2 passengers on a 2009 People 50 4t: Waste of Time?

[dreflu]

Dreflu,

Thanks for the clarification. Can you describe your experience with riding 2-up on the 4 stroke?

the best thing i can tell you  is to ride it and try!! 6 gram rollers would make you pull better tho..

[Portland Steve]

Sell the 4t and get a tandem bicycle (if you want to be environmentally responsible) or man up, get your motorcycle license and get a bigger scooter.
Personally I don't like to ride two up on a scooter or a motorcycle.
Oh, sure it is cute and all, but wonky.
I may change my mind if I get to ride a Goldwing.

[dreflu]

Sell the 4t and get a tandem bicycle (if you want to be environmentally responsible) or man up, get your motorcycle license and get a bigger scooter.
Personally I don't like to ride two up on a scooter or a motorcycle.
Oh, sure it is cute and all, but wonky.
I may change my mind if I get to ride a Goldwing.

i like my lil scooter!!!

[sparko]

You haven't ridden it yet? Trade it in for the 2 stroke model. It will cost you but it will be less than the thousand dollars your dealer wants to charge. Besides, 2 stroke is more fun.

[dreflu]

You haven't ridden it yet? Trade it in for the 2 stroke model. It will cost you but it will be less than the thousand dollars your dealer wants to charge. Besides, 2 stroke is more fun.

two strokes do have more power!!

[alpha300]

Hi  Everyone!

I just bought a brand new 2009 Kymco People 50 4 stroke scooter. It was an impulse buy... I bought the scooter, but I haven't even test driven it yet as it is winter. Which brings me here for some information from knowledgeable and experienced scooter enthusiasts.

I wanted the scooter for two reasons:

1) Take little leisurely scenic rides with the wife.
2) Use if for errands and small journeys to save fuel and be environmentally responsible.

Im sure the scooter will fulfill reason number 2.

However, I am starting to doubt the viability of number 1.

Can I successfully carry myself and another passenger ( total of 2 people ) on the People 50 4T 2009? Or will it just be an exercise in frustration, sucking the joy out of scootering?

I weigh 175 lbs while my wife weight 120 lbs.

What do you think? I look forward to your comments.

I have had a chance to think things through...

In my opening post, I said that I wanted the scooter for two reasons:

1) Take little leisurely scenic rides with the wife.
2) Use if for errands and small journeys to save fuel and be environmentally responsible.

This is still true but the priorities are reversed. A practical and economical mode of transportation that doesn't pollute as much as a car or a 2 stroke is actually the first priority. I just got excited and nostalgic about spending the summer days with my chick on the back of the scooter. Those were such carefree days.

I have decided to keep the People s50 4t and keep it stock (maybe change rollers for fun!). I really like the "adult" conservative and classy styling of it. If the wife can get on the back for a few miles along the river on the flats... then I'm happy. Its for the wife to drive on her own too... so the People s50 4t will be just fine.

And I just saved myself 1000.00 dollars. We are in a recession after all.

If I really want to get into scootering, I'll install the big bore kit myself during the next year - or get something else.

Thank you for the advice - and the sanity check! LOL

[alpha300]

I have finally had a chance to ride my new Kymco People S50 4t. My girlfriend is away, so I decided to test the scooter with another passenger - someone heavier! My ol'man. I weight 175 lbs and he weighs in at 165 lbs.

Performance:

By myself (175 lbs), I was able to keep up with traffic easily. The area in which I drive has speedlimits of 30-50 km/hr. I was able to go up hills, no problem and maintain at least the posted speed limit. On flats, I was able to achieve 65 km/hr and 70 km/hr with a little wind behind me.

With a passenger (175 +165 lbs), I was still able to keep up with traffic and maintain at least the posted speed limits on flats. On the hills, the scooter slowed quite a bit. But those sections are short and infrequent - So I feel that it is acceptable performance.

I suppose it all depends on expectations. I got wound up with all the "performance talk" and " tweaking" that most people who own (relatively) low cost, modifiable machines often do. I began to have unrealistic expectations myself!

The Final Verdict:

This 4 stroke 50cc scooter has "enough" power to get me and a passenger from point A to point B in an enjoyable and leisurely fashion. It does not have agressive acceleration in anyway - but I don't really care about that - it's a 50cc scooter ! Not a full blown motorcyle! It will have somewhat better performance when I ride 2-up with my GF as she only weighs 116 lbs. At the end of the day, I am happy with my purchase. it performs well enough, looks like a quality product, inexpensive and is relatively environmentally friendly. Those three "adequate" characteristics make this scooter a winner.

[NewKymcoFan]

Yeah good call. Glad it worked our for you.  Like I said earlier  I rode two up with my wife on our old 2006 vino classic in the past and in the small town we lived in at the time we didn't have any problems and it was a blast. Enjoy the ride and be safe.

[alpha300]

I went for a ride with my wife today... Wonderful. It was a beautiful spring day. The scooter got us from point A to point B in style and comfort. It easily got up the small hills and was even able to tackle a few steep ones. I dont feel that performance has changed significantly between just me and the both of us on the scooter. I am quite amazed. I very pleased with my purchase. As I said, I had a wonderful day out, and that's what its all about. 

Could it use a little more ooomph? Sure, but when is it ever enough? I'll content myself with this bone stock People s50 4t and ride the hell out of it for as long as I can.

[alpha300]

I've racked up 1000 km so far on the People s50 4t. More than half that mileage was done 2-up.
I've changed the oil at 200km and at 500km.

My wife and I are enjoying the scooter a lot. We intend to continue using the scooter as often as we can. However, it just occurred to me that the little engine/transmission is going to suffer from the extra load of 2-up riding. I know the rear shock is going to take a beating, but that it easily replaced. Brakes pads and tires will have to be replaced more often too... It's the heart of the scooter (the engine/transmission) that I am concerned about.

Should I be concerned?