Modern Buddy

Posted: **Mon Jul 08, 2019 10:33 pm**

I've been looking at the Kymco People GT300i as a, gulp, third scooter. Looks pretty good to me and makes decent power. Under seat storage looks to be a little lacking athough it comes standard with a top box. Does anyone here have any real world experience with this scooter? If so, what are your thoughts?

Posted: **Tue Jul 09, 2019 5:34 am**

At 6' 2", with ~33" legs, I couldn't ride it. I could barely sit on it, and that pissed me off. Ended up with a BV350.

Posted: **Tue Jul 09, 2019 7:24 am**

Syd wrote:At 6' 2", with ~33" legs, I couldn't ride it. I could barely sit on it, and that pissed me off. Ended up with a BV350.

Are you saying that the seat was too tall for you? If so then my puny 31" inseam will certainly be too short.

Posted: **Tue Jul 09, 2019 11:14 am**

seat height is higher on the bv350...i'm assuming he was too cramped although i don't know the width of the seats...

http://cycle-ergo.com/

Posted: **Tue Jul 09, 2019 1:39 pm**

Take a look at this thread: http://www.kymcoforum.com/index.php?topic=14576.0
Very capable scooter, but known to have fuel injection gremlins and spotty dealer support.

Posted: **Tue Jul 09, 2019 2:59 pm**

Whats your reason for focusing on this particular scooter? I love the flat floor. Just Gotta Scoot did a positive review on one. It does look good. If it was me, I would still pick a BV350. I've seen KYMCO come and go thru so many different dealerships around here and thats a huge warning flag for me. At least KYMCO no longer floods the market with 20 different models at the same time. Great product, and I loved my first gen. People 250, but I like solid dealer support more. If you have good dealer support and it fits you (have not even sat on any KYMCO in over 10 years) go for it!

Posted: **Tue Jul 09, 2019 9:28 pm**

babblefish wrote:
Syd wrote:At 6' 2", with ~33" legs, I couldn't ride it. I could barely sit on it, and that pissed me off. Ended up with a BV350.
Are you saying that the seat was too tall for you? If so then my puny 31" inseam will certainly be too short.

Not at all. I was easily able to flat-foot the GT300i. What I couldn't do, and sorry for being unclear, was sit, comfortably, on the seat; my knees hit the dash/bars/whatever it is you call the parts that move when you turn. My knees were so close I couldn't even dip them out of the way.

This is true for every Kymco I've ever sat on, so I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was disappointed.

Posted: **Wed Jul 10, 2019 1:29 am**

sc00ter wrote:Whats your reason for focusing on this particular scooter? I love the flat floor. Just Gotta Scoot did a positive review on one. It does look good. If it was me, I would still pick a BV350. I've seen KYMCO come and go thru so many different dealerships around here and thats a huge warning flag for me. At least KYMCO no longer floods the market with 20 different models at the same time. Great product, and I loved my first gen. People 250, but I like solid dealer support more. If you have good dealer support and it fits you (have not even sat on any KYMCO in over 10 years) go for it!

Like you, I like the flat floor, but it's not an overwhelming reason for me to want one of these. I just assume it will be reliable since Kymco is probably the biggest scooter manufacturer in Taiwan not only for their own products but for other manufacturers products as well. They're also very popular with the locals. Three out of five scooters you see there will be a Kymco. Also, being Taiwanese, I assume replacement parts would be cheaper than the Italian Paggio BV350. And having a smaller displacement, it should be lighter which makes it easier to maneuver around in tight situations (I'm not a big guy). As far as dealer support, I don't need it as I always do my own maintenance and repairs.
With all that said, after doing more research, I may consider other scooters too. Seems both the under seat storage and the top box are too small to hold a full coverage helmet and the external helmet hook is not lockable(!?). Doesn't sound like much but it's kinda annoying to have to schlep my helmet around with me every time I get off the scooter.
After that long winded response, I guess my expanded list of possible candidates would be: Aprilia Sportcity 250, Kymco GT300i, Paggio BV350, and Yamaha XMAX 300. I need to do more research on the latter two.

Posted: **Wed Jul 10, 2019 1:35 am**

Syd wrote:
babblefish wrote:
Syd wrote:At 6' 2", with ~33" legs, I couldn't ride it. I could barely sit on it, and that pissed me off. Ended up with a BV350.
Are you saying that the seat was too tall for you? If so then my puny 31" inseam will certainly be too short.
Not at all. I was easily able to flat-foot the GT300i. What I couldn't do, and sorry for being unclear, was sit, comfortably, on the seat; my knees hit the dash/bars/whatever it is you call the parts that move when you turn. My knees were so close I couldn't even dip them out of the way.

This is true for every Kymco I've ever sat on, so I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was disappointed.

I'm small enough to do laps around the floor board of my Buddy while riding so space for me is not an issue. I have the opposite problem actually, I can't ride large bikes such as adventure bikes (my favorite bikes). When I sit on a BMW GS1200 I feel like a hamster on an elephant.

Posted: **Thu Jul 11, 2019 6:48 am**

I got one 20,000 miles no trouble with the engine, brakes are great. It's not being sold stateside anymore. The bad is the dealer network and scooter related small gas tank under the seat, cvt belt slips in heavy rain. The bv350 is a better scooter or maybe a gently used vespa.

Posted: **Thu Jul 11, 2019 7:19 am**

easy wrote:I got one 20,000 miles no trouble with the engine, brakes are great. It's not being sold stateside anymore. The bad is the dealer network and scooter related small gas tank under the seat, cvt belt slips in heavy rain. The bv350 is a better scooter or maybe a gently used vespa.

Good to know, thanks. I wasn't aware that it was no longer imported. My local dealer does have a 2017 in stock though. I wonder why the CVT belt would slip in the rain since it's enclosed within the transmission case. It should stay dry in there. Strange.

Posted: **Thu Jul 11, 2019 11:18 am**

Not sure but I'm not the only one

Posted: **Tue Jul 16, 2019 5:02 pm**

I rode the People and DT 300's and the BV350, back to back to back. I purchased the BV350. In retrospect, the Kymco is a better value. I had a People 250 and it ran beautifully and was very reliable. The BV does not fall into my definition of reliable. It's fantastic to ride but has a fairly constant flow of niggling issues.
You won't go wrong with the People 300.

Posted: **Wed Jul 17, 2019 5:42 am**

I've ridden one and it has very good engine pep. I fit on it nicely as well. I would try sitting on one and making sure the dealer you purchase from is a good one and has a mechanic that can fix warranty issues.

I would also consider a BV350 if you are wanting to get into that class. Have fun.

Posted: **Thu Jul 18, 2019 3:56 pm**

babblefish wrote:After that long winded response, I guess my expanded list of possible candidates would be: Aprilia Sportcity 250, Kymco GT300i, Paggio BV350, and Yamaha XMAX 300. I need to do more research on the latter two.

In its last couple of years in their US lineup, the Aprilia Sport City was sold with the same 300 engine as the Vespa GTS 300. Same flat floorboard and identical body to the SC 250. They are somewhat rarer on the market than the previous 250, but a great scooter if you find one for sale. I had one for several years and should never have sold it.

Posted: **Fri Jul 19, 2019 2:49 pm**

babblefish wrote:
sc00ter wrote: After that long winded response, I guess my expanded list of possible candidates would be: Aprilia Sportcity 250, Kymco GT300i, Paggio BV350, and Yamaha XMAX 300. I need to do more research on the latter two.
Back when I could ride bigger scooters, my favorite was an '08 Aprilia Sport City 250. It could easily handle Interstate Hwy traffic and it was so perfectly balanced. it felt like I was on a smaller, lighter 125cc scooter. The only negative was an erratic fuel gauge which showed "Full" for a hundred miles or more and then started dropping rapidly. I carried a wood measuring stick just to be on the safe side. The scooter is long gone but I still have the stick!

Bill in Seattle
'84 Honda Gyro Red
'86 Honda Gyro S Red

Posted: **Fri Jul 19, 2019 2:52 pm**

Keep that stick! You never know when you may have another scooter with an inaccurate fuel gauge.

Posted: **Sun Jul 21, 2019 4:37 am**

Thanks for all the input folks. I really wanted a Sportcity 250 but since they've been discontinued, they're a little hard to find on Craigslist. I used to see them quite often there but I guess the word is out.
If all else fails, I'll just bite the bullet and spend the extra money to get a Triumph Scrambler.

Posted: **Sun Jul 21, 2019 5:49 am**

Dooglas wrote:
babblefish wrote:After that long winded response, I guess my expanded list of possible candidates would be: Aprilia Sportcity 250, Kymco GT300i, Paggio BV350, and Yamaha XMAX 300. I need to do more research on the latter two.
In its last couple of years in their US lineup, the Aprilia Sport City was sold with the same 300 engine as the Vespa GTS 300. Same flat floorboard and identical body to the SC 250. They are somewhat rarer on the market than the previous 250, but a great scooter if you find one for sale. I had one for several years and should never have sold it.

So there was a Sportcity 300? I've never seen one.

Posted: **Sat Jul 27, 2019 7:26 am**

babblefish wrote:Thanks for all the input folks. I really wanted a Sportcity 250 but since they've been discontinued, they're a little hard to find on Craigslist. I used to see them quite often there but I guess the word is out.
If all else fails, I'll just bite the bullet and spend the extra money to get a Triumph Scrambler.

Check out the BMW R nine T Pure...weird name but an oldschool opposed twin, air-cooled.

Posted: **Sun Jul 28, 2019 3:17 am**

OBX Dan wrote:
babblefish wrote:Thanks for all the input folks. I really wanted a Sportcity 250 but since they've been discontinued, they're a little hard to find on Craigslist. I used to see them quite often there but I guess the word is out.
If all else fails, I'll just bite the bullet and spend the extra money to get a Triumph Scrambler.
Check out the BMW R nine T Pure...weird name but an oldschool opposed twin, air-cooled.

Thanks for the suggestion. While I like BMW boxers, I really wanted an old school looking scrambler, like the ones I grew up with in the sixties. I remember drooling over sales brochures of bikes like the Triumph TR6 Trophy and Tiger, BSA 441, B25, B40, etc.
Of course, if a BMW R90S or R100S ever came up for a reasonable price...

Posted: **Sun Jul 28, 2019 2:25 pm**

With any BMW do your homework on service cost AND know issues before buying one. You should do well with a Triumph though. A friend had a Speed Triple for awhile. Fast, fun and reliable. Only downside was getting in legal trouble on it.

Modern Buddy

Kymco People GT300i, anyone?

Kymco People GT300i, anyone?