2011 Kymco People GTi 300 review

Cortez · 08-21-2011, 05:48 AM

Morning scoot warriors!

I figured some might be interested in some details from my 3+ hour ride
on the 2011 Kymco People GTi 300 so here goes!

The 150 mile ride consisted of some WOT highway (about 30 miles), some
local, rather straight roads with 50-55mph speed limits, and a nice 50
miles of all sorts of twisty bits, from 180 deg turns going both uphill and
downhill and even some nice 70-75mph bends.

Just about enough to get a good feel for the bike.

I'll mention in advance that I did get a chance to ride the Downtown 300i
just shortly before this bike, and if you missed it, that review is HERE.

I have also tried the new for 2011 Piaggio Beverly (BV) 300 which is it's
main competitor here in EU. Sorry to say that the Honda SH300i is a bike
I haven't even seen on our roads (Croatia) since it costs A LOT more then
any of the mentioned, and the SH300 probably IS the closest thing to the
new People GTi 300 and would make for a nice comparison.

Anyways, on to the review!

Starting my quick blast with the mentioned 30 mile stretch of highway
gets some parts of the review out of the way very quickly. The top speed,
comfortable cruising speed and wind protection. Maybe even overall comfort.

I must say I was surprised with all of these.

I was NOT expecting a lot of wind protection due to the fact that the bike
is virtually naked, the windscreen looks like it's more of a style accessory
then a proper wind deflector, and generally the comfort on these medium
sized, big wheeled city scooters usually suffers due to the stiff suspension
(like the Beverly 300's).

You can imagine my shock when I figured out there was NO wind
whatsoever below my shoulder line (sure, the arms are in the wind, but
no biggie) and that the legs were protected rather well. The flat floorboard
enables you to hide your legs from the wind completely. A very nice bonus
for a naked scooter. This probably has a lot to do with the fact that you sit
"in" the scooter rather then "on" the scooter. Even if the People doesn't look
big, it really is. The dash/wind deflector was more or less lined up with the
chin part of my helmet, so my head was free from turbulent air and everything
below was well protected.

I must say this felt more comfortable then the Downtown 300i's windscreen
chucking me around at anything above 50mph. I need a different windscreen
size on the Downtown for my 5'11" frame.

Relative to the wind pressure, we come to the comfortable cruising speed.
Since the engine doesn't seem to be working hard at ANY speed, and I was never
able to hear it work under my Schuberth C2 helmet, I tried working out when it
was working hard from the vibrations, but again, there aren't any, the scooter is
virtually vibration free at highway speeds up to 81-82mph, but the wind pressure
at those speeds (and above) will probably have you lower your cruising speed
to 75mph.

WOT very quickly results in an indicated 93-94mph, give it some time and it will
stop around 97mph with just a slight wind from behind. Tucking in, looking as
stupid as possible, and you'll be shocked to see 100mph on a bike with a rated
output of just 28hp. I was not able to hit 100 on the Downtown, but it got very
close.

(Going back the same road in the wind resulted in 5mph less sitting upright and
bending over (don't get any ideas)).

The bike is planted (feels heavier on the handlebars then it's rated weight figures,
but it never gets in the way of ease of riding) at ANY speed it can reach, and
surprisingly more comfortable then the Downtown 300i which is obviously set
up a bit on the firm side to allow more luggage and passenger not getting in the
way of handling (and indeed it doesn't).

However, both these scooters will handle a passenger better then my Kawasaki
650R, from the seat to the suspension.

Speaking of suspension (and the frame), this scooter has a huge grin factor
when you come to the twisty bits. Sure it's frame will get nervous at WOT
already around 65mph, but it's nothing to be worried about. The suspension
and tires can handle it, and a flat floorboard scoot must have it's limitations.

Bare in mind we're talking silly lean angles here with the throttle wide open,
changing direction as fast as possible since the road goes in every single
direction, including constant changes in altitude. I never felt like the bike
got overwhelmed and I was doing 40 to 70mph and accelerating WOT out
of every corner and braking late. The Downtown 300 DOES feel a bit better
riding like this, but People's CVT seems to be better tuned for lower speed
acceleration (confirmed by a stopwatch later) and it'll pull hard from 40mph
whereas the DT300 would be more gentle in it's power delivery up to 60mph,
but then it would leave the People 300 behind.

0-62mph indicated takes 9,5 seconds, and that's about a second faster then
the DT300 on average, but the DT300 I had for review was accelerating at
5700rpms for some reason, and not 6100-6200rpms (which would make a
big difference) like I see in most other videos out there.

Brakes are also top notch and one finger braking is enough in all but the
most extreme situations, where you'll just need to use one finger more.
Again, the initial bite of the brakes, just like on the Downtown 300 feels
stronger then on my Kawasaki. You do NOT need another disc up front
on any of these two!
I didn't have a chance to measure the fuel consumption with precision, but
some quick math in my head came up with a ballpark of 52-58MPG for
rather aggressive riding. From what I've read on other People and Downtown
threads (and different forums too), they're both capable of 70MPG riding
within the speed limits.

Did I forget anything?
Oh, storage space.

Yeah, you can carry a cell phone and a tin of sardines under the seat.
A full face helmet WILL NOT fit there, but you get a free topcase with the
scoot here (color matched too). It's quality is a bit on the low side of things,
but it's free, and it works.

If you need better storage space, the Downtown's underseat storage is something
like 60L, and if you fit a huge topcase on it, you can travel around the world
with it.

Build quality, just like on the DT300 is top notch. Everything fits well together,
there's no buzzes (the DT300 had 4000mi. on the ODO, the People had 2000mi),
and everything seems to be working as it should.

Even if they're both on the higher side of the 300cc scooter market prices,
both the DT and People 300 should realistically be compare to the 400 and bigger
scoots because of their size and performance, and then they don't look as expensive
anymore.

I'm in the process of selling my Kawasaki and replacing it with a scooter, and
to tell the truth, I'd be happy with any of these two, and the Xciting 500i EVO.

It's gonna be a tough call when the time to decide comes.

Better quality pics are here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/dbauern...coPeopleGTi300

tastroman · 08-21-2011, 07:06 AM

Nice review. Thanks.

Cortez · 08-21-2011, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tastroman

Nice review. Thanks.

Thanks!
I enjoyed writing it, but not as much as riding the thing!

LarryRickenbacker · 08-21-2011, 09:36 AM

Howdy,

Enjoyed the review; thanks for posting.

MODNROD · 08-21-2011, 09:46 AM

Thanks for the write-up Cortez.
I wonder if you could fit a screen that covers the whole lower bar section, and extends up a few inches with maybe a top lip to deflect wind over your helmet?
I also wonder how the bike would go with a J.Costa/Malossi, pipe and filter!

Cortez · 08-21-2011, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MODNROD

Thanks for the write-up Cortez.
I wonder if you could fit a screen that covers the whole lower bar section, and extends up a few inches with maybe a top lip to deflect wind over your helmet?

Yessir!
Like so?

Quote:

Originally Posted by MODNROD

I also wonder how the bike would go with a J.Costa/Malossi, pipe and filter!

Just Dr Pulley sliders (1g less) and a HiT clutch on the Downtown takes the
0-60 time from 10 to 8 seconds, and I've seen 6 second clips on youtube!

That engine has got a lot of potential!

It would be great in a naked/SM style bike with a manual.

MODNROD · 08-21-2011, 11:20 AM

It would also be great under my bum down our winding highways thru the hills.......

Cortez · 08-21-2011, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MODNROD

It would also be great under my bum down our winding highways thru the hills.......

Get in line!

tastroman · 08-21-2011, 12:10 PM

A windscreen would be mandatory for it in my book. I wonder if one is available in the states?

Cortez · 08-21-2011, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tastroman

A windscreen would be mandatory for it in my book. I wonder if one is available in the states?

It's got better wind protection in general then my faired kawasaki 650r.

It's A LOT better then any of these big wheeled narrow scoots that I've
tried before without a windscreen.

scooterspirit · 08-21-2011, 01:23 PM

great review, really appreciate that. It looks like a great bike, not to disappoint at all.

I haven't seen either but the GT looks roomier than the Honda. Seems the Honda is quicker to 60. I like the looks of the GT in pictures. They both have a gas fill under the seat, what a hassle. Good sound off the line. Something we saw, suggested a restricted lean angle, but it sounds like no problem, and I'm sure it isn't.

I've been waiting forever for that inmate is AZ to get his bike he ordered months ago. They said it would be in about now. Maybe he didn't get it because he had to pay up front. It would be nice if he could at least verify some of your bull.
Only kidding, thanks again!

Cortez · 08-22-2011, 04:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scooterspirit

great review, really appreciate that. It looks like a great bike, not to disappoint at all.

I haven't seen either but the GT looks roomier than the Honda. Seems the Honda is quicker to 60. I like the looks of the GT in pictures. They both have a gas fill under the seat, what a hassle. Good sound off the line. Something we saw, suggested a restricted lean angle, but it sounds like no problem, and I'm sure it isn't.

I've been waiting forever for that inmate is AZ to get his bike he ordered months ago. They said it would be in about now. Maybe he didn't get it because he had to pay up front. It would be nice if he could at least verify some of your bull.
Only kidding, thanks again!

If he can verify even HALF of my bull, he'll still be happy with his purchase!

alphaBETAdog · 08-22-2011, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scooterspirit

I've been waiting forever for that inmate is AZ to get his bike he ordered months ago. They said it would be in about now. Maybe he didn't get it because he had to pay up front. It would be nice if he could at least verify some of your bull.
Only kidding, thanks again!

Sorry Scooterspirit, I cancelled my order a while back. However, after reading Cortez's great review, I'm regretting that decision!

Cortez · 08-22-2011, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alphaBETAdog

Sorry Scooterspirit, I cancelled my order a while back. However, after reading Cortez's great review, I'm regretting that decision!

soboy · 08-22-2011, 10:58 AM

Great review, Cortez - thanks! Now the big question - which do you like better - the People GTi or the Downtown 300? And why? I'm getting the bug for a scooter I can tour on that gets great gas mileage, was thinking Burgman 400 but should I consider these new scoots?

08-21-2011, 05:48 AM	#1
Cortez ^OP BAZINGA! Joined: Apr 2006 Location: Croatia Oddometer: 3,887	2011 Kymco People GTi 300 review Morning scoot warriors! I figured some might be interested in some details from my 3+ hour ride on the 2011 Kymco People GTi 300 so here goes! The 150 mile ride consisted of some WOT highway (about 30 miles), some local, rather straight roads with 50-55mph speed limits, and a nice 50 miles of all sorts of twisty bits, from 180 deg turns going both uphill and downhill and even some nice 70-75mph bends. Just about enough to get a good feel for the bike. I'll mention in advance that I did get a chance to ride the Downtown 300i just shortly before this bike, and if you missed it, that review is HERE. I have also tried the new for 2011 Piaggio Beverly (BV) 300 which is it's main competitor here in EU. Sorry to say that the Honda SH300i is a bike I haven't even seen on our roads (Croatia) since it costs A LOT more then any of the mentioned, and the SH300 probably IS the closest thing to the new People GTi 300 and would make for a nice comparison. Anyways, on to the review! Starting my quick blast with the mentioned 30 mile stretch of highway gets some parts of the review out of the way very quickly. The top speed, comfortable cruising speed and wind protection. Maybe even overall comfort. I must say I was surprised with all of these. I was NOT expecting a lot of wind protection due to the fact that the bike is virtually naked, the windscreen looks like it's more of a style accessory then a proper wind deflector, and generally the comfort on these medium sized, big wheeled city scooters usually suffers due to the stiff suspension (like the Beverly 300's). You can imagine my shock when I figured out there was NO wind whatsoever below my shoulder line (sure, the arms are in the wind, but no biggie) and that the legs were protected rather well. The flat floorboard enables you to hide your legs from the wind completely. A very nice bonus for a naked scooter. This probably has a lot to do with the fact that you sit "in" the scooter rather then "on" the scooter. Even if the People doesn't look big, it really is. The dash/wind deflector was more or less lined up with the chin part of my helmet, so my head was free from turbulent air and everything below was well protected. I must say this felt more comfortable then the Downtown 300i's windscreen chucking me around at anything above 50mph. I need a different windscreen size on the Downtown for my 5'11" frame. Relative to the wind pressure, we come to the comfortable cruising speed. Since the engine doesn't seem to be working hard at ANY speed, and I was never able to hear it work under my Schuberth C2 helmet, I tried working out when it was working hard from the vibrations, but again, there aren't any, the scooter is virtually vibration free at highway speeds up to 81-82mph, but the wind pressure at those speeds (and above) will probably have you lower your cruising speed to 75mph. WOT very quickly results in an indicated 93-94mph, give it some time and it will stop around 97mph with just a slight wind from behind. Tucking in, looking as stupid as possible, and you'll be shocked to see 100mph on a bike with a rated output of just 28hp. I was not able to hit 100 on the Downtown, but it got very close. (Going back the same road in the wind resulted in 5mph less sitting upright and bending over (don't get any ideas)). The bike is planted (feels heavier on the handlebars then it's rated weight figures, but it never gets in the way of ease of riding) at ANY speed it can reach, and surprisingly more comfortable then the Downtown 300i which is obviously set up a bit on the firm side to allow more luggage and passenger not getting in the way of handling (and indeed it doesn't). However, both these scooters will handle a passenger better then my Kawasaki 650R, from the seat to the suspension. Speaking of suspension (and the frame), this scooter has a huge grin factor when you come to the twisty bits. Sure it's frame will get nervous at WOT already around 65mph, but it's nothing to be worried about. The suspension and tires can handle it, and a flat floorboard scoot must have it's limitations. Bare in mind we're talking silly lean angles here with the throttle wide open, changing direction as fast as possible since the road goes in every single direction, including constant changes in altitude. I never felt like the bike got overwhelmed and I was doing 40 to 70mph and accelerating WOT out of every corner and braking late. The Downtown 300 DOES feel a bit better riding like this, but People's CVT seems to be better tuned for lower speed acceleration (confirmed by a stopwatch later) and it'll pull hard from 40mph whereas the DT300 would be more gentle in it's power delivery up to 60mph, but then it would leave the People 300 behind. 0-62mph indicated takes 9,5 seconds, and that's about a second faster then the DT300 on average, but the DT300 I had for review was accelerating at 5700rpms for some reason, and not 6100-6200rpms (which would make a big difference) like I see in most other videos out there. Brakes are also top notch and one finger braking is enough in all but the most extreme situations, where you'll just need to use one finger more. Again, the initial bite of the brakes, just like on the Downtown 300 feels stronger then on my Kawasaki. You do NOT need another disc up front on any of these two! I didn't have a chance to measure the fuel consumption with precision, but some quick math in my head came up with a ballpark of 52-58MPG for rather aggressive riding. From what I've read on other People and Downtown threads (and different forums too), they're both capable of 70MPG riding within the speed limits. Did I forget anything? Oh, storage space. Yeah, you can carry a cell phone and a tin of sardines under the seat. A full face helmet WILL NOT fit there, but you get a free topcase with the scoot here (color matched too). It's quality is a bit on the low side of things, but it's free, and it works. If you need better storage space, the Downtown's underseat storage is something like 60L, and if you fit a huge topcase on it, you can travel around the world with it. Build quality, just like on the DT300 is top notch. Everything fits well together, there's no buzzes (the DT300 had 4000mi. on the ODO, the People had 2000mi), and everything seems to be working as it should. Even if they're both on the higher side of the 300cc scooter market prices, both the DT and People 300 should realistically be compare to the 400 and bigger scoots because of their size and performance, and then they don't look as expensive anymore. I'm in the process of selling my Kawasaki and replacing it with a scooter, and to tell the truth, I'd be happy with any of these two, and the Xciting 500i EVO. It's gonna be a tough call when the time to decide comes. Better quality pics are here: https://picasaweb.google.com/dbauern...coPeopleGTi300 __________________ '12 Kymco Downtown 300i ABS, '08 Yamaha FZ6n S2 ABS SOLD: '03 Peugeot Speedfight2, '07 Kawasaki ER6F ABS, '06 Kymco Agility 125 My Flickr gallery

08-21-2011, 07:06 AM	#2
tastroman Beastly Adventurer Joined: May 2009 Location: Collinsville Va Oddometer: 1,187	Nice review. Thanks. __________________ The world would be a better place if there were fewer people who felt like they needed to teach other people a lesson. 2007 Daelim S-2 250 2009 Buell Ulysses XB12XT

08-21-2011, 09:36 AM	#4
LarryRickenbacker Gnarly Adventurer Joined: May 2008 Location: NW La. (USA) Oddometer: 257	Thanks! Howdy, Enjoyed the review; thanks for posting.

08-21-2011, 09:46 AM	#5
MODNROD Perpetual ponderer Joined: Feb 2009 Location: Midwest, West Oz Oddometer: 1,663	Thanks for the write-up Cortez. I wonder if you could fit a screen that covers the whole lower bar section, and extends up a few inches with maybe a top lip to deflect wind over your helmet? I also wonder how the bike would go with a J.Costa/Malossi, pipe and filter! __________________ Every ride's an adventure if you can't ride for crap http://www.dragtimes.com/Ducati-Mons...lip-10329.html

08-21-2011, 11:20 AM	#7
MODNROD Perpetual ponderer Joined: Feb 2009 Location: Midwest, West Oz Oddometer: 1,663	It would also be great under my bum down our winding highways thru the hills....... __________________ Every ride's an adventure if you can't ride for crap http://www.dragtimes.com/Ducati-Mons...lip-10329.html

08-21-2011, 12:10 PM	#9
tastroman Beastly Adventurer Joined: May 2009 Location: Collinsville Va Oddometer: 1,187	A windscreen would be mandatory for it in my book. I wonder if one is available in the states? __________________ The world would be a better place if there were fewer people who felt like they needed to teach other people a lesson. 2007 Daelim S-2 250 2009 Buell Ulysses XB12XT

08-21-2011, 01:23 PM	#11
scooterspirit Dork Warrior Joined: Oct 2010 Location: pacific nw Oddometer: 566	great review, really appreciate that. It looks like a great bike, not to disappoint at all. I haven't seen either but the GT looks roomier than the Honda. Seems the Honda is quicker to 60. I like the looks of the GT in pictures. They both have a gas fill under the seat, what a hassle. Good sound off the line. Something we saw, suggested a restricted lean angle, but it sounds like no problem, and I'm sure it isn't. I've been waiting forever for that inmate is AZ to get his bike he ordered months ago. They said it would be in about now. Maybe he didn't get it because he had to pay up front. It would be nice if he could at least verify some of your bull. Only kidding, thanks again!

08-22-2011, 10:58 AM	#15
soboy Beastly Adventurer Joined: Aug 2005 Location: Roswell, GA Oddometer: 2,242	Great review, Cortez - thanks! Now the big question - which do you like better - the People GTi or the Downtown 300? And why? I'm getting the bug for a scooter I can tour on that gets great gas mileage, was thinking Burgman 400 but should I consider these new scoots? __________________ "Reason takes a holiday as Dr. Horrible spends money he doesn't have, on a motorcycle he doesn't need, in a misguided attempt to recapture his youth which, upon reflection, wasn't all that great in the first place." "Ride to the bar in your pirate outfit, guzzle some beer, play "Free Bird' on the juke box and then go home. Badass."

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