New to the Scooter Family

[aokark]

Hi everyone

I am new here but also new to the scooter family, or actually I am not there yet
I have been doing some research for the past few days and decided to take the step and a few hundred dollars up from the china scooters to hopefully something with more quality and reliability.
What I've found so far is that Kymco makes some good, affordable scooters.

So to not break my bank I found the Agility 50 4t to be quite affordable, a new seems to be about $1600 around here. This is really pushing my limit though.

My question for you guys here would be if the Agility 50 4t is as reliable as Kymco seems to be known for, or if the model has had some quality cut-downs to lower the price.

I really don't mind the speed being restricted to 30mph but I don't mind doing minor tweaks. I just don't want to worry about being stranded halfway to my destination every time I take the scooter out.

Thank you for your time!  

[axy]

Hi everyone

I am new here but also new to the scooter family, or actually I am not there yet
I have been doing some research for the past few days and decided to take the step and a few hundred dollars up from the china scooters to hopefully something with more quality and reliability.
What I've found so far is that Kymco makes some good, affordable scooters.

So to not break my bank I found the Agility 50 4t to be quite affordable, a new seems to be about $1600 around here. This is really pushing my limit though.

My question for you guys here would be if the Agility 50 4t is as reliable as Kymco seems to be known for, or if the model has had some quality cut-downs to lower the price.

I really don't mind the speed being restricted to 30mph but I don't mind doing minor tweaks. I just don't want to worry about being stranded halfway to my destination every time I take the scooter out.

Thank you for your time!  

They are as good as any mass produced scooter of today may be.
Among the best, I would say.
However, I have a problem with 50 cc 4 stroke. If you have driver's license for bigger scoots, go for 125 cc.

[oswaldters]

Having over 2 years of daily commuting through all four seasons, the Agility 50 has been extremely reliable and easy to ride.  Never had any kind of major problem yet - worst thing was the starter went and I had to use the kick start for a few weeks until I bought a new one.

Haven't seen Word around the forum lately - but he put 54,000km on his Agility so yeah, they can handle the work!

Derestricting isn't hard to do, and doesn't cost much.

[aokark]

They are as good as any mass produced scooter of today may be.
Among the best, I would say.
However, I have a problem with 50 cc 4 stroke. If you have driver's license for bigger scoots, go for 125 cc.

What kind of problems are you having? Or do you mean it just feels slow because it's a 4 stroke? Would you recommend 2 stroke for a 50cc engine?
I live in Miami and the traffic here is very thick, so I believe I will be fine with 50cc. But also because if I go up to 125cc I have to pay the expensive insurance and that's mainly why I don't have a car. I just can't afford $100+/mo for insurance without a job .

Another question: If say I would do any kind of derestriction, wouldn't the warranty cancel?

[oswaldters]

The 4 stroke won't have the power of a 2 stroke, but you do get better gas mileage and better longevity.  Where I ride, the speed limit only gets up to 30 mph so I didn't need anything faster.

And yes, where I live you can't register a 50cc so not paying for plates and such.  I do go with insurance though - but for full insurance I pay $95 a year so you might want to check out the cost - it's probably much less than you think.

Derestricting does not change the warranty, the speed restrictions are simply due to laws restricting the speed 50cc scoots are supposed to be able to achieve - not because the scoot can't go faster for mechanical reasons.  In many countries the restrictions are not placed on the scoot at all.   

Now if you start going with a big block kit - then you're out of the warranty coverage...

[oswaldters]

Oh, and I am remiss in not saying welcome to the forum...

...another advantage of buying a Kymco - you'll find a lot of support form people who have the same scoot as you.

[aokark]

The 4 stroke won't have the power of a 2 stroke, but you do get better gas mileage and better longevity.  Where I ride, the speed limit only gets up to 30 mph so I didn't need anything faster.

And yes, where I live you can't register a 50cc so not paying for plates and such.  I do go with insurance though - but for full insurance I pay $95 a year so you might want to check out the cost - it's probably much less than you think.

Derestricting does not change the warranty, the speed restrictions are simply due to laws restricting the speed 50cc scoots are supposed to be able to achieve - not because the scoot can't go faster for mechanical reasons.  In many countries the restrictions are not placed on the scoot at all.   

Now if you start going with a big block kit - then you're out of the warranty coverage...

Ah, thank you! That helped a lot.
I've been reading about 4 and 2 stroke and like you said, I don't really need anything faster than the legal limit... Plus the other benefits of a 4 stroke makes me lean towards it more.

Yes, the cheapest insurance for 50CC is about $100/year which definitely is affordable, but I meant if I want to get something like a 125CC, the rates are much higher... At least for me being a male under 25 and also on a F1-Visa

[oswaldters]

Just not having a license plate is worth it to me.  The residential streets are 25mph here and they have photo radar all over the place - mobile units that get moved around so you never know when they will be on any given day.  

No plate, no ticket!

And I can park in the bike racks or lock up to a pole somewhere.  

Be sure to buy a sturdy lock by the way.

[aokark]

Oh yea that's right! My bicycle lock is horribly thin and and would be eeeeeeasy to cut... Any recommendations on good locks? I know a while back there were some locks that could be opened using a pen so I want to find a good lock and also a good helmet hehe

[oswaldters]

I went with a really big, thick, chain lock.  No way anyone is cutting through that thing or picking it with a pen cap.  Not cheap, and weighs quite a bit, but a good investment to protect the scoot.  Where I park bikes get stolen all the time and a I've seen security footage of 2 guys picking up a 220 lb scoot and throw it in the back of a truck and be gone within 30 seconds.

Here's what I use:  http://www.onguardlock.com/?page_id=329

Fits nicely in the underseat storage space (met-in box if you want the technical term).

And good move on the helmet - they're not required by law for 50cc scoots here, but you're crazy not to use one.

[Rianna]

It would be good if you could borrow a helmet then ride your scoot to try out different helmets and find one that fits under your seat. Some helmets don't fit.

[oswaldters]

Some helmets don't fit.

Good point.  If you're buying the scoot new from the dealer, they will have a variety of helmets to look at and you can test them out to see if they fit under the seat. 

Generally, you won't fit a full face helmet under the seat if it's a large or bigger, but the 2/3rds open face ones will fit.

[aokark]

Yea would never get out there on the road without a helmet! And yea I think a good lock is worth the money... I live in a gated area but the other day I saw a van parked here all burnt up, not sure if it was an accident or not but don't like taking risks.

Oh that's a good idea Rianna, thank you. I am going to take a look around different shops here next week and I'll try to see if they have some helmets I can try. I do have a small head though hehe

Thank you so much for your time and help and this forum is already on my quick bookmark list! Hopefully one of the few scooter dealers here have the Agility 50 and I'll soon be driving one myself.

Again, thank you Oswaldters, Rianna and Axy

[Rianna]

True, oswaldters. My medium full face fits under the seat but I read where different brands measure differently. So if I got a Medium in another brand it may not fit.

[oswaldters]

I wonder about those modular helmets - since the chin area folds up they might fit?

I'm going to need a new helmet in the not too distant future and I'm really leaning towards going with the full face instead of my current open face helmet.  But the thought of having to carry the thing instead of fitting it under the seat makes me wonder.

I guess I have a big head because I need a large...