I assume the ideal rider would be one that only rides tight inner urban areas or short hops.
I live in a decent-sized central N.C. city where the majority of the streets have a posted speed limit between 35 and 45 mph. My KYMCO Like 50 2T scooter will easily travel with traffic of either speed limit, topping out at around 45-ish mph. I use mine to go just about anywhere around town for errand-running and also pleasure rides. I ride year-round too, but I don't ride in inclement weather. I could easily drive the car, but I prefer to ride for the most part. Perhaps it's the adventurist in me. I also ride in a scooter club and we travel longer distances near 100 miles or more, often riding on 55 mph roads with no real issues.
Beyond the licensing breaks and low purchase cost what are their strengths?
It's FUN, man! Inexpensive to operate/maintain. Easy to park just about anywhere. Very easy to handle...lightweight, nimble, agile. And last, but not least, they are not so fast as to get one into too much trouble...speed can be fun, but is addictive and CAN be more dangerous.
Can you contrast 2 v.s. 4 stroke engines?
Personally, I love the 2-strokes...quicker acceleration and better hill-climbing power, higher top speeds, very tunable for more performance, less expensive to repair and/or rebuild when necessary. 2-strokes are not nearly as good on fuel economy, but the extra power is worth it to me...the additional performance is more safe, to me. 2-strokes can be more temperamental, especially if you don't use high-grade fuel, let them sit for too long or just don't keep them maintained per the recommended service schedule. I have had a fuel-injected 4-stroke and it wasn't too bad on performance, as most 4-strokes go.
With proper maintenance will they last as long as a 125cc (plus) machine?
With "proper maintenance" and especially preventive maintenance, depending on how you ride, under what conditions you ride and treating the machine with the respect it deserves, it's not likely you would be disappointed with a 50cc's longevity vs. a 125cc scoot. Longevity depends on so many variables, but one in particular, is that you must consider the speeds in which you will mostly travel to determine the amount of cc's you really need. If you plan on doing
a lot of 40-45+ mph riding, get the larger displacement scoot. At speeds over that range, you'll be riding wide-open throttle on most 50cc class scoots and that does tend to decrease longevity somewhat, depending.
In the Kymco line does one stand above the rest?
You will find it hard to beat the reputation of the KYMCO 50cc 2-strokes...they are super reliable (with proper care), reasonably powerful, pretty smooth, offer good fuel economy and not too noisy in most cases. I have owned several 2-stroke KYMCO scooters and probably my personal favorite (overall), has be a People 50 2T (2-stroke), but I personally prefer the retro-styled scoots. I do love my Like 50 2T, especially when considering the modifications I have done to enhance it in many ways. I really love the Vespa/Lambretta-like styling evident in the Like's design. I get a lot of compliments when riding it around town, so that tells me people like the design. If you like more of a sport bike design, the new Super 8 50 2T is AWESOME, especially with a few performance modifications...A GORGEOUS SCOOT, in my opinion. If I hadn't have purchased the Like, I would have gotten the Super 8 2T for sure.
Hope this helps!
