Review Kymco DT X360
Wayne Vickers Scooter Test – Photo Alex Jovanovic
So how much fun can you have on an off-road scooter? That was the question on my mind at the beginning of the DT X360 media launch day. I mean the fact that most buyers won’t ignore sealed stuff (like most Landrovers and Jeep buyers don’t..), but can they actually work on gravel and soil are not? The spec sheet will suggest otherwise, but specs don’t always tell the whole story.
And when I say the spec sheet, I am specifically considering the fact that it is running 14-inch and 13-inch front rims at the rear, 110 mm front and 108 mm of travel at the back, and finally it explodes just under 30 hp through the CVT box. It’s not exactly a traditional recipe for pranks on those of us who spend our time throwing roosters around.
And so, with certainty in mind, we departed conveniently from my forest neck, Anglesea in Victoria. The weather gods played the game early, and so it was the wet Great Ocean Road that greeted us in the morning. ‘So great’. Oh, must try them in all kinds of weather. Thorough and all. Crack on.
Tried a handful of scooters over the past year and a bit – this one is holding its own and doesn’t show any obvious surprises or omissions. Courteous road manners, nimble handling with forward feet, sensible weather protection including bark to help keep it dry in the rain. Everything works well enough, the 320cc engine is always eager without irritating you and making it easy to twist and progress.
That couch has a good accommodation and has some built-in accommodation in the back that I like to think is intentional to add a little extra absorption to your million bucks. And the armrest for the pillion seems well positioned and sturdy. So they are well served.
The dash itself is quite simple and clear – with what can only be described as the world’s greatest readout speed. There’s a USB port in the middle of the bars – I’m not entirely sure how you’d use it in that position as the shape of the rods and the plastic can make it fun to do anything. the four-lock mounting pattern of the devices. But I’m sure there’s a way.
It must be said, of course, that it is the very convenient twisting and going, with no clutches or gears, combined with the ability to swallow two luggage-worthy helmets under the saddle that explains why manual scooters This ga jigger is popular in other parts of the world. Australia’s scooter adoption has lagged behind Europe in a fair way, but I think we’re starting to catch up. And certainly about the convenience factors above – this ticks those boxes, even if the under-seat helmet compartment is a bit tight for some testers’ helmets…
The riding position is upright as you’d expect and the running board has hundreds of meters of space for even the biggest boots. I actually find my preferred riding position is with my heel resting on the flat footbed below and the toes and ball of my foot resting on the angled footrest. Kinda’s half way in between two positions. You can see that in some of the photos. Either way, it’s easy to find a position that works for me, and I can stretch the pins out if I want to.
The throttle has a very slow twist, so you’ll pretty much end up banging it open, but it shows itself to be quite fuel-efficient. Even on wet, slippery roads, we made pretty good progress. Traction control and ABS have also proven to work well. And while the front brake performs a bit poorly during tough stops on asphalt, it shows no sign of fading after much hard work – and shows up on its own at the end of the day.
The engine itself has proven to be powerful enough, especially when getting around town, and the whole package rides fairly quickly to around 80 kmh without shifting gears to the point of sluggishness. But even at highway speeds, it proved itself capable. It is not a sport. It is not a rocket ship. But it’s not pretending.
In wet conditions where grip is not obvious, I find myself riding it more like a mountain bike in a ‘roll over but keep body upright’ style that seems to be working pretty well. And then when the road starts to dry, we can explore how much more grip it has left. While the chassis doesn’t offer much feedback, it’s predictable and doesn’t show any signs of loosening at either end despite throwing a bit at it. So as the morning passed, I started to gain more confidence and explore the limits.
A little before lunch, we took our first detour down the bumpy, slippery, wet gravel road to chase an adventure bike. And that’s where I got my first ‘how could this happen?’ interval. Because it has better grip than the tiny CST all-purpose tires, it was able to muster and somehow seem to track pretty well – even when sliding it around at full throttle. On top of that, ABS works surprisingly well even on rather slippery surfaces. Honestly, its mind is both messy and hilarious at the same time. So we did that part again. And again.. Just to be sure. Then we stopped and chatted and laughed. And then did it again because, … the one who failed was the trump card.
So by the time lunch arrived, we all saw the orange machine in a new light. Obviously it carries its weight low, which helps. The area under the saddle is empty for storage, so there’s no weight there. Apparently it only gives a weight of almost 200 kg, which at first I simply did not believe. I really don’t know where that weight will be. Because it doesn’t feel that heavy when you push it around. Not even remotely. Feel maybe 140 kg?
After lunch, we took off from Lorne to the mainland. Pursue more smiles and photo activities. We found them on some nice runways flowing straight up into the hills, where there could have been some impromptu heck going on and at least one left-hander was a little tighter than he looked. head… cue shaved the center stand as we threw it at a decent rate. However, not a wobble or weave from the tire. Absolutely planted. Solid as a rock.
Then we found some more gravel tracks and the slide started again. And more bewildered head shakes. The photos and footage will tell you enough. It just can’t do that sport – but somehow.. yes. I found that full submission seemed to work best… do it your way but when it was on hold, it did happen funny things. Pressing and holding traction control when stopped will turn TC green. This, while the counter is intuitive to show that the TC has been turned off, I take it to mean ‘green light for skiers’. And that’s what we did. Proximity lock to lock slides. Splashes through cracks and washes and puddles. In terms of soft roads, there’s not much it can’t do.
Which I’m still struggling to understand, because while the rear suspension has 108mm of travel on paper, it actually has about 30mm of travel there as we pop up and down. That is, well, it’s not a lot. However, it did not bottom out harshly. And so is the front. I honestly don’t know how it handles it, but it sorts out.
Now it’s clearly not a pukka adventure bike. It’s pretty much like a regular scooter with all-purpose tires… There’s not much ground clearance, so you won’t want to bump into rocks or small logs or whatever. And we didn’t do any deep sand or mud, which wouldn’t be fun with those little wheels. At all. However, the normal cobbled streets proved to be more interesting than I had imagined. Even on the tires. It really was a surprise packet.
Style and function wise, it’s actually quite nicely executed. It comes with a main fob that you can keep in your pocket which I quite like these days. The start-up process has some quirks with the lower center-dial control being used to turn the power on and off, as well as locking and unlocking the fuel inlet and storage doors. But there’s nothing that we didn’t get used to pretty quickly.
Those mirrors aren’t the best, though, and really mostly only show your shoulders – they should probably be positioned a little further each side.
Speaking of the fuel loader, there’s a 12.5 liter tank tucked away which with our ‘enthusiastic’ throttle use returned a rate of just over 4 liters per 100 km, which should be good for 300 km away normal car. Seems like a lot for a scooter! It prepares for an adventure!
All in all. A fun little jigger. Maybe more fun than I thought.
I like Kymco DT X360 because:
- It does what it says on the box and can be much more…
- I can’t explain how it works in dirt. I can’t. But it was.
- What a fun way to spend a day
I would prefer Kymco DT X360 if:
- Some helmets will ‘fit’ into the storage space underneath. You may want to check if it fits you well before you toss the dollar down
- The adjustable/tall front screen can also be appreciated for longer rides, but the screen on that works reasonably well
Kymco DT X360 Specifications
Engine – 321 c, liquid-cooled, four-valve, single cylinder SOHC
Diameter x hole: 75.3mm x 72mm
Compression ratio: 10.7:1
Fuel system: EFI
Power: 28.4hp (21.2kW) at 7250rpm
Torque: 30Nm at 5750rpm
Transmission: Variable Continuous Transmission
Frame: steel pipe
Front suspension: 37mm fork, 110mm . travel
Rear suspension: Twin shock absorbers with preload adjustment, travel 108mm
Front brake: 260mm disc with three-piston caliper, Bosch ABS
Rear brake: 240mm rear disc with twin piston calipers, Bosch ABS
Tires: 120 / 80-14 (f), 150 / 70-13 (r)
Length: 2165mm
Width: 780mm
Height: 1290mm
Wheelbase: 1545mm
Seat height: 800mm
Wet weight: 194kg
Fuel capacity: 12.5 liters
Price: $8790 plus on-road costs
Warranty: Three years unlimited km
