Want to rave about Kymco

[CROSSBOLT]

1960 saw me with my first motorcycle, a Honda Hawk 250. One of the raves of the day was "attention to detail". Kymco today puts them to shame! Not a complete list but you will get the idea. Drain holes everywhere! Virtually every place where rain can collect, there is a drain hole. Compression limiters or shoulder bolts. Compression limiters are metal sleeves to protect the softer stuff from being crushed when the fastener is tightened to specified torque. Shoulder bolts are self-explained. Body panels that really fit closely and uniformly. Sometimes a hindrance to removal! Really good electrical systems, wiring and connectors. Honda showed the way in the 60's on this. Honda used horizontally split cases to preclude the inevitable leaks that accompany vertically split cases but they also found or developed sealer that worked. Kymco's singles are vertically split but the joint is tighter and they use a super sealant. Coupled with good seals and sealed bearings there are no leaks. The CVT design is a good compromise and is at the heart of making small engines perform well. The belts they use are the best and exceed any aftermarket brand so far. I am sure all of you could point out things I have missed and I hope you do!

Karl

[ole two wheels]

To my knowledge, Karl, Honda was the first to make 4 strokes that ran at comparable RPM's like a two stroke, and stayed together. The Kymco is the first bike I've ever seen, with a tact, that doesn't have a red line. I mean that little 300cc single cylinder , 4 stroke, in the DT 300i screams and stays together, mile after mile. When I first heard about Kymco, that it is made in Taiwan, I said oh well just another junkie Chinese scooter. Then I heard they were making scooters for Honda and later, engines for BMW, I said whoa!, this deserves a second look  and now I am a believer.

Mac