Looking for opinions on 2 Kymcos

[Ponyroper]

I'm still looking around for a decent mid-sized scooter mostly for puttering around campgrounds and short city hops and since the first "Kymco" I found turned out not to be a Kymco I kept looking. I've found a couple of scooters that seem to fit my bill and I'd like opinions on them from forum members. One is a 2009 People S200 with 2900 miles on it. Looks to be in cherry condition and the owner has been very responsive and straight forward to my questions. He has it priced at $1300 firm. The second bike is a 2012 People GT200i that also looks good in the pictures however the seller is selling it for his grandmother and doesn't know a lot about it. He said she was the second owner and bought it for a campground bike but it's too big for her and she wants to resell it. He said it's only been driven about 1000 miles but didn't say if that was the actual miles or what his grandmother drove it. He's going to check the actual miles and get back to me tomorrow. They have it priced at $1200 which seems pretty low unless it has a ton of miles or some unmentioned problems. My problem is both bikes are a long ways from me as I live in western North Dakota and the 2009 is 250 miles away in Fargo and the 2012 is up by Duluth about 750 miles away. I know it's comparing apple to oranges between the 2 bikes  but I'd appreciate any opinions you guys have on them. I know the 2012 has a bigger engine and lots of upgrades like liquid cooling, fuel injection and disk brakes but why does it weigh 100# more than the 2009? Assuming the 2012 is a clean bike by the time I drive 750 miles to look at it I will have several hundred more dollars invested in it over the cost of the 2009. Just wondering if it is worth the extra time and expense or if I would be just as happy with the 2009. Thanks for any comments you care to make.

[Ponyroper]

Pictures of the 2009 S200.

[Ponyroper]

Pictures of the 2012 People GT200.

[Neil955i]

Hi PR, bearing in mind I’ve never owned a People, but from comments I’ve read on here, I’d incline to the newer model to get the more reliable eFI. I’m sure some prefer being able to fettle a carb, but it’s not for me!

That red’s a nice finish though…

[Iahawk]

as a former owner of a 2010 S200, I was very happy with that scoot. Very simple and reliable. I sold mine last summer for $1200 USD with 4200 miles on it and in showroom condition, so price being asked for the 2009 is reasonable. As one who enjoys fettling with a carb...as long as you ride it regularly, the carb is no problem. Problems arise from going weeks at a time between rides (if you didn't drain your carb bowl). I had to clean my pilot jet many times due to sitting. All that said the bike is as simple as they get...air cooled single with a carb. No fancy diagnostic tools ever needed for repair. great around town scoot. Not fun to ride over 50 mph due to stiff ride...top speed low 60's in a tuck. (check the tires on the S200...from the pic the front looks like the original ..Kenda tire?...check date codes on tires...if original, get new ones, asap).

I had to look up the GT 200i... then realized it was the smaller engined brother of the GT300i. 205cc fuel injected 4 valve, liquid cooled...nice combo! Beautiful bike!

I've always liked the 300i but have never seen one (or a 200i) in the wild. Assuming it's in good condition with reasonable miles, you're right, it is priced strangely low. That scoot should be a legit highway capable scoot, if needed. I would probably pick the 200i...but I'd have to think long and hard about driving 750 miles to go get one...

[Iahawk]

on more thing...the 200i...that wasn't around long. Not sure if it was a 1 year only model?  (edit - 2 year model, offered in '12 and '13, but the 300i was sold through '17) Parts availability is always in the back of the mind with Kymco..but they are so reliable that parts and service are rarely needed. If you do get the 200i you may find you need to source parts from Europe or Asia, where scooter parts are more readily available.

[JJJoseph]

I agree with Iahawk that the carburetor machine is much simpler to maintain if there's no dealer in the same town.  Big City boys will prefer the fuel injection versions, but they do require that you have a service center nearby if anything needs attention. If you store either machine over the winter, remember not to store them with e-gas in the tank because the ethanol separates and creates headaches in the springtime.  Farmers, boaters, and aviators know this, but not all scooterists know about ethanol.

[monkeybongos]

“for puttering around campgrounds and short city hops” the People might be your best choice.  Lighter, easier to handle and work on, not to mention closer (easier and less costly to get).

[Iahawk]

“for puttering around campgrounds and short city hops” the People might be your best choice.  Lighter, easier to handle and work on, not to mention closer (easier and less costly to get).

and it's red! I always wished my black S200 was red, instead. For simplicity and reliability, yes, the S200. The sexy GT200I adds electronics, water pump, radiator, thermostat, temp sensors, coolant hoses, etc.....

[monkeybongos]

and it's red! I always wished my black S200 was red, instead. For simplicity and reliability, yes, the S200. The sexy GT200I adds electronics, water pump, radiator, thermostat, temp sensors, coolant hoses, etc.....

Right, forgot about that.  Was thinking not only about the complexity of the GT, but the overkill of power for campground cruising.

[Ruffus]

Mostly all said already, the red one looks better maintained, think has bigger wheels, might suit you better for your tasks

[Super Dirt Dud]

Did you get one of them yet ?

[Ponyroper]

Did you get one of them yet ?

I've been on vacation in the mountains for 10 days so haven't had a chance to look at either bike. I see the GT price has been lowered to $1000. Something seems odd that a 2012 model with only 1300 miles on it is priced that low. Unfortunately the bike is over 700 miles from me and it would cost me around $400 for gas to drive out there with my big pickup to look at it so I don't think I can go that route. Will check if the 2009 is still available and may run out to look at it. Had a big wind and hail storm Saturday night while I was gone and my house was badly damaged by the hail and a tree in my back yard was blown down. My insurance deductable for the house is $2000 so my budget for toys just got depleted for this year. Second year in a row that my house was hailed out. Also had 2 vehicles, an enclosed trailer and a fifth wheel camper damaged last year. The Chevy Suburban and the aluminum enclosed cargo trailer were both totalled out and my Chevy Duramax 3/4 ton pickup and the camper had about $10,000 in damage. We live in a weird place in the state that gets tremendous hail storms nearly every year and the insurance companies have raised our insurance rates or cancelled policies because of the constant storms.