A Actual Contender! Kymco AK550 Premium Examined

In recent times, Kymco’s rising vary of scoots have continued to get ever nearer to the ‘large title’ competitors. The most recent model of its sporty maxi would possibly simply be the one to make you assume once more… Alan Dowds runs the rule over the massive scoot…

Taiwanese scooter agency Kymco is a reasonably critical outfit. It began out as a major elements provider for Honda Japan, and is a lower above many different Far Japanese manufacturers by way of status and engineering

Now a serious producer, Kymco is an enormous a part of the scooter market in most large European nations – Spain, Italy, Germany and France – and is now pushing exhausting to develop its presence within the UK.

A part of that’s new bikes – just like the AK550 maxi-scooter. It’s a high-performance, high-tech, twin-cylinder machine, that may go toe-to-toe with the perfect from Japan by way of spec and functionality. And for 2023, it’s been upgraded with the brand new Premium spec that features cornering ABS and traction management; new bodywork with electrical windscreen; keyless ignition; ride-by-wire throttle; and cruise management.

We went to Porto in Portugal to strive it out, alongside the brand new CV3 three-wheeled leaning trike model that makes use of the identical engine. The AK550 Premium is fast, due to that twin-cylinder powerplant placing out 51bhp claimed energy, and in addition it  weighs simply 223kg dry due to a light-weight aluminium-framed chassis. The brakes are robust, due to Brembo four-piston calipers and the protection internet of a sophisticated ABS arrange, and the dealing with is spot-on for a sporty maxi-scooter. On the twisty roads up the Douro River valley out of Porto, there was loads of really feel from the entrance finish, and the Dunlop GPR-100 rubber was glorious on the marginally damp asphalt. The cornering ABS saved me from a nasty interplay with a wayward HGV on one slender part of twisty valley highway, and general the AK felt fast, grunty, easy and succesful, with loads of floor clearance within the bends.

Afterward, we took in some sooner Autostrada highways, and the AK continued to impress. The electrical display zooms up and down rapidly for the right wind safety; the eight-valve DOHC twin-cylinder motor simply will get you as much as previous 105mph with no fuss; and stuff just like the cruise management, heated grips, intensive LCD devices and smartphone navigation connection all make life simpler on longer jaunts. You probably have a 40-50 mile commute right into a metropolis, the AK550 could be an excellent device for the job, in addition to being lifeless helpful the remainder of the time.

The AK550 Premium is a reasonably, er, premium piece of package – and it comes with a premium price ticket, too. The rrp of £10,399 may appear somewhat stiff on the face of it, however for what you get it’s really first rate worth. To place it into perspective, it’s really cheaper than a similar-spec Yamaha TMAX – and effectively value a search for these folks who aren’t blinkered into considering powered two-wheelers need to have wheels greater than 16 inches in diameter.