Test drive KymcoMXU 300
If you type “Kymco MXU 300” in Yandex, the search engine will dump a bunch of photos on you, which depict a quite nice, utilitarian ATV with some sportiness in it. But the first face-to-face meeting will begin with the famous words: “I thought you were taller.” It is really made in three quarters of the usual size.
It has been scientifically proven that if a motorcycle journalist is left next to the miracle of Korean, or even worse, Chinese technology, then he invariably begins to look for defects*, and experiences great happiness if he does find it.
But I didn’t find any more serious “jambs” than imperfectly fitted plastic. Everything that caught my eye was done competently and competently. After all, Korea makes pretty good cars, so why not make a good ATV?
“It’s nothing like the design,” I concluded, walking around the MXU in a circle. It doesn’t look like a Soviet tractor at all, and you can’t confuse it with a plastic toy. In appearance, it is a utilitarian, although in essence it is closer to sports ATVs due to the low center of gravity and a solid rear axle swinging on a massive pendulum. I also advise you not to delude yourself about the luggage racks, because they can only take so much cargo - 30 kg in the rear, and 20 in the front.
The most interesting solution is the rear optics in the form of “L”-shaped sections with a set of brake lights, clearance and turn signals. Yes, this quad is already equipped at the factory with a full set of lighting equipment, mirrors and a sound signal, but this does not at all mean that it is suitable for urban use. Maximum – a few kilometers along the roadside to the nearest forest. The reason for this, as always, is the lack of a rear differential and the rolliness of such equipment in corners.
Let's return to optics. The front one is decorated in a car style and shines quite well. Right there, side by side, are the “nostrils” of the radiator grille.
Having examined the suspension elements, I did not find any protection for the levers. Only under the engine and rear axle gearbox were there inexpressive metal shields. Another interesting thing is that the rear brake disc is mounted not on the axle, but on the left wheel. But it has two calipers, instead of one big one - unification, sir...
When I finally got tired of walking around, touching and tugging, I jumped onto the “flying seat” and with a decisive movement... missed the ignition switch - I got used to looking for it on the side, and he, the scoundrel, ended up right in front of my eyes, on the dashboard. In addition, it turned out that you can start the quad not only with an electric starter, but also manually. Yes, yes, by hand! Using a “shmorgalka” like the one installed on chainsaws.
The sound of the engine running did not cause a surge of emotion - quiet, low, with a metallic hoarseness - a tractor, it is a tractor. While the 270cc engine was warming up, I had nothing better to do and looked at the tidy. It is extremely simple, I would even say ordinary. The LCD display informs you about the proximity of a gas station, the approach of overheating and lunch, and also has a daily mileage indicator and an odometer. It glares much more than we would like, so small numbers are mediocre to read. The set of warning lamps is standard.
Deciding that the engine had had enough of thrashing in vain, I grabbed the selector lever and moved it to the “H” position. The characteristic “clack!” there was no sound, and the neutral light continued to light as if nothing had happened. T-a-a-a-k... does that mean we need a “gentleman’s approach” again? I remember the last time I used it was also on Korean equipment - remember the Hyosung GV250? Only there the gearbox did not want to go into neutral, but here the transmission does not want to come out of it. Having kicked the “poker” harder, I heard the long-awaited sound of readiness.
Since the scene was a picturesque corner of nature with a forest, a field, a river and a union of auto clubs, where the latter held a cook competition, there was no need to look for a suitable off-road vehicle - here it is, nearby.
The quadric responded to pressing the trigger with a surprisingly confident jerk, throwing out two fountains of last year’s cones from under the wheels. If I didn’t know for sure that the engine capacity here is 270 “cubes”, I would have thought that under me was a “four hundred”. The throttle response is precise and sharp, even though the MXU 300 is not equipped with a fuel injection system, but with a simple carburetor. The engine pulls well throughout the entire rev range and only revs up when the speed reaches 70 km/h. The variator is also good - it fully realizes the potential of what it is attached to. The dynamics, to be honest, are not “space”, but considering the modest volume of the power unit, they are impressive.
Braking dynamics are noticeably better than acceleration dynamics. Four calipers happily bite into three brake discs, settling the light square no worse than a concrete wall - of course, this only applies to those cases where there is appropriate soil under the wheels. The information content is also quite good - in particular, due to the fact that a segment of the brake circuits is laid with a reinforced hose, but the calipers are already fitted with ordinary rubber ones.
It's a different story in the corners and on difficult terrain. Considering that the quad has a very short wheelbase and track, it, excuse the tautology, behaves very poorly in the rut, and tends to lie on its side. A similar situation occurs when cornering calmly. But, on top of everything else, Kymco has two features, the proper use of which makes a significant difference - a low center of gravity and overall weight.
Thanks to both, using standard techniques in the form of hanging and controlled skidding, you can work wonders without resorting to the services of a magic wand. So if you, pilot, have a lot of “body” in you, rejoice. You can influence the quad more effectively! Let’s consider another situation: you’re rushing along, skinny, checking the “maximum speed” of an almost 400-kilogram lanky monster, and then... Whoops! Turn! Well, I slowed down as much as I could, well, I hung over (you can just as easily hang from a tank), and still went to count the trees. But, of course, no one would mind if the manufacturer made the MXU 300 centimeter track 5-10 centimeters wider - sometimes it’s very uncomfortable to drive with a 40-degree lateral roll.
The pendants are frankly “not a fountain.” It seems that the Koreans forgot to fill the “oak” front shock absorbers with oil - there was no damping not only during the first examination, but also in all subsequent ones. The rear monoshock worked well, but for active riding it was frankly too soft. It seems that it was designed for the weight of a 45-kilogram Korean, but not for the twice as massive “carcass” of a Western tester. In driving, or more precisely in jumping, this was expressed by nasty, like teeth-gnashing, breakdowns. If you “fall” over moderately rough terrain, you can observe an unpleasant effect - the front end begins to jump, like a basketball - this is what the lack of damping entails. However, the logic of the Korean-Chinese manufacturers of off-road equipment is interesting: they often sin with a quite serious, albeit “oak” front end... and a “bicycle” rear suspension! “The main thing is that the front wheels go through, but the rear wheels will drag anyway” - is this their motto?
Now I’m getting excited, but to be honest, I’m probably not entirely right - as soon as you change the shock absorbers to tuning ones, the situation will change dramatically.
Next, it occurred to me to check its all-terrain qualities, fortunately, I almost immediately remembered the lack of front-wheel drive and did not go looking for a ford on the river. Imagine my surprise when the quad got stuck in an ordinary ditch, helplessly thrashing its rear wheels. Where is our downgrade? Switching to another transmission mode did not change anything except the depth of the ditch. Well, okay, we are not proud people - we’ll get up and push them out. Luckily, as mentioned above, it's lightweight. As it turned out, the MXU is not only structurally similar to a sports quad, but also has the same cross-country ability. It seems that the image is more or less emerging...
It wasn't until the very end of the test drive that I finally paid attention to the ergonomics and seating position. And for good reason. You put such things in the first paragraph only when you really like something or, conversely, don’t like it. And when I sat down, I forgot to think about some kind of landing, or you don’t pay attention to the ergonomics, this means that everything is OK. Despite the fact that this quad is “3/4”, you don’t feel cramped behind the wheel; moreover, there is still plenty of space for active movement in order to create better weight distribution on steep hills and in turns. The only thing that stands out from the image of “house slippers” are the buttons for the direction indicators, horns and emergency lights – it’s a little unusual to see them on a quad.
So what is the Kymco MXU 300? Utilitarian in 3/4 or something else? I suppose it's different, yes. With the exception of some points, it looks like a budget sports quad, from which the “combat” plastic was torn off and packaged in the clothes of a wealthy farmer, with luggage racks screwed in for greater persuasiveness. It remains a mystery why the oil was drained from the front shock absorbers. Although this is a joke, there is a very significant amount of truth in it.
These ATVs are not bought for hauling birch logs or achieving athletic success on a cross-country track. The Kymco MXU 300 is more of an entertainment quad, and in terms of riding pleasure, it surpasses more expensive and “bulky” devices.
Text: Sergey Kuznetsov
Photo: provided by the author
Brief overview and characteristics of the Kimko Maxxer 300 ATV
There are people for whom a full-fledged sports ATV is not needed, and a utilitarian ATV is rather weak, but they really want to have such a vehicle. Then you should turn your attention to the Kimko Maxxer300 ATV. Athletes are skeptical about it, it is heavy and has less power than what is needed on the track. In agriculture, it is also practically useless - it has a low load capacity and is not all-wheel drive. Kimko Maxxer300 is just for those who just want to ride in nature without fanaticism.
Kimko Maxxer300: main information
Kimko Maxxer300 is equipped with a sound signal, rear-view mirrors, a platform for a license plate, as well as a set of lighting equipment. The ATV has a trunk that can hold up to 20 kilograms of cargo.
The appearance of the ATV indicates that it is intended for use on public roads. But let's not forget that the roads in Europe and our roads are significantly different. However, this does not mean that this ATV is intended only for movement around the city. On asphalt, in the hands of an inexperienced driver, it can become very dangerous.
When traveling on dirt roads after rain, the following disadvantages are revealed: the ATV has an extension in the area of the driver’s seat, which complicates the driver’s maneuverability when changing weight distribution; dirt that sticks to the footrests and makes them slippery, prevents you from fully leaning on them, which also hinders the driver’s movements.
Special purposes
This ATV is not intended for jumping from high jumps.
In difficult places, the Kimko Maxxer300 ATV did not perform well. This is compensated by the relatively low weight of the ATV (205 kg). If you get stuck, you can easily pull the ATV out of the mud. In this case, a trunk that can be conveniently grabbed by hand can be useful.
The brakes visually look quite serious. But do not forget that this ATV is designed for driving on asphalt roads; it is difficult to say how the brakes will behave if dirt gets on them. Therefore, in unfamiliar terrain, on dirt roads, in the forest, you need to drive the ATV carefully.
In European countries, the Kimko Maxxer300 ATV is quite popular. But in our country, where show-off and practicality are encouraged, this ATV is not the best option for our roads.
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KYMCO ATVs
We invite you to an exciting ATV tour! We invite you to ride ATVs in the Caucasus Mountains! The most beautiful places, a bathhouse near a 15-meter waterfall, a photo shoot on the territory of an abandoned prison in the mountains, sea fishing, and much more. The cost of a three-day trip is from 12,400 rubles with accommodation and 3 meals a day. Call: (+7SUPER LOAN AT 1 PERCENT This is how it happens in life: you want to buy something right now, you don’t have enough, just a little, and the money will appear only next month. It's not a problem. At our motorcycle dealership we have a unique lending program at 1 percent per month! Details from managers.
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ABOUT US Our motorcycle showroom is the official Kymco dealer in Moscow . We are ready to offer you the most favorable conditions if you want to buy a Kymco ATV . We will register it, issue an inspection certificate, post the license plates, help you get the “rights” for the ATV, deliver it free of charge to your door in Moscow and the Moscow region, and much more. Come to us. With us it’s really profitable.
ABOUT THE PRODUCTS Kymco ATVs (in Russian, Kimko ATVs ) are not very well known in Russia, but those who have been to Europe know that Kymco ATVs are perhaps the most common ATVs in the Old World. Kymco ATVs are extremely reliable and are in no way inferior to their Japanese counterparts. Our motorcycle showroom presents the entire range of Kymco ATVs: Kymco MXU 50, Kymco MXU 250, Kymco MXU 300, Kymco MXU 400, Kymco MXU 500.
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