Hey guys....just thought I'd throw my 2-cents in with regard to the Kymco 90, for those who might be considering the quad for their kids.
First-off, I'm a longtime hardcore Honda fan...I don't even look at Suzuki, Yamaha or Kawasai, let alone these off-brands...but I gotta tell you something, this Kymco is REALLY impressive and as much as I wanted to walk away from the brand, it was hard and now I'm a believer!
It started with getting a great deal on a sport-utility quad, it was an MXU300 and it looked and felt great. It's based on the Honda 250EX and done right. It's got the same driveshaft as the 250EX, but it's water-cooled, full hydraulic brakes with braided lines both front & back, digital display, great suspension and all sorts of extra goodies. I liked that Kymco makes the engines for Honda and the quad came with a solid warranty. The quad has been nothing but excellent and today it's still a workhorse around my home and my wife rides it when camping. Great quad and with the CVT it can be ridden by anyone.
Fast-forward to my daughters situation. Upon giving my wife the MXU300 and proclaiming it 'her quad'...I then bought myself a 400EX and also grabbed a TRX90EX for my 10 year-old daughter. We quickly put on Elka front shocks, steering stabilizer, 400EX rear wheel/tires (using a Diamond J adapter), some hand guards and made the quad look and ride much better. The thing I liked most about the Honda was that it had a foot operated rear brake....other 90-sized quads did not and the hand brake was so hard for my daughter to wrap her fingers around that she almost couldn't produce enough pressure to stop the quad, let alone steer/control the quad...so Honda won by name and features. The downside is that no kid that I've ever let ride that quad can grasp the concept of shifting!!! My dauhger is now 11 and despite a good amount of time riding I'll still catch her riding around in 2nd gear all wound-out. So let me (finally) get to the Kymco
The Kymco is surprisingly awesome!
The Kymco is FULLY automatic and the newer models 2010+ have a reverse gear. This is great: no more screaming at the kids to shift up or worry that they'll bog-down while going up a hill. There is peace of mind and less drama with a full automatic. The Honda is semi-auto, you don't have a clutch, but you do need to shift it. Also, the Honda will only crank in neutral whereas the Kymco will always crank in any tranny configuration. How many times have we found the kids claiming the quad won't start and they just have it in gear and can't grasp how they need to put it in neutral? yeah, it happens...but never with the Kymco!
The reverse gear is nice. Around our campsite I've seen (and rescued) many little kids stranded with their quads faced into a berm or all crossed-up in a weird position. A 50-70 pound kid can't manipulate a 230-pound quad very well. Trust me, the reverse is nice and now having both the Honda & Kymco (I have 3 daughters)...I've watched the kid on the Kymco use reverse and the kid with the Honda get off and start the tug-of-war. Reverse = Good!!! :)
The Kymco has an automatic choke that works great...just turn the key and it fires right up instantly: no choke to remember to turn-off, no wondering if little Johnny or Emily turned-off the choke. One less thing to think or worry about and the kids don't need you to help them get it started.
The Kymco has a nice big headlight with low AND High Beams...with the flip of a switch the night illuminates. The Honda has no headlight and the OEM stator can't support more then 10-watts of power. so you can't just add aftermarket lights that easily. You can pop the $125 to get a Ricky Stator aftermarket stator that'll support up to a total of 50 watts, which still isn't that much.
The Kymco has an integrated air fan that blows air over the engine ensuring that the engine stays cool even if the kids leave it running or are putzing along super slow. The Honda is just air cooled fins...no fan
The Kymco has a kick-start option, the Honda does not
The Kymco also has a rear brake light...which can stop another kid from rear-ending them because the big bright red bulb really sends-out the message. Following the Honda, you best keep a close eye in front of you. Even my 400 EX has a brake light.
The Kymco does NOT have a foot-operated brake and to me this is one set-back that I'd like. Any kid can instinctively use their foot to stop the quad, but hand levers can be a challenge with coordination and remembering/understanding which brake to use. Kymco did do one thing right, they made the rear brake hydraulic and very easy to use....whereas the front brake is cable and relatively functional but not as likely to be locked-up. The adaption process of using only hand brakes was fast and my daughters little hands can easily work the hand brake lever...but do note, some 90-sized quads have regular levers and the reach for a kids hand is just not there!
The rear suspension on the Kymco is comprable to the TRX's, but the Kymco's front suspension is a bit better...it has some real 'cush' and dampening whereas the TRX is more pogo-stick stiff.
The Kymco comes with Maxxis tires on all four corners...and the rear tires are sporty & wide with an impressive foot-print. The TRX comes with these rounded donut utility-like tires that just don't look right.
The downside of Kymco is that the width is a bit more narrow and so the TRX appears a bit more beefier. I spent $12 on some 1.5" wheel adapters for the rear and this did wonders for a wider stance and better look. I do not want to change the steering geometry on the front so I'm leaving it stock, but it still looks good with just the back widened.
Lastly....while at Chapparel Motorsports we looked at all the 90's and I noticed the Kawasaki 90 is absolutely IDENTICAL to the Kymco!! The only difference is that the Kawasaki has green plastic, does not have a reverse gear and cost about $300 more then the Kymco.
Another thing is, there really is no aftermarket parts for the Kymco...you can't trick and tweak it like a Honda. The Honda also cost more then the Kymco, but it'll hold it's value and it's a Honda.
Like I say, I ride a Honda and I'm a diehard Honda fan...but for the money, value and features...this Kymco is EXTREMELY impressive. I have 3 daughters and we have 2 Honda TRX's and 1 Kymco and they all perform about equal...but I never need to yell at the Kymco rider to upshift or downshift, I never need to help the Kymco get started or worry about the choke being left on and the Kymco has the headlight and tail/brake light. When the kids find a small track, the Kymco is faster because it always has the right gear...at least for my young medium-experienced riders.
