay out front. from my style of riding it is a good handling and good performing scooter. so far as that goes with scooters. i ride it like a small mc, essentially. splitting lanes with mc's, filtering through traffic with supersports. it is a capable handler. but you have to change the tires for this. or at least the rear


anyway seems you are interested in a bigger scooter, though. however just to qualify the agility starts and goes every time with minimal maintenance in over 12,000 hard rode miles and it has stayed put together with no adjustments or tightening up needed during bike checks. so for myself i would definitely buy another kymco scooter

but not any kymco scooter. they have so many self competing models its easy not to like a few. and fit and finish on some is not up to par. but again, you get a lot for what you pay. for instance the Like 200i is not in the same range of quality as the Honda Elite, a scooter in the same class, essentially. but it undercuts it in price, offers a longer warranty, will out run it on the streets, and has the preferred styling of many. its not as practical, however. so a trade off is there, but the Like is a viable alternative for what it is next to the Honda. if you are willing to compromise a bit here for some other gains there...

and so i would check kymco out and buy again, sure. from my own experience. i think i may always have an agility 125 for a small scooter. its a hoot

I have been reading this thread with interest because I need a scooter for my 17 yo son to get back and forth to school with. It is about 10 miles each way on secondary roads with a 45 mph speed limit. I am thinking about calling on this one, apparently it's a two stroke. What do you guys think?

http://sarasota.craigslist.org/mcy/3466827351.html

Considering this one too.

http://sarasota.craigslist.org/mcy/3411951197.html

The Kymco is not a two stroke, but it is made in China, and the Elite is a weird little bike with expensive parts, poor handling and very little storage space. Unless it has mechanical issues, and depending on the mileage (which is always an issue for me if they leave it out of the ad), you probably won't go wrong with the Kymco.

I was leaning the Kymco way mainly because the 125 would be better at maintaining real world speeds of 45-50 mph. Thanks for the response.

If you want a reliable scoot that will go 45-55 get the Kymco. The Honda Elite is a scooter with quite a following but the 80cc version won't have much reserve and parts are hard to find.

My son rode our Buddy 125cc to school every day for 3 years in high school. For urban commuting a good 125cc will do fine. Genuine, Kymco, Sym and Yamaha Zuma are all good. The only Honda in the US right now is the SH which would do the job but they haven't been around long enough to find any used bargains.