Kymco Venox 250

[OC Hoosier]

I found this bike for sale on Craigslist. It's a 2003 Kymco Venox V-twin 250. I've done a little research and heard mixed reviews. Apparently it will run 75+ mph rather easily, with some saying they have approached 100mph. (Of course the speedo is only in Km/h, so maybe their conversion calculations are a little off, ha) Living in a 'mostly freeway' part of the country, this is a big plus to me. My biggest concern, however, is the fact that it's from a Taiwan-based moped-specialized manufacturer, and I'm not sure of the quality...although they [i]have[i] been around since the late 1960's. Any thoughts, ideas, experience, opinions on these machines?

[Sarris]

Chinese POS. Bad fasteners & bolts, not SAE approved. Also oil leak and long term durability issues. The Kwang Yang Motor Company.

They're cheap to buy and cute, but don't you kinda wonder why they're so cheap and why there are so many low mileage used ones for sale??

:skull:

[music man]

They are not really so cheap unless you get one used, a new one is like 4,400 hundred dollars, you can get a new Suzuki S-40 for that price, and it is a 650, and should easily man handle that Kymco.


That being said, I have rode one, at a dealership. It does ride nice, it does have a lot more power than the GZ, it will get to 70 with relative ease, but...... like Sarris said, possible durability/reliability issues, and the fact that these bikes are not as time tested as say the GZ whose engine has been around since at least 1982, I just don't think I would Mess with one myself, I kind did a review of my ride in the "Other Bikes and Misc" if you are interested though.

[OC Hoosier]

Yeah, sorry guys...I should have posted this in the Other Bikes section...oops. The one for sale here is $2150 obo with about 2900 miles on it. Here's the link. http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/mcy/864189594.html

I'm not extrememly interested in it's loooong term durability, but also don't want an oil leaking, rarely reliable, bolt loosening headache either. I'm definitely pleased with the GZ, and trust the Suzuki name; this just caught my eye. Maybe it's worth taking a look at anyway. Thanks for the insight!

[primal]

Oi, so many bit of misinformation in this thread already. First of, Kymco is NOT a Chinese company. Taiwan is not a part of China. Taiwan is a capitalist society and therefore they do not have the sort of quality control issues that companies in a communist society (where quotas are the only thing that matters) suffer from. Secondly, the company was actually founded to produce parts for Honda. If their quality is good enough for a major Japanese motor company then that's all I care about. Kymco makes some of the best scooters you can buy, aside from Vespa/Piaggio, etc. I've never heard a single bad thing about Kymco, much less the Venox.

Also, fyi, the Venox is German-designed. And other than the weird exhaust, its by far the sexiest 250 around.

[Sarris]

Duh. Us older folks remember when Taiwan was considered the Chinese island of Formosa and was one of the worlds main sources of cheap crappy products. I don't purport to be a Kymco expert, but I have several friends that owned them (a pal and his wife as well as the wife of another riding bud). They had nothing but troubles (fasteners, oil leaks, and cheap chrome) and a very difficult time getting proper parts and warranty service. Not a statement of fact, just second hand (multiple) experience.

I didn't know you owned Kymco stock. :blush:

:banana:

[patrick_777]

Originally Posted by primal

I've never heard a single bad thing about Kymco, much less the Venox.

What's that smell? Did someone SHILL their pants? :biggrin:

[primal]

Originally Posted by Sarris

I didn't know you owned Kymco stock. :blush:

With the price of gas nowadays I wish I did!

Now, I'm not saying that Kymco makes the greatest product in the world, but there is a very real chance that all those Honda scooters out there have Kymco parts in them.

[OC Hoosier]

Well, despite Sarris's best effort to disuade me...I checked out the Venox and purchased it the following evening. It rides really smooth, has a great sound, and with it's slightly larger stature, just feels better when cruising at speed. This particular bike seems to have been well taken care of, and I was actually able to pick it up for less than I paid for my GZ.

I'm not sure what will happen to my thumper now. I hate to see such a fun, reliable, attractive bike go. If I were still living in Indiana, selling the GZ would never have even crossed my mind; but here in California, I think the Venox is better suited to my needs. I think I can afford both, but not sure if it's really practical. That being said, I may have a GZ up for sale...you guys will be the first to know.

Alan, if you read this, congrats on the trek to Malibu. I'm tied up for the next two weekends (MSF course and camping trip), but after that we should try to coordinate a cruise to meet up with Moedad and Busy.

[Graydog]

Originally Posted by primal

With the price of gas nowadays I wish I did!

Now, I'm not saying that Kymco makes the greatest product in the world, but there is a very real chance that all those Honda scooters out there have Kymco parts in them.

Not only that....but a lot of the Suzuikis we ride have Hyosung parts in them. In fact I believe Hyosung (correct me if I am wrong) built the engines for many Suzuki models for years. May still, don't know. Remember Hyosung was Alpha Sports here in the U.S. until a few years ago.

So, many folks that diss Hyosungs, are riding a Suzuki that was actually assembled with a lot of Hyosung parts. Certain models of Suzukis have interchangable parts with certain models of Hyosungs. Have for years.

What we are going through now with the new invasion of brand names we haven't heard before from places we are not used to seeing bike from reminds me of when I was in high school and the "Jap crap" bikes started showing up on campus. (All Honda at that time). We American and European bike riders sneered, ridiculed, and laughed at them. Then year by year the BSAs, Triumphs, Jawas, Indians, Harleys became fewer and fewer.

And then horror of all horrors!!! Me. ME. One who at one time drove around with a "Don't buy Jap Crap" bumper sticker on his 62 dodge realized a Jap bike was all I could afford.

Out sourcing. A Chevy is not really a Chevy. Same for Ford, Dodge, Harley, Suzuki, etc.

Crawling into my flame proof suit.