Moto blog

2018 Kymco Xciting 400i Review - First Ride

My fling with a thing Credit: Photos by Michael Spain-Smith We were snuggled into a conference room in the upscale Aloft hotel in Asheville, North Carolina, when PR man Peter Jones kicked off Kymco’s 2018 new-product launch by telling us that scooters in the U.S. market are “such a small thing, they’re not even really a thing… scooters and soccer, they’re just not a part of our culture.” But the lack of scooter culture has made Taiwanese manufacturer Kymco itself a thing. After staying doggedly in the American scooter market for the better part of two decades, Kymco has a coast-to-coast dealer network, a good reputation for reliability and value, and is basically the only purveyor of value-priced, high-performance maxi-scooters.

2018 Kymco Like 150i ABS Review

Get your scoot on for less Scooters are big in European and other markets – around here, not so much. “Scooters and soccer,” Kymco PR rep Peter Jones tells us, “they’re just not a part of our culture.” Still, Kymco doggedly sticks to its guns, offering a full line of scooters where many OEMs have reduced or eliminated their scooter offerings. “The coolest person you know, that’s a scooter rider,” Jones goes on to say, and 54-year-old Taiwanese firm Kymco’s latest offering caters to the coolest of them.

2014 Kymco Downtown 300i Review

Credit: Photos by Evans Brasfield and Troy Siahaan In an era where motorcycles are becoming more specialized (sportbike, standard, cruiser, adventure, etc.), scooters are diversifying as well – everything from 50cc city runabouts to the 650cc-plus mileage gobblers capable of serious touring. Striking a balance between them are models like the Kymco Downtown 300i; a middle-of-the-road scoot capable of doing it all. 2014 Kymco Downtown 300i Editor Score: 79.0% Engine 17.5/20 Suspension/Handling 12.0/15 Transmission/Clutch 8.75/10 Brakes 8.0/10 Instruments/Controls 3.75/5 Ergonomics/Comfort 7.0/10 Appearance/Quality 7.0/10 Desirability 8.0/10 Value 7.0/10 Overall Score 79/100 2013 Uber Scooter Shootout + Video Models like the Yamaha Smax, Honda PCX150 and Suzuki Burgman 200 all benefit from being highway legal, but sometimes you crave something a little more – be it more storage capacity or simply more power.