I have one, ride it hard - smiling (and at times chortling) harder. I think it is one of the best engineered scoots I've ridden.
Handling, handling, handling. You push it down into a turn and it tracks true with no wobble - almost takes the fun out of it.
The 200 vs the 300.
Yes, I too was shooting for the 300. Why not get the bigger engine and the most flexibility for the $700 difference in MSRP?
For me it was availability and price. I found a dealership with one at a "hate-yourself-for-life-if-you-pass-it-up" price.
I rode both the 300 and 200. I don't miss the bigger engine. Interestingly they only export the 200 to Canada.
On the 300 take off was noticeably faster, the area you feel it most is mid-range 30-55mph. The 200 takes longer and has less oomph in that area.
Top speed is not an issue for me. I rarely travel 70+ mph. Although on the big wheels it feels much less sketchy. There is probably a 5-7 mph real world difference in top end speed between the two scoots. I regularly ride in the 50-65mph range. The 200 has all the power and speed I need to travel my secondary roads.
I use it to two up with my wife and - seriously - do not feel much of a power loss with her on it. She's a normal sized woman. Not petite not voluptuous. We have some big hills/small mountains in my area and I lost maybe 5mph on those but I slow down a bit with her on anyway.
Handling two up is awesome. My Vespa GTS gets squirrely with her on the back, the brakes feel inadequate and any movement from her moves the bike. The People has none of that. It's almost like she's not there. A few times I had to remind myself she was - and there was more weight in back - before picking my line.
Gas Mileage. I'm still in the break in period and so far I'm averaging about 70 mpg.
Bads. The top box. It just spoils the lines and takes away from the awesome led lights. Even worse. It's sooo useful. I can get my XL Full face in it and have room for some small stuff. The underseat storage is useless for anything but your papers. I keep forgetting about the glovebox because it's so forgettable.
Center stand. The balance point is just a hair off and you have to add some muscle to your finesse to get it up.
Shudder at pull out. Others have commented before. The Kymco has a little shudder/rough spot when pulling out. Both the 200 and 300 have it. You ignore it after the first couple of miles.
Seat. Not the most comfortable for my needs but I have a bad back and difficult needs. It's cushy enough. The little hump between rider and passenger makes a nice area to push back on and have a nice planted position. My wife says she feels like she slides around more on it than on the Vespa but that was right after I cleaned and polished the seat.
Seat release. Ok. The metal cover that clicks over the ignition hole for theft prevention is cool but the four thousand key positions to operate 96 million functions is a bit of a drag. I had the hardest time getting the key to release the seat. Not bad once you get the jist but not real intuitive.
For me it came down to opportunity. A dealership was ending their Kymco affiliation and blowing out stock. I got a brand new 200cc including taxes, title, tags, AND finance charges for a little under $4300.
Final Choice. I'd buy it again. It's great. Even if you do highways, there's just not that much difference between the two.
My Vespa is faster (heavily modified) and more comfortable (heavily modified) but the People can out handle it (stock). I may just take the top box off and use the Kymco as my "sport" scooter.
We've all got it in our heads that bigger is better. Between the two Peoples (200 vs 300) bigger is marginally better, but better isn't always worth it.
Andrew
People GTi200
Vespa GTS250
Lambretta LI175
Lambretta Cutdown 250 Auto
People 50 2T
