New Kawasaki J300 scooter is really a Kymco Downtown 300

[Budz]

interesting video, the new Kawasaki J300 is really a Kymco Downtown 300. The presenter says (turn on subtitles in youtube) the "engine" is made by Kymco but the dash/instruments, mirrors, exhaust etc. look very much like the Downtown.

Seems like Kymco scooters are becoming the high end scooter (see the xciting 400 very nice quality) and not just a supplier of parts to BMW, Honda, Kawasaki etc...


 

[gn2]

Not exactly news, this has been general knowledge since before the J300 launch.

[Budz]

Not exactly news, this has been general knowledge since before the J300 launch.

it seems I am behind the pack...

[zombie]

Then I must be behind you BudZ... What's a Kymco? 

[BettinANDlosing]

What are these scooter things everyone keeps talking about?

[TLRam1]

Must be some new fangled contraption to replace my old reliable horse.

[zombie]

The horse will never be replaced.

What gets me tho is those damn Pony riders. They block traffic, and generally carry no pedigree papers.
I say kill them on site.

[arcanum70]

Scooting...isn't that what my cat does with her butt on the carpet sometimes?

I don't see how that needs an engine or how it's going to help anybody in any way.

[Porkie]

It will be better for people that Kawasaki will be marketing basically the same scooter since they have such a large dealer network, a thousand times larger than Kymco in the US.

Here's the latest Kymco scooter being marketed in the US:


[url=http://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=Cojok5UpOVMX6FsGApgPxrIGwBsDqisYFyJXwjKABqdz7m9QBCAQQAygFUOKXrPkGYMmu8YmYpPASoAGYyIbYA8gBB6oEI0_QiWkNamNdUdzFNXWvALBJyOLXYyOqE508InVx39XwCHhWwAUFoAYmgAfQt_knkAcBqAemvhvgEriOyMaC69_M9QE&sig=AOD64_2VJ6ryVZZGA3KFWWPmdDN3XbeGaQ&ctype=5&rct=j&q=&ved=0CC0Qww8&adurl=http://walmart.com/ip/10929205%3Fwmlspartner%3Dwlpa%26selectedItemId%3D10929204%26adid%3D22222222227000036601%26wl0%3D%26wl1%3Dg%26wl2%3Dc%26wl3%3D42968030072%26wl4%3D%26wl5%3Dpla%26wl6%3D56966966825%26veh%3Dsem]http://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=Cojok5UpOVMX6FsGApgPxrIGwBsDqisYFyJXwjKABqdz7m9QBCAQQAygFUOKXrPkGYMmu8YmYpPASoAGYyIbYA8gBB6oEI0_QiWkNamNdUdzFNXWvALBJyOLXYyOqE508InVx39XwCHhWwAUFoAYmgAfQt_knkAcBqAemvhvgEriOyMaC69_M9QE&sig=AOD64_2VJ6ryVZZGA3KFWWPmdDN3XbeGaQ&ctype=5&rct=j&q=&ved=0CC0Qww8&adurl=http://walmart.com/ip/10929205%3Fwmlspartner%3Dwlpa%26selectedItemId%3D10929204%26adid%3D22222222227000036601%26wl0%3D%26wl1%3Dg%26wl2%3Dc%26wl3%3D42968030072%26wl4%3D%26wl5%3Dpla%26wl6%3D56966966825%26veh%3Dsem[/url]

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=33931426&cp=2255956.2273442.2255961.2256576.2256635&parentPage=family

Sam:)

[arcanum70]

But, the fact that they are making and marketing working 'toys' means that there is a growing market and acceptance of scooters here in the States, which I see as a good thing.

[zombie]

Scroll down to "related products" in that add.  It's a helmet!

[AMAC1680]

It will be better for people that Kawasaki will be marketing basically the same scooter since they have such a large dealer network, a thousand times larger than Kymco in the US.

Here's the latest Kymco scooter being marketed in the US:


[url=http://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=Cojok5UpOVMX6FsGApgPxrIGwBsDqisYFyJXwjKABqdz7m9QBCAQQAygFUOKXrPkGYMmu8YmYpPASoAGYyIbYA8gBB6oEI0_QiWkNamNdUdzFNXWvALBJyOLXYyOqE508InVx39XwCHhWwAUFoAYmgAfQt_knkAcBqAemvhvgEriOyMaC69_M9QE&sig=AOD64_2VJ6ryVZZGA3KFWWPmdDN3XbeGaQ&ctype=5&rct=j&q=&ved=0CC0Qww8&adurl=http://walmart.com/ip/10929205%3Fwmlspartner%3Dwlpa%26selectedItemId%3D10929204%26adid%3D22222222227000036601%26wl0%3D%26wl1%3Dg%26wl2%3Dc%26wl3%3D42968030072%26wl4%3D%26wl5%3Dpla%26wl6%3D56966966825%26veh%3Dsem]http://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=Cojok5UpOVMX6FsGApgPxrIGwBsDqisYFyJXwjKABqdz7m9QBCAQQAygFUOKXrPkGYMmu8YmYpPASoAGYyIbYA8gBB6oEI0_QiWkNamNdUdzFNXWvALBJyOLXYyOqE508InVx39XwCHhWwAUFoAYmgAfQt_knkAcBqAemvhvgEriOyMaC69_M9QE&sig=AOD64_2VJ6ryVZZGA3KFWWPmdDN3XbeGaQ&ctype=5&rct=j&q=&ved=0CC0Qww8&adurl=http://walmart.com/ip/10929205%3Fwmlspartner%3Dwlpa%26selectedItemId%3D10929204%26adid%3D22222222227000036601%26wl0%3D%26wl1%3Dg%26wl2%3Dc%26wl3%3D42968030072%26wl4%3D%26wl5%3Dpla%26wl6%3D56966966825%26veh%3Dsem[/url]

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=33931426&cp=2255956.2273442.2255961.2256576.2256635&parentPage=family

Sam:)

Yep same dealer network full of cycle techs that haven't seen a scooter in years. Yeah that's what I'm looking for.

Be Big,
AMAC

[Porkie]

Kymco dealers: We’re right at 600 dealers right now, and we probably need to be right around 1,000-1,100 dealers to compare us to any of the other major OEs,” Bruce Ramsey, vice president of sales and operations told Powersport's Business at KYMCO’s off-road media intro in Charlotte, N.C.

Kawasaki dealers:http://www.kawasaki.com/About/History

If you can market and service thousands of Kawasaki motorcycles a year then working on a scooter should be child's play---and it is:)

Sam:)

[zombie]

I think that's where the problem lies. MC mechanics tend to over think these simple machines, and never really grasp the very few basic needs these "scoots" have.
 They run on Non adjustable belts that must be EXACTLY right. 1mm makes a huge difference.
Rollers control the engine. Not the other way around.
1/8th of a turn in either direction on a carb adjustment means run/no run.

Very simple concept that are overlooked.

[arcanum70]

I think that's where the problem lies. MC mechanics tend to over think these simple machines, and never really grasp the very few basic needs these "scoots" have.
 They run on Non adjustable belts that must be EXACTLY right. 1mm makes a huge difference.
Rollers control the engine. Not the other way around.
1/8th of a turn in either direction on a carb adjustment means run/no run.

Very simple concept that are overlooked.

You're absolutely right.  I think that another thing that comes into play is the disdain that most motorcycle mechanics have for the scooter.  At our local bike shop (a Yamaha dealer), they refuse to work on any scooter that isn't Yamaha, and the mechanics are pretty clueless on top of that.  I went in one time and asked a question about a variator, and the mechanic looked at me and said "what's a variator?"  The sad part is, they also work on snow mobiles there, so for him to not know what a variator is, is laughable.  After I explained to him what it was he said "Oh, that's what that's called?" and then told me that they don't do that kind of work there (wanted to change the rollers and didn't have the tools myself to do it).