Menus
- Sport in the city
- Discovery
- In the saddle
- Contact
- In the city
- On the highway
- Comfort / Duo
- Braking
- Convenient
- Consumption
- Conclusion
Sport in the city
When we think about scooter, we often think of the Japanese and the Italian Piaggio. And then we saw BMW and Kawasaki relying on Kymco to build their own scooters. We must not forget the history of the Taiwanese manufacturer arrived in 2002 with the Spacer and which produces a trifle of 500,000 vehicles per year, with 4,000 employees.. And to establish itself on the European market, the brand has not hesitated to release a new model every year since the DinkStreet, the K-XCT, the XCIting, the DownTown and finally the X-Town in 2016. The latest addition of the range is intended to be a European initiative, a model designed in Italy, designed in Europe and for Europe. This is almost a first for a brand in which Europe only represents a very small market share, with 5.9% of 125 scooters and 2.8% of scooters over 125 cm3 in France. And yet the brand does not have a strategy of making cheaper than the Japanese and therefore positions itself with prices very close to Japanese scooters. So is the level of quality up to par and the new X-Town 125i, successor to DinkStreet, has it erased the historic flaws of the brand’s models? Test…
Discovery
The X-Town does not renew the lines of the segment but is more sporty compared to the earlier more urban and opulent models. The lines are sharper and thinner, elegantly highlighted by an LED light signature both at the front and at the rear. We now find the European guns of the genre compared to the old more Asian lines, of which the Xmax is undoubtedly the closest cousin. The finish is on the rise and can be seen in details like a glove box which now closes with a button, still in plastic on the other hand. A high screen covers the whole thing, a rare case in the segment used to putting this type of screen as an accessory with a fairly low original version.
Under the ramage, we find a steel frame from the Dinkstreet but improved, in particular with greater ground clearance, allowing an angle of 37 ° and new suspensions. We find above all a brand new 4-stroke engine of 124.8 cm3, delivering 14.3 hp, supposed to ensure a 0-100 meters in 8.6 seconds.
While some models were offered without ABS in the past, Euro4 standard requires, the Kymco offers CBS coupled braking (front and rear actuated from the left lever), a solution often more pleasant than ABS.
But it is especially its rear LED headlight drawing an X-shaped mask that makes it so characteristic and even more at night.
In the saddle
With a saddle height of 785mm, the driver of 1.60m will barely put both feet on the ground, despite a noticeably tapered saddle, but the weight does not interfere, the grip is natural. The arms fall more naturally on the handlebars than on previous vintages and once seated, we no longer have the impression that the knees are rising in the face. The position is finally more natural by approaching the standards of European morphology.
Under the eyes, we then discover a rather standard dashboard with two analog counters flanking a digital display in the center: speed on the left, tachometer on the right. We then have a readable fuel gauge, the partial double trip, the totalizer, the outside temperature.
Note that compared to the usual adjust and set buttons, there is a third "function" button which allows you to alternate between clock and outside temperature..
The warning is on the right stalk. The mirrors finally offer an excellent rear view, while adjusting very easily, including while driving.
We always note the sound so auto and so characteristic of the indicators, clearly audible.
Contact
The X-Town snorts instantly distilling in the handlebars the ample vibrations of its single cylinder, idling at 1,800 rpm. With a solicitation of the right handle, the scooter dashes into the towers and takes off. We find the usual behavior of Kymco models with an engine speed racing up to more than 8,000 rpm before feeling the cavalry arrive. However, the latency time between requesting the throttle and starting up is less than in previous vintages..
In the city
We appreciate first of all the excellent balance of the 125 which allows a quick grip to move easily between the lines of cars. The measured weight of 177 kilos (dry, 191 kilos all full) feels less than the technical sheet suggests and is in fact completely forgotten from the first laps of the wheels. You just become aware of it during handling and maneuvering, engine stopped.
It is especially the extension which is impressive, because once launched, one quickly exceeds the authorized speed limits. And where some competing models tend to run out of steam, this is when the X-Town shows real vigor..
We just regret the tingling in the feet related to the vibrations of the single-cylinder which find their peak between 6,000 and 7,000 rpm, when the scooter oscillates between 45 and 60 km / h. You have to drive either faster (but not in town) or slower to forget them.
Finally, maneuverability is there, allowing effortless maneuvering.
On the highway
The X-Town sets off rather dynamically on the highway, especially in relation to its engine capacity. It thus easily goes up to 110 km / h on the flat and is able to go titillating the 120 km / h (110 km / h real) once well launched and without headwind, including in duet, while the tachometer oscillates at 9,500, close to the 10,000 rpm limit of the counter. The steering is then a little sensitive in the big curves but the chassis remains perfectly healthy.
On small roads
Comfort / Duo
The X-Town is rather comfortable in duet, with well compressed shock absorbers, which make it possible to avoid the sudden increases on the compressions. In solo, the X-Town is in clear improvement compared to previous vintages but is still a dry compared to what one expects from an urban scooter with increasingly degraded pavements. However, we can take gendarmes lying down rather easily and we will say that it is now in the average and that great progress has been made compared to old vintages..
If the passenger is high enough perched, he benefits from the large grab handles around the rear stern.
Braking
There are fans of ABS and those of CBS coupled braking. The Euro4 standard requires having one of the two systems in place. While Honda tends to drop coupled braking, Kymco offers it for its X-Town model. An excellent choice that provides much more efficient and healthy braking every day. If the single braking of the front brake is a little limited taken isolated, especially in duo, the grip of the left handle which actuates both the front and the rear is really pleasant, providing an excellent feeling and efficiency to the appointment.
Convenient
The front storage compartment offers a USB charging socket, a real plus for city dwellers, allowing the laptop to be recharged during commuting. Locking the storage compartment now with a rotary button makes it possible to be sure that it will not open unexpectedly on a road bounce.
The trunk under the saddle offers a real place, allowing to accommodate both a modular / integral (rear part) AND a jet (front part). However, between the two helmets, there is still enough to place a rain suit. We will appreciate its openness to the switch on the dashboard and the very useful lighting in the garage.
Consumption
The XTown offers a range of over 400 kilometers, with a limited consumption of 2.7 liters per hundred with its 12.5-liter tank. And indeed, the gauge goes down very slowly over the kilometers.
Conclusion
While some manufacturers offer a constant level of quality year after year, Kymco really improves its models with each new vintage, both in terms of perceived quality and intrinsic quality, behavior and comfort in particular. The X-Town is therefore the best evolution of the Taiwanese manufacturer to date, which notably outperforms the J125 Kawasaki. The new, more elegant lines with a real role of LEDs also bring a real more visual to those who are also looking for a rewarding scooter more sporty than GT. It remains its price very well placed at 3499 (launch price until the end of June), more than a thousand euros cheaper than its more serious competitors and less expensive than less valuable Piaggio models. The opportunity to take advantage of it before seeing it take 200 euros more ?
Strong points
- line
- coupled braking
- storage
- top speed
Weak points
- solo comfort
The technical sheet of the Kymco X-Town 125
Test conditions
- Itinerary: small varied roads + interurban highways + city for a week
- Mileage: 300 km
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