- Kymco introduces a new scooter called CV-R5.
- The company calls it an adventure scooter, but most observers can't decide whether it falls more into the “scooter” or “adventure motorcycle” category.
- A full reveal is expected at EICMA 2024.
What do you do if you want the ability to go anywhere from a adventure bikethe practicality and ease of use of a scooterand you absolutely had to have them both on one bike? Well, you get an adventure scooter, of course.
Bikes like the Honda X-ADV were clearly born out of this need. And while the very notion of an adventure scooter may seem quite niche to you, in Asia and parts of Europe, scooters are, for all intents and purposes, kings of the road. So scooters have come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.
Especially, Kymco has a new model that seems to take the whole adventure scooter thing and crank it up to eleven. It's called the CV-R5, and quite frankly, I'm not sure if it wants to be a scooter or an adventure bike.
Kymco
The Kymco CV-R5 sports ADV-inspired styling.
Let's start with its styling. Up front, it features angular bodywork and a front fairing that rises upwards. If you look at it from the front, it looks a lot like an adventure bike, with some of its lines reminiscent of the Husqvarna Norden 901. On the other hand, if you look at it from the side, it becomes clear that it is indeed not an adventure bike, but it is not exactly a scooter either.
You see, the beauty of scooters lies in their practicality. Aside from having huge storage compartments under the seat, scooters are made even more practical by their flat floors, allowing riders to store extra luggage between their legs. Better yet, this makes getting on the scooter really easy, as you don’t have to swing a leg over the back of the bike to get on.
But in the case of the CV-R5, there seems to be a hump at the front of the seat, and it seems a bit bigger than those found on maxi-scooters like the Yamaha TMAX. So the most logical way to get on this thing would be to swing a leg over it, like you would on a regular motorcycle. Plus, you lose all the practicality of a flat floor.
Kymco
Kymco is expected to present the CV-R5 at EICMA 2024.
All of this begs the question: who exactly is the Kymco CV-R5 for? Well, it’s obviously a very unique two-wheeler, with very few other bikes on the market quite like it. It seems like it might suit someone who isn’t quite sure what they want in a motorcycle. Maybe someone who wants an easy-to-ride city bike, while still having enough ground clearance for the occasional gravel road trip or motorcycle camping trip.
Kymco doesn't go into details about the bike, other than to say that it's powered by a 427cc single-cylinder engine. It also appears to have a chain final drive, so it's hard to tell if this thing is equipped with a CVT or a dual-clutch transmission.
That being said, all our speculations might soon be put to rest as Kymco is expected to unveil the CV-R5 adventure scooter in all its glory at EICMA 2024.
