KymcoForum.com
Scooters - Big Bore => Xciting 500 => Topic started by: bountybuddy on March 04, 2014, 03:00:25 AM
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When I saw the Xiting 500 I took a double take. Very impressive scooter! My wife like it to. There might be two problems. Soon I'll be 70 years old. My strength is nowhere what it once was. Would this be to much scooter for me. Next question is would I be able to move this scooter around. Those of you that own the Xititng 500 please take a few minutes and answer these questions for me. Thanks much. Ride safe my friends.
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Welcome to the forum Sir... I have a question tho...are you a former motorcycle rider? Because experience with a motorcycle is more important than physical strength...
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I have you beat by a couple of years and I love my Xciting 500. I've taken several trips, including some multi-day camping excursions. I rode a motorcycle for a number of years, then switched to scooters in '07. Well, I do have a Honda Magna motorcycle for those certain trips. The Xciting is more refined, easier to ride, carries a lot of gear; I have loaded mine up with camping gear for 5 days. Nice scooter.
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Yes, I have experience riding. I started riding motorcycles when I was 16 years old, I did,t ride much from about age 35 to 55, then started riding again. Raising a family, kids in college, lots of money going out. I have some motorcycles for sale right now. I can't buy the scooter until I sell the bikes. Bosses orders but she has no problem with me buying a scooter. She loves to ride with me. Ride safe my friends.
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Welcome BB.
Yesterday My Son had to move my Goldwing, Honda NT700 and the new Kymco Xciting 500RI, about 20 feet to the back of the 2,000 sq ft hobby barn, on a concrete floor. I wasn't there at the time. All of the toys were on their sidestands. His comments were:
The Wing and the NT were a lot easier to push around than the 500. It's not a lightweight but any Maxi-scooter of it's displacement are all heavy.
I'm always interested in buying bikes so PM me and let me know what you've got.
I've been riding for over 50 years and scooters still put a smile on my face!
Sam:)
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My father will be 79 in April. He saw how much I love my x500, and I have been telling him how easy it is to ride and such do to the fact of scoots having such a low center of gravity etc. He sold his harley trike that he never liked to ride (hard to steer/30 mpg, etc). He bought a suzuki burgman 400 and loves it. He is on 2 wheels again. He can't wait to ride every sat or sun. His leg strength and balance were getting bad, so he went to a trike. He has no problem moving the burg around. I told him to get the burg because the seat height is 28 inch's, and the x500 is 30.5 or 31? I wanted him to be able to put both feet firmly on the ground. No problems dude, go for it. ;) :-*
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welcome to the forum. i have had my xciting 500ri for just over a year now and love it so does my wife. we ride every chance we get and i do alot of commuting to and from work on it. it is not a lightweight but it is manageable. im probably one of the younger guys on this thread but i dont think you will have any issues, especially since you have experienc with motorcycles and know they need to be moved with care and kept as balanced as possible. move it with the side stand down if necessary so if it tips to that side it will catch itself :)
as i said, love mine, its fun, quick, practical, and comfortable for both me and my wife.
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The 500 is just under 500 pounds. So it is rather heavy. You will not really feel it driving. But you also cant throw it around like a sport bike. If you like to 500you might like the 250 also. They look the same but weigh a lot less.
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The 500 is just under 500 pounds. So it is rather heavy. You will not really feel it driving. But you also cant throw it around like a sport bike. If you like to 500you might like the 250 also. They look the same but weigh a lot less.
Agreed. Also another option you might consider is the new downtown 300. Has good reviews. Looks the same as the new xciting. Fuel injected as well and the power is about the same as the xc500 but with a bit less weight. Could be a good fit for you.
Check it out
http://www.kymcousa.com/showroom/scooters/downtown300i/specifications.html (http://www.kymcousa.com/showroom/scooters/downtown300i/specifications.html)
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I ride the 300i downtown,. just love that bike total wt. 411 lb.s with low center of wt. im 80 years old and hoping to ride till im ninty ,have to exersize to keep my strength up,
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Welcome Sir. I am not up there yet in years but as I hit the "double nickel" awhile back I pondered whether or not I could feel good on an Xciting 500. Even though I currently have a 2013 DT300i, which I just pushed over 10,000 miles a few days ago I am looking for a bigger scooter for the hiway as I am only about 140 lbs wringing wet. So me on the DT on the hiway in Texas is just not heavy enough. Last week and this week I have tested the following; Honda Silverwing, Yamaha Majesty, 650 Suzuki Burgman, Xciting 500 and luckily enough I had the opportunity to saddle a Beemer (BMW) 650 GT. So here's my take on them, and in the order I (for my own personal needs) rank them;
1. Yamaha Majesty (it has enough weight and goodies and a great track record) Its easy to handle and move, gets great milage, all the power I need and then some, and I found the seating to be most comfortable. Plenty of storage and it just looks well thought out. And you can get them in white! I loves me a white bike!!
2. Honda Silverwing. Plenty of power and weight, easy to handle though not as nimble as my DT300, I did think for such a large bike it was very nimble for it's size. Great leg room, much like the Majesty has (which my DT doesn't have, my only complaint with the 300i) Seat is rather hard for my liking but I guess after 300 miles it might just be the perfect seat. Nice bike! My downside to it....fuel usage rather small car like. Mainly see these in black, an occasional Burgundy, and a red one, once. Why scooter makers make a black one is beyond me. You need to be seen and a bright color is the way. The color of pavement makes no sense.
3. BMW 650 GT. Well, lets get one thing out of the way. The motor is made by Kymco. At this point the comparisons to the My Road 700i ends. The Beemer is a top notch high end luxury Maxi as only you would expect from BMW. In fact, the only 2 things that scared me away from getting one is the price (I think it's overpriced) and the fact that consumer reports indicate that it has far more computer modules than scooters in general, which makes sense seeing how it has so many options and gadgets galore. I mean heated seat and heated hand grips.....man. The cost of maintaining it will not be cheap. But like they say about the BMW car..."if you can afford to buy it, you can afford to fix it"...I cant do both, only one. But if I had unlimited funds and a money tree out back, I'd have a school of Beemers. It is, as far as I am concerned, the King Bee of maxi scooters.
4. Kymco Xciting 500. I wanted the 500i to be on the top of the list since I am biased for Kymcos. But......Too clumsy, not much more powerful than my DT 300, in fact I actually prefer my DT to the 500i. Doesnt "feel" nimble when turning slow or weaving in traffic. Like the DT, not much leg room, and consider I am only 5'6" and you get the drift. I dont know. As sad as I am to say, I am disappointed with the 500i as I expected so much more since my DT 300i delivered in spades. Aw well...
5. Suzuki Burgman 650......There's just something not right about it. Its like they put it together as they went along and had no real plan or idea. Not crazy about the look, too heavy by a long shot, goofy looking rear tail light section. I did like a 2003 Burgman 400 but I "heard things" about its clutch and shied away. But the 650, just aint right.
So in closing, this is just one old coot's opinion Sir. But if you want an easy to handle scooter, and one you can move easily, the Majesty wins hands down. And it's a really nice ride too! As much as I wanted to root for the X-500i, I cant. It just doesn't meet MY needs.
The needs of others......well....your mileage may vary. Good luck with your choice! And once again, welcome to the forum. Lots of great people with great tips and ideas.
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As to the post above rating all the different scoots, I take great exception to the Xciting 500 review re: leg room issues. Pleassee..... The Xciting has way more leg room than the 300 or other scoots. I am 6'2", 6'4" with boots and the legs forward or backward riding position on the Xciting is great. I wouldn't own a Downtown 300. No leg room for me at all. I looked at the Downtown 300, Majesty, Burgman 400, Wing etc. For price/feature comparison a used Xctiing 500 is hard to beat. In my case I got a 2009 with 2300 miles on it and ABS and of course the stock 15", 14" wheels for 4k. The Majesty, Burgman and Downtown 300 don't have those wheel sizes (which help a lot) and the ABS is great. If you are 5'6" and are having leg room issues with the Xciting 500 you're wearing 15" heels on your boots.
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I bought a 2008 Kymko 500 in 2010 found it a good ride. However in 2012 I decided to add a side car as my wife did not wish to ride two up.
I am tuning 70 this year and would not trade that scooter for anything else. We have taken numerous trips and never encountered any problems.
I will admit that prior to adding the side car I had to right the scooter a couple times when I had to lay it down when coming to a stop on loose gravel.
It is a heavy bike and there is a trick to righting it when it has been laid down. The bike handles well and now with the sidecar configuration I do not
have to worry about loose gravel etc.
The best way to see if it is the scooter for you would be to take it for a spin to see how well it handles.
Regards in what ever your choice.
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Im sorry, Alyn, if you were offended by my comments regarding MY OPINION of the bikes I tested. I'll be sure to keep MY OPINIONS to myself, only if you'll do the same. And if you think that just because something is one way to you that everyone should feel the same way then you need to get outta the chat rooms and your basement. I suppose you didnt even bother to read all of it because had you, you'd see that I said nothing negative about the X-500 overall, but then again, when someone like you pops and all you can do is hurl insults then the truth is wasted on you. It's like explaining evolution to a moronic closed minded creationist.....just a waste of good time. And if I am wrong about the handling of the X-500, then so are alot of motorcycle reviewers as they said the same thing I did....bulky and not nearly as manuverable as other bikes that size and even larger.
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I felt the post was fair. At 5ft 6 & 140 lbs the downtown probably suits/seats him just fine. At 5-9 I can not ride it as I can not stretch out enough on the long runs. As for the majesty, I find the seat just does not fit me? (Bad back and all)! Also, it tends to not handle side winds as well as the X500. All I do is tour, and often my wife is on the back. For me (my 2 cents worth), the X500 sets and handles best for how I ride. I think both burgers (400 & 650), set very well, but is 400cc enough power for 2 up 4000 mile trips? And for the 650 burger, price is to high, and it's pretty heavy at parking lot speeds, and to push around. BMW 650 is way to tall, I can barley touch my toes to the ground, so it's a no for me, let alone the price tag. Kymco 700, sorry, built for 5ft 2 Asians? And seat is just horrible! My next purchase will be a new X500, or maybe the X400 if they bring it to the USA. Same for the Kymco made Kawasaki 400 if they bring it to USA? I also would consider the Piaggio X10 500 scooter, if they bring it here? But knowing them it may be 12 grand? :-*
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About that legroom subject: I also want room to stretch out being 6'3" tall. When I compared seating positions on the various stock cruiser-scooters, I found the Xciting most comfortable, however, still short of what I wanted. Still, it seemed to fit the best. I can tuck my feet up in the corner and it's like hiway bars.
Over the first 18 months of riding I made a few adjustments to fit me. I have never found a stock motorcycle or scooter that fit just the way I like to ride. And I do like to ride. In the first two and a half years of riding my first Xciting, an '07 model, the odomoter read a little over 37,000 miles when I sold it. And it was still running fine. I did send it to the shop to get everything fixed beforehand.
Now my '09, purchased in spring of 2010, has almost 30,000 miles. I stayed home last summer to take care of my wife who was having some medical problems. She's fine now. And the season has just begun.
Spring Break weekend was the great North Texas Lakes Rally. Four days on the road and speedo registered 705 miles. Lots of fun.
And to top it off, in my experience, maintenance is less expensive. Mostly it's just oil change, clean air filter, new belt and tires and go off smiling in the wind.
I will be posting a youtube video of my packing arrangement soon. I mostly go s'camping - scooter-camping, so I take stove, tent, bedroll and food. Sometimes have to carry my own water.
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U the man, Bongoman. I will hit 50,000 miles on my next ride or two. My two year mistake of moving to Michigan with it's two winters really put a damper on my in the saddle time. Here in Phoenix we ride every sat & or Sunday. 6' 3", how's the weather up there? ;) :-*
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Neogenesismax, your filthy use of words on a family forum is childish. I've reported you to the Moderator.
Have a nice clean day.
Sam:)
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Hey ho Sissy Mary, one of these days I am going to get brave enough to venture into Arizona just to say howdy to ya. I would have more miles on the scooter if it weren't for the new motorcycle in my life. I traded for a '94 Honda Magna VF750. Oh so much fun. Not as civilized and refined as my Xciting 500, still fun to ride though.
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What part of Texas do you live in? In the past we used to ride into New Mexico sometimes. Are u close to the border of NM? :-*
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I am planning a S'camping trip to Guadalupe Mountain state park which is on the border of Texas and New Mexico. Perhaps even farther north into your country. Although to be candid, I usually avoid Arizona. It is a conservative state. I do not intend any criticism, more of an observation of conflict I prefer to avoid.
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I live in south Texas
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I have ridden all of the above bikes. I would say anyone who is 5'6" is bound to have a tough time on a maxi.
I was 277lbs and 6'1" when I bought my 2009 XC 500ri. The Xciting has a few issues. It is heavy. It has a high seat height.
The Xciting is great for larger riders and has a high seat height and high perch and is heavy as hell. The weight makes her feel stable in the wind.
The BMW's are awesome. Too much $$$$$ for a scoot.
Majesty is great. Ergo's a little cramped for larger riders. Solid package and great fit and finish.
Tmax is awesome. Power, great fit and finish. The ride is a little harsh. Light on storage under seat. Hauls ass and a laugh and smile a second. $$$$
Burgman 650 is great. Tons of storage great fit and finish, manu-matic tranny gives me the willies. The Burgman is flush. It is a little tight on the legs and the bumper in the seat is bunk. I would buy one. Too much $$$.
I have lost a ton of weight. I now tip the scales at 208lbs. I am still 6'1". She feels a little heavy. I still love her.
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I'm 5-9 170LBS & she fits me like a glove. :-*
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+1 on what Big Orange said
My 2009 500RI ABS is my dream scooter, test drove most others. Loved the Tmax but wasn't as comfortable and too much dough. The Burgman 650 was just too damn big and the Majesty 400, Burgman 400, Downtown 300i etc. just didn't fit right, too little leg room. I'm 6'2" 210lbs and need the size. That being said, the 500 is damn heavy. With groceries in side bags and loaded up it is an effort to get it up on the center stand but the upside is it's great in 40mph wind, even with a tall Givi, I don't even feel the gusts. I wouldn't own any other Maxi.
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It is heavy which is also stable on the highway. Mine has clocked as much as 600 plus miles in a day. Once made the run from New Orleans Louisiana to San Antonio Texas in one day. I was vibrating for a while after I arrived. Mine also has a custom seat and bars.