KYMCO, the Taiwanese scooter maker is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and in the process has named its new Maxi scooter as the AK 550 (Anniversario KYMCO). Now, while the prefix doesn’t go down very well with us Indians owing to the scourge of terrorism we face, others aren’t as unlucky to know the bloody connotations. Anyway, the AK550 is a big scooter which would just be perfect to ride ‘shotgun’ owing to its big comfortable pillion seat.
The AK550 was conceived in June 2013 at Taiwan. The company wanted to create something that represented the concept of “Super Touring”. In November 2014 the initial ‘K50’ concept design was previewed at KYMCO’s 50 Year Anniversary Global Distributor Event at Milan, and the finished K50 Concept was unveiled at Tokyo Moto Show.
October 2016, the AK 50 becomes AK550 and debuts at the Intermot as the production version. KYMCO claims that the AK 550 is the ‘pioneer’ of the new ‘Super Touring’ scooter segment, aimed to blend the comfort of a scooter with the attitude of a sportbike. That’s a big claim, to say the least.
The streamlined body of the scooter gets full LED lighting, along with sculptured emblems and multi-textured seating surfaces. And the beauty, apparently isn’t just skin deep. The Maxi Scooter boasts a lightweight aluminum frame with the requisite rigidity for spirited riding. Even the wheels are hollow, low pressure die cast units shod with lightweight radial tires to keep the unsprung weight low. The scooter also claims the lowest centre of gravity in its class along with 50/50 front / rear weight distribution
The AK 550 features upside-down fork front suspension with dual disk Brembo caliper brakes. At the back, the Maxi scoot gets three-stage reducer technology to separate the weight of the engine from the transmission which apparently helps the wheel tightly attached to the ground at any time. Bosch 9.1 ABS is standard on both wheels, and is apparently the lightest ABS on the market today.
Powering the AK 550 is a newly designed 550cc water-cooled dual-cylinder DOHC 8V engine. Power is rated at 53.5PS @ 7500 rpm while peak torque is 55.64 Nm @ 5500 rpm. The engine features a crossplane crankshaft to reduce vibes and energy losses.
Apart from all the mechanical bits, if KYMCO is to be believed, the AK 550 sounds like a rifle too. According to the company’s official statement, “the sound that roars from the twin cylinder engine through the carefully structured exhaust chamber is full of energy and passion that is simply distinctive and intoxicating.” Now that’s saying something for a scooter, though we’ll take all of that with a pocketful of salt until we’ve experienced in the real world.
The seat height on the scooter is low, to provide good ergonomics for riders of all sizes.
The AK 550 also offers two power modes to choose from. Other than the normal “Full Power” setting, the “Rain Mode” provides milder power output and softer throttle response that suits wet surfaces with low grip.
The AK550 is pretty practical too, with its underseat space capable of storing one full face helmet and one semi cover helmet. There are also two glove compartments in front for the storage of smaller items.
The technical specifications of the KYMCO AK550 are provided below, followed by a huge image gallery
MODEL | AK 550 |
Emission Regulation | Euro 4 |
ENGINE | |
Engine | Liquid Cooled, In-Line, 2 Cylinders, DOHC, 8 Valves |
Displacement | 550.4 cc |
Fuel Capacity | 15 Liters |
Max.Horsepower | 39.3 kW(53.5ps) @ 7500 rpm |
Max.Torque | 55.64 Nm @ 5500 rpm |
TRANSMISSION | |
Clutch | Wet Clutch |
Transmission | CVT |
Top Speed | 161.7 km/h |
FRAME | |
Seatheight | 785mm |
Met-in Space | “1Full-Face And 1/2 Semi-Cover |
※Full-Face Helmet Size L365 / W290 / H270 mm” | |
Weight | 226 kg |
Horsepower To Weight Ratio | 0.236 |
Front And Rear Weight Ratio | 49:51:00 |
Frame | Alumium Frame |
Dimension (L*W*H) | 2165 x 795 x 1400 mm |
Wheel Base | 1580 mm |
Back Mirror | Foldable, Antiglare Mirror |
Grip Heater | Yes |
Seat | Adjustable Seat Cushions Without Tool |
Windscreen | Two-Stage Adjustable |
SUSPENSION | |
FR Suspension | 41mm Up-Side Down Fork |
RR Suspension | Horizontal Trailing Arm Rear Suspension |
FR Tire Size | “120/70-R15 (METZELER)” |
RR Tire Size | “160/60-R15 (METZELER)” |
ELECTRIC | |
Power Mode | Full Power / Rain Mode |
Tire-Pressure Monitoring System | YES |
Head Light | LED |
Rear Light | LED |
Indicator | LED |
BRAKING SYSTEM | |
ABS | Yes |
FR Brake System | Brembo Double Floating Disc φ280 mm |
RR Brake System | Single Disk φ260 mm |