[NBR] True Confessions: Goodbye, Cruel Kymco!

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jprestonian
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[NBR] True Confessions: Goodbye, Cruel Kymco!

Post by jprestonian »

So, for a variety of reasons, Bad Penny (my 2007 Kymco People 250)is No More. *snif* I will miss her. I may show up at the auction with the keys and the new Michelin City Grip I just bought to see if I can make some Easy Money. :lol:

"So, yay! You're buying a Buddy, right?"

Well, sadly... no.

I have of course been mightily impressed with the quality of the Genuine bikes, but only the Blur 220i comes close to what I could realistically replace Bad Penny with and still have all the performance, etc. I have come to expect. Thang is, I find the Blur 220i an ergonomic nightmare -- fun to ride around for a while, but not something I'd be happy with over the long haul.

Also, the whole Genuine/Nashville situation has been in flux since East Side Scooters closed last October (*snif*), and I have to say, there have been some nasty mud-slingings on this front in the post-ESS era. It's enough to make me not want to have to rely on the shop perhaps most likely to secure the dealership. If I had easy access to a truck, I wouldn't hesitate to give Hugh & Company @ Scenic City my business, but the 'Noog is 2+ hours away.

And yeah, the more I think about it, these last few months of interstate commuting? They've been pretty harrowing, at times. Moving down to a 125cc scooter is honestly not a bad idea for me.

So, what will the replacement be?

I think it's likely to be a Honda PCX125/150.
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Post by redhandmoto »

Bummer; sorry for your troubles, J.

Head gasket #3 ?!! Since '07? Should I be scratching Kymco off my list? Did it not like the sustained highway speed?

Wellsir, I've never even seen a Blur 220i, but after a call from my bud at the Big Four dealer, I went and sat on the first PCX 150 to hit town, fully prepared to love it.

Not. Not at'all; ergos are not for me: scrunched & bunched. And I ain't a giant.
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Post by viney266 »

Buy a buddy and you will never need to visit the dealer...These things are tanks!

But good luck with whatever choice you make. The Honda is a good one ,too. My daughter is thinking about a scooter, so far its a buddy or a Vino. Both great choices IMO.
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Post by jprestonian »

redhandmoto wrote:Head gasket #3 ?!! Since '07? Should I be scratching Kymco off my list? Did it not like the sustained highway speed?
It seems obvious to me that the head or the jug (if not both) should have been machined down after that first failure. Were it not for the fact that the boot of the state will make recovering Bad Penny a horrible travesty of a joke, that would be my first step in a very-expensive repair. Fact is, should I attend the auction, scare everyone off and re-buy my own damned scooter for $1, I probably will find a place to park Bad Penny, and turn it into a long-term wrenching project.
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Post by jprestonian »

viney266 wrote:Buy a buddy and you will never need to visit the dealer...These things are tanks!
Oh, I know the shot -- I used to work for a Genuine dealer. :) I've also seen some Problem Children (resolved by Genuine in every case), but I can't be without a warranty/authorized service center that I can trust being a lot closer than 2+ hours away. This scooter, like the ones before it, will be my sole transportation.
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Post by redhandmoto »

Hmm. If a well-performing 125 will serve your needs, perhaps the Yamaha Zuma 125 bears looking at. Mine was a brick; I found the ergos to be great.
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Post by Syd »

Do you have a local SYM dealer worth visiting? You can't beat the HD200.
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Post by michelle_7728 »

I'm so sorry to hear of your troubles with your scooter. Sounds like it was a lemon right from the start.

Hopefully your next scooter will be a winner and make up for it.

If you decide to go larger, I had really good luck with my Yamaha Majesty 400. I mention that only because other than the Buddy 125s and Piaggio MP3s, I have no experience with any other scooters.

Best wishes.
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Re: [NBR] True Confessions: Goodbye, Cruel Kymco!

Post by Rob »

jprestonian wrote:So, for a variety of reasons, Bad Penny (my 2007 Kymco People 250)is No More. *snif* I think it's likely to be a Honda PCX125/150.
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Sounds like the only Chrysler/Dodge vehicle I once owned and vowed never to own another. At least until my other half recently fell in love with the Jeep Wranglers and is looking hard at them. I'm just hoping that perhaps Chrysler hasn't had enough time to screw up Jeep yet.

I've owned several Hondas in my life (including a 750 right now) and they are basically bulletproof. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone getting a lemon, although I'm sure there has happened ... just not too often.

Good luck however you go.

Rob
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Post by jprestonian »

Syd wrote:Do you have a local SYM dealer worth visiting? You can't beat the HD200.
I've loved every HD200 I've ever ridden (and there have been a few!), except for the tri-lobed hand grips. :) But I'm not ready to trust that Alliance won't make a mess of SYM support in the US just yet. Carter Brothers was a f'n nightmare, and I suspect Mike Hancock et al have it under MUCH better control. But I'm not seeing any push in the market for SYM.

Honda? They ain't goin' anywhere.
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Post by skully93 »

so wait, you want to replace a blur performer with a pcx 150?

I do have to say, Sir, that those things are not as nice as they could be. Dependable, good machines, yes, but if you're griping about performance...even the pcx 150 will not satisfy. My International 150 made it look stupid, only cuter. Get another Kymco or a Vespa if you don't like the buddy.
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Post by jprestonian »

skully93 wrote:so wait, you want to replace a blur performer with a pcx 150?

I do have to say, Sir, that those things are not as nice as they could be. Dependable, good machines, yes, but if you're griping about performance...even the pcx 150 will not satisfy. My International 150 made it look stupid, only cuter. Get another Kymco or a Vespa if you don't like the buddy.
Well, few thangs in life are as nice as they could be, which is why I still fantasize about Grace Park when I'm with the wife, right? ;)

I rode a SYM Fiddle II to and from work, today. It was more than up to the task, and where I suspected I was ten minutes late for work, I was almost five minutes early. A 125 will do what I need. I just have to give up the interstate (as if that's a huge sacrifice).
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Post by 303 whodat »

I would think a leftover jager might be had at a good price, i have heard good things about it as a similar machine to the sym 200. my bet and win is way fun,but i am ready to make the move up to a 250 reflex or grandvista. strange that you want to drop down from 250 to 125. good luck man !
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Post by jprestonian »

303 whodat wrote:I would think a leftover jager might be had at a good price, i have heard good things about it as a similar machine to the sym 200. my bet and win is way fun,but i am ready to make the move up to a 250 reflex or grandvista. strange that you want to drop down from 250 to 125. good luck man !
It <i>is</i> strange, I suppose... but truth be told, I don't really like local commuting by interstate on two wheels. Too many brain-dead texters and makeup-appliers, IMO. I feel like I have more options on the surface streets for evasion. And I am ALL ABOUT planning to evade, when needed. :)

Also, again... I am just not feeling the Kymco love. I know what douches they were to East Side Scooters, and my (service and customer) experience with their scooters overall has been <I>a lot</i> more mixed than my experience with say Genuine, or Honda, or Yamaha.

If not for the fact that the dealer most likely to get the Genuine dealership in Nashville is a place I do not trust, I would probably opt for a Buddy, rather than the Honda. But, as everyone seems to agree, if the money's available, it's hard to go wrong choosing Honda.
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Post by dsmith65 »

Who are the shops in contention for being a Genuine dealership.
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Post by SoCalScooter »

jprestonian wrote:
303 whodat wrote:I would think a leftover jager might be had at a good price, i have heard good things about it as a similar machine to the sym 200. my bet and win is way fun,but i am ready to make the move up to a 250 reflex or grandvista. strange that you want to drop down from 250 to 125. good luck man !
It <i>is</i> strange, I suppose... but truth be told, I don't really like local commuting by interstate on two wheels. Too many brain-dead texters and makeup-appliers, IMO. I feel like I have more options on the surface streets for evasion. And I am ALL ABOUT planning to evade, when needed. :)
I don't think it's strange. I avoid the interstate when I take my car to work. I get better gas mileage in the cage on the side streets as opposed to bumper to bumper on the I-5 with crazies cutting in everywhere they can.

I think if you can fit on the PCX then it's a good reliable bike. I'm tempted to add one to the stable.

However, I've heard that dealer service on them can be expensive. Also I don't know about your Honda dealer, but the ones around here add on 500-700 in fees making your $3,500 scoot about $4,500 out the door.

I hope you score a good deal. Post up pics when you get your new ride home!
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Post by skully93 »

I also avoid the interstate. In CO it's illegal under 250 (and darn stupid at the speeds people drive...). I don't spend any time looking at brakelights because some f'n braindonor is on the phone while merging into traffic on the highway, and overall I am much happier.

My commute to Boulder would be faster on the highway, but unfortunately it is 60mph for 2 seconds at a time followed by 5mph for 20 minutes, rinse, repeat, dodge people trying to kill you, etc. In other words, it takes the fun out of scooting.

I am sad that you can no longer enjoy Bad Penny, and Kymcos are great beasts, but if a smaller machine meets your needs, it's still fun right?

Love commuting on Yoda, and my dealer has always been a joy.

Keep us posted on the new beast, and what you choose to name it!
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Post by jprestonian »

skully93 wrote:I also avoid the interstate. In CO it's illegal under 250 (and darn stupid at the speeds people drive...). I don't spend any time looking at brakelights because some f'n braindonor is on the phone while merging into traffic on the highway, and overall I am much happier.

My commute to Boulder would be faster on the highway, but unfortunately it is 60mph for 2 seconds at a time followed by 5mph for 20 minutes, rinse, repeat, dodge people trying to kill you, etc. In other words, it takes the fun out of scooting.

I am sad that you can no longer enjoy Bad Penny, and Kymcos are great beasts, but if a smaller machine meets your needs, it's still fun right?

Love commuting on Yoda, and my dealer has always been a joy.

Keep us posted on the new beast, and what you choose to name it!
Tennessee considers 150cc to be "interstate-capable," but I wouldn't attempt it on anything less than a 250cc... unless it were very late at night/early morning, and I just needed to go a few exits.

Smaller bikes are loads of fun. Last weekend, I rode a 4-stroke Metropolitan from west Nashville to Leiper's Fork (off the Natchez Trace) with another pal on a 50cc 2T Zuma. I wouldn't want to make a 30-mile daily commute on one, but I sure would if that's all I had! With a 125cc, the commute takes about 10 minutes longer due to traffic lights -- it's a more direct route, but the lights and stop signs do make a bit of a difference.

The whole time I've owned Bad Penny, probably less than 10% of my use of her was on interstates or similar roads (more so in the last three months, what with the new job, but...). I took one long road trip to Poplar Bluff, MO last year. I think I've decided I'd rather rent a car for trips of that duration. :)

Naming: I'm thinking "Thai One On(da)." Plate may read THA1ON. :lol:
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Post by jprestonian »

Or maybe "Thai Knee." Harder to make that one obvious on a plate with six characters, max. ;)

I've rejected "Bo Thai," already, because I hate George Will and Tucker Carlson. :lol:
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Post by jprestonian »

dsmith65 wrote:Who are the shops in contention for being a Genuine dealership.
Well, let me not be the one to cast stones. It should go up on Genuine's web site once the ink dries.

UPDATE: I see that the ink has dried.
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Post by jprestonian »

Got the PCX. Fun!
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Post by hardd1 »

congrats on PCX.. :D
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Post by jasondavis48108 »

congrats on the PCX, looks like a fun bike. I have the SH150i and it's been an awesome scooter except for the 2.5 month hiccup but that's my local shops fault not Honda's (bad mechanical seal that took 4 tries by my local shop to fix). I understand the whole losing your local shop thing. I'd love another Genuine scooter if I could count on a local shop for service but my favorite shop left last year so I won't be buying a Genuine any time soon. Hopefully by the time they release the mythical 300cc retro scoot we will have another awesome local Genuine dealer :)
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Post by JHScoot »

you say goodbye, jpres. but i say 'hello!'

and to think this is the man whose video was responsible for me buying a Kymco Agility. at least in part

oh the humanity, jpres. certainly you remember the good 'ol days before you went sour! :P :lol:


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Post by jprestonian »

A Scooter Called Wanda

Wanda... the Honda.
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