Kymco picks up the slack...

There's an interesting article I found recently, detailing some new Kymco models. The writer, of course, is very excited about Kymco's new 700cc scooter, and that is what he primarily writes about; however, what interests me is not the 700cc, or even the 300cc below that, but rather, the new 125cc "naked" motorcycle.

As I have written previously, there is a tendency in America for motorsports companies to focus on large displacement bikes. That is fine as far as it goes. Many Americans like big, noisy, smelly vehicles, and that is their right; however, there are some of us who prefer spunky, perky, small vehicles with less noise but plenty of character. I happen to be one of the latter.

A 125cc motorcycle may not get a lot of street cred from the hard core biker crowd, but a smaller bike offers nimble maneuverability that no Harley cruiser can match. They also offer greater fuel economy, which has always been a big factor for me when purchasing a vehicle.

The small displacement niche has been neglected by most other motorcycle companies, so it is nice to see Kymco filling some of the holes. Certainly, there are several scooters available under 250cc, but I'm only aware of one other motorcycle currently in that range (Kawasaki, Eliminator 125). Again, Kudos to Kymco!

There is a fourth vehicle mentioned in the article, but I am not terribly sure of my feelings about it. It's a small electric scooter concept with a top speed of 15 mph. At 0.5 horsepower, it's not much of a scooter. The limited range is also a problem. I'm not one to mind the low speed, personally, but from a safety perspective, I'd not want to try riding one in traffic or even down the side of the road.

Electric vehicles make sense from a theoretical perspective, but in practical application, there are few that offer the range and power of a gasoline powered vehicle, in fact, I can only think of one, and that is the Tesla Roadster. There are some that show promise, but aren't quite there yet. Take the Vectrix Scooter, for instance. The Vectrix has the styling of a maxi-scooter, and the power of a 150cc gas scooter, but it doesn't quite have the range that one would want for longer rides. The top speed of 62 mph is also a bit disappointing, though it is more than sufficient for casual riding. Unfortunately, due to the limitation of top speed and range, the Vectrix is relegated to the role of daily commuter and errand runner with little flexibility for long range cruising.

In time, perhaps better batteries and better electric engines will overcome these speed and range issues, making electric scooters a more realistic alternative to gas scooters.