Ian Grainger rides the Kymco Super 8 - a great looking budget scooter from Taiwan.

KYMCO has had quite a successful year. The UK importers celebrated their first decade with the brand by exceeding sales forecasts and launching new models. To top it all, the Super 8 50 beat off stiff competition to take third spot in a Gadget Show top five 50cc scooters feature.

Not bad for a year when scooter sales were hit harder than for any other two wheeler.

The Super 8 125 has been around for a while now but it seems to get better looking with time. This little black number is the sexiest so far. The paintwork looks fantastic with its striking black and contrasting silver panels.

Subtle details make all the difference to a scooter, like the red logos which work well against the black paint, and the yellow springs on the twin rear shocks, which give the scooter a sporty appearance.

From a practical point of view, the Super 8 125 comes equipped with a Euro 3 compliant four-stroke engine, which is not only environmentally friendly but is surprisingly nippy as well. The Super 8 125 is claimed to offer 100mpg, so a tank of fuel should last most people all week. The automatic engine is air cooled, so there’s no radiator to top up - or pipes to freeze in winter and being a four stroke there’s no smelly two stroke smoke haze left behind you at the traffic lights.

Apart from the usual oil and filter change the scooter is pretty much maintenance free.

Owning a scooter can be surprisingly cheap. Subsidised insurance is currently available on all Kymco models. With the scheme, a 50cc machine will cost you just £99 a year (any age/area); if you’re over 25, a 125cc will cost you just £49 and if you’re under 25 a 125cc will cost you £149. This makes a scooter sound like a much better proposition than using overcrowded and unreliable public transport. The insurance also includes free breakdown cover.

To ride a 125cc all you need to do is take a one-day CBT course (cost approx £125) at a local training school and you’re on the road. If you’re unsure whether you’ll take to two wheels or not a free one hour taster session can be booked by visiting www.geton.co.uk Out on the road I was pleasantly surprised at how well the scooter picked up from a standstill and on the dual carriageway it managed a respectable 65mph on the clock without too much effort.

The Super 8 felt stable at speed and its riding position is quite an upright one, which helps you to be seen and also for you to see what’s happening around you. The scooter has a cool-looking wavy front disk (offering plenty of braking force) and a rear drum brake. It also has twin, adjustable rear shocks and 14-inch wheels which gives the scooter a nice stable feel.

Larger wheels soak up the bumps much better than smaller ones and on some scooters every blemish on the Tarmac can turn into a potential speed bump. In my view, 14-inch wheels are a good compromise on a scooter. We Brits tend not to like the larger-wheeled machines because they often leave a scooter looking a bit odd but 14-inch wheels offer better road holding and still keep things in proportion.

The Kymco Super 8 125 is a great looking, practical machine. It’s competitively priced at £1,799 and with the added bonus offered by the subsidised insurance its well worth a look.

FACTS AT A GLANCE

Model: Kymco Super 8 125, £1,799.
Engine: air-cooled, single-cylinder, four-stroke producing 7kw at 7,500rpm.
Suspension: front - hydraulic forks; rear - twin adjustable shocks.


Brakes: front wavy disk, rear drum.
Seat height: 785mm.
Weight: 108kg.
Economy: 100mpg (claimed).
Contact: www.kymco.co.uk