The 300 Kymco is Here By kz1000st (Read 1,726 times)

[kz1000st]

But $5400!! The 250 was $4500. Is 50cc worth $900?

www.motorcycle-usa.com/189/10034/Motorcycle-Article/2012-Kymco-People-GT-300i-First-Ride.aspx

[turtle8]

No way dude!

Not when one can get a slightly used, 3,000 mile 600cc Honda Silverwing for less than that.

[rdkngusa]

2006 vs 2012 with 2 year warranty.

[kz1000st]

I'm curious. What happens when the warranty is up? Which is the better scooter then?

[turtle8]

Sure, if you insist on new and immediate depreciation.

When you start talking $5,400 one has many options:

2009 Piaggio MP3 400 with 1,400 miles $5800


2005 Suzuki Burgman with 1,625 miles for $3499


Then there are countless highway capable motorcycles in that price range.

I am sure the KYMCO is a nice scooter, but IMO that price is too close to high quality Japanese and Italian hardware.

[mauiboy]

Just because 'new' might not make sense for you, does not mean it doesn't make sense for everybody else. Different folks have different circumstances and berating and belittling people for making a choice which suits them is very unbecoming.

If buying new made no sense then 1- very few would do it and 2- there would be no used market for you to enjoy because there would be no new bikes to be resold.

The debate re kymco being too close to the Japanese scoots in price is another thing entirely.

[turtle8]

mauiboy: Is your response directed at me? Where is the belittling? My comment was not mean to berate. I apologize if anybody took it that way.

If we cannot have lively discourse, with different points of views, what is the purpose of a discussion board. Maybe I should have said, "my that is a nice bike, go for it!", but a question was put forth (presumably looking for answers): "But $5400!! The 250 was $4500. Is 50cc worth $900?" I answered that question.

My revised answer (minus the "dudes" and explanation points): IMHO $5400 is too much for a 300cc scooter when lightly used, full-blown, maxi-scoots of 500cc and larger can be had for the same price. Depreciation has everything to do with final value. Buying new certainly is fun, I bought a new 150cc in 2009. It is your call, do what you feel is right.

[kz1000st]

For the sake of lively discourse here's how little sense $5400 for a 300cc scooter is.

www.suzukicycles.com/Product%20Lines/Cycles/Products/GS500F/2009/GS500F.aspx?category=sportbike#Specs

For a thousand dollars less you can buy a bigger motorcycle from Suzuki, outfit it with saddlebags and have a real highway capable machine with unquestionable ability to last for decades with normal maintenance. Before Kawasaki stopped making it the 500 Vulcan sold for $5400. With a windshield and bags it was easily a better machine than a People 300.

[mauiboy]

turtle, not exclusively at you no harm done, just sometimes there is a blinkered view about whats right round here, apologies if i took it the wrong way.

For the sake of likely discourse, sure the bike is cheaper, thats obvious, they usually are cc for cc and more powerful with differently tuned engines (not many scoots rock 16k rpm). But you give up a cvt and storage and a different riding position. For some folks thats a plus, for some a minus.

The big maxi scoots (400-600cc) tend to be in the 6.5-9k + OTD stuff making them quite an expensive proposition new. Plus they do not have the greatest of records with inherent design faults (the burgers have had some wicked design issues, especially the 400, and the schwing seems to have a wobble issue in some bikes).

The whole, is this pushing the price a little thing is totally valid, but you have to compare like to like. Are there new scoots out there similar in most ways that are cheaper, yes sym undercut kymco by about 12-15% although your model may be a little singed! Since the majority of the midrange 400 type models dissappeared from the market leaving pretty much just the burger 400 which is a 'prestige marque' priced accordingly, there has been very little to keep down the price of the lower scoots.
The real question will come if sym get the maxsym 400 out the door for under 6k, then a 5.4k 300 starts to look very dodgy.
I did ask before about the pricing on the jetmax, suggesting that perhaps 4k for a 250cc chinese maxiscoot wasn't reaching a little (and there were some very compelling, eloquent counter arguments made which was great) considering it put it pretty much in the sym price range. I guess kymco is doing that same?
There is a bit of a buzz in the photography world today as Sigma who make some fairly decent gear but second tier stuff mostly priced to undercut the big boys, just released a camera that was supposed to be around 1.5k for 9.7k USD. Yup $9700.00. Same thing, they are pushing it. Unfortunately they have had a bit too much bolivian marching powder and are likely to fall flat on their faces as there are already significantly better cameras in the same price range. Kymco may find the same issue.
Comparing old to new is semi valid, in that yes you could buy either, each has their own +'s and -'s, dealer support, warranty, finance etc vs it already depreciating. However, depreciation like negative equity only affects you if you want to sell or refinance. If you are keeping the bike for 15 years, who cares about depreciation If you like to flip every few years it will hurt you hard and better buy a couple of years old. On Maui you are insane to buy used. Depreciation just doesnt exist. The local Kia dealer wanted 7k for a 6 year old base model base spec'd kia with 65k on the clock that barely cost 10k new
The burger listed above is something I would seriously consider, as would the schwing, but some folks do just want something that is 0 though, its a tool, you walk out the door and it works, if it doesnt the dealer fixes it free of charge whilst you have a courtesy bike. A newer bike, once out of the teething stage should give less problems than an older bike / scoot, but how much may be marginal with a good bike.
Is 5400 too much, for that bike, for me? yes. but its really two questions right? Is it overpriced for what it is, and is it overpriced for what it offers each person.

[mauiboy]

May 20, 2011 21:44:56 GMT -6 kz1000st said:

For the sake of lively discourse here's how little sense $5400 for a 300cc scooter is.

www.suzukicycles.com/Product%20Lines/Cycles/Products/GS500F/2009/GS500F.aspx?category=sportbike#Specs

For a thousand dollars less you can buy a bigger motorcycle from Suzuki, outfit it with saddlebags and have a real highway capable machine with unquestionable ability to last for decades with normal maintenance. Before Kawasaki stopped making it the 500 Vulcan sold for $5400. With a windshield and bags it was easily a better machine than a People 300.

Thats kind of my point I looked for a 400 for ages, theres only the suzuki out there I think. If the old honda 400 4 or the yama 400 etc was about I highly doubt kymco would even consider selling the scoot at that price.

[mcalli]

ok- back to the bike itself. I noticed something about this new kymco that I didn't notice in the older models and the 250 model. It has no leg room. Very little room there to change leg position. I would get stiff on a long ride. And the price is definitely too high

[turtle8]

If I had the cash, the People 250S is my choice in 250cc scoots. I am 6ft, 175lb and I felt quite comfortable. I sat on an Xciting 250Ri and I felt extra tall; maybe it was the center stand, but it felt like I was riding on top of it. For me, a sporty scooter should lean more toward sportbike riding position, aka Tmax.

The GT300i, looks very nice, but it is at the price point where it is competing against so many other scooters and motorcycles.

[mauiboy]

Thats the big issue with this scoot. It has 16 inch wheels, which shouts high speed stability not low speed manoeuvrability, yet a cramped/restricted city style riding position? The xciting is the reverse, so put the 16 inch wheels on the xciting and make it a proper touring maxiscoot and put smaller wheels (say 14 inch) on the people, 'gear' it for acceleration and its a city bike. Oh and put some storage on the xciting lol and HID lights.

[260orbust]

No sir! I just don't like it. Even though it's a big sooter it looks like a small kiddie type. The leg position is terrible too.

[89newbie]

Mcalli has an excellent point, Leg position is VITAL!! I dont see proper leg position like on a 250 or biger JCL/Rokita. Price, Chinese are building the bigger bikes and, (I believe and I could be nuts), they are intelligent enough to see the cruizer market in all countries as well as the grocery getters. I agree with Mauiboy on the wheels. Lets face it a 50 is a grocery getter or a townie bike. When you step up in CC's you start traveling further and further. From experience on motorcycles I know that when running 200 or more miles, seat, legroom and tire sizing is extremely important. LOL when I sold the Harley last July I never dreamed I would become a Scooter Convert. ( Kinda like an ex Smoker). ROFL!!