In another thread someone asked me to compare my People 150 to my Yager GT 200i
I'm moving the thread here to improve visibility of the topic.
Kymco Comparison (mostly personal opinion)
People 150 vs Yager GT 200i
(Both no longer sold in the US.)
November 2012
My wife and I currently ride both models weekly, if not daily.
We ride in hilly semi-rural northeastern Pennsylvania,
My Profile: 46 Year old male - 5 Feet 9 Inches – 210 pounds – Salt and Pepper Hair
Been riding scoots since 1989'ish – Have never ridden motorcycles.
Daily rides are short around town doing errands – typical speed 40 to 50 MPH
Weekend rides – 2 to 4 hours – Typical Speeds 50 ~ 60 MPH
I am not a scooter commuter due to my job.
We have 5,000+ Kilometers on the P150 but only 700 miles on the Yager.
We've owned the P150 since 2004 but have only had the Yager for a few months.
Consumer Reports – Kymco People 150 Best Deal :
http://green.autoblog.com/2009/02/02/i-consumer-reports-i-tests-2-wheelers-for-the-first-time-sinc/Here is an online comparison:
http://pikimal.com/motorcycle/vs/2011-kymco-people-150/2011-kymco-yager-gt-200iSpecs
P150
http://www.kymcousa.com/showroom/scooters/people150/specifications.html Yager
http://www.kymcousa.com/showroom/scooters/yager200i/specifications.htmlReviews
- P150
http://www.justgottascoot.com/people150.htm - Yager
http://www.justgottascoot.com/yager.htmFeel – Yager Wins – May not matter for short trips (30 minutes or less)
P150 – Seat a little harder – less foot room/options – position, leans on handlebars, uncomfortable – harder suspensions / ride.
Yager – Seat softer – more foot room / options – softer suspension – not leaning on handlebars, better.
* Note – both scoots have adjustable rear suspension, so you can soften the ride.
Cold Weather Riding – Yager Wins
The P150 fairing is narrow and curves in too much (and too early) at the top.
As a result your knees can can get cold and/wet.
The Yager has what I call a closed fairing – the steering goes through the fairing – this results in better weather protection for the rider.
Long Distance Comfort - Yager wins
(But I hear, the Xciting maxi scoot is way better than both of these scooters in this comfort category.)
But if you're just riding around town this really doesn't matter.
MPG (Avg's taken from Fuely.com)
- P150 ~74 MPG
http://www.fuelly.com/motorcycle/kymco/people%20150 - Yager ~73MPG
http://www.fuelly.com/motorcycle/kymco/yager%20gt%20200iMPH (Max) – Honest, ie level road, not 'tucked in' – just riding normally.
P150 – 55 MPH
Yager – 65 MPH (this scoot really isn't broken in yet. I've not really 'pushed' it yet.)
Gas Tanks Capacity / Range:
Capacity – P150 holds 1.8 gallons. Yager holds 2.9 gallons
Range – MPG varies, but given same rider the Yager obviously has the much greater range.
In town – who cares ? Slight benefit when touring.
Some folks say a small tank is good because some scoots don't get ridden enough to use the gas before it goes bad.
If that sounds like you a small tank might be a good thing.
Cost – The P150 costs significantly less than the Yager.
Years of Production - P150 Wins
The P150 wins. The P150 was sold in the USA for many years. While the Yager was only sold in the US for a short time.
This affects the availability of accessories and maybe parts. Simply put more volume usually means more support, etc.
Kick Starter
The P150 has it (and electric start too) - where as the Yager only has electric start.
I like the extra option. If you're stuck this kick starter just might get you home.
Mirrors – Yager mirrors have much better visibility. The P150 mirrors, hard to see around your own shoulders !
Center Stand
The P150 is much easier to get up onto the center stand than the Yager The P150 is a little lighter but 'ease' is also affected by the height/position of the luggage rack, etc. The Yager is 'do-able' – I'm just saying that the P150 is easier. If you're a very small person you should try this yourself on both models before making a purchase.
P150 weights 245 pounds – Yager weights 308 pounds, 63 pounds more than P150.
Side Kick Stand
Both scooters have this.
The P150 will start / run with stand down – more convenient.
Yager won't start or run with stand down – SAFER.
Pushing/Walking Scoots Around
P150 is a breeze – Yager need to pay a little more attention not to drop it, but still not too bad.
P150 weights 245 pounds – Yager weights 308 pounds, 63 pounds more than P150.
Also the positioning and height of the handlebars may affect the ease of movement as well.
Foot Pegs – Yager Wins – P150 Sucks ! Sucks ! Sucks !
The P150 has the worse foot peg placement ever ! ! !
Even adults have trouble reaching these foot pegs.
As kids are often passengers (and their legs are shorter) this is a major problem for a family scooter.
Over on the yahoo kymco group – someone posted photos and instructions on how to add better foot pegs.
I'm still disappointed in Kymco for not giving this more thought.
The foot pegs on the Yager are fine – my petite 9 year old loves them and has no trouble riding 2 up.
EFI (Yager) vs Carb (P150)
– The EFI/Yager is runs smooth and is easy to start. But the Carb/P150 is more peppy and more fun to ride. Our scoots are started daily so the Carb/P150 stays happy and easy to start. But if your scoot will sit unused for long periods of time then the EFI will probably start easier when it is time to get it going. (Read other notes about properly prep'ing your scooter for long term storage.)
Air vs. Liquid Cooling
– The P150 is air cooled, simpler with less parts to break. But liquid cooled reportedly has better/longer engine life – and gives peace of mind during hot days in slow traffic. The Yager is liquid cooled.
High Speed Interstate Travel
I feel the Yager could handle the Interstate where as I don't feel the P150 could. Still, I don't enjoy the interstate even on the Yager. I would only do so for an exit or two – if it was the shortest distance between two points and there were no parallel secondary roads.
As an aside, I think interstates are safer because there are no intersections or traffic lights. The rules of the road are simpler, so people in cars can do fewer stupid things to kill scooterist. (Yes, I am biased.)
Brakes
– Yager has disc brakes front and back. The P150 has a disc in the front but a drum in the back. Disc brakes stop quicker. But I've got to say the P150 always stopped just fine for me . . . and there have been a few 'quick' stops over the years.
Wheel Size
– P150 has a larger wheel diameter – motorcycle riders feel this is safer, able to take rough roads better. I'm probably in the minority here, but I prefer the smaller wheel size. It feels more nimble (handling – swerving about stuff) and, personally, I feel a little more stable on the smaller wheel. That said the bigger wheel may handle pot holes better. But with the smaller nimble wheel I easily avoid them. Comments ?
Tires
– Side to side roll feel – The Yager has a fatter rounder tire. The P150 tire is thinner but also less 'round'ish' – also the side walls are sort of scooped and firm'ish. Ok, that was probably poorly described from a technical stand point. But riding the Yager, I can can easily roll side to side – for example on curvy roads – very smoothly. The P150 does just fine as well, but not with the same smooth roll out that I feel on the Yager.
Looks – Personal opinion, I prefer the classic retro design of the P150
Engine Size / HP (P150 152cc vs Yager 174.5cc)
– the Yager has more muscle. With our riding the extra muscle is not often needed and both scoots travel well together. The P150 isn't left behind – it does not struggle to keep up. But if it was a race, the Yager would win. It is a good idea that your scooter have enough power that you don't have to ride WOT (wide open throttle) most of the time just to maintain your typical crusing speed.
MultiKey Function
– The Yager has a 'do everything' key. From the ignition, it opens the seat and pops open the gas cap. Where as the P150 has a separate lock/release on the side of the seat to unlatch it. (The gas cap is under the seat on the P150.) The Yager 'Super Key' is cool – but I don't care for anything overly complicated as I feel eventually it will brake. Simple is good in my opinion. I prefer the simplicity of the P150.
Wheel Base
Yager 54.7 inches – P150 53 inches
The longer wheel base should give the Yager a slightly better ride.
Big Heavy Scooters
– The P150 is lighter and just feels easier to get out of the garage, park and move around in general. It's my impression that the bigger the scooter the less often it gets ridden – this is a generalization. I don't feel like the Yager is big enough that it has this problem . . . I'm thinking more of the maxi king sized scooters. But the P150 is so light, it's a joy to grab it for any short trip.
Ground Clearance
– I often park on the front porch of local stores, especially if they have a roof. In some cases I need to 'hop the curb.' So ground clearance is worth thinking about. Eyeballing it – they seem about the same.
Storage (Gas Tank)
The Yager has much more under seat storage than the P150 – due in part to gas tank placement. The Yager gas tank is under the foot plate. The P150 gas tank is under the seat. But the P150 does have a glove box, which the Yager does not.
Foot Pan
The Yager has a slightly elevated foot pan (it's flat, but the gas tank is under there.) I didn't really like that, but you get used to it.
Helmet Hooks – They work 'as is' on the Yager. On the P150 little extensions had to be purchased.
My Over All Recommendation:
If you're taking short, solo (no passenger) trips around town at speeds not exceeding 50MPH then your just can't beat the People 150, both for performance and price. But the P150 still has a enough power for long rides on the weekend. [If you enjoy mechanical work, install better foot pegs.]
[Having said all that, I do love my Yager too !
If I could just have one of everything, then I'd be content.]
I'm sure others will have other recommendations and I hope they post them here. More input helps everyone.
Next Scoot ?
We like our scoots and probably won't replace them with something 'better / different.' But we may add an additional scooter. It's too soon to tell but maybe one of these: People 300i, Honda 300, Xciting 500, Yamaha Majesty 400 or Suzuki Bergman 400. We like to tour and the steep, curvy hi-speed hill linking our town to the neighboring city demands a higher cc/hp, especially riding 2 up.
