Scooter Review Bug(Kymco) Hawk 250 If it's space you're after, the Bug Hawk gives you plenty of room to spread your wings
Words & photography by JEREMY BOWDLER Perhaps surprisingly, the maxiscooter boom has yet to catch on in Australia to the extent that it has in parts of Europe. Our market could be excused this oversight because it is relatively new to the whole scooter scene, thanks to an overall lack of congestion and an all-consuming love affair with the car.
In Europe, however, the fact that the police have cracked down on helmet use has changed the scooter market. Until relatively recently, it was legal in Italy to ride a 50 with no helmet. If you had to wear a helmet, then there was little point in having a 50, and if you didn't have to have a 50, then you could look further afield for your transport solutions. Larger capacity scooters suddenly became more viable and the line between scooters and motorcycles became blurred, certainly in terms of performance.
The maxi-scooter has a lot to recommend it to riders who look beyond the classic scooter shape. Firstly, the layout of the engine can offer designers more creative solutions to storage and many of the maxis can carry two helmets under the seat, which is generally larger and more luxurious than the perch most scooters can offer.
The Bug Hawk is no exception, offering a standard of comfort that's a peg above most scooters, even if the only thing you notice is the space to stretch your legs. Hit the button and the motor fires up with a raunchier sound and feel compared to the Piaggio X9's refinement and this is carried over onto the road, where the Hawk proves to be a sprightly performer; and certainly more than capable of dealing with traffic.
The chassis integrity appears good, with no squeaks, rattles or groans, and handling that is on a par with performance. The 12-inch wheels cope pretty well with the road environment, although larger rims would perhaps be even better. The overall handling and braking are easily comparable with the rest of the market segment competition.
 Where the Hawk stands out, however, is as a reminder of the great strides countries like Korea, Taiwan and China are making when it comes to quality control. The advances made over the past couple of years — both in general terms, and specifically as manufacturers begin to adapt their machines to Australian needs at the request of Australian importers — are staggering and pose the biggest threat to the image of the scooter as an Italian icon.
The Hawk, with its perky performance, sharp styling, clever inclusions and upgraded quality is the perfect example of what Italy is now up against. There's never been a better time to take one for a flight.
*Thanks to Scooter Central — 02 9938 5858 — for the test machine.
As published in TW SCOOTER MAGAZINE - 25/02/2006
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