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August 2006 Archives

The resurgance of scooters has reached full swell and it looks like the tide will only rise higher with the gasoline prices.

Modern scooters are experiencing a huge renaissance in the U.S. and scooter riding as a transportaion alternative has never been more popular than it is today. Never has the American consumer had as many options in the marketplace to choose from; the variety of manufacturers, engine sizes, and style choices, as they do today.

While the boom has brought with it a considerable number of questionable vendors looking to cash in on the craze, it has also introduced a variety of models with proven track records in the already established European and Asian transportation circles. Savvy scooter consumers and shoppers have learned to use the internet as a resource to broaden their knowledge and narrow their choices when researching the various scooter choices.

In our five years of business in the scooter industry, we have never seen the bold transformation that has taken hold during the 2006 midseason.
All of the major players are making significant changes to their product offering.
These changes offer some great new opportunities, but also appear to close the book on some popular and reliable old friends.

While a sizeable portion of the industry has abandoned the 2 stroke, 50 cc engine platform in favor of 4 stroke models, both TGB and Genuine Scooter Company have developed EPA compliant 50cc 2 stroke engines that will carry them into the 2007 model year offering low maintainence and efficient performance, combined with hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide levels that rival the 4 strokes. Kymco seems to be on the fence, offering the Agility 50 and the People S 50 in four stroke models, while teasing dealers with the possibility of a 2 stroke EPA compliant engine that would power the return of the hugely popular People 50 and Super 9. Stay tuned!

At any great party the volume keeps getting turned up. Same thing goes for the scooter party! I'm talking about the long awaited release of the Kymco Xciting 500. Let's hope the neighbors come over to see what the fun is all about instead of calling the cops. If the police do show up, they'll be really impressed with the amazing performance and handling of the newest, biggest addition to the Kymco line-up.