Was looking into getting one of these for my wife & youngest son to ride.
I know the Honda 250 & Suzuki 250 have good reputations but are shaft drive & drum brakes in rear. Honda suspension is about 5.7" of travel. They weigh about 350-365 lbs. Cost is $3600-$3800.

This Kymco has chain drive & disc brakes all around but is about 392lbs, almost as heavy as the Rappy. It also has cv tranny which I like for an umcomplicated ride & more control over the power for my son/wife. It is also about 8" longer overall & 2" longer wheel base. Width is about same. It makes 18hp. Cost is $3100.

The only info I couldn't find on the Kymco is the suspension/wheel travel. Also not sure of power of the Honda/Suzuki.

I am looking for any owners, opinions, & or reviews that would shed some light on whether this is a worthy machine or not.
Thanks.

 

Any of the Japanese ATVs are very good since their manufacturing is based on zero defect quality control and long term profitability. When it comes to making a purchase of a machine you need to consider the whole package. Japanese and North American ATV manufactuers invest heavily in high quality materials, durable and safe engineering standards, and have an excellent customer support for warrantee and parts.
I have seen all the off brands most of which have no direct customer support and use the face of their mom & pop dealerships to face off the mostly poor quality of their products and almost non-existant customer service. To me all off brands are extreamly exspensive from a value stand point when you consider off brands will last you an average of hundreds of hours compared to thousands of hours of any of the major manufacturers. Disk breaks or drums, the quality and performance comparison is like comparing fake Swiss army knives you see in "dollar stores" for $5 and comparing them with the real $22 item that is SAFE and more importantly WORKS. The real thing will last a life time, the fake will soon be a resting place to hang old cloths. Personally I would want my kids to have somthing that is well engineered and safe then live with the posibility of a major regret over a few hundred dollars saved in the short term.

 

They have started renting out Kymco 250s at Spinreel dunes Oregon... I heard they were pretty decent, HP is the most impressive part since the Suzuki is like 14hp I beleive. Kymco is getting more well known and more popular, soon they might be really competing (with different bikes) with the Japanese . If you can find a place with parts online or dealer I would go for it.

 

Thanks for the replies.

I read a review about a 12 hour race in which the stock chain broke twice until they replaced it with an aftermarket one. They recommend replacing it before it leaves the showroom floor. Other than that they were impressed with its durability.

A buddy of mine writes for an atv magazine & he rode & reviewed it & was impressed & said he would buy one for his wife/kids.

My local dealer is top notch in sales & service & they said they trust Kymco since they have been making parts & engines for years & that Honda trusts Kymco so the dealer does as well. The salesman said when it comes to pure performance that they would chose Suzuki 250 over the Kymco.

 

Well OK guys, I am sure of all of them Kymco is the best and yes maybe if one day Kymco starts using "Zero Defect " quality control theory they might rival Suzuki or Polaris. But there is a big difference between talking about it and being able to pull it off. Right now from what I have seen being myself an engineer, they not only are far away yet, but it will be extremely difficult for them to catch-up to the main players, especially the Japanese who are converging on almost fully robotic manufacturing. That is why their products just keep getting better every few years as they achieve better manufacturing tolerances with lower and lower labor cost per unit built.

 

What's funny about all brand names is the the differing quality among youth & adult atvs. Take Polaris for example. Personally I thought I would never buy one for myself until it came time to buy one for my kids. The Raptor 50 & 80 just seemed like run of the mill if not crap when it came to features. I looked into all other brands & found the Polaris Predator 90 to have the best suspension, wheel base, width, features etc etc so I bought one. The kids love it & everybody is happy/safe.

Back in 2001 I bought myself a Raptor 660 & with performance upgrades have been very happy with it except I wish I would have gotten all the upgraders that the new Raptor 700R has, water under the bridge. With all the newer quads coming out I would also buy a Honda 450R, Yamaha YFZ450, a Suzuki 450, & maybe a Polaris Predator 500 but unlikely due to its weight. I don't think I would even consider a Kymco 450 or 500 if they make one.

Now, I am considering a quad for my wife & older son & once again the major mfgs have plenty of quads to choose from but this Kymco just seems to have a lot of features for the money & purpose. I would like to see if they make any improvements to the 2006 model & then maybe I can make a decision. To me, a wider, longer, quad with good suspension is importnat when considering my wife & kids & I am just not overly impressed with the shaft drive models with a shorter wheel base & drum brakes.

If you ask me, the CPC should worry more about putting a minimum length/width on these mini quads to improve stability/safety then to worry so much about how minimum ages. Then all mins would would be improved such that you could choose from practically any mfg & not go wrong. JMO.