The Kwang Yang Motor Company brings classic, Italian scooter style and modern performance together on the retro-flavored Compagno. This Taiwan-made ride sports a 112 cc mill that cranks out just shy of 10 ponies, and boasts electronic fuel injection with a quad-valve head.

Continue reading for my review of the KYMCO Compagno 110i.

2014 - 2018 KYMCO Compagno 110i

Specifications

• Make: Array
• Model: 2014 - 2018 KYMCO Compagno 110i
• Engine/Motor: single cylinder
• [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array

Design

To anyone questioning the quality of the engineering and craftmanship, I would point out that KYMCO was chosen by none other than BMW to provide the range-extenders for its hybrid-drive i3, and it also entered a partnership with Kawasaki back in '13 to produce the J300 scooter. In short, this isn't the stereotypical knockoff brand, but a company that strives to produce a quality product, and lots of it too with something over a half-million units per year rolling off its assembly lines.

I am usually loathe to label something a girl's bike, or a petite rider's scoot, but there's no getting around it with the Compagno. This here is a pocket scooter, folks, comparable to some of the smallest, road-legal, 50 cc scooters out there today. We're looking at a mere 47-inch wheelbase with a 29-inch seat height. Even with just the rider and no passenger, only the shorter riders are going to have enough legroom to be completely comfortable, but the bench seat does allow you to scooch your butt back a little to get all the leg stretch you can. Naturally, it doesn't have much heft either with a dry weight just a skosh under 200 pounds, which means one really motivated man can pick the thing up and walk off with it. What the heck, small people gotta' ride too, after all, am I right?

The boomerang of the leg shield carries a fairly flat face with a nice, central trim piece, and neatly molded-in turn signals for a clean entry. The classic, headlamp-and-handlebar housing gives the instrument cluster a home while neatly encompassing all the usual business at the top of the forks. Said cluster contains an analog speedometer that goes all the way up to 70 mph (a little ambitious, perhaps?), a clock, digital fuel gauge and the usual assortment of idiot lights -- everything you'd need for such a small ride. Don't think I'm making light of it; I do appreciate the sweep speedometer since it is easier for me to read at a glance than I can the digital displays.

A full step-through makes for easy mounting with the handy 'tween feet storage spot, and the other storage options includes a locking seat compartment, open glove box and helmet hook. The bench seat comes backed up by a nice, chromed passenger grab rail, and the rear side panels carry but a little of the traditional bump out over the wheel for a rear end that's nearly as clean as the front. Flip-out passenger footrests complete the passenger's equipment, and I gotta say; if rider and passenger weren't close friends at the beginning of the ride, they certainly will be by the end of it.

Chassis

This ride comes built on the good old sheet metal-over-frame method that keeps the assembly simple, and arguably survives minor to even moderate body damage better than the monocoque, or stressed-skin method (of which I have never been a fan). Telescopic “juice” forks support the front end, and a coil-over shock dampens the motion of the swing-mount drive unit. Suspension at both ends come with fixed values across the board without even the rear preload adjuster you'd expect on a ride with a two-up capability.

Tiny, 10-inch cast rims mount the 90/90 hoops, and although the roundy-roundies are symmetrical, the brakes aren't. A hydraulic disc-brake setup slows the front wheel, but the rear wheel gets the still-typical drum in back, really not surprising given the small wheels and KYMCO's need to keep production costs down to protect the “holy bottom line” and keep MSRP low.

The factory doesn't publish the rake and trail, but I can tell you that the Compagno is a little wobbly at low speed and doesn't track well in a crosswind, but that shouldn't be a revelation given the compact nature of the wheelbase. In other words, handling is exactly what you'd expect.

Drivetrain

The beating heart is a 112 cc thumper. Forced-air cooling removes waste heat from the diminutive mill that boasts a four-valve head and electronic fuel injection that helps it meet California (CARB) emission standards and gives it its 64 mpg fuel economy. The nearly square mill runs a 50 mm bore and 51.8 mm stroke with a SOHC to time the valvetrain.

What we end up with is a claimed 9.6 horsepower at 8,500 rpm and 6.7 pounds of grunt at 7,000 rpm. It has a speedometer that goes up to (a very ambitious) 70 mph, if you dare try to get those little-bitty wheels a-hellin' that fast. Not me, buddy. I'll keep my Compagno around town, thanks all the same. That mileage with the 1.45-gallon fuel tank gives the Compagno 110i about a 100-mile range which is probably enough to commute all week, or take one heck of a trip.

Price

The 2018 Compagno 110i runs $2,399 and comes in your choice of Mint Green, Matte White, or Matte Black. KYMCO covers your new scooter with a 24-month limited warranty.

Competitor

Vespa, under Piaggio, is one of the most recognized names in Italian scooters, and so given the looks of the Compagno and the obvious similarities in design, I went straight to the Primavera 150 for my head-to-head.

Like brothers from another mother, these two share a clean front end with recessed front turn signals and a fetching, central trim piece topped by a handlebar shroud that encompasses the headlight and single-clock instrument cluster. The Vespa lacks a completely flat step-through deck, but instead runs a tunnel from the steering column to the under-seat storage box, but it's still fairly low, and unlikely to interfere with mounting and dismounting at all, but try before you buy.

Both run bench seats, but the Compagno saddle looks a bit uninspired next to the comfortably molded Vespa seat. Low-profile rear side panels grace both rides as well with a clean chrome grabrail for potential passengers that could also serve as a place to hang a bungee.

In typical fashion, Vespa uses a trailing-link and coil-over shock front suspension as opposed to the telescopic type on the Compagno, but both ride on a single rear shock. Brakes are also similar, but Vespa scores a win with ABS protection on its Primavera. The Vespa is also a bit larger with a 52.7-inch wheelbase compared to the 47 inches on the KYMCO ride, so it's also a tad less squirrely in the handling.

Vespa also boasts a larger powerplant with a 154.8 cc mill versus the 112 cc Compagno, and even greater mileage with a claimed 98 mpg. Naturally, the price tag reflects this greater displacement, and also the fact that it comes from Piaggio who is known for premium pricing. At $5,099, the Primavera is significantly more expensive than the $2,399 Compagno, and if you don't have to have the big-name ride, the KYMCO scooter looks like a very viable alternative for riders on a budget.

He Said

My husband and fellow motorcycle writer, TJ Hinton, says, “Cute and all, and though it isn't a straight-up doppelganger, it almost crosses the line with some of the bona fide Italian rides. Well, and why not? They are the classiest around when it comes to old-school charm, and retro is big right now. Plus, it is a big bandwagon after all, and anyone is free to jump on at this point.”

She Said

"I went with the Primavera for the head-to-head, probably because I had just been looking at a Vespa, but honestly, I could have gone for the Piaggio Fly 150 ie just as easily and had a match-up closer in price; it has 12-inch wheels, a bit bigger than the Compagno's. Oh well, there is no shortage of classically-styled scooters out there in the 100-to-150 cc range. Oh! The Lance Havana Classic is another good one and priced to compete in this range. The Havana is carbureted for the FI-haters among us and a kickstarter for those times you want to be old-school. Then there's the Buddy from the Genuine Scooter Company. The Buddy also has a kickstarter and a carburetor. Good grief, make me stop."

Specifications

References

Vespa Primavera

See our review of the Vespa Primavera.

Piaggio Fly

See our review of the Piaggio Fly 50 / 150.

Lance Havana Classic

See our review of the Lance Havana Classic.

Genuine Scooter Company Buddy

See our review of the Genuine Scooter Company Buddy.