12 replies to this topic

[woodog]

Well, I have looked at what Kawasaki, Honda, Yamaha and Polaris have to offer and finally bought a Kymco MXU 300. I really like the Polaris RZR, but they are not available yet and it wouldn't fit in the little space I had left in the out building. And the price was right at $3750 and the dealer chipped in a two-gun rack which is nice. I've ridden off-road motorcycles for 30 years and this monster ain't no motorcycle. I live one block from the Temblor Mountains which are the eastern boundary of the Carrrizo National Monument. So I read the manual a little bit and light it up and take to the hills. I hit the trails and didn't get 100 yards before I put the damn thing in a ditch. I hit the first turn and leaned into the corner and it didn't turn! I learned real fast what the handle bars are for. It really felt awkward, but I started to get the hang of it after I finally rode it out of the ditch.I think it will be fun and practical after a few hours on the thing. I have a Howa/Houge in 22/250 ordered and it should look good on the gun rack. I have Nikon scope, 3-9 x 40 waiting to be mounted on the rifle when it finally gets here. I don't like the fact the the ATV has to be stopped to shift between high and low range, but like I said the price was right. Woodog

[fiveflat]

This thread is useless without piccies! I've never heard of Kymco. How about a link at least?Nevermind, found it:http://www.strmotors...u300/index.html

[sangerpb]

I have a Suzuki LTR450 , I could tag along hehe.

[woodog]

This thread is useless without piccies! I've never heard of Kymco. How about a link at least?Nevermind, found it:http://www.strmotors...u300/index.html

Whoops, I copied the link and forgot to paste it. Woodog

[ShooterJohn]

So should I change your screen name to WHOA dog!

[woodog]

So should I change your screen name to WHOA dog!

Hey, that will work. My wife calls me Whoa Dog, Dirt Dog and just plain Dog plus a few others I can't mention in mixed company. Kymco has been around for awhile assembling Honda machines, 300 cc and smaller, and started their own line around 2004 as I recall. Kymco is not a toy company and has years of experience with ATVs. The MXU 300 is a hellva of a deal considering shaft drive, front and back disc brakes, CV transmission (Goggle CV Transmission), etc for the bucks; $3749. It is a well engineered machine and very well made, but 300 cc might be less than I need.I'm not trying to justify my purchase and may try something else in the future, but in the meantime I'm going to give this little MXU 300 a fair shot and see what it can do if it doesn't kill me first. Woodog, Whoa Dog, Dirt Dot, You Dog, etc.

[ShooterJohn]

Hey Woodog, how is the new ATV working out? Have you noticed anything special about its workings?

[woodog]

Hey Woodog, how is the new ATV working out? Have you noticed anything special about its workings?

Funny you should ask. I kept the Kymco MXU 300 for three days and returned to the shop and upgraded to the 500 4X4. They gave me full credit toward the 500. The 300 sold for $3,749 and the 500 for $5,999 and I believe the 500 will be worth the extra bucks. The 300 was nice and probably all I really needed, but it had no compression braking because of the CVT design and seemed a little tippy. There is an after marked cluch fix for the compression braking problem and many folks are installing one-inch wheel spacers front and back for more stability, but I didn't feel like fooling with fixes for a brand new bike.Kymco is supporting a substantial racing effort in the US and Canada and a lot of development of after market parts is going on because the bike is doing well racing. Kymco has manufactured small displacement bikes for Honda and CanAm for years and is the world's largest manufacturer of scooters. The workmanship is excellent and the engineering appears to be sound.I just picked the 500 yesterday, a black one, and haven't even ridden it yet, except around the yard so I can't say much about how it rides yet. I've checked liquid levels, tire pressure and mounted the two-gun rack and hope to run it up the hill to Elkhorn Valley this weekend.Sorry no piccies, but check out the link below for a good source of info on all ATV brands.http://atvfrontier.com/Forums.htmlWoodog

[ShooterJohn]

That's great, I wondered what you had decided. You sounded a bit iffy on the power originally but it looks like you've got that covered now. Let us know what you think of it as time goes on.

[woodog]

That's great, I wondered what you had decided. You sounded a bit iffy on the power originally but it looks like you've got that covered now. Let us know what you think of it as time goes on.

Just returned from my first ride on the 500 and it is awesome! The power is outstanding (36 hp compared to 18 hp on the 300). I used to race open class bikes and it great to use the power of the 500 to turn the thing. Just crank up the throttle a bit and instant power slides. The suspension is still a bit stiff, but should loosen up with a few more miles. After the obligatory 20-mile break in ride I opened it up a little on a good dirt road and got it up to 55 mph before hairing out. They claim 65 mph and I don't doubt that it will go that fast, but I don't need to. The power is a little wimpey off idle and that should improve with a little more break in. The compression dampening is good, but I kept trying to grab the clutch on down hills, which of course isn't there because it is an automatic. I am really pleased with the bike.Didn't see any coyotes today, but there are a lot of jacks in the foot hills around my place. Some kids rode up to me on quads and motorcycles and asked if I was a cop. We have a new police department in town and they are hasseling the kids for riding in the hills outside the city limits. I got a big chuckle out of that one. God knows that I spend a lot of time in my younger days out running the sheriff on a bike, until they brought in the helicopters that is. I would rather see the kids riding dirt bikes that doing drugs.Woodog

[MojaveJ]

We have the same problem down here with the cops messing with people on bikes but as you said I would rather have them doing that then what they would most likely be doing otherwise.

[SLYoteBoy]

I got a yzf450 , its pretty quiet with the silencer. Man does it move. Never heard of kymco before , never even seen em.

[woodog]

I got a yzf450 , its pretty quiet with the silencer. Man does it move. Never heard of kymco before , never even seen em.

I had never heard of Kymco either until a local used bike shop started selling them a while back. I didn't pay much attention until I looked at all of the known brands and decided to take a look before I bought something. I'm glad I did. Woodog