A Compact Dual-Sport Scooter by, on November 27, 2017, 19:21 The Super 8 in both the 50 cc and 150 cc models have been around for a bit, and while some folks discount as a serious manufacturer, it’s worth a look. KYMCO maintains a prominent presence in the Grand National Cross Country Series, a grueling circuit that hosts long courses over a variety of rugged terrains, and serves as a sort of trial-by-fire for both rider and machine. If that isn’t a testament to quality, I don’t know what is. We lost the Super 8 'R' siblings going into last year, but let’s take a look and see how well KYMCO’s race prowess transitions to the scooter sector with its 2018 Super 8 “X” model duo. Continue reading for more information on the KYMCO Super 8.

• Kymco Super 8 150 Parts Manual
• Kymco Super 8 150

The has been around for a while now. If you wonder why you don’t recognize it as one of the “old guard” of production, that’s because it didn’t market under its own name until 1992, but in fact the company started out in 1963 as a parts manufacturer for. So, don’t discount KYMCO as just another Johnny-come-lately scooter factory, ’cause it is anything but. The first thing that struck me as I initially regarded the Super 8 was how compact the overall unit looked. While it is a rather small scooter with only 52 inches between axles, the minimal front end and leg fairing leave it with a decidedly panache. The reduced fairing and lack of windshield may leave the rider a bit more exposed than usual, but it also makes for low windage and a more direct feeling of wind in your teeth.

A lockable, under-seat storage compartment gives way to a full step-through and a relatively narrow deck — not much room for ’tween-the-feet cargo on this ride. Normally I would consider that a detriment, but KYMCO is billing this ride as a sort of on-road / vehicle, so it necessarily needs a slimmer and sportier overall design. One of the details I really like on the Super 8 is the pillion seat that folds up to act as a rider backrest when riding solo, a built-in comfort feature that many bike owners have to go to the accessory catalog, or even the aftermarket, to enjoy. Unfortunately, the lack of forward protection for the rider means that this backrest is about the only creature comfort you can expect, but let’s be honest, if you were that invested in creature comforts, you’d be looking at something other than a compact scooter, yeah?

Now we come to the main difference between the “X” and the “R” versions of the Super 8: the tires. While the “X” models come with dual-purpose tires — street knobbies, if you will — that boast deep grooves for soft surfaces with nice, wide flats for street work; the “R” models come with straight-up street tires for carving the urban jungle, rather than the wilderness proper. KYMCO dropped the 'R' going into 2017, so it’s knobbies or the aftermarket for 2018. Regardless of design, the 12-inch tires come wrapped around cast wheels. A twin-piston caliper binds the wave-cut, front brake disc, and a typical drum brake slows the rear wheel. The brakes are unsophisticated, and come without any sort of linking or ABS protection – all the better for shenanigannery, says I. Given that the Super 8 50s weigh only 210.5 pounds, and the 150s weigh a skosh more at 235.8 pounds, this should be plenty of brakeage to keep things under control.

Hydraulic front forks float the front end, and an offset, coil-over monoshock supports the rear off the swing-mount drive unit. KYMCO doesn’t post up any suspension travel numbers, nor do they offer any adjustments to the ride, so I am unable to evaluate the potential off-road performance. I can, however, state unequivocally that it is what it is.

The next obvious division within the Super 8 range involves the drivetrain. A 49 cc engine propels the 50X and 50R models, and a 151 cc plant drives the 150X and 150R. Both engines are four strokes, and run a single over-head cam with forced-air cooling to manage the waste heat. This simplicity carries over to the induction, with a good, old-fashioned carburetor to manage the fuel-air mix. Power output is about what you would expect, with the 50 turning out 1.9 horsepower and 3.0 pound-feet of torque, and the 150 producing 10.3 ponies and 7.8 pound-feet of torque.

Mileage is a tad low on the 50s at 72 mpg, and even lower on the 150s at 57 mpg — not exactly around the world on three tablespoons of gas kind of numbers, but sufficient for short trips around town. One feature that I really like is the kickstarter on both engines.

I’ve been stranded once or twice because of charging problems, and I would have given my eye-teeth for a kicker. So naturally, I am always glad to see this as standard equipment. Dual-purpose scooters are still something of a niche within a niche, and so the market isn’t exactly flooded with potential competitors.

Still, the seems to fit the bill nicely, even if Lance downplays the design a bit. (Caveat: Using the Cabo off-road will void its warranty, but you can look at the thing and tell that the factory spent time, energy and money to make it look like it is off-road capable.) The Cabo comes with dual-purpose tires much like the Super 8 family, making it suitable for a variety of surfaces. Beyond that, both scoots follow a rather Spartan design with minimal weather protection for the rider, and you can consider them to be equally narrow and compact. The Super 8 garners a slight edge in seat design because of the flip-up rider backrest, a feature Lance declines to include.

Performance numbers reveal another advantage with the smaller KYMCO engine: more torque. The Lance 50 produces 1.9 horsepower and 1.58 pound-feet of torque versus 1.9 ponies with three whole pound-feet of torque from the 50.

Numbers on the 150 are much closer with 10.3 ponies and 7.8 pound-feet of torque from the KYMCO, and 10.3 ponies and 7.96 pounds of grunt from the. For me, the most telling detail in the engine category deals with fuel economy. While the Super 8 engines get 72 mpg and 57 mpg from the 50 and 150, respectively, the Cabos break the 100 mpg mark with 117 mpg from the 50 and 87 mpg from the 150; a marked difference. Pricewise, the similarities continue. On both tiers, the prices are too close to call, so you’ll have to decide what feature is more important and go with that because the winner won’t be decided at the check-out counter.

He Said “While I prefer scooters built in what one might call the classic Italian design, this little ride has an appeal all its own — as long as you are a minimalist looking for a raw connection with the air you will be pushing. I can see this ride as a good commuter in areas where you might be able to avoid traffic by getting off the blacktop, but don’t expect to pull any Supercross maneuvers on it, it’s still a scooter, after all.” She Said My wife and fellow writer, says, 'I disagree with my husband on a very minor point. While you might not do any Supercross-type jackassery on a Super 8, I saw a guy do some pretty impressive flat-track maneuvers on a 150 cc scooter with off-road tires and it looked like a lot of fun.

The on-road/off-road capabilities are attractive to me, living out in a rural area as we do. Sometimes the shortest distance from here to there isn’t a paved road.'

KYMCO SUPER 8R / 8X A new generation of Kymco’s Super 8 scooter began in 2015 with two new models called the Super 8X and Super 8R. The 8X and 8R models were quite similar to each other but quite different from the original Super 8, which is discussed separately. The Super 8X is the off-road styled version and receives touches like fat tires and matte paint or camo styling, while the 8R is a more traditionally styled semi-naked sports scooter. In 2015, Kymco offered both the 8X and 8R in the USA and either model could be had with a 50cc or 150cc motor. In Canada, only the Super 8 R was offered that first year and only with a 50cc motor. The next year Kymco abandoned the 8R entirely and instead sold the 8X in both markets.

With the switch to the Super 8X for 2016, the Canadian market also got both sizes of motor. The Super 8X remains on sale in both markets with both 50cc and 150cc engine options as of 2018. Model Background Ever since it replaced the, the Super 8 has been Kymco’s flagship sports scooter in the small displacement end of the scooter spectrum. This continues with the new generation of Super 8, but the gap between the Super 8 and Kymco’s other offerings has grown smaller. Running pacing guide.

Rather that being a unique platform, Kymco has opted to streamline their manufacturing by basing the new Super 8X and 8R on their existing high volume platform. Most of the core components of the new Super 8 are carried over from their low cost model, so the new Super 8 is mostly a different stylistic expression of the same core product.

Compared with the previous generation, the most obvious difference is the physical size of these machines. The old Super 8 was physically a large scooter well suited to lankier riders. Conversely the Agility based Super 8X and 8R are more compact machines with a shorter wheelbases (52” vs 53.7”) and a lower overall weight (210 lbs vs 236 lbs for the 50cc). Similarly the new models now use 10” (8X) or 12” (8R) rims instead of 14”. As a result these models are averaged sized for a 50cc rather than being large.

Design and Amenities With the Super 8X and 8R, Kymco took their Agility platform and upgraded a number of areas. The aluminum 5 spoke rims are a big step up from the basic steel rims on the Agility, while the rear suspension also appears to be beefed up with some adjustability.

Kymco Super 8 150 Parts Manual

The other noteworthy change is a new digital dash that provides a lot of useful information. The rest of the changes are largely cosmetic, with Kymco retaining the Agility headlight array and two person seat that can fold up into a back rest. Kymco did opt for a “naked” exposed handlebars setup instead of the traditional headset found on the Agility. Also new is the panelling on the rear flanks, the rear rack is brushed aluminum instead of painted steel and the rear taillight setup is resembles that of the departing Super 8. Overall Kymco did a nice job with the styling.

The 8X and 8R are very similar machines, with the only obvious differences being the tire size, front fender and paint work. The 8X uses fat rubber on 10” rims, while the 8R uses lower profile tires on larger 12” rims. The differences are mostly trivial, but the 8X will perform a little better on rough roads while the 8R will be a tiny bit more nimble on smooth asphalt. Motor The 50cc versions of the 8X/8R use the same 4-stroke motor as the and quite a few other Kymco’s in recent years. This is a noteworthy change for Kymco, which has almost always offered their sports scooter with a more powerful 2-stroke 50cc motor. This 4-stroke has 3.7 HP on tap, which is less than the 5 HP of their 2-stroke motor but still enough to get you around town without any fuss. Top speed is 35 mph unlike 40-45 mph for the 2-stroke, but fuel milage will be better at 90 mpg instead of 60.

Kymco Super 8 150

This motor is a proven design that won’t win any awards for technology but it’s a reliable and affordable choice. The 151cc motor outputs 10.3 HP @ 5500 RPM which is good for a top speed around 55 mph and efficiency about 60 mpg. Again, it’s a pretty basic motor that performs fine and keeps the price tag low, but it would have been nice to see Kymco use their 13.5HP 150 motor found in the discontinued. In any case, it’s a decent motor that doesn’t offer the performance or fuel milage of some other machines (i.e. And ) but the MSRP is hard to argue with. Discussion The new Super 8X and 8R mark a big change in strategy for Kymco.

Rather than offering a high priced premium sports scooter, they’ve moved to an affordable offering that’s slightly sporty. The performance is down but the MSRP has also dropped by $200 (to $1799) compared to the outgoing Super 8. Kymco has always had the most success when they offer buyers a solid scooter for a low MSRP that undercuts Honda and Yamaha, which this new model achieves. The 150 model is an even more obvious bargain at $2099 (8X 150). These are seriously impressive price tags compared to Honda’s PCX 150 ($3449) or Yamaha’s SMAX ($3690).

At over $1300 less, the offerings from Kymco are a compelling option even if they lag in power and refinement. If you’re looking for really cheap but good transportation, these Kymco’s look to be a fantastic buy.

These are a much smarter purchase than a Chinese scooter that lacks reliability and resale value. Of course Kymco’s Agility is almost the same scooter and even cheaper still.

If you’re looking at 50cc’s, the Agility offers a nice savings of a few hundred dollars for mostly stylistic differences. The larger Agility 125 is less compelling as it also saves $200 but that comes with a 25cc loss in displacement. Browse Super 8X / 8R Reviews - Add Your Review Pros:. Lightweight. Ultra affordable. Proven motors Cons:. High seat.

Entry level design. Low tech motors Links: - Visit the forums on this site to chat about this scoot.