Thought it was time to sell my V-Strom and find something else that was good for both the highway and around town, I'm tired of doing gravel roads so the V-Strom is over kill. I also am tired of paying so much for insurance so started looking for a 25 yr or older bike so that I could get extremely cheap insurance but still have something fun to ride. Well I had no luck looking all summer and then someone asked me why I didn't buy a 400cc or smaller bike that would cut my insurance costs in half even if it was a brand new bike. That narrowed down the search considerably, 250 series bikes were out of the question except for the relatively powerful Hyosung/Venox pair but I had already put 17,000 kms on a Hyosung and I hate the cruiser style of bike and refuse to dress up like a cheap extra in a pirate movie. Sport type bikes like the Ninja/CBR were out of the question for a fat old man like me so that left small maxi-scooters. I finally found a Yamaha Majesty but 3 days after buying it a drivers training car came out of a side street and totaled it off! The good news is the insurance company paid me 2x what I paid for the bike, my mortgage will be paid off with the injury claim and none of my injuries will take too long to heal except for bursitis/arthritis scares. So now onto the crazy part...I am looking for another scooter and it has come down to a two horse race, the Burgman 400 and the Downtown 300i. I love the styling, size, color (bronze) of the Downtown and part of me likes it because it is not a common bike but it comes from a well proven company. I also like that the maintenance seems pretty simple and most parts are cheap except for the belt. What I don't like is the leg room and the seat but to be honest I have only sat on it in the dealer since I'm not healthy enough to ride yet. (I am 5'6" so after reading the Kymco forums maybe the bike is made for my size...) On the Burgman side it is a well proven bike with an unbelievable internet knowledge and aftermarket parts base but it also is a bike that you see on every streetcorner and the only one I can find is a boring (to me) dark "thunder grey". The Burgman does have a lot more leg room, seems to have a better seat, more storage under the seat and in the dash and the model I am looking at also includes factory heated grips and hand protectors. I know about the weight difference and I know two guys who ride together and they say the performance is the same but the Burgman has to gas up long before the Kymco. The Burgman is a 2012, 4500kms, 8 month warranty, heated grips, handguards, abs, one owner and I can get it for $5500+taxes. The Downtown is new with a 2 yr warranty and the price is $5995+taxes. So am I crazy to want a Kymco for styling, rareness and colour or should I go for abs, heated grips, guaranteed legroom and time tested design? They say cars move the body but motorcycles move the soul and I'm a sucker for bright shiny objects that look good. Sell me on the Downtown, why did you buy yours? (p.s. I am only looking for suggestions, I have to make the decision myself but since others have made this decision before I would like to know the how and why)
