Why maxi scooters take so long to come to the USA market

[MotoRandy123]

 Ya I used to walk into Radio Shack and make stuff up asking about the new computers,
"Hay does that one have the mega gigawatt power supply?". They'd always tell me it did
even though there was no such thing!

 On the mega scoots I have to wonder how Kymco can bring in different models each year
and Honda can't because it cost too much to pass emissions? I think the testing must be
based on the total volume from a manufacturer.

 I don't think you'll ever see lots of scooters in US up north as you can't ride them year round.
In warmer locations they make more sense. It costs me $200 per year to register and inspect
my scoot and there's only 100 days of (potential) nice weather, 1/2 of those are used up by rain
and weekdays so it costs me $4 per day to ride...

[kingkymco125]

Randy, you are right. It all depends upon the weather and climate of the area. In Vegas, we can pretty much ride all year long. January is our coldest month and I did not ride my for two days since it was so damn cold. On these days temps did not get out of the thirties. You have to minus 10 degrees on the bike and there is no way I was gonna ride with the temp on my bike being in the low twenties. Now the wheather is finally starting to warm up with temps being in the sixties for day time highs over the next ten days. If this holds up, temps should be in the mid eighties by mid March. The wheather can change on a dime.

[houndguy]

Weather does play a part your right.   I think KingKymco metioned cities as well.   I've been lucky enough to live for extended periods in 3 wonderful yet very distinct cities.

Pittsburgh, PA has maybe a 5 month long riding season.  It's got a good public transportation system of buses, subways, trains and even inclines!  I have not lived there in a while (over 5 years) but I think it's a good city for maxi-scoots to thrive in.   It's also a older city with narrow roads and limited areas to grow into.   See my comments on increasing urbanization.

Charlotte, NC is a growing city that has embraced public transportation having recently spent millions on subway's and trolley's.  It's got probably a 9 - 10 month riding season (when I lived there where only 2 ice storms in 10 years and winters were generally in the 50's or 10 C).   It was a growing city in the early 90's which was built around several highways.   Again, while you might be OK with a lower cc bike it's probably better to have a mid range powerplant to get you around quickly and safely.

Currently I live outside of Tampa, FL.  It's a year round riding season but has no public transportation worth a damn.  In fact, I think there are more parking lots in this city than actual cars.  A bigger CC bike is pretty much a requirement here and your seeing a movement towards the 250's here in Tampa.

When I travel to Asia or the islands like Bermuda, you don't see little 50's putting down the road.  You see the 125's and 250's.  Because they serve the needs of the public better.   

Just my 2 cents.   

[Mike Green]

  I will ALWAYS regret letting go of my Xciting 500Ri.
Mike

[Vivo]

When I travel to Asia or the islands like Bermuda, you don't see little 50's putting down the road.  You see the 125's and 250's.  Because they serve the needs of the public better.   


The average displacement of bikes here in the Philippines is 125cc. Just perfect for our needs... Motorcycles/scooters are cheap modes of transportation... I like to scoot everyday mainly because I hate traffic jams which is a common sight in a third world country.  Small roads and lots of cars here. The weather is not a factor... The more the rain, the more the traffic jams, the more I want to use my scooter... We always have rain gear in the box...


@Mike... Tell your wife that you saw 2 deers on the road and had to brake hard or else the two front tires of the spyder might hit the 2 deers... tell her if you were riding a scooter, you can just safely pass in between the 2 deers on the road... maybe she'll advise you to trade that spyder to a scooter.....

[ts1]

The weather is not a factor... The more the rain, the more the traffic jams, the more I want to use my scooter...

Same here with the snow.
But most people don't internalize that and/or prefer to sit and wait in the dry and climatized cage, even if they have "real motorcycles" at home.

[Vivo]

Same here with the snow.
But most people don't internalize that and/or prefer to sit and wait in the dry and climatized cage, even if they have "real motorcycles" at home.

It's easier to scoot in the rain than snow... all you need is a rain poncho and a helmet to keep dry... in snow, you need lots of covering to keep warm... and then there are icy roads...  Ironically, we need more body covering during hot summer days... otherwise, we will have 2-toned skin colors...  A funny thing happened to me once. I used these bicycle gloves with my fingers exposed... when I took off the gloves, my fingers were darker than the back of my hand... Lol!

[kingkymco125]

Everyone: I spoke to the only kymco dealership here in Vegas and they confirmed what the  people over at the Vespa dealership told me about the emissions standards here in the U.S.  Our emission standards are in fact more strict here then they are elsewhere. Since Kymco has met the emissions requirement, they can now ship their 70cc models here. The guy at the Kymco dealership said the 700cc model is a bike one can tour the country with. All you do is twist and go.

I like the Vespas, but parts are very difficult to get. This is one of the reasons their scooters are very expensive. It is not just the  name, but their distribution network as well. I guess their is no parts network here in the U.S. or elsewhere for their bikes. I know the Kymcos are less expensive, but the quality is just as good.