KymcoForum.com

The local Kymco dealers here also sell other brands. I'm just glad to have a choice now of more than one dealer. The newer dealership seems to be promoting Kymco much more aggressively than the older one did (they also sell Kawasaki and Suzuki).

Thanks, Cortez, that's pretty much what I've been doing (using the 32 rear, 29 front manual recommendation as a starting point and coming down a pound or so). I am relatively new to two wheelers in general, and I wasn't sure if the difference in tire brands would invalidate the manuals recommendations (I'd assume based on the stock Kendas) or not (obviously, you don't want to exceed the sidewalls in any event, which on the Michelin PPs is 33 max PSI front and rear, I think...do you know for sure offhand? It's difficult for me to find and read the max PSI on the sidewall of the mounted tires even with reading glasses..the dealer tech that mounted the Michelins inflated them to something like 29 rear and 25 front, which seemed too low to me). The manual recommends the same pressure for 1 or 2-up riding.

I did ride 2-up the other day (for the first time, ever), adjusted the suspension to the maximum of 5, and used the 32 rear and 29 front pressures and it all went well. The suspension adjustment (which was set at 3) was a bit of a bear to get to turn, going upward to 5, the first time with the spanner, but adjusts more easily now. What do you normally leave your suspension set at for riding one-up? (You and I are approximately the same size and weight, I believe, which makes reading your postings and replies very useful for me). The 3 setting? (That is what mine came set to initially). That 300cc engine seemed to have no trouble at all up hill and down on 2-lane backroads maintaining 55MPH with little effort (it sounded a little throatier than riding one-up) and got up to 70 (and would have gone further) 2-up on the straight level (I certainly didn't try for more and was actually a little surprised when I realized that it had gotten to 70 because I wasn't really trying to, just accelerating to maintain speed with traffic at the time). I did find I am shifted a little further forward in the seat 2-up and getting my feet back up was a little more effort than riding solo.

What front and rear tire pressure (psi) are folks running the Michelin Power Pure SC tires on their DT300's using? (And if you got recommendation info, from whence did you obtain it?).

I would probably go the used Kymco (trying to do better on price) over the Chinese 150cc. There are some things that factor into going 55mph a lot and wanting to sometimes go faster (on an expressway). The riders weight is a factor. I started on a Honda SH150i (150cc) and it will do 55mph in most circumstances, once I get it there (not up a steep hill). I am, er, "fluffier" at this stage of my life than earlier. If I weighed 130 lbs, a 150cc would probably get me to 60-65MPH and keep me there in most circumstances. I can get the Honda 150cc up to 60MPH on a level, and usually maintain 55MPH unless the grade is long and steep if I'm already up to 55-60MPH when I hit it. I have not owned a 200cc, but I'd be betting that extra 50cc helps a lot (I've seen someone with the Kymco DT200i say they top out around 70MPH, weight of the rider, accessories like top cases, etc. being an unknown). If you are riding at 55MPH *a lot*, unless you're a fairly small (light) person, it'd be my gut feeling that you'd be happier with 200cc. Brand-wise Kymco is going to be better built and have a better service network than a generic Chinese scooter, generally.

That said, if financing is an option, I'd probably be looking at spending a bit more, using the current 1.9% (in the US), 0 down (they may want a deposit up front if they have to order it), 3 year financing and going new (some places you can knock some off the sticker, at the local Kymco dealer here, it seems to be about 10% or a little better on the higher end, I have not priced Kymco stuff on the lower end in 150 or 200cc). That also would get you the 2 year warranty if you have problems. (Like 200i or Like 200i LX, I guess are the current offering, if your local dealer has an older year around the showroom, there might be more room to deal as well). But, of course, none of us knows your exact circumstances.

I just got a new DT300i and skipped the 200cc, after having dealt with 150cc (which is still good for some things and I will continue to use it). One of my reasons was to be able to travel on expressways for longer trips (here, the the current speed limit on limited access 4-lane is 70MPH, and they are going to increase it on some to 75MPH, so I wanted to be able to comfortably do that, as well as to be able to allow for a passenger).

Which Xena (or other) disc lock alarm do people who have one use on their DT300i? I already use one on a Honda SH150i scooter, I'm just looking to find out which Xena model(s) fit the DT300i and which people prefer and why, or if there are better options for the DT300i. I just dropped off the Michelin power pure tires, I bought online for it, this morning for my dealer to install during prep on my new DT300i, which just arrived -- they liked the looks of it so much they got an identical one for the showroom, even the same color (silver). Thanks to the folks in this forum, I knew what to factor in to the purchasing decision (I am 5'11" with a  30" inseam and about the same weight as Cortez, so reading his posts has been especially useful for me) and what to consider changing out of the box (tires for now, I'll keep the originals as spares, probably a top case soon, and platinum plug, and perhaps Dr. Pulley 14gr sliders down the road). At some point in the purchasing process, the dealer asked me how in the world I already knew this stuff (stuff he didn't) and I pointed him here.