Super 8 refresh

[PeTroL42]

It looks like Kymco has done a Mid-Year refresh of the Super 8

http://www.kymcousa.com/showroom/scooters/super8150/specifications.html

And the specs changed a little. 

The MPG went down to 69 from 75 and the braking system is different.  I doubt it's real ABS though. 

Also, the tire sizes are different than my 2013 Super 8.  My Super 8 has a 120/80-14 in the rear and a 120/70-14 in the front. 

I'm not digging the new color schemes though.

[Stig / Major Tom]

It looks like Kymco has done a Mid-Year refresh of the Super 8

http://www.kymcousa.com/showroom/scooters/super8150/specifications.html

And the specs changed a little. 

The MPG went down to 69 from 75 and the braking system is different.  I doubt it's real ABS though. 

Also, the tire sizes are different than my 2013 Super 8.  My Super 8 has a 120/80-14 in the rear and a 120/70-14 in the front. 

I'm not digging the new color schemes though.

I don't know...it says ABS BOSCH.....
Bosch are the folks who put these brakes on a lot of vehicles.
Shoot, ANY kind of ABS has got to be nothing but good news for the rider (or driver)

[ophelia]

Kymco uses real ABS with sensors and valves and computers to prevent wheel lockup. They do not use the fake ABS bottles like on Chinese brands that stop you from having maximum braking.

[PeTroL42]

Real ABS is usually a $500+ option on any motorcycle so I find it really hard to believe that the Super 8 refresh has real ABS at the same MSRP of $2499.

[ophelia]

Maybe it is a misprint on Kymco USA's website. There is no other mention of ABS anywhere else for the Super 8. The picture of the refreshed Super 8 doesn't show any ABS hardware.

[MassScoot]

Looks like the HP went-up 1HP. My 2013 has 9.38HP, hence the lower fuel rating. I always wished the Super 8 would come in one color scheme, not Red/White etc. At $2499.00 the Super 8 is getting-up there in price (I paid $2200.00 for mine a year ago) Hell Piaggio Fly 150 smokes the Super 8 & it's only $400.00 more @ retail. You get 3 valves, fuel-injection & 12.69HP! That's so worth the extra coin. The problem is Piaggio kills their dealers in freight costs, so it will cost more then $400.00 in the end.

http://www.piaggiousa.com/scooters.html#/!s=overview/fly-150-3v

[PeTroL42]

Even with the lower HP rating, I'd much rather have a Super 8 than a Piaggio Fly 150. 

To me, the Fly 150 looks a little bland and generic but the Super 8 LOOKS like a Sports Scooter.  I don't think there's another scooter on the market that has looks as aggressive as the Super 8. 

But the Super 8 is let down by it's somewhat weak motor.  It would be nice to see the Super 8 with the Kymco Movie 150's 4 valve engine.  If the specs could be trusted, the Movie's 150 sports 13.5HP but what intrigues me most about that motor is it's short stroke.  That would mean that the motor would be able to sustain higher RPMs for longer than a square or long stroke motor.  But that's only if the specs are to be believed.  Since the Super 8's motor is so weak, I want to modify the transmission but am going to hold off a bit since I still have 1.5 years on my warranty.

And I agree with you about having a solid color option.  I was fortunate to pick up a Black/Silver one and after I took off the silver accent stickers on the front of the scooter, my Super 8 is now solid black with the silver accent just on the bottom that is painted.  Maybe I should see how much it would cost to get that painted black.

[MassScoot]

Petrol: The Super 8 HP is about "standard" for 150cc air-cooled engine. It gets the job done. I find the S8 has very weak headlights, but I don't drive much @ night myself. Looks are subjective. The Fly doesn't win any beauty contests that's for sure, but then again The Movie 150 isn't that great looking either. Plus the Movie 150 frame is on the smallish side. I feel Kymco completely missed the mark with the Movie 150 as it has a carb. It's almost 2014 & for that type of money, FI should have be a must. Kymco needs a mid-range scooter with FI (aside from the Like 200i) in their line-up. I simply don't care for the Like200i either. Plastics are thin & my impression overall is it's "cheap" looking. But @ $2699.00, they needed to cut some corners to keep the price down. Kymco needs a "sporty" type (think S8) with FI for a tad under $3,000 IMHO. 

[PeTroL42]

Petrol: The Super 8 HP is about "standard" for 150cc air-cooled engine. It gets the job done. I find the S8 has very weak headlights, but I don't drive much @ night myself. Looks are subjective. The Fly doesn't win any beauty contests that's for sure, but then again The Movie 150 isn't that great looking either. Plus the Movie 150 frame is on the smallish side. I feel Kymco completely missed the mark with the Movie 150 as it has a carb. It's almost 2014 & for that type of money, FI should have be a must. Kymco needs a mid-range scooter with FI (aside from the Like 200i) in their line-up. I simply don't care for the Like200i either. Plastics are thin & my impression overall is it's "cheap" looking. But @ $2699.00, they needed to cut some corners to keep the price down. Kymco needs a "sporty" type (think S8) with FI for a tad under $3,000 IMHO.

I could live with a carbureted Super 8 if it were more powerful like a SYM HD200.  Then the Super 8's performance would match it's looks.  As far as the headlights, I like that it has two 55 watt bulbs that are lit at the same time which creates a nice wide beam although the lens could be redesigned to create a smooth beam pattern instead of it's jagged edge butterfly look.  The only thing I don't like about the headlights is that they're aimed a little low.  I'm going to adjust the spring preload to it's lowest setting and hopefully my beam will be aimed a little higher.  I had a cheap China scoot that used a single 35 watt bulb and that thing sucked to ride at night.

I think Kymco had to make some compromises when designing the Movie 150.  The cheap Chinese scooter market changed the expectations of what a scooter should cost.  In general, Chinese scooters don't have a dealer network and aren't put together well so that's why they cost what they do.  Brand name scooters on the other hand stand by their products with a nice warranty and have a dealer network setup so the consumer has somewhere to take their broken scooters to get fixed.  Honda tried to sell the SH150 in the USA for $4000 and nobody bought them and they're no longer in Honda's lineup.  The SH150 was one of the, if not the best 150cc scooter on the market but that wasn't enough for people to want to buy them.  I think in general, most people don't understand how an engine works and won't know the difference between FI and Carburetion, liquid cooled vs. air cooled and other things that make an engine run better.  What most people do understand is a low price and the Movie 150 is a result of that although an MSRP of $3199 doesn't seem that low.  I did check one out at my scooter dealer and it is made in Taiwan and it did seem a little more solid than my Super 8 and I would like one but it's a hard call when a SYM HD200 only retails for $300 more which would probably be the better investment.

[skishades]

The Honda SH150 was my first choice for a scooter... I tried 4 different dealers, sent emails and acknowledged that they didn't have any in stock but asked how long it would take to order one.  Every single dealer only wanted to sell me what they had on the floor, none would talk about ordering an SH150.  The dealers weren't carrying the 150 nor were they entertaining the idea of the 150 at their shops.  I think I found 2 in all of California, all 6+ hours away to pick up with no trailer. Honda couldn't sell the 150 because the dealers wouldn't order them. That was when I came across Kymco.  For half the price and nearly as good a reputation, I couldn't beat it. And I have no regrets either.

[ophelia]

I'm going to adjust the spring preload to it's lowest setting and hopefully my beam will be aimed a little higher.  I had a cheap China scoot that used a single 35 watt bulb and that thing sucked to ride at night.

Have you tried the headlight aim adjusters already? Usually there is a knob or screw that will point the bulb up or down.

[PeTroL42]

The Honda SH150 was my first choice for a scooter... I tried 4 different dealers, sent emails and acknowledged that they didn't have any in stock but asked how long it would take to order one.  Every single dealer only wanted to sell me what they had on the floor, none would talk about ordering an SH150.  The dealers weren't carrying the 150 nor were they entertaining the idea of the 150 at their shops.  I think I found 2 in all of California, all 6+ hours away to pick up with no trailer. Honda couldn't sell the 150 because the dealers wouldn't order them. That was when I came across Kymco.  For half the price and nearly as good a reputation, I couldn't beat it. And I have no regrets either.

I'm pretty sure that if there was enough interest in the Honda SH150 that the Honda dealers would have stocked up on them.

Take the Honda Grom for instance.  This little Monkey Bike is garnering all kinds of attention right now with a lot of people asking their dealers when they're going to be in stock.  The SH150 didn't get this kind of attention before it was released and nobody paid attention when they were released to the public.

[PeTroL42]

Have you tried the headlight aim adjusters already? Usually there is a knob or screw that will point the bulb up or down.

I haven't tried the adjusters yet since I'd have to take off the front body panel to access them but thanks for the tip.

I'm going to try the spring preload first and see if that gets the results I want.  Also, I'd like to have a lower stance on my scooter since I don't carry any passengers or carry anything heavy on my Super 8.

[PeTroL42]

Upon closer inspection on the Super 8 refresh, it looks like redesigned the whole front end. 

I think it lost some of it's sportiness.

[skishades]

The bulbs I pulled out of my scoot were 35w... but it was a 2009 scoot.  Have they increased to 55w now?