Which would you choose ?

[mick]

Hi Guys. Just joined and want some advice. Currently riding classic Lambretta and Vespa scooters plus a newish Vespa rev and go. Want to buy a maxi scooter and have decided its between a new Kymco 350 with abs, or a Yamaha xmax 300 with abs and tc.
Would love some constructive opinion as to which would be best. As I live on a very small island, there are no motorways (just poor B type roads) and no long distance (20 mile about the max)
Thanks
Mick

[roadster]

I can only say that my Kymco has so far been very good even though it is an older design. In the UK there is a very large price difference between the two brands but you might need to take warrantee and servicing costs into account for your location. Kymco spares are very expensive in the UK but Yamaha might not be far behind. Luckily I haven't needed any yet. If you do your own maintenance then I have found the Kymco very easy to work on and build quality of the 300i is of a Japanese standard and better than (say) Piaggio.

[MrGrumpy]

Well, frankly I think that they will be both be very good. It may come down to their respective dealers and how confident you are in them! If the roads are poor, then ride quality might be important, though I don't know much about the ride on these particular scoots - I've read that some Xmaxs have quite hard suspension, which may be great on smooth roads but a literal pain on bad ones!

If your island has only crappy B-roads, then you might find a 300/350 size scoot over specified for your riding. Sounds like you'll hardly ever get to 60, and that a well speced 125 is likely to do the job just as well - certainly you seem very unlikely to need the Kymco's 95mph (approx) top speed!!

[Globs]

A Vespa 300?

Failing that A SYM 300 if you can find a dealer..

[rayb]

Honda SH300, although as Mr Grumpy says, 300cc might be an overkill where you are and a 125 would be as suitable.

[terryvanman]

Hi Mike
It's about time you joined the muppet scumbags..... I find my Sh300 just perfect with the bigger wheels for our potholed roads here in Malta and when you get onto the coast road [race track] the 300 cc comes in very handy.

By the way I'm organizing a bit of a muppet get-together here on Malta, have a look here and maybe you can help me keep the rabble under control. How about a coffee and a chat about it over your way and you can try out my SH?

http://www.maxi-muppets.co.uk/forum/vie ... =8&t=20959

[Symcity]

Any high wheeler if the roads are poor - yes the sh300i is fantastic however an sh125 would also fit the bill

[mick]

now i've narrowed it down to Kymco Downtown 350 abs and Kawasaki J300 abs.
both scooters on the road will be exactly the same price. leaning towards the J300 as bodywork seems a lot smoother and neater, loads of nooks and crevices on Kymco to make cleaning a bitch.
any last minute thoughts welcomed though.

[horobags]

they are the same scooter Mick. Kawasaki rebadge the Kymco and do a few tweaks. The decider will be how good the dealer in malta is, and service costs ect.

[roadster]

Of course the J300 is the same under the skin as my Downtown 300 so really both Kymco products. Given your riding conditions I would say that the performance will satisfy you. Acceleration from rest is excellent and true top speed is about 85 mph. If both machines are offered by the same dealer its a difficult choice but otherwise choosing the better service might be a deciding factor. The 300 is an older model so may not have the electronic gimmicks of the more recent 350. One advantage of the 300 is that its based on a 125 sized chassis so its compact and lighter in weight, although if you are over 5'11" you might find it slightly cramped.