Scooters are a deeply underrated way to enjoy the two-wheeled life. A scooter is easy to learn, forgiving to ride, and can be as comfortable as a couch. America usually misses out on the best and fastest scooters, but not this time. Kymco has just announced its next generation of big touring scooters, and America is getting it. The Kymco AK 550i Premium is basically the scooter equivalent of a Cadillac, and it’s the fastest scooter you can buy in America right now.
There aren’t a ton of maxi-scooters currently for sale on the market in the United States right now. BMW is willing to sell you its C 400 GT, which has 34 HP from a 350cc single-cylinder engine. There’s also the Suzuki Burgman 400, a favorite of scooter riders, which makes about 32 HP from its 400cc single-cylinder engine. Then there’s the Yamaha XMAX, which shoots 28 HP from its 292cc single. Finally, Piaggio sells its three-wheeled MP3 530 in America, and that one is pretty chunky and gets a 530cc single with 44.2 HP on tap.
No matter which maxi that you choose, you’re getting a scoot that weighs well over 400 pounds, but is luxurious and is also reasonably good at touring. Yet, there was a time when the maxi-scooters sold in America were even bigger and even faster, such as when Suzuki gave us the Burgman 650, which was like the equivalent of a Rolls-Royce on two wheels.
If you’re looking for the biggest, meanest, and fastest two-wheeled road-legal vehicle that still calls itself a scooter, you pretty much have one choice in America, the Kymco AK 550i. This scooter is entering its next generation in America with the new AK 550i Premium, and Kymco has made its already comfy scooter even more plush.
A Big Deal
Kymco is one of those names that might not have the brand power of Honda or Harley-Davidson, but it’s still recognized worldwide. If you want an affordable motorcycle or scooter that’s built with pretty decent quality, Kymco, which is based in Taiwan, is a brand that you might end up with. From the company:
Founded in 1964, KYMCO originally started out with technology transfer from Honda, Japan. With the technical know-how from Honda, KYMCO became one of Honda’s high-quality overseas manufacturing facilities. As the relationship developed over the next two decades, Honda increased its business interest in KYMCO and became a significant shareholder of KYMCO.
The first model manufactured by KYMCO was the C200 launched in 1964. The Hao Mai 125, manufactured from 1990 to 2008, was the first model to sell over 1 million units.
In 1992, KYMCO began selling products developed independently from Honda and marketed under KYMCO brand. In 2003, after 28 years of close collaboration with Honda, KYMCO acquired back Honda’s business interest in KYMCO and started focusing on developing and marketing KYMCO’s own brand globally.
The cool thing about Kymco is that it’s still doing all of those fun partnerships. For example, the range extender engine that’s housed inside the BMW i3 is based on the BMW C 650 (above) scooter engine. Kymco has also provided a 449cc engine to BMW for the G450 X Enduro.
Kymco is currently in bed with Harley-Davidson spinoff LiveWire to help engineer the firm’s next-generation bikes. In other words, Kymco is a pretty big deal and not a company to just dismiss for not having a more famous image!
The AK 550i Premium
The new scooter that Kymco has announced is only the next generation of a concept that it has been playing around with for a tad under a decade.
In 2016, Kymco rolled into the Tokyo Motor Show with the K50 prototype, Kymco’s first luxury maxi-scooter and one aimed squarely at the Yamaha T-Max. Kymco didn’t handle all of the engineering itself and got some help from Soluzioni Ingegneria. According to the Italian motorcycle press, Soluzioni Ingegneria worked alongside Kymco from the initial design to pre-production, aiding the bike maker hit its comfort, rideability, and stability targets. Later, Soluzioni Ingegneria helped Kymco create a phone app that helps owners inspect wear items on their AK 550is.
The AK 550i went into production in 2017, and the scooter packed a punch right from launch. Power came from a 550.4cc inline twin good for 51 HP and 38.4 lb-ft of torque, delivered to the rear wheel through a CVT. That wouldn’t be a ton of power for a motorcycle, but it’s more than healthy for a scooter. But, again, this isn’t any normal scooter, either. The AK 550i weighed 498 pounds and had a top speed of 100 mph. Try doing that on your old two-stroke Vespa!
In 2020, power was upgraded to 53.7 HP and 40.5 lb-ft of torque. Then, just a year later, the AK 550i arrived in America, and was immediately crowned as America’s fastest mass-production scooter. The AK 550i isn’t even far off from the previous king, the Suzuki Burgman 650, which made 54 HP from a larger 638cc parallel-twin engine.
Now, Kymco says, it’s time to crank up the luxury.
The new AK 550i Premium seems to be all about comfort features, which makes a ton of sense because the primary reason to buy a chunky scooter would be to take it touring. Kymco talks up features like an electronically adjustable windshield, cruise control, Bosch lean-sensitive ABS, traction control, and heated grips. Other noted goodies include improved instrumentation, ride modes, and full LED lighting.
Thankfully, according to the current spec sheet, the U.S. version of the AK 550i Premium does get the slightly hotter engine tune. That should be more than enough power to handily outrun someone on a Burgman 400 and it’s still faster than the Piaggio MP3 530.
Kymco lists the dry weight of the AK 550i Premium to be 492 pounds. Sometimes maxi-scooters weigh even more than this, and Kymco says its use of aluminum for the AK 550i’s frame helps keep at least some of the weight off. Suspension duties are handled by a 41mm inverted fork and a monoshock taking up the rear. Stopping power is doled out by Brembo four-piston calipers munching on a pair of 270mm discs. A twin piston caliper punching a 260mm plate brings up the rear. Seat height is an accessible 30.9 inches.
Maxi-scooters like this fall into a rather exciting niche. They have the engine performance and handling of a large motorcycle, but the ease of use of a scooter. In a weird way, these scooters are often the best of both worlds. At the same time, you can also argue that this isn’t so much a scooter as it is a motorcycle with a slightly step-through design and a CVT. That’s pretty fair.
Anyway, in my experience, these types of scooters are a total riot to ride, and with only basic accessories like cases, these things can be taken on real cross-country journeys.
Big Fun, Big Price
Of course, there is a catch, and it’s that the Kymco AK 550i Premium starts at $12,199. That gets you all of the kit I noted above. That makes the Kymco a few grand more expensive than a well-equipped BMW C 400 GT, which will be in the ballpark of around $9,930, and competitive with the weird $11,999 Piaggio. Meanwhile, a Suzuki Burgman is $8,799.
It’s a little hard to compare prices here because Kymco’s direct competitor, the Yamaha TMAX, is not sold in America. So, if you’re looking for the biggest and fastest brand-new scooter, you really have only one choice. The question will be whether paying the extra money will be worth the handful of extra ponies and their associated speed.
Either way, I’m stoked to see big scoots still landing in America. Maxi-scooters are more of a niche in America than they are in other countries, so it’s awesome to see that some companies aren’t forgetting about us. If you’re as weird as I am and the thought of a 100 mph motorcycle-sized scooter sounds like a ton of fun, it sounds like you have some test rides ahead of you. I know I’m going to try to find one.
I mentioned this article to the Kymco USA guys and they hadn’t seen it yet, but they did mention that they received an unusually high number of inquiries. So good job Mercedes selling AK550s! We got one in for our favorite customer and he’s over the moon with it. Great looking bike, tons of easy power, and you’ll have the only one on the block. At least here in the Great Midwest.
“Of course, there is a catch, and it’s that the Kymco AK 550i Premium starts at $12,199”
Well it’s certainly priced like a motorcycle.
Big problem with maxi scooters where I live is theft.
They are so easy to ride with twist and go controls, no gears to change, and so fast, every stupid young drug dealing thug wants one without paying for it.
For years, Kymco was the marquee sponsor for the hilarious Mad Bastard Scooter Rally. Can anyone think of another big corporation that was happy to plaster their name over that kind of good humored but completely random ludicrousness? My riding buddy, a 6 foot 6 210 lb basketball player, rode a 50 year old 50cc scooter for 800 km hours non-stop in a Hello Kitty costume. Instead of shuttering their Canadian operations in horror, Kymco awarded him a brand new scooter, which he loved. They must be good people.
I love my Xmax 300 but now that I’m slightly farther out into suburbia it’s a little down on power for what I need—it was fine keeping up in the core DC suburbs but when you’re taking the beltway in and keeping up with HOV traffic having a max of 90mph is not really enough (plus the climb from 70 to 90 is looooooong, it really is not thrilled running steady at 75 lol). I like the idea of the AK550i but price, ouch, plus gaining 100lbs over the Xmax is gonna make parking the thing a pain—the Xmax is already a little heavy to wheel in and out of parking spaces and god forbid I have to push it up an inclined driveway. On the other hand, a new or new-er bike would be nice to have for parts and warranty coverage—Silver Wings and Burg 650s are around but they’re getting up there in age, and the C650 looks really nice but I can’t imagine paying BMW prices to fix a bike. Also modern touches like keyless start are hard to give up—the Xmax just needs the fob on your person, you don’t need to actually turn a key to get going. I wonder if they offer factory central locking cases like the Gold Wing?
My dad used to ride the trail of the dragon on his large Honda scooter. Techs would be mystified as to why the tires had a lot of side wear as usually seen on sportbikes.
Wow. That thing weighs one pound more than my first bike, a 1980 Suzuki 550. But it was only good for 48 or so HP. But I know I got it up to 110 mph. I got pulled over for that. That’s what I saw on the speedo and that’s what the cop had on his radar.
I now putt around town on a Honda ADV 160 that can do 70 mph, but that’s IT.
I don’t take it on freeways or even highways (well, once in a while, so that’s how I know it can do 70). But its 16 HP is adequate around town.
This KYMCO thing is kind of a BEAST. For a scooter. But it’s also more than 2x the price of my 160.
I have a friend who has a BMW C400 GT and he doesn’t ride it frequently on the freeway either. He is actually a little envious of my 160, just because it’s a bit easier to park on the sidewalk.
I don’t think I’ve seen a kymco that doesn’t at least look ok. Maxi scooters are able to pull off some styling vs some of the step over big wheel scooters that are popular in SEA. The aerox has to be one the ugliest bikes ever made. Yet it’s very popular in several markets.
Not sure there is much value there though. Burgman 650 was the answer for a lot of people maybe with more auto and semi auto bikes there isn’t as much as of call for them.
I miss my Burgman 650. If it weren’t such a pile of crap (had 80,000+ miles and a very crusty main wiring harness) it would still be in my fleet today.
I know a guy that had a burgman and said he wanted to go slower and lighter so he bought a geely 250 scooter it felt almost as heavy as a burgman. I think it would do 70ish. Within the last year or so he got one the the znen water cooled efi 300 scoots and it feels a little lighter he said it will do around 80. I would imagine they both go for almost nothing used.
There’s a 2007 650 Burgman Exec for sale on CL in Raleigh for $3500. Looks in excellent shape. You could come down, visit with Jason, and buy it.
Ugh, I love seeing these things so much, and it sounds like an absolute blast to ride. I’m just stuck in a state where I can’t get a motorcycle license without a car license, and I can’t drive a car. xD
I’m genuinely curious – what makes it so that you can’t legally drive a car, but could potentially ride a motorcycle?
It’s a weird.. Autism and anxiety thing. Cars absolutely terrify me with all their bulk and blindspots and how much space they take up. I can’t even get in a car without anxiolytics. For your typical nonsensical psychological reasons, these issues don’t occur on bikes. I get around just fine playing in traffic on an electric bike with a 25mph max speed (30 if I push it hard), and sticking to 30mph and less roads.
Would be nice to have something faster, not even crazy, just able to ride on main roads. That and make road trips, I live right next to Canada, but because it’s a bicycle, I can’t get there till the new bridge opens. And heck, the new bridge is even further away, so that’s even harder with my currently very limited range.
I’ve met some people with the same exact thing. One had a bigger scooter this other a v8 trike. Have you tried getting some kind of waiver on account of disability? I wouldn’t be surprised the motorcycle class guys have even helped people with the same or similar situation. It’s not uncommon for them to put someone on a scooter either if that’s what they are going to ride and have trouble with a bike.
I’ve tried, but there’s no real way around it unfortunately. Especially with the crapshow unfolding in Michigan right now. We’ll just have to see what happens.
Have you tried simrigs that are running Euro/American Truck Simulator or equivalent car sim?
Thank you for the response. I had not even considered that. Hope you find a solution!
Yeah. I don’t know what stance motorcycle dealers have when it comes to discounts these days but these are going to collect some serious showroom dust at this price.
Once you factor in fees, taxes and interest rate (if any), total OTD will rival a used car.
Before this article, I didn’t know that Kymco had started selling scooters in North America. I was quickly disappointed to learn that they aren’t selling two of the most common scooters I saw the last time I was in Spain and France – the Dink 50 and the Grand Dink 125.
“Hey Tippy! Check out my new scooter! It’s…very expensive!”
They’ve been in the US market since at least 2001.
Grand Dink? What are we talking about again?
I like this, and the fact that it exists, even though I’d never own one. 500 lbs. is too heavy (for me, I know not for all riders) and $13K is too pricey for what it is (again, for me). Otherwise, the long legs and ride comfort are very appealing. Whenever I happen to see a Suzuki Burgman in person, I immediately smile and think “Oh! So awesome!”
PS: I browsed their site (thank for including links Mercedes, as always) and oddly to me, it only comes in black and matte brown, which in photos at least looks an awful lot like grey. There’s a finite amount of painted surfaces on this thing… I know that more colors comes at a manufacturing/logistics cost, but would it have killed them to maybe include an actual color like a nice blue or something. To help cushion the pain of buyers having to write a check that’s only a few grand less than what’s needed to own a brand new Nissan Versa (which also comes with a CVT)?
I dig it, but I can’t stomach that price. Used T-maxxes are $4-5 grand all day long, and if you wait for a deal can be had for $3k.
I think my next one will be a used Vespa 300. Plenty fast for backroads touring (I have no interest in riding on interstates), but still a proper step-through scooter.
Besides if you’re going to ride a Vespa on an interstate, be like me and make it an only slightly kitted-out P200E with the drum brakes and 10″ wheels, and make sure to have it seize on you on the NY Throughway at around 60mph. During Friday afternoon rush hour. Fun fun fun.
YIPES!
Funny enough, at the same time you made this comment, I was in the middle of a 185 mile backroads ride from Chicago to Dubuque on my Genuine Hooligan 170. The Hooligan did the job admirably, but it sure would be nice to have a scooter than can sustain 55mph uphill.
Wow, I’d no idea of that route until I just looked it up. 184 miles if you avoid highways, per Google. That’s a haul; I feel I’ve met a kindred spirit.
I had what had been the “big” Yamaha scooter for awhile, the Riva 180, which was a little better at highway cruising, but its air-cooled engine struggled similarly on uphills.
I’ve done longer trips before, but never solo. It was a really fun adventure, and I’ll definitely be doing more of them. It’s a really nice route which I’d done in my truck and car before several times. The towns are perfectly spaced to be able to stop every hour or so. I did pick up a flat rear along the way, but I had a tiny 12V compressor and tire plug kit with me, so I was able to deal with that quickly and get rolling again.
I saw as high as an indicated 75mph (in reality probably closer to 65mph) on some of the downhills, but the uphills often dropped down into the 40’s. I also learned that it gets 60mpg if you run wide open throttle through a full tank.
One of these days I’d like to add either a Vespa 250/300, or a Yamaha Xmaxx to the fleet for these longer trips. The Hooligan is perfect for bombing around the suburbs, so I’d keep that for my commute/solo errands.
I’m surprised to learn that Suzuki cancelled the Burgman 650 (at least in the States; I didn’t look elsewhere). The gal I bought my Genuine Buddy 150 from was selling it because she’d upgraded to a Burgman 650. She upgraded so she could accompany her husband on long rides on his Harley. In most metrics, she could keep up with him on that big scooter.
The big Burg was a good touring bike from what I’ve heard.
Just checked: the Honda Silverwing 600 isn’t sold in the ‘states anymore, either. I’d argue the Silverwing was a better motorcycle for many people than a Goldwing.
The Burgman 650 was a great all-rounder! I used mine to carve some curves in Pennsylvania and then tried to road trip it home. I failed, but only due to a tire failure. I felt comfortable like I had been sitting in a car.
I then used it as my “winter beater” because of course I did. 🙂
And because of your article about being stranded on the Burgman, I bought a tiny 12V air compressor and a tire plug kit for my ride from Chicago to Dubuque on my Hooligan. And it’s a good thing I did because I picked up a flat in my rear 20 miles into the 185 mile ride.
On curvy roads, she probably could have kept up on the Buddy.
That price is insane, right? Especially from Kymco? I understand the tech angle, but scooters should definitely stay under 5 figures.
This is basically the scooter equivalent of a grand touring bike for $12K. Touring bikes are $25K and up.
I’m betting the answer is probably yes, but have you ever reviewed any of the Piaggio MP3 family of 3-wheelers? I’m drawn to those and would like to read your remarks if they’re out there somewhere. I actually prefer a classic scooter profile to the current sci-fi mounts (even though the MP3 certainly doesn’t have that). Not interested so much in lots of speed, just enough to make 45-55 mph cruises realistic. The Kymco is too much everything for me. Rode motorcycles for 40 years, but looking for a more laid back experience and commuter practicality. Thanks for the great review today.
I recently bought a used MP3 400 in mint condition for $2500. I had a BMW K1200LT at the time. The MP3 is such great fun that I gave away the Beemer for free. It rides like a regular motorcycle. You only know it has 3 wheels when you turn it off and lock the tilting front end. I also have a Suzuki Burgman 650 that I’ve had for 19 years. I perfer to ride the MP3 over the Suzuki.
Hey, thanks for the feedback!
Similar feedback as Bob. I have a 2008 MP3 500. It rides like a regular motorcycle with the exception that if one of the front tires hits some gravel or wet leaves, etc it just transfers grip to the other wheel and you continue on your way instead of lowsiding. The only time I can tell a difference is if I hit a bump when leaned over and then it gives a little wiggle through the bars because the two front wheels hit the bump at slightly different times.
My other bike is a 2011 BMW R1200RT.
They weigh about the same but the MP3 is MUCH easier to move around the garage with the tilt-lock and it feels lighter because the center of gravity is so much lower.
This great info. No one around here I can find has ridden an MP3 of any size and most have never heard of them. Big scooters are not popular, which is too bad. Thanks again.
Keep deep pockets if you want a 15 year old MP3, most shops won’t touch them and parts cost will total the bike. They are super cool though.
Thanks for that insight. Definitely food for thought There’s a Piaggio dealer about 20 miles from me, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they service everything or even stock parts. Otherwise, dealers seem as rare as hens’s teeth away from large urban areas.
I have ridden scooters but never really got into them like I did motorcycles. However, I am always fascinated by the die-hard scooter folks that I see riding them in any and all weather conditions. I remember living in the upper Midwest and seeing folks on scooters in blizzards and thinking they were nuts, but also couldn’t stop looking at the sheer riding prowess it takes to being riding a bike like that in deep snow. If I still rode motorcycles on the street I might give something like this a thought, but that price would make it very challenging to ever seriously consider it.
The only die-hard scooter people I’ve met were purely that way for economic reasons sadly. Cheapest way to commute.
I am a diehard scooter rider. Went from a 1993 Honda GoldWing to a Honda Helix scooter. I had 5 motorcycles at that time. The maxi scooters can go on the interstates. Used mine commuting to work on interstate 40 to RTP. Money was never an issue. Fun factor was. Been riding scooters since 1998.
If you want to try out my Piaggio MP3 400, I can stop by and let you ride it. (I bought it from a fellow on the other side of I-85, about a half mile from your house. I googled you after reading story about Butterbean and Fairlady. My hobby is trying to figure out where cars are. Ex night time mainframe operator with lots of time waiting for things to blow up…)
Honest question. What’s the difference between a scooter, moped or motorcycle? Is it displacement?
Don’t have time to write an essay, so:
Different: Chassis, engine, powertrain, suspension, wheels/tires, licensing, target market.
Same: runs on gasoline mostly, gets you somewhere mostly.
Thanks!
Mopeds have pedals (moped = motor pedal) and are traditionally under 50ccs. Small scooters are often incorrectly called mopeds.
Scooters typically have a covered engine in the rear, a pass-through in the middle, under-seat storage and leg guards. Gas tank hidden in floor, usually. They are also normally automatic with everything clustered at the top bars (throttle, brakes headlight, tachometer etc). Tires are traditionally smaller than a motorcycle.
Motorcycles have the engine and gas tank near your legs. Tank and powertrain are more exposed and tranny is manual. One brake is at your right foot and a shifter at your left.
Scooters have a step-through design, where your feet rest on a flat platform in front of you. Motorcycles you straddle, with a peg on either side.
Mopeds I believe are defined by their lax licensing reqs. They can be of multiple frame types, and traditionally have pedals (if you’ve seen Hot Rod, he’s got a moped).
Thanks!
That’s really cool, but I’ve given up motorcycling due to the inattentive drivers here in the northeast US. So you do a cross-country journey on the back roads only? I believe that scooters of all types are banned from most of the Interstates in the US.
Scooters that meet the performance requirements to go on the interstate and are licensed as motorcycles can go anyplace motorcycles can go, including interstates. Some places, like where I live, have “scooter” and “moped” registrations that have limitations, but that is for small-displacement models. Typically less than 50ccs.
We have moped plates here. Sure, that makes sense. If it has a motorcycle plate, it’s a motorcycle. I’d been thinking about it after I wrote that I’ve owned motorcycles with less displacement or horsepower and been on the Interstate.
I used to ride a ’72 Yamaha R5 350 on the freeway. Every mile was panic-inducing.
I had a ’78 Honda CM185T that I rode on the Interstate from NH to work in MA for a while. I understand completely.
One element that made it so frightening was the sheer noise and vibration of it all! A small engine at high RPM on a small bike, where everything is shaking and your helmet is buzzing and bouncing, means you can never be sure you are really aware of what is going on around you. It is like attempting to navigate a minefield while holding an angry badger.
I’ve done 75mph on my TU250X and it is anxiety manifest. Not because of the power, but because of the wind. Goddamn Dayton area’s blustery crosswinds feel like a ninja has jumped out and tried to leg sweep you.
I had a DRZ400. Highway speeds were possible, but best avoided for all the reasons (lack of: steering stability, power, aero, wind protection, comfort, etc…).
My DRZ400 was the Supermoto. It was pretty OK for the 5 minutes on the highway in the morning doing 55-60mph, but not much more than that. 70+ was certainly not it’s cup of tea. Seemed like a lot of people did well with a small windshield and tweaking the sprockets to keep RPM down a bit, but since most of my riding was on surface streets I opted not to fuck with it. It was fine.
My frame of reference, though, was a Yamaha XS400, Honda CB350, Yamaha DT100….yeah, I’ve never really experienced a bike that was happy on the highway…..
I had a memorable encounter with a toll booth operator on the NJ Turnpike who informed me as I paid my toll on the south end of the highway: “That thar is a motor SCOOTER! Yew can’t ride that on the Turnpike!”
Since I was very tired and I had many miles before reaching my destination in DC, rather than taking polite issue with the gentleman and informing him that my 150cc Vespa was capable of maintaining the actual 55mph speed limit and well over the minimum (which was 40mph at the time)?
I said “F**K YOU!” and zipped off.
Guess who greeted me several months later when I made the return trek home?
I was made to sit in a waiting area while my case was being adjudicated. A few minutes later I was free to go, but Reddy McRedneck must’ve felt he’d made me pay for mouthing off to him.
And no, I didn’t apologize, because f**k that guy.
Specific rules vary by state, but generally 150cc and bigger are allowed on Interstates. If you ride a 125cc or similar for a short jaunt, I doubt you’d have a problem if you are keeping up with traffic.
You say it “rips like a sport bike” but then deliver no metrics to back up the article title. Like what’s the claimed 0-60, 1/4 mile et and mph? It’ll do 100. Great. What else?
It’s interesting AF. I kinda dig it. Too expensive but kinda cool.
I’ve ridden a handful of maxis, including one with more or less the same spec sheet as this (heavier, actually). It wasn’t going to win against a proper 600, of course, but it was surprisingly fast and planted in turns.
People who have ridden the non-Premium AK 550i seem to suggest that this thing is fast and comfortable. Though yeah, at $12k, I’d probably buy another used Suzuki Burgman 650. Granted, I’m a cheapskate, so…
I owned a Kynco scooter back in 2010. It was, IIRC called something like the Xciting500 or something like that. It was a crapload of fun and never gave me a minute of trouble.
But I’m not spending 12 large on a scooter, just not. I would love to justify buying a BMW 650GT scooter from a few years ago, I think that is the same motor that is in my ranger extender i3, but right now priorities lie elsewhere.
I have a love hate relationship with my burgman 400. It’s the perfect ride around town where I’m surrounded by stroads. It eats mileage even two up with luggage on a highway cruise while getting 66 mpg. It’ll do the ton plus.
But I hit a curvy backroad and I’m bored in 5 minutes.
I need to sell it.
But my other bikes all have notchy 1-2 up shifts and are carbureted and jumping on the scooter is just so much easier.
This kymco looks to have better cornering clearance. I’ll need to check it out.
Yeah, the ease of getting on and off the scooter and no shifting make it perfect for mundane tasks, but also make exciting roads very mundane.
Get a Honda with a DCT
I’ve been spending some time on my dad’s Burgman 400 lately, and feel much the same…the COG is sky high, and it just doesn’t inspire confidence around corners. Of course, that’s not the intended use case, and it is very comfy in the city and on the highway.
In any event, I’ll probably be selling it soon – if anyone in the Vegas area is interested, please drop me a line.
I’ve noticed that about some of the bigger scooters. They’re so easy and so comfortable that, somehow, they get boring. But I suppose that makes sense. I mean, maxi-scooters are pretty much the crossovers of the moto world, and a lot of crossovers get boring quickly.
All of the above have more HP than all the motorcycles I have owned over the last 30+ years. I liked the idea until the price. Just a bit high for my, live where is snows 6 months a year, 2 wheeled budget.
Big scooters are definitely underrated. They are great for mid-range trips where a little higher-ish speed travel on highways is part of the mix. They are just so user-friendly.
My favorite is the Yamaha Morphus because of its otherworldly styling. It takes customization especially well, and there are a ton out there that look like they could be out of Akira.
If a first gen Cadillac CTS was made into a scooter, it would be a Yamaha Morphus.
Blurred definitions. You can achieve anything you want with styling.