Thoughts on a People 250s
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Thoughts on a People 250s
I'm thinking of a used People 250s. Any thoughts? I've wanted a 250 for a while but none I'd take were priced in my measely range. This one is. Anyone with experience? decent bike? easy to maintain? decent power?
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I've never ridden one, but they look nice in person. People who own them seen to really like them.
You may want to check out http://www.kymcoforum.com/ to see what owners there have to say.
Have you had a chance to ride it?
You may want to check out http://www.kymcoforum.com/ to see what owners there have to say.
Have you had a chance to ride it?
- rajron
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I have never ridden one but my wife has – she won a Kymco contest it was a free trip to Amerivespa in Colorado and for a ride they loaned her a People 250’s for 4 days – she loved the People250. As a matter of fact after that trip she insisted that she got a larger scooter than her People 150. She ended up getting a Vespa over the People mainly because she got such a righteous deal on the Italian scooter - I think she would have ended up with the People 250 if it weren’t for the deal on the
Vespa
The People 250 is a very good scooter.
Vespa
The People 250 is a very good scooter.
- Lostmycage
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I've never heard anything bad about them.
I've heard plenty of good about them.
Go read up on the review at Just Gotta Scoot.
I've heard plenty of good about them.
Go read up on the review at Just Gotta Scoot.
Check out Scoot Richmond's new site: My awesome local shop.
- Skootz Kabootz
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I've heard nothing but good things about Kymco's build quality and ride. From a practicality/ownership viewpoint there is a good network of dealers and places to get them serviced, and they are a large global brand so getting parts etc is no issue.
For a dealers opinion you might want to check with NoHo Mike. He carries Kymco, services them, and knows them well. Also, he often gets pre-owneds so maybe there's a good deal to be had?
For a dealers opinion you might want to check with NoHo Mike. He carries Kymco, services them, and knows them well. Also, he often gets pre-owneds so maybe there's a good deal to be had?
- Syd
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I know this is kind of a personal question, but how big are your feet? I was ready to buy a People whatever a few years ago, but the place where your feet go would not accommodate my size 13s. And it's not flat (or wasn't on the models I saw). That fact alone kept me from the Kymcos (the Buddy too, I'm sorry to say).
The majority is always sane - Nessus
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i've got average size girl feet. I'm more concerned about my feet being able to hit the ground! I'm gonna take it for a ride. its a 2007 with 5.5k miles and only $2k. I really should put the 2k into getting my car back on the road but this is really calling my name!Syd wrote:I know this is kind of a personal question, but how big are your feet? I was ready to buy a People whatever a few years ago, but the place where your feet go would not accommodate my size 13s. And it's not flat (or wasn't on the models I saw). That fact alone kept me from the Kymcos (the Buddy too, I'm sorry to say).
- JHScoot
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hey jij, is this the scoot?
fits your description to a tee
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/p97bsOfTQg0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
fits your description to a tee
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/p97bsOfTQg0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Riding is riding
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Does this mean more visits to LA?
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Kymco 250's sometimes have a unique maintenance schedule. My boyfriend has a Xciting 250 and it requires frequent valve adjustments, which are not cheap where we live. We also have a Xciting 500 that does not require the valve adjustments nearly as frequently. Might be something you want to check on before making a final decision.
08 Red Buddy 125; 07 Black Xciting 500; 11 Silver Downtown 300i
- Dibber
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Check out www.justgottascoot.com Dave has done a review on them. He also like the scooter so much that he bought the one that was run for 24 hours as an endurance test. I almost bought one last year, but it sold to soon. Now I bought a 30 yr old Suzuki GS450T to be my classic bike.
I still may buy one because they are very fast and smooth running for a 250.
I still may buy one because they are very fast and smooth running for a 250.
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- JHScoot
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you know, unless those valves actually need it, i am not so sure. i took a look around the Kymco forums one day and even the top dog at Kymco US said the company uses a schedule which is considered "more frequent" but not always necessarychili padi wrote:Kymco 250's sometimes have a unique maintenance schedule. My boyfriend has a Xciting 250 and it requires frequent valve adjustments, which are not cheap where we live. We also have a Xciting 500 that does not require the valve adjustments nearly as frequently. Might be something you want to check on before making a final decision.
i mean, if the valves don't need adjusting, there is nothing to adjust if within spec. the only way to know this for sure is if the bike is showing symptoms of the valves being out of adjustment. if it's not any dealer will take a peek for you, and whether or not they get adjusted or not, the same labor is involved so the same cost is incurred
all i know is my Agility is scheduled for a valve adjustment every 1300 miles for its first two and every 2600 miles after that. i may do this myself, but if my scooter is running fine it's not even gonna get checked. i am past the 1300 mile mark and will be coming up on the 2600 one in the next few months. i don't think it will need a valve adjustment at these times, but may take a look for myself at 2600 miles, nonetheless
a guy posted there he has an Agility 125 that never had a valve adjustment or even a check in 13,000 miles of riding. when they were checked at 14,000 miles he said they were "a little out of spec"
so take all that with a grain of salt, and don't waste your hard earned money on the scooter where it may not be needed
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- ericalm
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Ehhh… most modern scoots only need a valve check/adjustment every 4K miles or so. The schedules (in manuals) for many makes are way out of whack for some reason.
Eric // LA Scooter Meetup Group // Stella 4T // Vespa LX // Vespa LXS // Honda Helix // some, uh, projects…
- peabody99
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the just gotta scoot review is good. They compare the people 250 with a GTS and the People does well. This will answer the question about top end and off the line speed. We have a 200 and it has been fine. For whatever reason it has battery issues and I have heard this from other 200 owners. I am not sure about the 250. 200 is very similar in height and style to the 250. The ride will be like a cadillac compared to the Bud thanks to the big wheels. A lot less fatigue for distance riding. not as much fun as the buddy, though. I recommend if you do this you keep your buddy if you can. Trust me you would miss it.
I think I saw the same scoot on craigslist and it was tempting since my spouse needs a 250+ to replace his 200-he did not do freeway driving in cleveland, but does here. I think it is a great deal, and I don't think there are any issues with people250's-I am on a yahoo list and nothing stands out. Kymco's are solid.
I think I saw the same scoot on craigslist and it was tempting since my spouse needs a 250+ to replace his 200-he did not do freeway driving in cleveland, but does here. I think it is a great deal, and I don't think there are any issues with people250's-I am on a yahoo list and nothing stands out. Kymco's are solid.
- KCScooterDude
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I test rode one and they are excellent. I like the styling of the People 250 over the People 250s, but they don't make it anymore. Might find one used cheep. I would make the 250s my next scoot if I was not saving up for a Vespa GTV 300 in brown. Of course, I might pay a grand less and get the GTS 300. They are pricey, but there is simply nothing like a Vespa. The People 250s comes close though.
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I had a 1981 GS550L great bike! Can't beat those classic Suzukis. If I had the cash I'd by a new TU250X.Dibber wrote:Check out www.justgottascoot.com Dave has done a review on them. He also like the scooter so much that he bought the one that was run for 24 hours as an endurance test. I almost bought one last year, but it sold to soon. Now I bought a 30 yr old Suzuki GS450T to be my classic bike.
I still may buy one because they are very fast and smooth running for a 250.
- JHScoot
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you gotta get the GTV, man. especially in cappuccino. it's so classy. and you can't beat the headlight placement. that alone is worth $500 more. so maybe you can work something out if a grand is a bit too rich a premiumKCScooterDude wrote:I test rode one and they are excellent. I like the styling of the People 250 over the People 250s, but they don't make it anymore. Might find one used cheep. I would make the 250s my next scoot if I was not saving up for a Vespa GTV 300 in brown. Of course, I might pay a grand less and get the GTS 300. They are pricey, but there is simply nothing like a Vespa. The People 250s comes close though.
myself, i love that scoot. but i don't like the way it's decked out in chrome, and i believe it comes that way. i wish Vespa would offer color matched racks and what not. do they?
meh i am not getting one any time soon, anyway. such a nice scooter but in some colors all that bling on the scoot sort of appears cheap imo. nice as the bling is....
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- jasondavis48108
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completly with you on the chrome racks. I suppose if you have the loot to purchase the scooter then you also have the loot to have the racks powder coated to match the scooterJHScoot wrote:you gotta get the GTV, man. especially in cappuccino. it's so classy. and you can't beat the headlight placement. that alone is worth $500 more. so maybe you can work something out if a grand is a bit too rich a premiumKCScooterDude wrote:I test rode one and they are excellent. I like the styling of the People 250 over the People 250s, but they don't make it anymore. Might find one used cheep. I would make the 250s my next scoot if I was not saving up for a Vespa GTV 300 in brown. Of course, I might pay a grand less and get the GTS 300. They are pricey, but there is simply nothing like a Vespa. The People 250s comes close though.
myself, i love that scoot. but i don't like the way it's decked out in chrome, and i believe it comes that way. i wish Vespa would offer color matched racks and what not. do they?
meh i am not getting one any time soon, anyway. such a nice scooter but in some colors all that bling on the scoot sort of appears cheap imo. nice as the bling is....
"Only the curious have, if they live, a tale worth telling at all" Alastair Reid
- pcbikedude
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jijifer,
I was in the market for a larger scooter a year ago and test drove the People S 250.
Quality aside (excellent), I found that the performance at lower speeds very sluggish. I found that true also of the SYM RV250, Citicom 300i and the Kymco Xciting. Plus, I never cared for the style of the People S class.
The smaller Vespa GTS 250 & 300 Super and the SYM HD200 had more kick coming off-the-line.
I was in the market for a larger scooter a year ago and test drove the People S 250.
Quality aside (excellent), I found that the performance at lower speeds very sluggish. I found that true also of the SYM RV250, Citicom 300i and the Kymco Xciting. Plus, I never cared for the style of the People S class.
The smaller Vespa GTS 250 & 300 Super and the SYM HD200 had more kick coming off-the-line.
The scenery only changes for the lead scooterist.
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Good feedback.pcbikedude wrote:jijifer,
I was in the market for a larger scooter a year ago and test drove the People S 250.
Quality aside (excellent), I found that the performance at lower speeds very sluggish. I found that true also of the SYM RV250, Citicom 300i and the Kymco Xciting. Plus, I never cared for the style of the People S class.
The smaller Vespa GTS 250 & 300 Super and the SYM HD200 had more kick coming off-the-line.
My buddy, all kitted, it a super star off the line. Not sure I need it in the bigger scooter. I'd love to go to a Vespa GTS but it's never in my meager price range. I don't like the RV250 in that it doesn't look like a scooter to me, same with the grand vista or xciting. I like scooters to look like scooters - step through and up right. It's just a personal preference which is why the scarabeo and people are alright in my book
- pcbikedude
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I stayed away from all the maxi-scooters although there are a few I like.jijifer wrote:Good feedback.
My buddy, all kitted, it a super star off the line. Not sure I need it in the bigger scooter. I'd love to go to a Vespa GTS but it's never in my meager price range. I don't like the RV250 in that it doesn't look like a scooter to me, same with the grand vista or xciting. I like scooters to look like scooters - step through and up right. It's just a personal preference which is why the scarabeo and people are alright in my book
I like the Piaggio BV's because they look like scooters and not as pricey as their Vespa brothers. I never got to test ride any of those.
The scenery only changes for the lead scooterist.
- peabody99
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per the the modernbuddy.com code of ethics I need to come clean...my husband bought that Kymco last night. I mentioned it to him monday in the context of "there has been a 250 on craigslist for a few weeks for $2000, but someone on the buddy board is getting it" He was crestfallen I had not mentioned it before. So I checked the thread-no "I love it, and will get it on payday!" and he called the owner who said 2 people had looked at it but it had fallen through. I am guessing it was not your cup of tea if you were one of those folks. So I gave him my blessing to check it out.jijifer wrote:Good feedback.pcbikedude wrote:jijifer,
I was in the market for a larger scooter a year ago and test drove the People S 250.
Quality aside (excellent), I found that the performance at lower speeds very sluggish. I found that true also of the SYM RV250, Citicom 300i and the Kymco Xciting. Plus, I never cared for the style of the People S class.
The smaller Vespa GTS 250 & 300 Super and the SYM HD200 had more kick coming off-the-line.
My buddy, all kitted, it a super star off the line. Not sure I need it in the bigger scooter. I'd love to go to a Vespa GTS but it's never in my meager price range. I don't like the RV250 in that it doesn't look like a scooter to me, same with the grand vista or xciting. I like scooters to look like scooters - step through and up right. It's just a personal preference which is why the scarabeo and people are alright in my book
Anyway jijifer, next to my GTS (which dwarfs my buddy) it is huge and heavy. I will probably ride it to see what it is like but I think it it would be a challenge for a regular sized person to maneuver/park. That said the previous owner was a female, so what do I know?
As mentioned above-it is slower off the line than the GTS (which is truthfully faster off the line that you really need), but really gets going mid speed. It was rush hour so he did not test it on the freeway b/c he would not be able to test power in congested traffic. He took it on a side road with a 50 mph speed limit and very steep hill. He was able to get it up to 70 uphill in short order and plenty of throttle to spare.
I concur with your opinion about looks of scooters. There are really only a few I can live with (and the people really pushes that boundary), but I bet a used BV will come up-we let a few pass by b/c the timing was not right. They really look pretty decent and the bigger wheels do offer a better long distance ride. My GTS has been very reliable, however maintenance wise it is pricey if you put on a lot of miles.
well anyway to bring this conversation back to Buddys, I told the spouse last night that his next bike could be the genuine cruiser...hopefully in the next 2 years???