Downtown 300i

[TechGuy]

Do you have any other photos you would like to share?

[streetdown]

[hualalai]

@ artig.  Would you say that, other than higher seat height, the riding position is more similar to the "lounge chair" or "recliner" position of Burgman/Silverwing/TMax scooters, vs. the more upright positions of 125cc and 250cc class scooters?

May I ask your height ..... and how you would compare the legroom  of the Downtown vs. Burgman/Silverwing/TMax scooters, and also vs.  125cc and 250cc class scooters.

You commented in your July thread that the Downtown has better acceleration to 80 kph than the Burgman, but lags the Burgman after 100 kph, and won't top 140 kph WOT.  Are you disappointed with this performance?  Has performance improved with time?

I have a SYM Citycom 300i, and it's fair IMO to say that the Downtown is Kymco's response to the Citycom and to the Honda SH300.  Have you ridden a Citycom?  If so, how would you compare them?  The Citycom tops out about 130 kph, but the Downtown claims 38% more horsepower than the Citycom.  It seems that the Downtown doesn't deliver significantly better performance.

[artig]

I don't have much recent experience of scooters, other than the Burgman 400 and the Downtown. About 45 years ago I had a Triumph Tigress and a small CZ. Otherwise it has been bikes. So I can't really give a definitive comparison with other scooters.

The riding position on the Downtown is more upright than the Burgman, mostly due to the limited footspace and legroom. You can't put your feet up like you can on the Burgman and the Silverwing. I'm about 172 cm, with shorter legs/longer torso than average.

I haven't yet checked the speed with a GPS, and there have been limited opportunities for checking if it will exceed 140 km/h with a longer run. If you get caught in NZ doing over 140 it's instant loss of license and you get to walk home, so a little care is required. There has been no noticeable performance improvement with time, but then as mentioned I haven't used it much recently. I'm not disappointed with the performance. I have two bikes to satisfy my performance needs, with the Citycom relegated to 'shopping trolley' duties.

I've seen various values for Downtown power output. The manual claims it develops 29ps at 8500 rpm with max torque of 2.7kg.m at 6500 rpm. If you run with WOT it won't exceed about 6000 rpm until you hit about 100 km/h, so max power is more or less unattainable at 'normal' speeds.

[hualalai]

Thanks for the reply.  It appears that the SYM Citycom remains the "sit up and beg" scooter of choice for taller folks.  With the Citycom, there a common mod in which the "helmet dome" is excised from the seat pan, which gives another 5" (~13cm) of seating distance from the handlebars.  Ergos are just as important on a scooter as on a road bike (I, too, ride bicycles more than scooters or motorcycles; my car is rarely used.).  The Citycom could use more power with two up (it's superb with one up, even in the mountains), so it looks like I'm still waiting for the long-rumoured T-Max 750.  

If you want an experienced scooter riding partner, google "Kiwiscoot" and "Christchurch". (Not "Kiwiscoota").  He does 1600 km rides on his Citycom.  He invented the seat pan mod... he's 6'4".

[CoolDowntown]

Hi Folks,

I've also had a burnt orange since early November. I've thoroughly enjoyed it and have meticulously broken it in during the first 600 miles. Unfortunately, due to my ruptured disc (in my neck), I'll have to sell the scoot. I should be receiving the title from the state any time now and will then post it for sale on the appropriate section.

[Hoolander2]

Bummer, CoolD.     Well, welcome to the forum anyway and Merry Christmas!  Where are you located? 

[CoolDowntown]

Hi and thanks. Merry Christmas to all and Happy Holidays.

I'm in Houston, TX.

[streetdown]

I traded in my 2008 Grandvista for the Downtown 300. I gotta say the Downtown wins! It handles so much better than the GV!

[glopezz05]

My dealer has some and I saw them when I was picking up my s8...  I was very surprised by the size of that thing.  Looks so nice...

[racewalker]

I am waiting, we are getting them in Canada this summer. My dealer is not to excited about bringing one in so I am considering going out to Ottawa on a holiday and bringing one back. How is it for comfort at first? Would you be able to do a long road trip with it at first?

[streetdown]

I'm glad to see I'm not alone with my Downtown! Now cant wait till they start with some after market stuff!

[TechGuy]

If you look around, there are some accessories for this bike.  It has been released for a while in several other countries.  Shad has topcase mounting plate support that is compatible.  Givi does also and there were some soft side cases and tunnel bags.

[Syl]

streetdown, I purchased my 300 just some weeks ago, silver. Possibly read "My first 300 ride". So far, great scooter.

[Syl]

TechGuy, days ago I was going to purchase a (SHAD) box but the dealer couldn't come up with any word from SHAD that they had mounting hardware for the 300. I know the mounting plate from GIVI comes with some very stable hardware but is not cheap. I had the SHAD 40 box on my S200 and compatable mounting hardware. Needed something a bit larger for the 300 so am looking at the GIVI V46. Been wondering if Kymco made any changes or addition's from the 2010 to the 2011?