New nutter here with first post and first question.

[Terryvanman]

Hello everyone I’m new to this forum so be kind to me please.

I’m an old fart 77 living in Malta and spend  some time in Cyprus during the year. I sold my last scooter Honda SH 300 as it was getting too fast for my brain to handle and too heavy to push around the garage.
I sold it to a nice young man in Cyprus who couldn’t believe the like new condition it was in even though it was 13 years old with 6000 miles on the clock, I bought it new in 2011.
So I decided to buy 2 brand new smaller scooters,  Kymco 200 S, one for Malta and one for Cyprus that would be fast enough and light enough for my poor old back.
OK the Question…..the one I bought in Malta, the kick stand won’t stay down when I push it down, I asked the dealer why? He said it’s a safety feature so you can’t ride off with it down even though you can still start it when it’s on the side stand.Ok the one in Cyprus, this one ( identical model) does stay down when I kick it down and also starts when down so no cut off switch on both. So guys and girls which one is correct please

[Neil955i]

It's only a guess Terry, but I'd say the Ducati-esque* approach of the Malta model is probably the "correct" one.  If, as a manufacturer, you permit a bike/scooter to be able to be started with the sidestand down, then you open yourself up to a whole shed-load of potential liability claims for customers who ride off with it down and then come off at the first left-hand bend!

* I well remember the first auto-retracting sidestands fitted to Ducatis as my mate was a leading light in the UK DoC.  He mentioned the owners incensed at how easy it was with these to have the stand auto retract and then the machine topple over causing up to a grands-worth of damage!    I told him (sympathetically) that I had no such issue with my Triumph 

[Ruffus]

Welcome here! To say it short, both are correct and the right one in accordance with state law.
One country requires a cut off, another does not.

[Terryvanman]

Welcome here! To say it short, both are correct and the right one in accordance with state law.
One country requires a cut off, another does not.

Well here in Malta I’m taking the scooter in and the mechanic is going to cut off the bolt that stops it staying down so that should sort out the problem

[Stig / Major Tom]

I remember reading about a scooter (a Kymco model?) which was prone to falling over due to the spring-loaded "helper" side-stand.


A side stand was an "available accessory" for my Piaggio Liberty.  @$50.
 Installing the bugger was a pain - but I use it all of the time now. It came ready "wired" to attach to a socket within the scooter to lock out a start if the stand is down.

I did NOT hook up the ignition cut-out! I do not need one more thing which can play up and keep my scooter from starting on a cold winter day miles from home!

This is posted by the parts dealer in Texas....


No thank you....!

Stig