The Spirit of 69

I wish, I wish

Ah, Christmas time is nearly upon us once again. The shopping malls are starting to play Boney M and decorations are being strung up. So are you on the naughty or good Santa lists this year. So with Christmas just around the corner we can start trying to bend Santa's ear to what we would like to find under the tree or inside a pair of stockings.

Scooter Bungee Jump

Yes here it is, the world's first scooter bungee jump. Social Sym, a local Sym scooter, became the first scooter to take this leap of faith off the Orlando Towers in Soweto, Johannesburg.

Super Maxi Scooters 2016

2016, Scooters have come a long way since the Motoped chugged onto the motorcycle scene in 1915. After the Second World War Piaggio set the standard for scooters with their Vespa which it held for over 40 years. In 1986 Honda raised the bar when they introduced the first touring scooter, the Honda CN250 Helix, Fusion, or Spazio was the first of the maxi scooters and the world hasn’t looked back since.

My posts Vespa 2014, Affordable Scooters 2013, and Vespa 2012 have been immensely popular so in keeping with the trend, in this post we are going to look at the super maxi scooters that are currently available and or are going to be in 2016 as a buyer’s guide. I have been riding the Piaggio Vespa GTS300 Super for just under 2 years so I am going to use it as my baseline. In 2016 the Vespa has many formidable contenders to its throne as more and more good maxi scooters are released onto the South African market. Yes I still would love to test ride most of the contenders and write review articles about them but for now, let the Game of Thrones begin.

(Please note prices are subject to change due to the exchange rate and are in ZAR. Fuel consumption are deduced from real life usesage and not in test conditions. See www.fuelly.com )

Gomoto C5 300
Retail Price: R 20,999
Engine: 300 cc
Dry Weight: 119 kg
Max Power: 12 kw
Top Speed: 125 km/h
Fuel Capacity: 9 l
Ave Fuel Cons.: 19 km/l

Big Boy Powerflite 300
Retail Price: R 21,950
Engine: 276 cc
Dry Weight: 157 kg
Max Power: 12 kw
Top Speed: 125 km/h
Fuel Capacity: 9 l
Ave Fuel Cons.: 19 km/l





Both the C5 and Powerflite are very similar and does not quite fit into the maxi scooter category if it wasn’t for their engine size as they are not quite in the league of touring scooters. Although I have never ridden any of the two, I have read some damming reviews on their build quality but I am adding them into this article as their price makes them very competitive. I just wish I can compare the numbers that have been sold to date.

Sym Citycom 300i
Retail Price: R 39,995
Engine: 278 cc
Dry Weight: 167 kg
Max Power: 20 kw
Top Speed: 134 km/h
Fuel Capacity: 10 l
Ave Fuel Cons.: 25 km/l

Kynco People GTi
Retail Price: R 48,500
Engine: 298 cc;
Dry Weight: 165 kg
Max Power: 21 kw
Top Speed: 136 km/h
Fuel Capacity: 9 l
Ave Fuel Cons.: 25 km/l

Sym GTS Evo 300i
Retail Price: R 49,995
Engine: 263 cc
Dry Weight: 190 kg
Max Power: 17 kw
Top Speed: 128 km/h
Fuel Capacity: 12 l
Ave Fuel Cons.: 27 km/l

Kynco Downtown 300i
Retail Price: R 53,500
Engine: 298 cc
Dry Weight: 166 kg
Max Power: 22 kw
Top Speed: 144 km/h
Fuel Capacity: 12 l
Ave Fuel Cons.: 23 km/l





Comparing to the Chinese scooters, the Taiwanese built Syms and Kyncos are competent, utilitarian entry level maxi scooters although also not quite in the maxi scooter class.

Now we get into the real super maxi scooters.

Kymco Xciting 500Ri ABS
Retail Price: R 67,500
Engine: 498 cc
Dry Weight: 200 kg
Max Power: 28 kw
Top Speed: 152 km/h
Fuel Capacity: 12 l
Ave Fuel Cons.: 24 km/l

Honda NC750D Integrat
Retail Price: R 84,990
Engine: 745 cc
Dry Weight: 219 kg
Max Power: 40 kw
Top Speed: 166 km/h
Fuel Capacity: 14 l
Ave Fuel Cons.: 28 km/l







The Honda is an interesting hybrid motorcycle / scooter, one that I am keen on test riding in the near future.

Sym MaxSym 600i ABS
Retail Price: R 84,995
Engine: 565 cc
Dry Weight: 237 kg
Max Power: 30 kw
Top Speed: 160 km/h
Fuel Capacity: 14 l
Ave Fuel Cons.: 19 km/l

Vespa GTS 300 Super and Super Sport
Retail Price: R 99,950 and R 109,950
Engine: 278 cc
Dry Weight: 148 kg
Max Power: 38 kw
Top Speed: 140 km/h
Fuel Capacity: 9 l
Ave Fuel Cons.: 26 km/l

Yamaha TMax 530 ABS
Retail Price: R 105,000
Engine: 530 cc
Dry Weight: 210 kg
Max Power: 34 kw
Top Speed: 177 km/h
Fuel Capacity: 15 l
Ave Fuel Cons.: 24 km/l



The TMax is on top of many lists and is a strong contender to the throne running a close second to the much more pricier BMWs.

Gilera Fuco 500 LT ABS
Retail Price: R 119,000
Engine: 492 cc
Dry Weight: 216 kg
Max Power: 40 kw
Top Speed: 145 km/h
Fuel Capacity: 12 l
Ave Fuel Consumption: 21 km/l

Suzuki Burgman 650 Executive ABS
Retail Price: R 122,000
Engine: 638 cc
Dry Weight: 238 kg
Max Power: 40 kw
Top Speed:  km/h
Fuel Capacity: 15 l
Ave Fuel Cons.:  km/l





Underrated, the Bergman has been with us for a long time as Maxi Scooters go. I have been told that I must forget all preconceptions when it comes to the Bergman as it runs with the best. Well I need that test ride then.

BMW C600 Sport and C650 GT
Retail Price: R 125,000 and R 135,000
Engine: 647 cc
Dry Weight: 237 kg
Max Power: 44 kw
Top Speed: 175 km/h
Fuel Capacity: 15 l
Ave Fuel Cons.: 21 km/l





In my books the BMW C650 GT is currently the leading contender for sitting on the Throne of Super Maxi Scooters although the price is a little too steep. It is slightly heavier than the TMax, its closest competitor to the Throne.

Gilera GP800
Retail Price: R 130,000
Engine: 839 cc
Dry Weight: 235 kg
Max Power: kw
Top Speed: 210 km/h
Fuel Capacity: ?l
Ave Fuel Cons.: ?km/l







The last super maxi scooter on my 2016 list is the GP800, still the fastest of scooters with its classic Italian styling.

BMW C Evolution 2016

The big question will the BMW C Evolution electric scooter ever join its stable mates the BMW C600 Sport and the C650 GT here on the South African showroom floor in 2016?

When we think about BMW scooters, the first thing that comes to mind to the BMW C1, yes the one with the roof, which was introduced to the market in 2000 but didn’t sell very well. With so much safety features going for the C1, why did it fail? I personally know a Vespa rider who used to have a BMW C1 and sold it for the Vespa. He stated that it was underpowered, overweight, top heavy, and it was like a big sail in the wind which he had to constantly fight. A big plus is that they held their re-sale values well.

Ten years later BMW brought us the awesome BMW C600 Sport and the BMW C650 GT scooters but at a premium price over R100,000; too much of deterrent to everyday scooterists. So where would this electric scooter fit in? Certainly it will cheaper to run but will it be affordable to buy and maintain?

About the same time as the bigger BMW scooters were launched, BMW showed the world it C1 electrification concept, the BMW C1-E which later paved the way for the BMW C Evolution which is based on the C600 chassis.

With only a top speed of 120km/h and a range of 100 kilometres, the quiet BMW C Evolution is made for the urban commute but not the open road. With better battery technology, in the near future, hopefully the range will increase to allow it to be taken on the open roads. On the plus side, it takes only 3 hours to get the batteries fully charged up.

Electric scooters are the way forward with organic fuel costs sky rocketing, that even scooter riders are starting to feel the pinch.

Warning!

Wow, half the year is gone already and I haven't even posted anything. Oh better start rectifying this. Anyway this post below is from our embedded Poser in Mozambique.

Forget to let you guys on this stickers that I found deep down in the engine bay of my beloved Vespa. Was drying things after a good wash, and came across this sticker. Mmmm…interesting.

Warning!

Floor mats will scratch your floor. Top cases are huge and offensive but you might want them anyway. Don’t expect Harley riders to return a wave. Don’t ride with flip flops or sandals on your feet. But riding with flip flops or sandals on your feet is still safer than riding with flip flops or sandals on your feet combined with white socks. Stop asking what oil to use. It is in the manual. You may mentioned something about the Wooden Vespa as soon as Justin Bieber enters puberty. Which is to say never. Read the original post before you add your own post. And before you post, consider just walking away.