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Concept scooter is destined for production

Kymco K50 to rival the Yamaha TMAX

Written by Ben Purvis , Date 3:20 PM

Although it looks like a pretty conventional scooter at first glance the new Kymco K50 actually marks a step away from the firm’s normal technology and moves it closer to high-end Japanese scooters like Yamaha’s TMAX.

Technical details are still a secret, and the K50 is officially only a ‘concept’ at the moment, but it’s clear the machine is a step forward compared to Kymco’s current offerings. Revealed at the Tokyo Motorcycle Show, the bike is intended to be a touring scooter, as happy covering long distances as it is commuting.

The engine is confirmed to be a parallel twin, mounted near horizontally. It’s similar to the TMAX in that it’s not built as a single unit with the swingarm. Instead there’s a motorcycle-style aluminium swingarm hanging behind it, while the engine is bolted to the frame. That should massively reduce the bike’s unsprung weight and improve its handling significantly. Drive is via belt rather than chain to keep things as maintenance-free as you’d expect from a scooter.

Although there’s no word on the engine’s size but it’s reckoned to be somewhere in the region of 650cc. That suggests it will have more than enough performance to go touring and deal with motorways or autobahns.

A 50:50 weight distribution is promised, further boosting the bike’s handling potential, and there’s some high-spec suspension to back that up. The upside down forks and rear monoshock are likely to be electronically adjustable.

Twin Brembo radial-mount brake calipers grace the front, grabbing huge petal discs, and the styling has all the LED lights and sharp edges it needs to look right up to date.

Despite its ‘concept’ name there’s little on the bike that’s futuristic or unbelievable, so it’s not expected to change much by the time it reaches production. Exactly when that will be isn’t known at the moment, but it could well be before the end of this year.

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Comments

  • I have a Kymco gti300 and love it…can’t wait to get my hands on K50

    Frank c Schwager 2016-06-30 12:09 AM Reply

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