Super 8 refresh

[PeTroL42]

The bulbs I pulled out of my scoot were 35w... but it was a 2009 scoot.  Have they increased to 55w now?

I have a 2013 and My Super 8 manual says that the bulbs are "12v 60/55W x 2"

I don't know what the 60 means but if I had to assume something, I would think that the bulbs are 60 watts for the High Beam and 55 watts for the Low Beam.

I guess the best way to find out for sure is to pull the bulbs out myself and check because some of the info that Kymco prints seem to be suspect sometimes.

Was it hard to get to the bulbs?

[MassScoot]

I'm pretty sure that if there was enough interest in the Honda SH150 that the Honda dealers would have stocked up on them.

Take the Honda Grom for instance.  This little Monkey Bike is garnering all kinds of attention right now with a lot of people asking their dealers when they're going to be in stock.  The SH150 didn't get this kind of attention before it was released and nobody paid attention when they were released to the public.

PeTrol: I'm sure you know this, the Honda SH150 was the standard (& the 1st) 150cc scooter with 16" wheels. My 2005 Kymco People S200 was a "copy" of the SH150, only that it was A/C & had a carb. BTW...That was a great scooter! I had it for 6 years & the only issue I had was a broken speedo cable. Sold it for $1950.00 & paid $3000 for it new. Now there are countless copies of the SH150. It's too bad the retail price was so high for the SH150 when it came to the US shores a few years back. As I recall it had only one model year here. My concern is the Super 8 is getting too expensive for what it is. I purchased a S8 last year to keep @ my parents home in Florida. If I had to do it all over again, I would have picked-up a SYM HD200 instead.

[ophelia]

I believe the 1993 Aprilia Scarabeo came before the Honda SH150i, and I thought the first gen Kymco People were Aprilia Scarabeo clones. But maybe the Scarabeo was like a Honda Super Cub with an automatic transmission.

[skishades]

The Honda was a much newer engine with fuel injection and it got 90 mpg.  That was why I was so interested in it.  I don't know how to show a greater interest in a scooter than with money in hand to order one... the dealerships (there were 4 that I tried) near me wouldn't even try but they all were ready to give me a "deal" on one they "had in stock", which wasn't the SH150. I really disliked the bait and switch they tried and won't be shopping them for anything.  A Yamaha dealership told me they didn't have anything to compare to the Kymco 150 at the time I was shopping and didn't offer alternatives. I purchased my jacket, 2nd helmet, top case and gloves through them.  They got my business with straight up honesty.

The LED headlights  I ordered were difficult to get.  One company sent them to Russia and never refunded the money... I canceled the charge on my credit card... which was why I would only order through companies who took a credit card.  A second company did send it but it was delayed in customs for 2 months in China.  No idea why there was such a delay.  That company did not have  secure website when paying by credit card (no https in the website domain name) and I used an old card that I was about to cancel... which then got paid off and was canceled 2 months later. While the company was good, the security was lax and is the reason I don't recommend them.  Basically, I searched for "H4 bulbs LED headlights" in google.  Only chinese websites offered them... it was difficult to find one that would let me buy just 2 as most of them were suppliers and had minimum orders of 20 or more.

[PeTroL42]

PeTrol: I'm sure you know this, the Honda SH150 was the standard (& the 1st) 150cc scooter with 16" wheels. My 2005 Kymco People S200 was a "copy" of the SH150, only that it was A/C & had a carb. BTW...That was a great scooter! I had it for 6 years & the only issue I had was a broken speedo cable. Sold it for $1950.00 & paid $3000 for it new. Now there are countless copies of the SH150. It's too bad the retail price was so high for the SH150 when it came to the US shores a few years back. As I recall it had only one model year here. My concern is the Super 8 is getting too expensive for what it is. I purchased a S8 last year to keep @ my parents home in Florida. If I had to do it all over again, I would have picked-up a SYM HD200 instead.

I actually didn't know the Honda SH150 was the first 16 inch wheeled scooter.  Although I've never rode a scooter with 16 inch wheels, I don't feel 16 inch wheels are necessary.  Since the wheels are bigger, it gives the scooter a higher seat and the bigger wheels take up more space which mainly affects the size of the trunk.  I had a scooter with 10 inch wheels and to be quite honest, I don't feel any more stable on my Super 8 than I did on that 10 inch wheeled scooter I had.  Also, Honda's Helix had 10 inch wheels and Suzuki Burgmans have 14 inch wheels and those things hauled A$$ and their users don't seem to complain about high speed stability.

I think at $2499, a Super 8 is a fair price for what you get.  There isn't another 150cc scooter on the market at $2499 that is put together well with a 2 year warranty and a Dealer network to get your scooter fixed and order parts.

But the SYM HD 200 is probably going to be my next scooter.  Now THAT scooter is in a class of it's own.

[PeTroL42]

The Honda was a much newer engine with fuel injection and it got 90 mpg.  That was why I was so interested in it.  I don't know how to show a greater interest in a scooter than with money in hand to order one... the dealerships (there were 4 that I tried) near me wouldn't even try but they all were ready to give me a "deal" on one they "had in stock", which wasn't the SH150. I really disliked the bait and switch they tried and won't be shopping them for anything.  A Yamaha dealership told me they didn't have anything to compare to the Kymco 150 at the time I was shopping and didn't offer alternatives. I purchased my jacket, 2nd helmet, top case and gloves through them.  They got my business with straight up honesty.

The LED headlights  I ordered were difficult to get.  One company sent them to Russia and never refunded the money... I canceled the charge on my credit card... which was why I would only order through companies who took a credit card.  A second company did send it but it was delayed in customs for 2 months in China.  No idea why there was such a delay.  That company did not have  secure website when paying by credit card (no https in the website domain name) and I used an old card that I was about to cancel... which then got paid off and was canceled 2 months later. While the company was good, the security was lax and is the reason I don't recommend them.  Basically, I searched for "H4 bulbs LED headlights" in google.  Only chinese websites offered them... it was difficult to find one that would let me buy just 2 as most of them were suppliers and had minimum orders of 20 or more.

All 4 dealers must know something that the average consumer doesn't and that's why they didn't want to order the SH150 for you even with cash in hand.  Maybe the dealerships get a discount if they order multiple scooters at once and didn't feel the profit margin for ordering one scooter was high enough for them to bother with.

And what LED lights are you talking about?

[ophelia]

Although I've never rode a scooter with 16 inch wheels, I don't feel 16 inch wheels are necessary.  Since the wheels are bigger, it gives the scooter a higher seat and the bigger wheels take up more space which mainly affects the size of the trunk.  I had a scooter with 10 inch wheels and to be quite honest, I don't feel any more stable on my Super 8 than I did on that 10 inch wheeled scooter I had.  Also, Honda's Helix had 10 inch wheels and Suzuki Burgmans have 14 inch wheels and those things hauled A$$ and their users don't seem to complain about high speed stability.

Maybe the roads are much smoother where you live, and the advantage of a bigger wheel is less pronounced. The big wheel rolls over bumps better with less shock. I would love bigger >12" wheels on my Bet and Win 250 especially at freeway speeds, where bumps can really unsettle the bike. For me, a larger wheeled bike feels much more stable holding a line in a turn with some speed too. I have more fun on my motorcycle in curves.

The Helix has a really long wheelbase that might help with stability. I have a friend with the successor Reflex, and he likes corner carving with the Vstrom or his new big 15" wheel scooter much better too.

I wouldn't want another 10" wheel scooter or small wheel touring scooter again if I had to buy. Doesn't suit me. I'd love a Scarabeo or Super 8 or People.

[skishades]

When I pulled the 35w HS1 bulbs out, I replaced them with 15/21w HS4 LED bulbs.  They were difficult to get as I had to try two different distributers in China as only one was able to send to the USA but it took 3 months... the second one sent it to Russia (that order was canceled and the charges reversed on my card).  They are considered experimental as well and are not currently approved for highway use in the USA.  While I do like having them, they have their own problems and require additional changes to the scoot, including bypassing the LCM.  I am still looking for a diode that is rated for 15 to 35 watts... or possibly as high as 60w... so I can get full function from the headlights (they currently have so little resistance, enough power is pulled from the shared ground to light up both hi and low).