KYMCO AK550 ROAD TEST

Sometimes, it seems that motorcyclists are swayed too much by perceptions.

- Harry Fisher

To put a label onto a particular class of bike is to conjure up prejudice without the critic having ridden the bike because of the perception of the supposed limitations of such machines; a superbike is too fast/uncomfortable, an adventure bike is too big, a commuter is too boring.

Nowhere is this more insidious than with the humble scooter. In many countries, a scooter is seen as a perfectly practical mode of transport with no negative connotations. In South Africa, however, they are rather looked down on and not considered ‘proper’ ‘bikes, which completely misses the point.

The point being, of course, that they aren’t proper ‘bikes; they are exactly the opposite because not everyone wants or needs a’proper’ bike. What they need is a cheap, convenient mode of transport and that is what a scooter affords them.

Not all scooters are created equal, however. Some bright spark, somewhere, once questioned why you shouldn’t put a larger engine in a scooter and give it some oomph. And, guess what? It worked. They proved that a scooter could be enlarged - in every sense - and turned from a small-wheeled buzzbox into a motorbike with all the practicality and ease of use of a scooter, giving the best of both worlds.

And, lest you think that they aren’t that popular, that they are just a bit of a fad, what would you think if I told you that Yamaha has sold more than 230,000 T-Max’s in Europe since its introduction in 2000. Those aren’t small numbers.