Kymco 300i and GTi300???  By  oldchopperguy (Read 5,959 times)

Yeah the Citicom is the best value , IMO, in its class. I rode one and its very smooth and still enough power to collect plenty of tickets. It's just a little "tall" for me. I got some stubby legs !

Of all the 250 and larger scoots I have tried, I've found that (in general) the ones with a "hump" in the floor are the "maxi-scooters" and are MUCH heavier and more cumbersome than the "flat-floor" step-through scoots. There may be exceptions, but a good example is the Kymco "Exciting" 250/500 compared with the "People" 300 or the old "Grand Vista/Grand Dink" 250. The Exciting FEELS as heavy to manhandle as a Harley Electra-Glide or Honda Gold Wing. The People and Grand Vista FEEL little more bulky than my Chinese 150.

It seems to me (and I may be wrong...) that the "hump-floor" maxi's are tailored more for mostly comfortable highway cruising, while the "flat-floor" scooters are tailored more for snappy-handling city use... But either one can run 65 mph or better if need be. That makes the flat-floor scoots good for me as I would ride about % city, and 10% freeway.

I have a major problem with arthritis in my spine that makes it difficult to climb aboard even a "humped" maxi, and nearly impossible to mount a motorcycle. However, the flat-floor scoots suit me fine. If my Chinese 150 would run 70 mph, I'd keep it forever... LOL! But, that ain't gonna happen. So for me, the obsolete Kymco Grand Vista 250 is "OK" and the new People 300 is "PERFECT"... Only price will be the final determining factor. Yes, the SYM, and other makers scoots would be good too, but you just don't find them around here; at least not used and affordable.

Right now, I have a whole file of Grand Vista 250's to negotiate on, and ONE People 300. I'll probably end up with one or the other.

I'll keep the posts coming as I progress.

Leo in Texas

PS: Guess I'll have to eventually change my signature to "Fear the WATER-COOLED Panda"... LOL!

We'll have to Fear the Pasta!



>'Kat, wishing I had mad-graphics skills so I could "fix" Leo's tag....

I thought so too, until this afternoon... I went by my friendly neighborhood Kymco dealer, and he has a VERY nice "Grand Vista" that he will not only negotiate on, BUT will give me a fair trade-in on my Chinese ride! THAT is mighty hard to turn down... I think I'll go back tomorrow and see if I can consummate the deal. Ride "Lil' Bubba" down, ride "Big Bubba" home, AND save some money.

I was able to park a new GTi300 next to the Grand Vista and climb on and off, and test ride them one after the other. I like both (a LOT) preferring the much greater power and gas mileage of the 4-valve, injected 300, but preferring the stance, handling and general "feel" of the old-school Grand Vista carbureted 250.

BOTH scoots are SWEET rides. If both were used, and the same price, I'd honestly have a hard time deciding. Considering my riding will be more city than highway, I have a SLIGHT preference for the more compact, 12" wheeled 250. Considering price, I have a MAJOR preference for the 250... LOL!

So, unless they sell it tomorrow morning, which is not likely, I'll be trading the old Xingyue for an old Kymco. Hmmm... Works for me. It REALLY is nice, on bumps, to feel quiet "thumps" with the aging GV instead of the clanky "washbucket full of hubcaps" sound and feel of the Chinese ride. Whew, there ARE major differences in build-quality. I love my little China doll, but I think I can get used to the tight, smooth feel of the Taiwanese ride. It's very much evident, even after some years and miles. Just like my old Honda car.

If I do the deal, I'll post, and give pix and details.

Ride safe!

Leo in Texas

Sylvrekat,

THIS one's just for YOU...



image upload with preview

And... Watch out for that Linguini Ala Aprilla.... LOL!

Leo (the nutty artist) in Texas

Kat,ME TOO! I'm ready to be part of the traffic, instead of a target.

Yeah, when I was a youngster, the Japanese cycle invasion came along and anything non-Harley, or non-British was a "Rice-Burner". I haven't heard many nicknames for Chinese rides that are fit to print... LOL!

Your Piaggio is a NICE ride! And Ferrari red is THE color! I'm always amazed at the variety of Italian scoots. Vespa must make around FIVE or more similar 150's! Nowadays there's almost a "contest" between Taiwan and Italy, to see who can make the smallest-displacement scooter that will still run 70 mph!

Then, there's the little Genuine Buddy, which in its 170cc incarnation, almost out-"Italianizes" the Italian scooters! Come to think of it, Genuine also markets the Stella, which is a pretty good reincarnation of the old steel clutch'n gears Vespa.

If I recall, Italy virtually invented scooters (at least after seeing the American's Cushmans)...

Keep that little red rocket away from the vino!

Leo

Well, as I thought I might, I "took the plunge" and got the old Grand Vista 250 today. I didn't get it home until dark, but I took a couple of pix anyway, just to post my new toy... Please see below.


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I got it at MOXIE SCOOTERS in Colleyville, TX, which is only 10 minutes from my house. I have to give MOXIE a BIG two-thumbs-up! John Raimondi (the owner) negotiated a good, low and fair price, AND took my "Lil' Bubba" in trade, covering the tax, title, registration and more. He personally detailed the scoot, filled it with gas and filled the radiator, showing me how to do the water-cooled service myself.

What a PLEASURE to deal with an honest, old-school fellow who VALUES his customers. I can HIGHLY recommend MOXIE to anyone within driving distance seeking a Kymco, Sym, Genuine Buddy, Blurr or Stella! NICE folks to work with for sure. Doggone, that Buddy 170cc is dang-near irresistible! Like "Mighty-Mouse on Steroids!" It almost "out-Italianizes" the Italian scoots! If you "have a Jones" for something REALLY small, REEKING of Italian DNA, riding on 10" whitewalls that will nudge 70 mph on the flat... and can pony up $4-grand, that little Buddy IS your ride!!!

Sorry about pix in the dark, but daylight was gone by the time I got home. (I couldn't resist a little "joy-ride" on the short trip home)... LOL! I haven't felt 70 mph wind in my gray hair, since before it was gray! S-W-E-E-T!!!

The scoot itself is really what I wanted all along. It looks and feels VERY much like my beloved little pet GY6-150. Low-speed handling and "walking" it into parking nooks and crannies isn't too much more cumbersome than the 150. BUT... Pulling into "frisky" traffic is a whole different animal! Acceleration is not "rocket-like" but decent. Then, roll on the throttle and you're right in there with traffic at 45, 55, 65 and even 75 mph. I think it might even run 70 on flat highway, barring a lot of wind.

It has a totally digital dash: speedo, tach, fuel, water-temp, odometer, clock, etc. You can even change the speedo from miles to Taiwanometers... The speedo is a tad optimistic by about 4 mph, but I just figure I'm going 4 mph less than indicated. While I'd prefer analog gauges, the totally-digital, backlit setup is very "trick"... Looks like something out of Darth Vader's bathroom. And, it all works, and is easy to read.

I'm not used to the "luxuries" like the S-M-O-O-T-H ride, STRONG speed (like a medium-sized motorcycle) and stuff like a courtesy-light in the under-seat storage (that's RIGHT, a COURTESY-LIGHT) and ELECTRIC FOLDING MIRRORS! You know, how most of our standard scoots have mirrors that are hard to see anything much but our shoulders out of? Well, THIS one has huge "mouse-ear" mirrors WAY down low, with 2-part glass that shows you what's directly behind, AND in the next lanes too! Push a button, and they automatically fold in for parking, or going places too narrow for prudent riding... LOL! I think those Mickey Mouse Ear folding mirrors may be the most fun feature of this scoot (except for the ability to keep up with traffic of course...).

The scoot is a 2007, with 13,000 miles on the clock. Cosmetically it's nearly perfect. One-owner, with regular maintenance. Most everything that would need attention at 10K has been done... New clutch, belt, rollers, muffler, tires, brake-pads... It has no issues, and everything works. It also has a pretty decent trunk that pops off with a button-release, and a new GIVI windshield (which is TOO tall for me... LOL!). Guess I'll have to cut it down about 3" and polish the edges. As it sits, I am looking THROUGH it. You want to look JUST over it. It will deflect the air, but you want clear vision OVER the doggone thing. I like the old Harley Dresser windshields that could be adjusted up and down 6" or so, to get them perfect.

You can also see in the pix that the previous owner installed (nicely, too) a wrap-around LED strip light below the trunk. Nice safety touch. I will also do a similar STOP light setup. The taillights, tucked below the trunk on these just aren't seen by cars following too close. The headlight on this is light-years ahead of the old 150, but STILL could be a little better yet. I think an LED light may be in order, even on this one.

Now for the "icing on the cake"! I had "Lil' Bubba" insured ($30K liability only) with Geico for $99 per year. I called them and because I'm an old fart with a perfect record, they offered an upgrade to $300K liability AND full-coverage fire, theft and collision for (now get this!) $2 extra. YUP, TWO DOLLARS MORE. Chalk two-thumbs up for the gecko!

I have some familiarizing to do with riding, and a good deal of learning about the different features on this one, but I do believe I'm going to like it a lot! Even though it's well-used, and not "mint" it's what I'd call "very good" condition. Going from the air-cooled 150 to this water-cooled 250 keeps the basic handy "scooting" characteristics I like, but, is like getting out of a 100K miler Yugo with loose lug-nuts and into a clean used BMW sedan. Yeah, there's THAT much difference. When this one was new, it must have really been something, because it's STILL mighty sweet!

I'll keep posting as I get used to it... ...All the GOOD, and any BAD that may surface. I definitely want to be an encouragement to any 50 or 150 riders wanting to move up the displacement food-chain, and be honest about all the positives, AND negatives I run across.

Ride safe one and all!

Leo (FINALLY running with the traffic) in Texas