2004 Kymco People Review

Taiwanese company Kymco’s People line surprised scooter enthusiasts. In general, Kymco was regarded as a second-tier company for some time, often lagging behind its larger Japanese counterparts like Honda, Yamaha, and Suzuki. But the People scooters sold surprisingly well in the U.S. market in 2001, and again when the new line of People scooters debuted in 2004. The People line offers scooters of variable engine sizes, including 50cc, 150cc, and the fastest 250cc engines. None of the scooters in the People line were ever offered in the Canadian market.

In the U.S., the Kymco People scooters played the part of a practical, low-price large-wheel vehicle. Larer scooters became very popular in Europe in the early 2000s, and were favored over their smaller-wheeled brethren due to their increased stability and quality of ride on uneven terrains. With a large diameter of 16 inches, the wheels of the People line scooters were considered to be one of the best scooters to drive when encountering potholes, bumps and dips, or broken pavement.

Slightly different from the People 50 and People 150, the People 250 was built with a different engine and a stockier body style. It also comprised a single rear disc brake, a liquid-cooled engine superior to the air-cooled engine of the 50cc and 250cc engines, and an accessory plug-in socket. The same four-stroke engine that Kymco used in its Xciting 250, Grand Vista 250, and People S 250 lines powers the People 250. It achieves up to 70 mph, which is about average for a scooter of its size.

The People 50 scooter employs a two-stroke engine similar to those found in all the small Kymco 50cc models. The motor is very similar to the Honda motor found in North American scooters like the Honda Elite SR. This motor is very popular globally. Kymco, for monetary reasons, preferred to share motors across a lineup, and so the People 150 uses the same power band as the Kymco Bet & Win 150 and the Kymco Super 8 150. All of these models have four-stroke, air-cooled engines, keeping manufacturing and maintenance costs low but compromising the durability of the engine long-term. These engines are able, however, to maintain a suitable fuel economy for the scooters, driving costs down even more for consumers interested in spending little for greater value. The People 150 gets about 75-80 mpg, translating into approximately 125 miles acquired from the 1.8-gallon tank. Surprisingly, the People 50 typically garners 70-75 mpg, which is comparable to its more powerful 150cc counterpart. For this reason, many buyers might believe that the 50cc model is the more practical option for the price.

The People scooters offer a moderately sized storage area beneath the seat that is capable of storing small to medium-size helmets. Most of the under-seat storage space is occupied by the fuel tank, which in other scooters is built under the floorboard to allow for more storage room than the People scooters allow. People scooters also come with a large luggage rack behind the seat and a glove compartment that is large enough to store some bulkier items.

By and large, the Kymco People line of scooters makes a highly practical choice, as do most of Kymco’s scooters when it comes to reliability and value for the price. The People scooters’ large wheels and numerous storage spaces afford the driver stability and convenience. The motors that Kymco uses in the People line of scooters are used in several of its other scooters as well, and have been proven to be reliable and durable whether they are air-cooled or liquid-cooled. Buyers would be hard-pressed to find a scooter that is so low in cost and so well made.