Discontinued Bikes Wheres' my GrandVista 250 fit in? whats replaced it?and why?

[brucee]

It seems like they discontinue model s quite often and it hard to get a sense of the history of one machine or even where Kymco models are improving with in a category. I have A grand vista 250 i bought in 2009 but was really a 2008 i think. My question is there a Kymco  company historian or official website to satisfy customers like me who enjoy belonging to a group with a history. Any Scooter historians out there chime in
Thanks !

[TechGuy]

I have not heard that they are discontinuing the GV and it fits a part of the scooter market the most other scooters don't fill. I feel it is one of the best scooters for the short-legged riders. This makes it a popular scooter for female riders; especially those looking for a  freeway-confident, 250cc scooter.

[Rianna]

Is that true, TechGuy? It seems like they would be heavy though. I wonder how much one weighs.

[axy]

Dink (called GrandVista overseas) 250 has not been on the market here for at least 3 years.

They are selling in 2011 this one:

http://www.kymco.hr/testovi/motorevija/newdink200.jpg

Water cooled, injection, 175 cc in fact, 15 hp.

[TechGuy]

They are calling "New Dink" the Yager in the US.  A "Dink" in the US is not a positive thing. It has many connotations including a 'jerk', 'goof', "Desperately In Need of Knowledge" and in Canada it is slang for the male genitalia.



As to the comment about the weight, it is not really the much heavier than the other scoots in the same family. The GV is 359#, the P250 is 348# the Xciting is 407#, the new Downtown300 is 367#, the Yager is 308#

IIRC, all of the 250 scooters by Kymco use essentially the same engine and CVT.  The weight of the bike has a large effect on the overall performance of the bike. I guess this is why the X250 is known as a slow bike with same engine/CVT as the P250/P250S and 50# more metal and plastic to move, plus the rider, it makes for a slower bike.

Note: # is a symbol for US pounds

[axy]

They are calling "New Dink" the Yager in the US.  A "Dink" in the US is not a positive thing. It has many connotations including a 'jerk', 'goof', "Desperately In Need of Knowledge" and in Canada it is slang for the male genitalia.



As to the comment about the weight, it is not really the much heavier than the other scoots in the same family. The GV is 359#, the P250 is 348# the Xciting is 407#, the new Downtown300 is 367#, the Yager is 308#

IIRC, all of the 250 scooters by Kymco use essentially the same engine and CVT.  The weight of the bike has a large effect on the overall performance of the bike. I guess this is why the X250 is known as a slow bike with same engine/CVT as the P250/P250S and 50# more metal and plastic to move, plus the rider, it makes for a slower bike.

Note: # is a symbol for US pounds

I spoke with the mechanic once and even though 250 cc engines are somewhat similar, they are not the same. For example, engine parts from P250, P250S and Grand Dink 250 are not the same and the power output is somewhat different (approx 1 hp). The same is with Xciting 250 that is also a bit weaker than P250S (the strongest one).

I like the Dink story. For example, Ford has a crossover vehicle called Ford Kuga. However, "kuga" in my language is - "plague".
I guess it will not be a bestseller here.

I also like the long living brand of Mitsubishi Pajero. Must be very popular in Mexico, where "pajero" means - "wanker".

[brucee]

The Yager  appears to be a 200 cc bike and I agree its seems to be filling in the Grand Vista market share. But not in the 250 cc bracket. Kymco has abandon the GV 250 for some reason and is selling other models. I think it is a mistake since they had the best choices for the 250 niche and the Gv style was a winner . It will now be a gv150 as the product of choice. I guess I will end up riding a classic in a few short years .I  am just glad its the bike model that disappearing and not the company thats is making it.  As far as the name goes Grand Dink changing it to Grand Vista worked for me, and could easily be reinvented into a new line of 250 cc bikes if they wanted to. I hope Kymco is listening out there. 

[axy]

It is just a question of marketing. Agility 50/125 makes 90 % of this forum yet they have discontinued them, at least in Europe.
Of course, Agility City 50/125 exist now, but it is 50 % more expensive. 

[jprestonian]

The Grandvista 250 still shows up as a U.S. model for 2011.

My experience in a small scooter shop in Nashville that sells the three major Taiwanese brands (Genuine (PGO), Kymco and SYM) has been that most of our customers are looking for 125-150cc scooters, mainly for in-town daily commuting (weather permitting) and weekend fun. It's the proper cost/benefit ratio for about 85% of our customers.

The bigger scoots sell much more slowly -- I think the last Xciting 500 we had on the floor sat there for over a year before selling, and it came back a few months later with an extensive warranty repair that has yet to be resolved (even after a total engine rebuild by KymcoUSA's "master mechanic").

I really want a Downtown 300i, but I'm starting to wonder if it wouldn't be worth it to buy a Yamaha Majesty, instead.
.

[TechGuy]

I think we are seeing differences in the forum based on where riders are located. This is a very international forum.

In Europe and much of the USA, a 50cc scoot may not require a license. Where is does require a license, a standard car license is all you need.  In California (CA), you are required to have a full M1 motorcycle license if it does not have pedals or it is not 100% electric.  50cc scooters are great for urban areas, not so good in my town.

In the UK, a 125 cc scoot is the largest you can ride on an L or learners/restricted license/permit and many countries restrict a rider to this size for a year or two until their skills have improved. After riding for a defined period of time, they test on a larger bike (graduated licensing).

In the US, a 150cc bike is smallest motorbike that is freeway legal and the smallest bike defined as a "motorcycle" in some states.  This is why some bikes are sold as 149cc and some are sold as 150cc. Some are sold just below the line so the ride may not need a full motorcycle license in some states. This is not true in CA.

200c-300cc scooters are becoming more popular in the USA as the distances between towns are greater than they are than in Europe. It is very common to ride 20-40 miles between communities on a daily commute in nearly any state in the US. Riding 20-40 miles in some countries means you are three countries away. I can ride that far and not leave my county. Getting a license to ride  300cc scooter in the UK requires dedication and several years riding experience and training at two different level. I don't know about other countries but I understand they are similar.  In the US... buy any bike you want..any size... any time.. you are on your own. Good LUCK!

[axy]

The Grandvista 250 still shows up as a U.S. model for 2011.

My experience in a small scooter shop in Nashville that sells the three major Taiwanese brands (Genuine (PGO), Kymco and SYM) has been that most of our customers are looking for 125-150cc scooters, mainly for in-town daily commuting (weather permitting) and weekend fun. It's the proper cost/benefit ratio for about 85% of our customers.

The bigger scoots sell much more slowly -- I think the last Xciting 500 we had on the floor sat there for over a year before selling, and it came back a few months later with an extensive warranty repair that has yet to be resolved (even after a total engine rebuild by KymcoUSA's "master mechanic").

I really want a Downtown 300i, but I'm starting to wonder if it wouldn't be worth it to buy a Yamaha Majesty, instead.
.

Wow! I can`t believe I am not the only one who is not into "Kymco quality of build" hype!

[catman2130093]

I understand some people may question Kymco qualtiy-but in 6000 miles and three years, I have replaced the battery once-sat all winter with no trickle charger, and that has been the sum total of the issues I've had. I would buy another Kymco in a heart beat.