The Horizon
They Have It Made In Taiwan

“Where there is sunshine, there is Kymco.” That’s what they tell us. We motojournalists are sitting in the conference room at Plant #1 of the Kwang Yang Motor Company in Kaohsiung (pronounced Cow-Shung), Taiwan, ROC (Republic of China). We’re listening to a presentation by executives of Kymco, the scooter/motorcycle manufacturer that enjoys a 34 percent market share in Taiwan, the largest share of all the major OEMs.

You may not be familiar with the brand, however, as the company still commands a very small part of the US market. And you might be wondering how serious it is about growing its presence in the two-wheeled industry. Well, to put it in perspective, Kymco has a total workforce of 4,175 employees (2,515 are employed in Taiwan) divided among seven plants in four countries. The Taiwan factories alone occupy 165,700 square meters. Are they serious? Yes, very much so!

Well-Oiled Machine

First, let’s clear up a misconception. Kymco does not manufacture those pocket bikes that are sold in auto parts and department stores. The company produces 36 types of scooters, 18 motorcycle models, 9 ATVs, 10 mobility scooters, and a handful of power equipment engines for other manufacturers. Only some popular models are sold in the US, where the company is aggressively distributing its product through an ever-growing network of nearly 550 dealers.

Established in 1963 by Mr. K.S. Ko, Kymco, as it’s been called since 1992, has enjoyed steady growth over the years, with a recent expansion into the motorcycle cruiser and ATV segment. The company is proud of its nearly 100 percent in-house production and R&D capabilities, with environmentally friendly manufacturing facilities and an excellent labor/management relationship. The plants handle machining and assembly, painting, welding, metal stamping, and tool-and-die maintenance, and house foundries.

Kymco spent $37.5 million on research in 2004, with over $30 million spent each year since 1999. The company forecasts the production of 612,400 units in 2006; 275,000 are destined for delivery to 74 countries. And, in 1998, Kymco reached the 6,000,000 motorcycle mark in accumulated production. It goes to show that just because a company hasn’t hit Mainstream, USA, doesn’t mean it isn’t significant.

Impressive Rides

After we arrived in Kaohsiung sometime around midnight, the ride from the airport to the hotel was full of surprises. Even at that hour, there were hundreds of scooters negotiating the city streets. I was reminded that if more people rode scooters in the US, our congested streets and gas woes would be reduced.

Daybreak brought out all the commuters, and I was overwhelmed by the number of scooters. They were like swarms of bees dressed in business attire. Parking a car in Taiwan appeared to be a chore, but not so for scooters and bikes. You just pull up to the curb and leave your bike with the other million or so already parked there. I wondered how people didn’t confuse their rides with someone else’s.

We viewed a PowerPoint presentation and were introduced to Vice President Sane-Chen Tseng. Then we were off to Plant #2 in Kaohsiung for a factory tour. I enjoyed watching the people and machines hard at work. The employees were dressed in matching white uniforms, with the color of their caps indicating their rank and status. Everything was clean and orderly, calling to mind another popular Kymco slogan: “Better Than Best.” Workers really believe it, and they’re proud of their achievements and contributions to the surrounding community.

Day two of our jam-packed tour began with a ride to the Kymco 1-km test facility. Situated in the southern region of Kaohsiung, nestled off the beaten path and surrounded by farmland, the test site includes everything from cobblestone roads to water troughs, curbing, and traffic circles. The weather on the main straightaway can even be changed with rainmaking equipment. Various US models were available for us journalists to evaluate, and we rode until we were exhausted.

My favorite machine was the Venox 250, the only “real” motorcycle Kymco exports to the US. I call it “real” because it isn’t a step-through, and it has hefty proportions compared with a few other entry-level cruisers. The Venox has some meat on its bones.

From a distance, I couldn’t help but notice the influence of the late ’80s Honda Magna. The Venox isn’t an exact copy, but it shares some of the cool muscle-cruiser styling cues, like the solid mag rear wheel, the dual-megaphone exhaust, the aluminum mag-style front wheel with a large single brake disc, the V-twin engine layout, and the round headlight. If anything, Kymco has taken the Super Magna lines and smoothed them out a bit. I also admired certain details, such as the rear shock shrouds, the cast aluminum headlight mounting ears, and the layout of the liquid cooling system.

I called dibs on the Venox as soon as we arrived at the test range, and I enjoyed riding it. While it’s no rocket ship compared with larger cruisers, the Venox is by no means perilously slow. Twisting the throttle and rowing through the gears, I was confident that I’d have no problem merging onto the highway, and I’d have no reservations about using the Venox in the mean streets of US traffic. That’s impressive for a machine with a claimed dry weight of 415 pounds and only 250cc of power.

You may need to drop down a gear for passing power, like in the old days before we had cruisers with monstrous torque. Shifting was smooth and precise through the five-speed range, and downshifting was no problem, with smooth engine braking keeping things stable. The seat is wide and comfortable, and my 6' frame didn’t feel cramped. The bike has a longish 63" wheelbase and a 29" seat height, so even the vertically challenged should be comfortable.

Braking power was adequate. The front brake has a stainless steel braided line feeding a two-piston sliding caliper on a fixed-style rotor. The rear brake is a mechanical drum unit that felt a bit soft and vague when used alone. Low-speed maneuvering was stable, and the front end didn’t seem floppy. I did have some ground clearance issues on the right side, with the large megaphone exhaust tips touching down occasionally. Overall, I thought this would make a great first bike, more so than other entry-level bikes from the competition.

Next, since I was so far from home and figured my friends couldn’t see me (just kidding, no e-mails from the scooter fans, please), I decided to try out a couple of large step-through scooters. With names like the Xciting 500 and Xciting 250, I was curious to see whether they really were all that.

These modern-looking scoots are full sized and well equipped. And while the advertised seat height is a mere 30", the Xciting feels a lot taller. There’s a movable lumbar pad on the seat to fit riders of all sizes. Both scooters have quick steering and smooth acceleration, and, of course, there’s less work to do with no shifting involved. There’s plenty of braking power on tap, with disc brakes fore and aft on both models. If you spring for the more eXciting 500, you’ll get an LED taillight, adjustable rear shocks, adjustable hand control levers, braided stainless steel front brake lines, and a parking brake.

I liked the creature comfort features on the Xciting line, like the underseat cell phone holder with a nearby power port for charging. The ample underseat storage areas have cargo lamps and flush removable panels for access to the battery, air cleaner, and carburetor. Notably, all Kymco products come with a two-year warranty — this is where expertise and commitment to quality really show from the Kymco team.

Do You Get It?

After the test rides, we piled in vans and continued our whirlwind tour of the island. We visited national parks, monuments, shorelines, windblown cliffs, temples, an armored lighthouse, and even the National Maritime Aquarium. Everywhere we went, the people of Taiwan were kind and accommodating. Imagine being a foreigner in a different land, where you’re walking along and everyone wants to say “Hello” to you in your native tongue. If you dislike attention, this is not the place for you.

Our final day took us north, back toward the heart of Kaohsiung. I did some solo exploring, walking the city streets, looking to check out some local bike shops. There seemed to be a scooter shop on every other block. They’re small, about the size of a one-bay garage, but there are plenty of them. Competition is fierce, and Kymco signs are everywhere. Scooters in Taiwan are affordable, readily available, and fit in well with the traffic flow, making them the perfect vehicle for getting around.

We don’t see many Kymco products in the US, and our society might define this as “out of sight, out of mind.” But after my visit to Taiwan, I wonder if it’s actually just a case of us not “getting it” like they do. RB

TECH SHEET

List Price: $4,299

Engine: Water-cooled V-twin

Displacement: 249cc

Valvetrain: DOHC, four valves per cylinder

Fuel System: Carbureted

Transmission: Five-speed

Final Drive: Chain

Overall Length: 91.5"

Wheelbase: 63"

Seat Height: 29"

Fuel Capacity: 3.7 gallons

Dry Weight: 418.5 pounds

Colors: Blue-Black, Gray, Yellow