Who is the top scooter maker?

[Stig / Major Tom]

Which manufacturer puts the most thinking - Research & Development - into the engineering of their scooter?
Only a small % of the production from Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Hero , BMW & Kawasaki are scooters - mostly they make motorcycles.
KYMCO might do 50% of ea. - I don't know what they offer in Asia.
SYM does not seem to have a major production of either, compared to the others.
The Italians & French seem to focus more on scooters than bikes.
So, are the Italian & French scooters better engineered than other scooters? Are they the cream of the scooter world?

China might make more 2 wheelers than anybody - but I suspect pretty much everything they build is the fruits of "reverse engineering". (as Yamaha did in the 60's: no development -- just buy a British bike, take it apart, copy it - machine it more precisely and give it better chrome & paint - "Yamaha's new 650 twin!")

Totally subjective, I know, but still a complicated consideration.
What does better designed mean? Better MPH, or MPG's, or easier to service? Longer lasting? More reliable?
All of that?
Then there's the question of which are the best bargains with the fewest shortcomings at that price?

I think Vespas are the best scooters. Surely? Because that's all they do....but they look as dumb to work on as a 650 Burgman.
 I think Honda spends more $$ on R&D.... because they have a bigger checkbook than Yamaha & the others. So that makes them a better scooter.

Probably comes down, mostly,  to what you value most from a scooter/motorcycle and the experience you've had with one brand....and/or the dealer.

"Your dog is OK, but I like mine better."
After 6 Hondas, one KYMCO and one Suzuki - I choose Honda. They're the best bikes and scoots.
No, I don't own one. But I think I will - probably a CBX or F/naked of 300 or 500cc's with ABS. Put a top case on it and cruise the area. Honda bikes are cheaper than same size scooters. Often, much cheaper.
Shifting is a fun part of the riding experience for me. And the panels are a lot easier to remove !!!
Stig (yeah, it's cold/wet/snowing/raining/blowing outside)
French Peugeot

[boo]

Don`t know about now but, in past years my guess would be Piaggio.

[CROSSBOLT]

Really good thread, Stig. I think you have posed some questions that get us all to wonder "what really matters in design and production." A lot of R & D is used to make production easier. WE think R & D is used to make a better product but it is also used to make the product cheaper to produce. What we consider important is not always what the manufacturer considers important for widely different reasons. There are inevitable compromises that both go into the product and that we must make when we purchase. The one thing missing from all this is customer input. That is the the one thing that manufacturers do not do is reach out to the "guy in the street" like you and me. Yeah, they get magazine writers and maybe some of their buddies but they do not get readers of these forums. They, Kymco, could do something about the short leg space on the Downtown if they wanted to just by reading THIS forum.

Karl

[2wheelfun]

My money is on Kymco for value and quality. Sym or Genuine too, any major Taiwanese mfr.

[bluesin]

Honda/Kymco...   

KYMCO or Kwang Yang Motor Co, Ltd (Chinese: 光陽工業; pinyin: Guāng Yáng Gōng Yè), is a Taiwanese company that manufactures motor scooters, motorcycles, and ATVs for worldwide distribution. Founded in 1963 after splitting from Honda, KYMCO originally made parts for Honda. The company built its first complete scooter in 1970 and began marketing under the "KYMCO" brand name in 1992. In the 2000s, Kymco became the largest scooter manufacturer in Taiwan, and the fifth largest scooter manufacturer worldwide.[1] KYMCO's headquarters and factory are located in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, with about 3000 employees, and producing more than 570,000 vehicles per year. The company has production facilities in Jakarta, Petaling Jaya, Shanghai, Changsha and Chengdu.

In early 2008, KYMCO was chosen by BMW to supply the engines for their G450 X Enduro bike.[2] The optional range extender in the BMW i3 is also supplied by Kymco.[3]

In late 2013, Kawasaki announced that their new J300 scooter is manufactured in partnership with Kymco. It is based on a Kymco Downtown 300i.[4]

[TroutBum]

I think it's Piaggo. They own several brands (Gileria, Aprilia, Scarabeo) besides Piaggo/Vespa.