All Thoughts Would be greatly appreciated

[BrooklynBoy55]

Good morning all.
This is the BrooklynBoy55 and I am considering purchasing a 2021 AK 550.
Yesterday I was reading about the new Euro 5 Compliant model, which among other revisions, has ride by wire.
Does anyone know if (and when) Kymco might begin offering this new "2021" model in the US?
Is it worth waiting for?

Thanks to everyone in advance.

[Kansas kymco]

Europe seems to get new models a year before the US which isn't all bad if they have any issues to sort out.  Drive by wire has been around in cars/trucks for years. In fact my 2000 Ford Diesel uses it for the throttle.  On a bike would it be limited to the thottle replacing the throttle cable with a sensor and a servo for the FI?  It would be another demand on the electrical system. 

I know on some new vehicles  they have gone to 2 batteries, one for the electrical system and another for the starter.

[rjs987]

Personally I'm not certain I want the New Euro5 compliant version over here. The gas tank was made smaller, from 3.96 gal to 3.17 gal, to make room for a few more components to make it compliant and the HP is lowered just a little bit from 55 bhp to 51 bhp... though still higher HP than the T-Max.

Of course throttle by wire would make it easier for those who want to install CC, but that's not me. I didn't use CC much when I had it on my Gold Wing and don't miss it on any other bike I've owned since. Less stuff to break.

[Iahawk]

a usual benefit of 'drive by wire' is the ability to have multiple ride modes (sport, rain, etc...)

I'm not sure how much benefit that would provide for a 50 hp machine?

[rjs987]

Agreed.
And since there is already a drive/sport(?) mode and rain mode I'm not convinced drive by wire would really improve on that significantly. Besides, drive by wire is not the only way to get multiple ride modes. There are other more important details that play into it to make different ride modes happen.

[Kansas kymco]

I'm sure there has to be some benefit or Kymco wouldn't spend the money. Noticed a hefty price increase on the AK 550

[WEL]

The only changes seem to be the Drive-by-Wire and revised exhaust to meet Euro 5 standards. Drive-by-Wire is a nice upgrade. I will say that for a CVT scooter the AK550 has been very usable for me in all areas. (Freeway, canyons and traffic). 

[BrooklynBoy55]

First let me thank everyone who has shared their thoughts thus far.  A recent discussion with a dealership in South Florida made note that there are few, if any, AK 550s remaining in the current model year so waiting for the new models/versions may be a foregone conclusion.

[Kansas kymco]

Getting dealer stock is becoming a challenge for a lot of dealers. My local dealer is out of Yamaha's and Kawasaki's and can't order new stock until July.  Getting chips for cars or scooters might be a challenge for the foreseeable future.  Lack of inventory has drove up used prices as well. 

[BrooklynBoy55]

Does anyone know when Kymco makes their new scooter available in the marketplace?

[JustWait]

I have the 2021 Kymco AK550. it is ride-by-wire. I have had it for a couple of months. I am quite impressed with this scooter. I have owned many many motorcycles including 2 Bergman 650 and 2 Bergman 400. Gives me a smile every time I ride the AK550.😀

[BrooklynBoy55]

Just Wait.
I understand that they AK 550/ride-by-wire are not available (as yet) in the US. Are you in the US?

[JustWait]

I live in Texas. I picked up my new 2021 AK550 at the first part of April. I am/was of the understanding that in 2021 the AK550 is euro 5 compliant, ride by wire, and actually lost almost 2 HP, but did not loose any torque. I am going to contact my dealer the first part of this week and I will converse with him about the ride by wire amongst other things. Would Kymco or any manufacturer make 2 separate modified engines for the same year model?  I don’t know, and I intend to try to find out. If the US 2021model is not ride by wire, then I am going to feel like I actually have what amounts to a 2020 model, made in 2021. I will report back what the dealer tells me.  I know that mine was the first 2021 AK550 he got in.

[BrooklynBoy55]

JustWait. 
I'm in Northern Florida.  I wasn't aware of any model revisions until I happened to read about it

https://www.rideapart.com/news/499604/kymco-ak550-euro5-launched/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=RSS-all-news Kymco AK550 treated as Euro 5
in ABALA, dated April 8, 2021.

What you've noted about a slight loss of HP and no change in torque was noted in the writing, as well as a drop in gas tank capacity (15L to 12.5 L).  Of further interest to me is that I understand that the Euro 5 compliant model is offered in Matte Black or Matte Blue rather than the Grey or Grey colors currently offered.  Certainly part of my confusion is because the 2021 AK 550 description on the Kymco.com website makes no mention of ride by wire.   

I have read about a number of motorcycles and scooters that have made changes in their motors/mechanics to meet Euro 5 (pollution) requirements that have been made but as yet have not been contained in models that are sold in other countries.  Coincidently towards the end of April I was at my Kymco dealer and spoke to him about the AK 550 but nothing was mentioned about ride by wire.   So my assumption is that the Euro 5 changes will be in the AK 550 sold in the upcoming model year but that is just a guess on my part.  I sincerely hope that you are right, that the current AK 550 model does have ride by wire so I do not have to wait to purchase one.

My dealer is closed today and Monday but I'll call on Tuesday to see what I can find out on my end and report back as well.


 

[BrooklynBoy55]

Good evening all.
I was hoping to have definitive information for everyone but contacting 2 different dealerships today (North FL and South FL) did not prove as positive as I had hoped.
When I asked about whether the current AK 550 MY was Euro 5 compliant and/or had ride by wire each essentially replied that they did not know what I was asking about.

Both said that they would call the Kymco regional sales manager and get back to me.
When I hear back from them I will add their comments to this discussion.

Thanks again to everyone who is contributing to answering this question.