Test drive Kymco MXU 300 / Kimko. Kymco MXU300

Test drive KymcoMXU 300

If you type “Kymco MXU 300” in Yandex, the search engine will dump a bunch of photos on you, which depict a quite nice, utilitarian ATV with some sportiness in it. But the first face-to-face meeting will begin with the famous words: “I thought you were taller.” It is really made in three quarters of the usual size.

It has been scientifically proven that if a motorcycle journalist is left next to the miracle of Korean, or even worse, Chinese technology, then he invariably begins to look for defects*, and experiences great happiness if he does find it.

But I didn’t find any more serious “jambs” than imperfectly fitted plastic. Everything that caught my eye was done competently and competently. After all, Korea makes pretty good cars, so why not make a good ATV?

“It’s nothing like the design,” I concluded, walking around the MXU in a circle. It doesn’t look like a Soviet tractor at all, and you can’t confuse it with a plastic toy. In appearance, it is a utilitarian, although in essence it is closer to sports ATVs due to the low center of gravity and a solid rear axle swinging on a massive pendulum. I also advise you not to delude yourself about the luggage racks, because they can only take so much cargo - 30 kg in the rear, and 20 in the front.

The most interesting solution is the rear optics in the form of “L”-shaped sections with a set of brake lights, clearance and turn signals. Yes, this quad is already equipped at the factory with a full set of lighting equipment, mirrors and a sound signal, but this does not at all mean that it is suitable for urban use. Maximum – a few kilometers along the roadside to the nearest forest. The reason for this, as always, is the lack of a rear differential and the rolliness of such equipment in corners.

Let's return to optics. The front one is decorated in a car style and shines quite well. Right there, side by side, are the “nostrils” of the radiator grille.

Having examined the suspension elements, I did not find any protection for the levers. Only under the engine and rear axle gearbox were there inexpressive metal shields. Another interesting thing is that the rear brake disc is mounted not on the axle, but on the left wheel. But it has two calipers, instead of one big one - unification, sir...

When I finally got tired of walking around, touching and tugging, I jumped onto the “flying seat” and with a decisive movement... missed the ignition switch - I got used to looking for it on the side, and he, the scoundrel, ended up right in front of my eyes, on the dashboard. In addition, it turned out that you can start the quad not only with an electric starter, but also manually. Yes, yes, by hand! Using a “shmorgalka” like the one installed on chainsaws.

The sound of the engine running did not cause a surge of emotion - quiet, low, with a metallic hoarseness - a tractor, it is a tractor. While the 270cc engine was warming up, I had nothing better to do and looked at the tidy. It is extremely simple, I would even say ordinary. The LCD display informs you about the proximity of a gas station, the approach of overheating and lunch, and also has a daily mileage indicator and an odometer. It glares much more than we would like, so small numbers are mediocre to read. The set of warning lamps is standard.

Deciding that the engine had had enough of thrashing in vain, I grabbed the selector lever and moved it to the “H” position. The characteristic “clack!” there was no sound, and the neutral light continued to light as if nothing had happened. T-a-a-a-k... does that mean we need a “gentleman’s approach” again? I remember the last time I used it was also on Korean equipment - remember the Hyosung GV250? Only there the gearbox did not want to go into neutral, but here the transmission does not want to come out of it. Having kicked the “poker” harder, I heard the long-awaited sound of readiness.

Since the scene was a picturesque corner of nature with a forest, a field, a river and a union of auto clubs, where the latter held a cook competition, there was no need to look for a suitable off-road vehicle - here it is, nearby.

The quadric responded to pressing the trigger with a surprisingly confident jerk, throwing out two fountains of last year’s cones from under the wheels. If I didn’t know for sure that the engine capacity here is 270 “cubes”, I would have thought that under me was a “four hundred”. The throttle response is precise and sharp, even though the MXU 300 is not equipped with a fuel injection system, but with a simple carburetor. The engine pulls well throughout the entire rev range and only revs up when the speed reaches 70 km/h. The variator is also good - it fully realizes the potential of what it is attached to. The dynamics, to be honest, are not “space”, but considering the modest volume of the power unit, they are impressive.

Braking dynamics are noticeably better than acceleration dynamics. Four calipers happily bite into three brake discs, settling the light square no worse than a concrete wall - of course, this only applies to those cases where there is appropriate soil under the wheels. The information content is also quite good - in particular, due to the fact that a segment of the brake circuits is laid with a reinforced hose, but the calipers are already fitted with ordinary rubber ones.

It's a different story in the corners and on difficult terrain. Considering that the quad has a very short wheelbase and track, it, excuse the tautology, behaves very poorly in the rut, and tends to lie on its side. A similar situation occurs when cornering calmly. But, on top of everything else, Kymco has two features, the proper use of which makes a significant difference - a low center of gravity and overall weight.

Thanks to both, using standard techniques in the form of hanging and controlled skidding, you can work wonders without resorting to the services of a magic wand. So if you, pilot, have a lot of “body” in you, rejoice. You can influence the quad more effectively! Let’s consider another situation: you’re rushing along, skinny, checking the “maximum speed” of an almost 400-kilogram lanky monster, and then... Whoops! Turn! Well, I slowed down as much as I could, well, I hung over (you can just as easily hang from a tank), and still went to count the trees. But, of course, no one would mind if the manufacturer made the MXU 300 centimeter track 5-10 centimeters wider - sometimes it’s very uncomfortable to drive with a 40-degree lateral roll.

The pendants are frankly “not a fountain.” It seems that the Koreans forgot to fill the “oak” front shock absorbers with oil - there was no damping not only during the first examination, but also in all subsequent ones. The rear monoshock worked well, but for active riding it was frankly too soft. It seems that it was designed for the weight of a 45-kilogram Korean, but not for the twice as massive “carcass” of a Western tester. In driving, or more precisely in jumping, this was expressed by nasty, like teeth-gnashing, breakdowns. If you “fall” over moderately rough terrain, you can observe an unpleasant effect - the front end begins to jump, like a basketball - this is what the lack of damping entails. However, the logic of the Korean-Chinese manufacturers of off-road equipment is interesting: they often sin with a quite serious, albeit “oak” front end... and a “bicycle” rear suspension! “The main thing is that the front wheels go through, but the rear wheels will drag anyway” - is this their motto?

Now I’m getting excited, but to be honest, I’m probably not entirely right - as soon as you change the shock absorbers to tuning ones, the situation will change dramatically.

Next, it occurred to me to check its all-terrain qualities, fortunately, I almost immediately remembered the lack of front-wheel drive and did not go looking for a ford on the river. Imagine my surprise when the quad got stuck in an ordinary ditch, helplessly thrashing its rear wheels. Where is our downgrade? Switching to another transmission mode did not change anything except the depth of the ditch. Well, okay, we are not proud people - we’ll get up and push them out. Luckily, as mentioned above, it's lightweight. As it turned out, the MXU is not only structurally similar to a sports quad, but also has the same cross-country ability. It seems that the image is more or less emerging...

It wasn't until the very end of the test drive that I finally paid attention to the ergonomics and seating position. And for good reason. You put such things in the first paragraph only when you really like something or, conversely, don’t like it. And when I sat down, I forgot to think about some kind of landing, or you don’t pay attention to the ergonomics, this means that everything is OK. Despite the fact that this quad is “3/4”, you don’t feel cramped behind the wheel; moreover, there is still plenty of space for active movement in order to create better weight distribution on steep hills and in turns. The only thing that stands out from the image of “house slippers” are the buttons for the direction indicators, horns and emergency lights – it’s a little unusual to see them on a quad.

So what is the Kymco MXU 300? Utilitarian in 3/4 or something else? I suppose it's different, yes. With the exception of some points, it looks like a budget sports quad, from which the “combat” plastic was torn off and packaged in the clothes of a wealthy farmer, with luggage racks screwed in for greater persuasiveness. It remains a mystery why the oil was drained from the front shock absorbers. Although this is a joke, there is a very significant amount of truth in it.

KYMCO ATVs

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ABOUT US Our motorcycle showroom is the official Kymco dealer in Moscow . We are ready to offer you the most favorable conditions if you want to buy a Kymco ATV . We will register it, issue an inspection certificate, post the license plates, help you get the “rights” for the ATV, deliver it free of charge to your door in Moscow and the Moscow region, and much more. Come to us. With us it’s really profitable.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTS Kymco ATVs (in Russian, Kimko ATVs ) are not very well known in Russia, but those who have been to Europe know that Kymco ATVs are perhaps the most common ATVs in the Old World. Kymco ATVs are extremely reliable and are in no way inferior to their Japanese counterparts. Our motorcycle showroom presents the entire range of Kymco ATVs: Kymco MXU 50, Kymco MXU 250, Kymco MXU 300, Kymco MXU 400, Kymco MXU 500.

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Review of Kymco MXU 400 4x4 (2008)

A utilitarian all-wheel drive ATV with an air-oil-cooled engine, automatic transmission (variator), cardan drive and independent suspension on all wheels. In other plastic, it is assembled at the KYMCO factories for the Arctic Cat company and is called Arctic Cat 366. Accordingly, the user manual in Russian (available on the Internet), as well as spare parts from the catalog, are available.

The engine is based on a Suzuki design, but Kymco engineers have modified the cooling system. An additional oil pump was added to help stabilize the engine temperature at a safe level under a variety of operating conditions, preventing both engine overheating and undercooling. The engine is lubricated and cooled from a single oil tank, using relatively inexpensive and widely available SAE 5W-30 or 5W-40 automotive engine oil. It is recommended to use SAE 80W-90 hypoid lubricant in the front differential and rear wheel drive. This factor distinguishes this ATV from others, in which manufacturers recommend the use of special oils from MOTUL and the like, which are highly expensive.

The ATV is available in two trim levels, OffRoad and OnRoad. The difference is expressed in the presence of turn signals and rear-view mirrors in the OnRoad configuration. The ATV is also equipped with two cargo platforms, the maximum load capacity of which is: Front trunk 34 kg; Rear luggage compartment 68 kg. Hitch: steel profiled pipe for an “American” type towbar (beam 50 x 50 mm). The original is quite expensive, therefore, with a slight movement of the hands, the necessary assembly is made from a piece of square pipe of the appropriate cross-section and a Chinese ball purchased at the car market. In the area of the front axle there is a platform for installing a winch; according to some reports, the American WARN 25 fits into standard seats without problems.

The ATV is positioned by the manufacturer as a single-seater, this is clearly indicated by the warning sticker on the fender, however, 2 men of above average build can fit on the seat without any inconvenience, the ATV carries a load of about 180 kg without any problems at all. The car is assembled very well and of high quality, the plastic is thick and does not look cheap. I have not yet fully experienced the off-road capabilities of the quad, so it’s too early to say anything on this topic, at least it overcomes half-meter concrete curbs in the industrial zone without problems. The only downside I see so far is electric start. I would prefer manual override in case the battery suddenly runs out.

Why him? In this price segment of the market, the choice is quite large, these are (by price, from cheap to more expensive) CF-moto Basic, Kymco mxu-400, AEON 4x4, gamax ax-600, SYM-600 and KYMCO MXU 500 ON ROAD. The range is from 180 to 270 thousand. Of all this company, only Kymco mxu-400 and AEON 4x4 without winches, the rest have it in stock. But my requirements were as follows: a compact all-wheel drive reliable quad, from a reputable manufacturer, within 200 thousand rubles, plus/minus 20 thousand. If I had 300 thousand, I would look towards the MXU 500 and SYM-600. If I had less, I would buy Gamax. For delivery of AEON 4x4 within 100 km. from the Moscow Ring Road the seller charged almost 10 thousand, so this option was no longer available. CF-moto Basic is a good budget option, but the constant mentions of minor defects bothered me. Travel several hundred km. to my parents’ dacha to correct them - I have neither the time nor the opportunity. In addition, this basic is quite bulky. That is why, after almost six months of reflection, my choice is the Kimko MXU-400.