Not a bad scooter for commuter trips.
Kwang Yang Motor Company (KYMCO) has made a great entry into the mid-sized scooter market with the release of the Like 150i. The device turned out to be stylish and modern, but with clear hints of the classics. Thanks to the injector, a fairly powerful engine fits well into modern econorms. Overall, it’s a very good model, but the devil is always in the details, so let’s compare how and what the new device competes with.
Control of the Kymco AK550 scooter
Kymco is taking a new step to enter the maxi scooter segment with its new model AK550. This new product gives the company a ticket into the competitive market with its premium look and engine displacement, which is more motorcycle than scooter. This scooter is aimed at winning a more demanding clientele; the main features of the model are comfort, protection from bad weather, as well as safety, for which there are customizable riding modes and ABS. What else can this tourer/city commuter boast of? Let's find out.
Kymco like design
The smooth front fender attaches to the fork arms, reducing unsprung weight. The wide front fairing protects the rider's legs from rain and wind. Its front side has a nice decorative embossing, dividing the wide field of the fairing into several sections. Quite reserved, but nice. With a touch of classicism, if you like, thanks to the single headlight and handlebar fairing. The shape of the headlight is somewhat unusual, not like the usual round headlights of classic scooters, but for some reason it still has a vintage look and evokes nostalgia.
The flush-mounted turn signals are made with LEDs, like all the other lighting equipment of the device. The dashboard is fully digital, in a retro-futuristic style. This, by the way, is a quote from the description from the manufacturer.
The front fairing houses a wide but shallow glove compartment with a built-in USB port. Just below is the gas tank hatch. The tank has a volume of about 8 liters and is located under the rider’s feet, so the floor of the scooter looks unusually massive. This placement of the tank shifts the center of gravity down, and this is good, but the volume of the tank is small, so the mileage between “to the neck” and “reserve light” will be short. Under the folding seat is a quite typical luggage compartment, which can accommodate one helmet and some small items. Behind the trunk for two helmets is for maxiscooters.
On the sides of the device, the metal panels are embossed, as is the front shield, and this gives the scooter an understated elegance and seamless design. The same can be said about the rear lighting: bright LED lights are assembled into an elegant single unit. The splash guard consists of a deep rear fender and a mudguard to which the license plate is attached.
A little information about the manufacturer Kymco Agility 50
Kymco, whose production facilities are located in Taiwan, has been developing and producing motorcycles for more than half a century. The year the company was founded is 1963. Over the entire period, a lot of different equipment was produced - scooters, ATVs, motorcycles, electric scooters and all-terrain vehicles. We also produce equipment for the mobility of disabled people, which requires increased reliability and reliability. All developments are carried out by our own design bureau, and production is carried out at several factories.
Kymco Agility 50 scooter manufacturer is located in Taiwan
The company's workshops also produce spare parts for such well-known brands as Honda and Kawasaki. The world-famous BMW company is no exception. In particular, the single-cylinder engine that powers the BMW G 450 X Enduro motorcycle is also assembled by Taiwanese specialists. In addition, the design of the suspension and motor of one of the Kawasaki scooters was developed by designers at Kymco.
Products manufactured by Kymco are used in the domestic market and are also supplied to various countries around the world, where they are popular. For example, in Italy, despite having its own motorcycle factories, Kymco brand scooters are among the top ten best-selling.
It’s not for nothing that the slogan, which translated into Russian means “Better than the Best,” has remained unchanged since its founding.
Chassis
Unlike some classmates, the device has a frame. And this frame is made of a double pipe, making the device much stronger than those built on a single pipe. The hydraulic telescopic fork has 95 mm of travel, and the rear suspension, with a pair of external-spring shock absorbers, has 86 mm of travel. The rear suspension has spring preload adjustment. The wheel diameter is standard for this class - 12 inches. The rear is 130/70, and the front is 110/70, like many other devices.
The developers could have put a drum brake back and said “Done!”, but to their credit, there are two-piston disc brakes with ABS on both the front and rear.
Technical characteristics of Kimko Agility
When planning to become the owner of a Taiwanese two-wheeler Kymco Agility 50, it is worth studying its technical characteristics and understanding the design features. Let us dwell in detail on the operating parameters, engine, transmission and chassis.
Despite the small engine capacity, the scooter is capable of developing good speed
Engine
Let's start studying the technical characteristics with the heart of the scooter - the power unit. This is a regular four-stroke GY6 two-valve engine, which has been used in various types of scooters for decades. The engine design, worked out to the smallest detail, ensures its long service life, subject to operating conditions and proper maintenance.
Despite the small cubic capacity of the power unit, amounting to 49.5 cm3, it is capable of developing power up to 3.7 hp. at a crankshaft speed of 7.5 thousand revolutions per minute. At 7 thousand revolutions, the torque reaches 3.5 Nm, which allows you to accelerate the scooter quite quickly.
The dynamic characteristics of a scooter with a 50 cc four-stroke engine are quite acceptable. Accelerating to 50 km/h will take no more than 6 seconds.
The oncoming air flow cools the engine while moving. The engine with a compression ratio of 11 is powered by a carburetor system. A piston with a stroke of 41.4 mm is installed inside a working cylinder with a diameter of 39 mm. Wanting to increase the power of the power plant, some motorcycle enthusiasts carry out tuning, trying to bore the cylinder and install another piston into it. How necessary this is is the question. After all, the engine is already quite torquey and has the necessary power.
Brakes
The braking system is responsible for the safety of the driver driving the Agility scooter. The brake design of Taiwanese motorcycles is typical for scooters of this type. The front wheel is locked by a single-disc brake with a two-piston caliper. The diameter of the front brake disc is 18 cm. The rear wheel has a brake drum with a diameter of 11 cm.
The braking system is responsible for driver safety
The brake mechanisms cope well with their assigned function. If you need to stop quickly, the manufacturer recommends using two brake mechanisms at the same time. Speaking about the information content of the brakes, we can say that it is very relative - depending on what you focus on and what your driving style is. An emergency stop at a traffic light is not problematic.
However, those who like to enjoy the whistling sound of tires during a skid will find the brakes quite sluggish.
Chassis and handling
This model is available in various versions with an identical chassis design. Thus, the Kymco Agility 50 Fat scooter, as well as the Kymco Agility City 50 scooter, are equipped with a telescopic fork that provides a soft front suspension. The rear wheel is mounted on a pendulum suspension connected to the supporting frame using two shock absorbers. The front fork has 80mm of travel and the rear shocks are capable of 50mm of compression. Speaking about the design of the suspensions, it should be noted that they are standard and the manufacturer has not introduced any technical innovations into their design.
After a test ride on a scooter on uneven surfaces, you can quickly verify that the suspension is stiff enough. It's disappointing that there's no way to change its rigidity with one or two deft hand movements. When hitting bumps, slight discomfort is immediately felt. However, regular feedback to the hands and the “fifth point” gradually begins to greatly strain the driver. It is not clear why the Taiwanese manufacturer did not implement a ready-made technical solution in its scooter, which has long been tested on Japanese motorcycles.
The scooter has a fairly stiff suspension
Along with this disadvantage, there are pleasant advantages. When overcoming uneven surfaces, the central stand does not clank, and you also do not hear rattling sounds from the vibration of the plastic. If we talk about handling, then there are no negative aspects. Soft 12-inch wheels mounted on alloy wheels, combined with the suspension, provide simple and comfortable control of the two-wheeler. The small size of the scooter makes it easy to maneuver when approaching traffic lights between narrow gaps among cars during traffic jams.
Lighting
The headlight of a scooter cannot please lovers of night walks and long journeys. The 35-watt light bulbs installed inside the headlights do not provide the required level of road illumination in conditions of poor visibility. When trying to replace standard lamps with more powerful ones, you should be careful. There is a high chance that the plastic will lose its transparency or even melt. On the other hand, the speed threshold of a 50 cc scooter, which can accelerate to 45-50 km, does not require the installation of a powerful spotlight on it.
Limiters
On most scooters and mopeds, manufacturers install special limiters at the factory that do not allow the maximum speed to be exceeded. This provides additional security and in a number of states allows you to drive a 50cc vehicle without a driver's license or registration. The Kymco Agility 50 is no exception, which also has speed limiters.
Special speed limiters are factory installed on most scooters
What devices are used to limit the maximum speed of a scooter, which, according to the passport, is 50 km/h?
So, to limit the speed threshold, the following is used:
- a special CDI module that controls the ignition system and limits the crankshaft speed to 7 thousand revolutions;
- automatic variator and belts, the design features of which do not allow movement at speeds higher than permitted;
- a carburetor jet, through a calibrated channel through which fuel enters the working chamber of the cylinder.
A comprehensive speed limit using the specified means does not allow the scooter to accelerate more than 50 km/h. It is technically possible to get rid of the limiters, which will increase the maximum speed to 70 km/h and improve the dynamic characteristics of the scooter. Those who like to experiment can try replacing the ignition module, replacing the coil, removing the CVT limiter, and installing a jet with a larger hole.
This will increase the speed threshold with a corresponding increase in the crankshaft speed to 9 thousand revolutions per minute. However, tuning enthusiasts will have to deal with a slight increase in gasoline consumption.
For a Taiwanese scooter, the necessary spare parts can be easily purchased through a network of service centers
Kymco Agility 50 - Parts
Through a network of service centers, it is easy to purchase the necessary spare parts for a Taiwanese scooter. Their cost will differ markedly from their Chinese counterparts, but at the same time they are significantly cheaper than similar spare parts for Japanese Yamaha or Honda.
When installing spare parts on a scooter, there is no need to adjust the fit dimensions. This once again indicates the high quality of components and parts from the Taiwanese manufacturer.
Engine
Four-valve four-stroke engine with a piston diameter of 59 mm and a stroke of 54.8 mm with a total volume of 149.8 cc. cm, which is literally right next to the declared mark of 150 cubes. The valve system is simple and reliable - with one overhead camshaft. The device starts only with the starter button, and if you like to revive your horse with your foot, this scooter is not for you, but for everyone else this is good news.
Thanks to the injector, this device has a fairly low consumption - about 3.4 liters per hundred. As for the power figures, everything is exactly as you would expect: 11.8 N*m at 6500 rpm and 13.5 hp. at 9000 rpm. Forced air cooling makes the device simpler and lighter than those with liquid cooling. The transmission scheme, typical for scooters, is a variator, which provides easy control of engine traction and does not require gear shifting. The manufacturer does not report the maximum speed, but most likely you should stay away from highways and be extremely careful on country roads.
Classmates
Definitely, the closest classmate of the Kymco like 150 l is the Vespa Sprint 150S: it also has a classic design and modern filling. Retro elements give the Vespa an unmatched nostalgic spirit, but KYMCO is not far behind with its neo-retro design.
Vespa has a slightly larger cubic capacity - 154.8 cc, and more torque - 12.8 N_m versus 11.8 N_m for Like. But the latter has a little more ponies (13.5 versus 12.7), so the power of both devices is more or less comparable. The Vespa's dashboard is a little better readable in bright sunshine, its second big plus is the consumption of 2.58 liters per hundred. However, the Vespa has a drum rear brake, and only the front one has a disc brake with ABS, and this is its colossal minus, so in this comparison the Italian moped is completely inferior to the hero of our review.
