I'm wondering if this led to the decision by Kymco to not bring the 550 to the USA?
I'm guessing it was one of many factors working against Kymco and its 550. Some folks can't get past the Taiwan/China scooter stigma - even with reliability records staring them in the face.
I've done no official research, but the hotbed of SoCal scooters seems to be universities, followed by the Vesperati, followed by us grocery-getters, purists, and shade-tree mechanics. For me, 163ccs's in enough, 550 would just take the fun out of it. Yet, I do respect the scooting needs of freeway riders, work commuters, and two-uppers.
Still, there's a reason I'm not a scooter dealer - it's a fickle market. I'd call it a "motor-fickle" market.