KYMCO People S Rental Scooter Review

Capri is a tiny jewel of an island just off the Italian Riviera, and its tight, twisting roads hug perilous cliffs that hang high over the Tyrrhenian Sea. You might fantasize about riding a big bore bike on these idyllic byways, but trust me: a scooter is the best way to get around here.

So when I had an afternoon to spend on Capri, I located the nearest scooter rental shop and signed up for four hours of two-wheeled transportation. I could pick any ride I desired—as long as it was a highlighter-yellow Kymco People S—and 40 Euros and a Xeroxed driver’s license later, I was on my way.

Quite possibly the polar opposite of the carefully prepped specimens I usually borrow from a manufacturer’s press fleet, this particular rental vehicle had clearly gone to hell and back at the hands of feckless vacationers, remaining in service despite what appeared to be repeated attempts to send it on a collision course with the scrap yard.

My Kymco People S rental scooter had 10,591 kilometers (6,581 miles) on the clock, and its faded yellow paint bore numerous battle scars from unplanned encounters with (probably stationary) objects. I didn't get a spec sheet or even retail pricing for this bad boy, but I did note a 50cc air-cooled two-stroke engine, a generous underseat storage area (big enough for the rental company's ratty helmet... my advice: wear a baseball cap underneath!), an analog dashboard flanked with a busted out left mirror, and intimate but entirely sufficient seating for two.

Once informed about local roads, the People S's powerplant coughed to life easily enough via electric start, producing a screaming banshee-like noise that spilled out of its banged-up exhaust can. And I did appreciate the fact that it had a backup kickstarter, which offered an alternate way to start up the bike in the event of battery failure.

Twisting the throttle produces loads of sound but little fury, and near full scream the engine hooks up with the automatic CVT transmission and eases the bike forward. Once momentum is gained, my passenger and I eventually accumulated enough velocity to scare the wits out of ourselves on serpentine roads dotted with locals on scooters and scaled down buses with a nasty tendency to barrel towards us out of blind corners. Believe me: 40 mph might not sound like much, but when you’re inches away from a stone wall and a truck is heading straight at you, it’s enough to trigger a quick prayer while frantically scrubbing off speed using the somewhat effective single-disc front brakes and rear drum.

Handling is another potentially harrowing experience, despite the 16 inch wheels. Though they offer more stability than smaller rims, ours were wrapped in Kenda tires that offered vague feedback—an issue that’s fairly common in the scooter world, where you rarely find sticky rubber gracing your ride. Another performance issue endemic to scooters is reduced suspension travel. Especially when loaded up with two riders, the People S bottoms out with predictable consistency, and that tendency reveals itself most at the mid-corner point, when the bike’s single coil rear shock reaches maximum compression.

But lest you think the KYMCO was a complete bust, I will say that it did what it needed to, behaving rather nonchalantly in the process. A weathered warrior with an indifference to abuse, my People S proved a willing and worthy companion for an afternoon’s worth of spirited riding.

My experience aboard the KYMCO People S may seem uninspiring or even scary, but it wasn’t quite as bad as it may sounds. The scoot’s 2-stroke, 50cc engine was weak-willed when ridden two-up, but it was far sprightlier when I was the only rider. It’s important to note that the suspension on my bike was likely beaten and battered at the hands of renters who probably didn’t try too hard to avoid potholes. Similarly, the bike’s maintenance was unaccounted for, which added even more unknowns to the equation.

On top of all that, this particular 2-stroke scooter isn’t available in the U.S., leading me to refrain from judging KYMCO’s American offerings based on my experience abroad. In fact, given my admittedly unconventional first exposure to the brand, the experience makes me more intrigued by KYMCO’s stateside scooter offerings, particularly their smaller displacement bikes.

Considering the fact that my People S rental was an atypically worn down example, I’d say it seemed to have held up to the rigors of island riding fairly well; darting from Capri’s Marina Grande to the Blue Grotto, over to Faro Beach and around to Marian Piccola, my KYMCO exceeded my admittedly low expectations, in spite of its obvious imperfections. Now, regarding a proper evaluation here in the U.S.… how about it, KYMCO?

>>Click here for a KYMCO People S Photo Gallery<<