When the Kymco Movie 150 came to our market a couple of years ago, the specs and limited info on the bike looked good. However, there was a dearth of real world reviews for those interested in this scoot. One inmate, Gitsum, posted his impressions of the bike after a brief test ride, MS News has a decent summary but not through the eyes of some one who actually owned a Movie and that's about it.
I remained interested after hearing riding impressions from employees of a large Florida dealer. These bikes were never seen except in dealer ads on CL until...
Lo and behold one showed up locally.
Allow me to introduce my "TFM". Tangerine Fun Machine.:freaky
At first glance the Movie fits in with many of the other air cooled scooters in the 125-150cc class. It weighs about the same, the wheelbase is similar, flat floor and ergos are in the same ballpark. But when you look closer the Movie rises to the top of the bowl.
Front and rear disc brakes, dual adjustable rear shocks for starters.
For a scooter in this class, it stops very well. Brakes are easy to modulate and will bring you to a stop in a hurry. The shocks set on medium support my 200 lbs very nicely and absorb all but the worst bumps.
With this suspension and 12 inch rims with 110/90 front and 130/90 rear tires, this bike feels like it is on rails in the curves. Cornering clearance seems fine as I have not scraped any parts during some spirited riding this bike encourages me to do.:evil Overall road manners are above average compared to other scooters I have ridden.
The four valve engine is rated at 13.5 hp. I believe it! Acceleration and mid range roll on is too much fun. "Zippy" only comes close. The spirited performance and fine handling come together well. I live in the mountains and foothills where the bike is challenged to maintain speed uphill. The Movie does as well or better than any of my previous scoots that size. Bogging down to 40mph was a bad as it got this week on a long 9% grade coming out of Maggie Valley.:eek1
Some more features that set it apart...
Large underseat storage.
The extra space is a bonus from having the gas tank under the floorboard. The filler is on the left side of the front panel and cubby. Comes in handy when you have something strapped to the seat and lifting the seat is not needed to fill up. Speaking of the seat. It is shaped so you can scoot back a little more than other scooters. It is spring loaded and raises easily and stays up when you are loading the pet carrier. After 225 miles on the BRP this week, my butt was not screaming at days end.:clap
Foot room is close to other bikes this size. The ramps forward of the floorboard offer a place to tip your toes up. Easier for a short rider than a long legged one.
Lights are very nice. The LED array on the rear are quite bright.
What scooters would I compare this one to? Bikes I have owned or ridden first.
Piaggio Fly 150. Movie is a couple of points ahead in all respects.
Honda PCX 125. Movie meets and exceeds in all respects. As quick as the Hondas are off the line, it would be a close match even with the PCX 150.
Buddy 125. Movie wins again. Buddy is so much fun, but the Movie is much more bike. It would be interesting to compare performance with the Buddy 170i.
I would like to compare the Movie to the Hooligan. There are several features that both bikes share. AMAC is the only inmate I know who has ridden both. Maybe he can give an opinion.:wink:
OK. What are the cons? The biggest let down is top speed. The way this four valve mill spins,you would think the bike would deliver 65+mph with no trouble.
The best true speed I have achieved with no tuck is 62. It gets to that max at 9krpm with no problem, but that is all. BTW The speedometer is almost spot on accurate. My PCX was accurate as well.
Aftermarket accessories are hard to find. Sold as the Racing 150 in other markets (with FI as well) there are some bits to be found on Japan websites.
Some might worry that parts for an "Orphan" could be hard to find, but being a GY6 platform, Kymco should have what you need.
Can't really think of any other negatives.
Easy to work on and maintain, the Movie would be a fun ride if you can find one. Some dealers have left overs at good discounts below original prices.
A local dealer told me they did not sell well to his market. Most folks were looking for a basic GY6 at lower price. The extras Kymco built into the Movie resulted in a scooter well above the rest of the crowd.
