KYMCO BET WIN 150 / 250
The Bet Win 150 and 250 were Kymco’s original mid-sized scooters sold in North America, along with the People series. The Bet Win scooters were a cornerstone model for Kymco in their early years, as they achieved good sales by offering powerful motors and a good assortment of features for a very reasonable price. Both Bet Win (or BW) scooters were part of Kymco’s 2004 USA debut line up and were sold through 2008 in the USA.
Up in Canada, the Bet Win scooters were part of Kymco’s 2005 Canadian debut and they remained on sale through 2009 before being replaced by newer designs. Outside of North America, the Bet Win scooters were released earlier, so by 2008 / 2009 the design was clearly showing its age. Kymco has been rapidly improving their design and engineering prowess, so newer models featuring higher refinement were starting to make the Bet Win outdated.
Engines
Propulsion for the Bet Win scooters comes from two liquid cooled, 4-stroke motor options. The smaller (and $500 cheaper) 150cc engine delivers 12.2 HP at a healthy 7250 RPM. This translates into a top speed of 65mph (110km/hr), which is a nice clip for a 150. Fuel economy for
the 150 is average for its size at about 70 mpg. Some modern Kymco’s are a little better at about 80 mpg thanks to fuel injection replacing the B & W’s carburator.
The liquid cooled motor found in the Bet Win 150 was rarely used in other Kymco’s during this period – presumably to cut the cost of those other air cooled machines. The Super 8 150, People 150, Sting 150 etc. all used Kymco’s air cooled spec of this motor. Accordingly, the Bet Win 150 engine is likely to last a bit longer and fare better at extended high speed riding and in really hot conditions.
The 250 model ups the power 50% to 18.5 HP at 7000 RPM. Accordingly, peak velocity rises to 75-80mph, which makes this bike much more at home on the highway than the 150. Insurance and purchase price aren’t likely that different between engine sizes, so if you want to do a fair bit of backroads or highway travel then the 250 is a nice way to go.
On the downside, expect about 60mpg instead of 70.
Design and Amenities
The Bet Win scooters offer a nice level of features and nice liquid cooled motors for the price. Both Bet Win scooters have side and center stands, good underseat storage and no glovebox. They are well suited to carrying a passenger with their reasonably sized seat and dual rear shocks.
Obviously the 250 model is going to fare a bit better with a passenger than the 150.
Discussion
In the end, the Bet Win scooters were replaced by Kymco’s newer and more refined designs like the Frost / Yager 200i and Downtown. The similar Grandvista 250 also didn’t help the Bet Win 250’s sales. The Grandvista 250 was introduced in 2005 and sold alongside the Bet Win scooters.
It had similar styling and used the same motor as the BW 250.
Overall, the Bet Win scooters are mostly about value and practicality. You can pick up one of these well made, reliable and powerful scooters for a very reasonable price, especially in the used market. You can find flashier and more fully featured scooters, but you’ll have a very hard time doing so for a similar price.
Someone who is looking for a scooter for mostly practical reasons is going to have a hard time justifying spending more.
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* Seat height:
* Fuel Tank: 2.6 gallon / 10 liter
* Brakes: 2 Piston Disc (Front), Single Piston Disc (Rear)
* Front Suspension: Telescopic Fork
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