What scooter to Choose?

[Cortez]

The GTS got 12" wheels if I remember correctly, and yeah, if you ask the Kymco dealers about their favorite
scoot, it's a toss up between the GTi and Downtown 300, the Xciting 500 is rarely mentioned.

This may change with the new Xciting 400, tho!

[adelinejames0]

Hi,

I am trying to narrow down my choices about what scooter to buy. Beside local commuting I want to undertake extended road trips. With the intention NOT to make lots of miles per day but take the time to explore, "smell the roses" and take pictures.

Styling wise I love the Vespa GTS 300. However I am not sure how this scooter will do on the highway's around here. From where I live its pretty much impossible to get anywhere without having to travel a very busy highway with some steep inclines (101, 280, 92).
Also I wander about the stability and ride comfort (bad roads and back) in relation to the suspension and wheel size).

I prefer the step trough "European" style and I have looked at the other well known choices like the Burgman and Silverwing. But these are to much like a big motorcycle to me and defeating the purpose of my goals. The only "Maxi" scooter that I might consider is the TMax since it seating position is higher and it did not appear as big as the other Maxi scooters.


So far I have narrowed it down to these options:

Kymco GT 300i (16" wheels, 28HP) - 364 lbs - Wheel base 32" - Seat Hight 32"
Vespa GTS 300 (12" wheels, 22HP) - 326 lbs - Wheel base 31" - Seat Hight 31"
Yamaha T-Max (15" wheels, ??HP)  - 489 lbs - Wheel base 62" - Seat hight 32"

* Dimensions are rounded to the nearest number.

I was not impressed with the quality and finish of the Kymco People 300 I saw earlier this year in a showroom. Someone at the dealer told me it had a rough ride. From what I have read the new 2012 model should have some mayor improvements. Since I haven't seen the new 2012 Kymco in person I wander that this forum can teach me :-)

The Piaggio BV500 forces me into a uncomfortable seating position and offers little protection. I never sat on a Aprillia Scarebo 500 but I have my doubts about the quality and dealer/distributor support.



Looking forward to your thoughts!

Sometimes you have to just one out of many choice that time we are supporting of the feature of that thing which will be preferable with our choice. Now I would like to suggest about Kymco GT 300i because It  has nice feature compare to other and have good engine with 150 cc and also have induction motor for fuel compassion.

[Wiz]

Sometimes you have to just one out of many choice that time we are supporting of the feature of that thing which will be preferable with our choice. Now I would like to suggest about Kymco GT 300i because It  has nice feature compare to other and have good engine with 150 cc and also have induction motor for fuel compassion.

I think something is being lost in translation. The GT 300i is 298cc not 150cc. It has a 4 stroke internal combustion engine not an electric (induction) motor. I'm not sure what "fuel compassion" is, possibly you mean good MPG?

[MikeKymco]

^  You haven't heard about fuel compassion?

I'm only posting in regard to wheel size. I've got a People 150 that I've had about two months, and I've put about 300 miles on a set of Heidenau K63 tires, in the stock sizes (80/80-16 and 100/80-16, I believe.) and it rides really nice now.  The old tires were five years old, the rear was a little flat in the middle, so I'm not surprised that there's an improvement, but now I can feel the limits of the suspension, chassis, brakes.  Not that I generally ride hard enough, but a good set of tires makes it a very road-worthy bike.  They're the only ones with the same model in those sizes, from what I can tell.  The two Shinko models that have to be paired to get the right sizes have about the same profile from what I can tell, and I've heard from too many people who were riding them that they do make really good tires to not believe it.  And the Heidenau tires set me back enough more that I had to think it through, but I have no regrets.  Installation is a cost I factored in, and that made the Heidenau tires less unattractive, price-wise.

I've never felt nearly as comfortable on a small diameter-wheeled bike, so the 16" wheels are a must have on a scooter for me.

I'll post a pic of those tires soon.

[htcneil2]

Tmax for sure. Great do it all bike.

[ailixhomes]

Tmax for sure. Great do it all bike.

I heard about this new Xciting 400, it is new launch scooter in 2012 with new techniques. It have 400cc engine with electric injection, good headlamps and light which gives highly visibility it is good in low light, two front disc brakes which good for security and sudden stopping the bike. It is really good for ride.

[leomagnus]

I would choose the Kymco for build and reliability. I have driven vespas in Rome and those small wheels really suck on uneven and wet pavement. A mechanic who used to work on my scooter(SH150 Honda) in the Porta Portese section of Rome used to tell he prefered the Honda/Kymco over the Aprilia/Piaggio because of reliability issues.

[Vivo]

I would choose the Kymco for build and reliability. I have driven vespas in Rome and those small wheels really suck on uneven and wet pavement. A mechanic who used to work on my scooter(SH150 Honda) in the Porta Portese section of Rome used to tell he prefered the Honda/Kymco over the Aprilia/Piaggio because of reliability issues.

See?   

[ailixhomes]

It depends on the choice of the people that which type of vehicle they want to drive and which brand they prefer to purchase the vehicles. I like to drive bike and i have kymco people GT300i. This is really very nice and comfort bike to ride and it give good mileage as well as average. So that i would like to suggest you Kymco  bikes are good to use and its price is also affordable for the people.