CANADA: NEW YAMAHA TMAX & HONDA RUCKUS RETURNS FOR 2012

December 15, 2011 -

New Generation of Yamaha TMAX and Honda Canada returns with 2012 Ruckus
This week Yamaha Canada quietly updated their website with the addition of the hugely revised and improved 2012 TMAX maxi-scooter. This new generation of TMAX was announced at Milan last month and the updates have really made this a strong sports-maxi scooter. The styling is significantly overhauled and the best news is the reworked motor

which puts out a lot more power

and does so at lower RPMs. Also new is a bunch of convenience touches like the adjustable windscreen. MSRP is $10,499. Check out the TMAX page for the full details.

Yamaha only briefly offered the earlier generation of TMAX in Canada for 2009, so its been a few years for Canadian fans. Most likely Yamaha USA will announce the new generation of TMAX soon, but since the previous TMAX was offered there in 2011 they likely need a bit more time to clear out dealer stock. This TMAX addition to Yamaha Canada’s 2012 line likely completes their 2012 scooter stable, which began to take shape way back in mid summer with the new BWs/Zuma 50. The full 2012 scooter line from Yamaha Canada is BWs 50, Majesty and TMAX. Curiously missing for 2012 is the BWs 125 (aka Zuma 125).

2012 news is a bit more sparse from Honda Canada, who quietly updated their website today with the 2012 issue of just the Ruckus. Just like Honda USA announced a month ago, the 2012 Ruckus gets no real changes aside from a spiffy new red/white paint option which joins the always popular black color scheme. The 10th anniversary Ruckus (as it’s called only in Japan) is essentially a white Ruckus with a neat red seat and red decals. Canadian MSRP is unchanged from 2011 at $3069. The Ruckus looks to be the only 2012 scooter offering from Honda Canada, although there are still a few dusty 2010 SH150i in showrooms.
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2012 KYMCO'S: PEOPLE GT, NEW SENTO & AGILITY CITY

December 12, 2011 -

2012 Kymco Scooters in USA & Canada - New People GT 200 / 300, Agility City and New Sento

Kymco’s 2012 line of scooter may be sorta old news, as they were announced at Kymco’s press event this summer in South Carolina. However, the full details are now out on all of these new scooters, the Motor Scooter Guide pages are written and Kymco Canada has recently made their announcement for 2012, so the topic of 2012 Kymco scooters can now be discussed in detail.

Hands down the biggest news for 2012 is the new People GT scooter, which is arriving in 200i & 300i sizes in the USA and just in the 200 variant to the Canadian market. Kymco has really stepped up with this new scooter that replaces the old People S. The new People GT models feature way nicer styling - perhaps the best yet from Kymco and certainly a big step beyond the previous People and People S lines.

These scooters also leap frog past the People S with their advanced new motors. The People S scooters used the same long running motors Kymco has been using for years, while the People GT 300 gets the new 4-valve fuel injected motor also found in the nice Downtown 300i model. The GT 200i scooter gets a new 205cc fuel injected 4-valve motor that it shares with the new smaller 200i sibling to the Downtown 300i. Accordingly, power and fuel milage are both much improved. Check out the People GT and Downtown pages for complete info on these great new models from Kymco.
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2012 Honda's Released: Ruckus and Silverwing

November 08, 2011 -

2012 Honda Scooters Announced: Ruckus & Silver Wing

2012 Honda Ruckus 10th Anniversary White/Red

Today Honda USA announced their 2012 line of scooters, which is going to consist of only the Ruckus and Silverwing. Gone is the PCX 125 and any hopes of other scooters like the Met, Elite 110 and SH150i returning after a year or two absence.

The best news for 2012 is ‘10th Anniversary Edition’ of the Ruckus, which gets some special design touches including a classy red seat. Honda USA isn’t calling this Ruckus a 10th anniversary model, but this same color scheme was announced by Honda Japan (who designed this scooter) as a 10th anniversary model two months ago. Honda USA is calling this a White/Red Ruckus and it joins Black as the second color option for 2012. The White/Red Ruckus is essentially a white Ruckus (sold in 2006) but with a red seat and red side decals. Look for it in showrooms in February.

On the other end of the scooter spectrum, Honda’s steady selling Silverwing scooter will be around for another year (its 11th). No new colors are being made available for this scoot, so your choices for 2012 will be black, black or black.
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2012 Honda Scooter Lineup Predictions

September 10, 2011 -

Honda Scooter Lineup Predictions for 2012

The 2012 model year is approaching, with Honda traditionally announcing their next years line up sometime in September or October. At present, one can only speculate what Honda might do for next year. It seems to me that the SH150i is not coming back. While Honda often skips model years as they did for 2011, the SH150i didn’t seem to sell that well in 2010 and Honda’s newer PCX 125 seems to have the SH150’s spot in the line up covered.

I do expect we’ll see the PCX 125 return as Honda has high hopes for that scooter as a world wide model and it is indeed a great scooter. Scooter sales were slower in 2011 though, so it’s possible Honda will skip a year. The Elite 110 is a tough call, because this is a great little scooter but it also overlaps a lot with the PCX 125.

One of these years the long-running Silverwing is going to get the axe, but it has avoided being dropped for a decade now so I bet it’ll hold on for another year yet. Since Honda doesn’t really have a replacement for it, most likely the Silverwing will return with the usual new color offering and continue to sell at low numbers.READ THE STORY >>

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New Yamaha Zuma / BW's for 2012

August 19, 2011 -

New Yamaha’s for 2012
It’s now mid-August, which means we’re only a couple months away from the main period of announcements for the 2012 scooter lineups from the major manufacturers. Yamaha has early announced their new 2012 Zuma 50 / BWs 50, so check out that page for complete information on that new model.

In a surprise move, Yamaha has gone with a 4-stroke engine in the new generation of Zuma. Accordingly, the 2011 Yamaha Zuma 50 is likely the last 2-stroke scooter we’ll ever see from Yamaha in the North American market.

The other early Yamaha news for 2012 is the return of Majesty, which was missing for 2011. Sometime in September or October, we can expect to learn which existing Yamaha scooters will continue to make the cut for 2012.
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