Kymco Downtown 300i

[skipper20]

Yes, I do know that this is a Buddy forum but there does seem to be a fair number of Kymco owners among you so I'm soliciting comments, pro and con, regarding the subject scoot. The reason being is that I have a private party interested in taking my '02 Honda Reflex 250 scooter and cash as an even trade for a '12 very low mileage Kymco Downtown 300i scooter. So, is the Downtown 300i a good scoot? I'd like to get input on rider comfort, top speed, cruising speed, fuel mileage, reliability, fit and finish and so on. TIA,

Bill in Seattle

[Howardr]

Beautiful scooter! Performs well. The biggest draw back to it is that it has the worst legroom of ANY scooter I have ever seen. If you are less than about 5'5" tall, you will probably love it.

Howard

[skipper20]

Beautiful scooter! Performs well. The biggest draw back to it is that it has the worst legroom of ANY scooter I have ever seen. If you are less than about 5'5" tall, you will probably love it.

Howard

Ouch. I'm 5' 11" but on the slender side at 172 lbs. dripping wet. In any event, I should obviously sit on the bike before I make a commitment but I do remember sitting on one in a dealer's showroom earlier this summer and it seemed to fit OK. One of the very good points of the Honda Reflex 250 is the angled floor boards allowing one to stretch out their legs and have their feet at an angle too rather than flat on the floor as on the Kymco. It does make for a comfortable ride.

Bill in Seattle

[SYMbionic Duo]

I've got 12k+ mi on my Downtown.

TL:DR Great bike if you fit it.

As for reliable? I've done 1000mi in 24hrs and 1500mi in 36, all at high speed.

Will cruise all day at 80, and i've tested this with 16hr days, mpg is as follows:
55-60mph 75-80mpg
65-70mph 67-74mpg
75-80mph 55-60mpg
85-92mph ~50mpg

Stock the 12v adapter is crap and useless. it wouldn't charge my cell without blowing the inline fuse. (which isn't in the wiring diagram btw).
If you swap the inline fuse which is like .8 amp for a 3amp (radio shack) you can run multiple gadgets off the port. (you have to take the whole front faring off to get to the fuse) Also the location is a very tight fit, so i got a min 12v to usb with 2 ports.

Seat comfort:
i'm 5'9" and find the seat to be ok. It's not great, but i fit. I think that people of slimmer builds will be more comfortable on the seat that wider builds. When i 1st got the bike, i was 225-250 and the seat felt like it was falling away from me, now that i'm 185, it fits much better. Also the seat will be harder or softer depending on if you have anything stored under the front part of the seat.

Seat oddities:
There is a pneumatic arm for the seat that prevents the seat from opening fully, if you disconnect it you can open the seat to 90degrees instead of only like 60. This makes accessing the front cavity easier, and allows you to use the under seat helmet hooks.

In order to access the battery, you need to remove the seat. You may want to add cables to the battery that run up through the "pda port" so that you can trickle charge easier.

Fit finish:
Lighting is great, and instruments are good. only complaint, is that it is awkward to two finger press the dash buttons to reset the trip meter, tank mileage, with gloves on. Digi dash has Clock, Odometer, 2 trip meters, and a counter for time between oil changes. Also temp, and fuel gauges.

Maintence:
12k still on the stock belt, but will probably change it soon. $110
Oil change every 3-4k 1.3L ~$10, and oil filter $4, tran oil .3L ~$3
replaced the stock tires at 6k with Metzeler Feel Frees, not that i had to, but the wear and grip are much better.
Brake pads still on stock.

Misc:
Lean angles are great, you can really divebomb the corners.
Transmission feels slightly off, like it needs slightly heavier clutch springs or lighter roller weights. Only really noticeable if you slowly accelerate at 0-.25 throttle. The engine feels like it is lugging if you try to hold the engine at 3000-3500 rpm. Solution give it more gas! Wind noise isn't really noticeable below 65, after that it starts to get a little loud. Also you can hook up to in-faring turn signals, you just need to splice the wires into the ones going to the mirrors. (working bulbs already included)

Anything else you want to know, just ask.

-duo

[skipper20]

I've got 12k+ mi on my Downtown.

TL:DR Great bike if you fit it.

As for reliable? I've done 1000mi in 24hrs and 1500mi in 36, all at high speed.

Will cruise all day at 80, and i've tested this with 16hr days, mpg is as follows:
55-60mph 75-80mpg
65-70mph 67-74mpg
75-80mph 55-60mpg
85-92mph ~50mpg

Stock the 12v adapter is crap and useless. it wouldn't charge my cell without blowing the inline fuse. (which isn't in the wiring diagram btw).
If you swap the inline fuse which is like .8 amp for a 3amp (radio shack) you can run multiple gadgets off the port. (you have to take the whole front faring off to get to the fuse) Also the location is a very tight fit, so i got a min 12v to usb with 2 ports.

Seat comfort:
i'm 5'9" and find the seat to be ok. It's not great, but i fit. I think that people of slimmer builds will be more comfortable on the seat that wider builds. When i 1st got the bike, i was 225-250 and the seat felt like it was falling away from me, now that i'm 185, it fits much better. Also the seat will be harder or softer depending on if you have anything stored under the front part of the seat.

Seat oddities:
There is a pneumatic arm for the seat that prevents the seat from opening fully, if you disconnect it you can open the seat to 90degrees instead of only like 60. This makes accessing the front cavity easier, and allows you to use the under seat helmet hooks.

In order to access the battery, you need to remove the seat. You may want to add cables to the battery that run up through the "pda port" so that you can trickle charge easier.

Fit finish:
Lighting is great, and instruments are good. only complaint, is that it is awkward to two finger press the dash buttons to reset the trip meter, tank mileage, with gloves on. Digi dash has Clock, Odometer, 2 trip meters, and a counter for time between oil changes. Also temp, and fuel gauges.

Maintence:
12k still on the stock belt, but will probably change it soon. $110
Oil change every 3-4k 1.3L ~$10, and oil filter $4, tran oil .3L ~$3
replaced the stock tires at 6k with Metzeler Feel Frees, not that i had to, but the wear and grip are much better.
Brake pads still on stock.

Misc:
Lean angles are great, you can really divebomb the corners.
Transmission feels slightly off, like it needs slightly heavier clutch springs or lighter roller weights. Only really noticeable if you slowly accelerate at 0-.25 throttle. The engine feels like it is lugging if you try to hold the engine at 3000-3500 rpm. Solution give it more gas! Wind noise isn't really noticeable below 65, after that it starts to get a little loud. Also you can hook up to in-faring turn signals, you just need to splice the wires into the ones going to the mirrors. (working bulbs already included)

Anything else you want to know, just ask.

-duo

Thanks for the detailed response. This past Tuesday, I went back to the same dealer that I had visited before, sat on their showroom model again and at my 5' 11" height the legroom did feel a bit tight. I'm wondering if it felt tight because I had been told that it would be, i.e. those were my going-in perceptions! As you know from your ownership, the bike does give you a choice of 2 foot positions: (1) feet flat on the floor or (2) feet at an upward angle. Do you use the latter for longer trips or do you use it at all? I was initially turned off by the seat fit but I'm wondering if it's something I could get used to over time or is it like a rock in your shoe, you'll never get used to it!! I do like the bike and all that it has to offer but I am concerned with how it would fit and feel on a long trip as that's what I would be using it for. Thanks again,

Bill in Seattle

[SYMbionic Duo]

i sometimes use the upper feet position. It's a little odd because you are sitting essentially on your tailbone with your knees in the air. It's comfortable enough, and allows you to shift weight to a different part of your posterior, but i wouldn't stay like that for too long, specially not in traffic.

Also, when i want to stretch the knees, i will put my heels forward and let my toes stick out. Gives you a couple of more inches to work with.

If riding solo, you can also ride on the pillion seat and give your legs a full stretch.

But yes, seat took a couple of miles to get used to.


-duo

[JHScoot]

another seat is available for the scooter which allows a rider to slide back further. their is no "rise" at the rear for a passenger so your ass can slide back there. same as i do for my Agility. you may have to order it from overseas, though. or so i have read. yet others have modified the seat themselves to create more leg room. crudely but effectively

have read from a long time Agility owner riding the DT feels almost as nimble as the Agility given the DT has a smaller frame under all its plastics and has modestly sized wheels. seems a great scooter

[skipper20]

another seat is available for the scooter which allows a rider to slide back further. their is no "rise" at the rear for a passenger so your ass can slide back there. same as i do for my Agility. you may have to order it from overseas, though. or so i have read. yet others have modified the seat themselves to create more leg room. crudely but effectively

have read from a long time Agility owner riding the DT feels almost as nimble as the Agility given the DT has a smaller frame under all its plastics and has modestly sized wheels. seems a great scooter

Thanks for your comments. After looking at more pictures of the 300i, I'm thinking that the sharp angle where the forward part of the floor board meets the upper part might be a place where one could mount highway bars to rest one's feet on. That is, if there's enough body structure under the floor mats at that joint to make a secure mount. What do you think?

Bill in Seattle