2017 Kymco City+ 50 Review, Two-stroke Pocket Rocket!

When it comes to busy city centres, small is beautiful. The bigger and more congested the city, the more advantage you get from a small and agile scooter – and the Kymco City+ 50 is not only slight and nimble, it’s competitively priced too at £1599.


2017 Kymco City+ 50 Review, Two-stroke Pocket Rocket!


Kymco has a knack of building good-looking scooters regardless of their size and this little 50cc machine is no exception. Style-wise, the 2017 City+ 50 is on the sporty side of functional. It’s not a flash scooter, but the blue and black colour scheme looks modern, and the lines are pleasant. The big wheels give the scooter a purposeful look and the little flyscreen looks good even if it is mostly for show.

There’s an analogue speedo and fuel gauge, with a digital clock and odometer. The switchgear consists of an electric starter, horn, indicators and a full beam switch with a separate pass button. Dipped beam comes on automatically when you switch the ignition on.

The new Euro 4 regulations don’t stretch to mopeds, which means that there are, thankfully, still plenty of two-stroke engines about. The 2017 Kymco City+ 50 features a lively 49cc air-cooled two-stroke engine that produces 3.4bhp. On our test ride the speedo showed a top speed of 35mph.


2017 Kymco City+ 50 Review, Two-stroke Pocket Rocket!


The power and speed figures aren’t huge, but for the congested city streets, they are both adequate. The scoot also gets up to speed reasonably well. And there’s nothing small about the quality of the engine and the transmission: they are as smooth as on any bigger and more expensive scooter.

Even if the suspension isn’t the most refined, the big wheels and plush seat help make the ride very comfortable. For short city sprints this is a very capable scooter, but with the limited speed, you don’t want to venture too far away from the 30mph limit as you will soon start to gather a queue behind you.

The handlebars are fairly low, which doesn’t make the riding position uncomfortable, but it does mean that my knees are in the way if I want to turn the bars fully to the right or left. Most of the time it’s not an issue but it makes tight U-turns a bit awkward.


2017 Kymco City+ 50 Review, Two-stroke Pocket Rocket!


Since the scooter only weighs 108kg it’s easy to move around. The lightness also means that the brakes don’t need to be super-strong. The front disc and the rear drum brake are perfectly adequate in bringing the 2017 Kymco City+ 50 to a controlled stop.

The Kymco City+ 50 is very agile, which makes it ideal for weaving in and out of traffic, but the sidestand scrapes on the floor with only a fairly modest lean angle, which is a bit limiting. Considering that the wheels are large, there’s a big storage compartment under the seat. And there’s also a small glove box with a 12v charge point.

This is a very capable 50cc scooter. That two-stroke engine packs a punch and the ride is comfortable. It’s well equipped, with a centre stand, 12v socket and decent storage space. And the price is quite palatable. If you’re looking for a little city scoot, this one is worth test riding.



2017 Kymco City+ 50 Specifications and Prices




Engine : 2-Stroke, Single-cylinder, OHC, Air Cooled
Capacity : 49.5 cc
Induction : Carburettor
Power : 3.4 BHP @ 7.000 RPM (claimed)
Torque : 4.0 N.m @ 5.500 RPM (claimed)

Dimensions LxWxH : 2.040 x 740 x 1.240 mm
Wheelbase : 1.340 mm
Seat Height : 760 mm
Fuel Tank Capacity : 7 Litres
Weight : 108 kg (dry, claimed)

Front Suspension : Telescopic Fork
Rear Suspension : Unit Swingarm
Front Brakes : Disc Brake
Rear Brakes : Drum Brake
Front Tyre : 100/80 - 16
Rear Tyre : 120/80 - 14


Price : £1599


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