Kymco follows the X-ADV

C Series concept is in the mould of Honda’s oddball

Kymco follows the X-ADV

WHEN Honda first showed its ‘City Adventure’ concept in 2015 there were stifled giggles. An adventure-tourer-scooter combination, it was accompanied by virtually no information and much of the world’s assembled press ignored it. Few expected it to ever appear again, let alone become a production model.

Regardless, it quickly evolved into the X-ADV production bike, based on the NC750 and turning out to be a weirdly capable combination of adventure bike, tourer and scooter.

Now others are looking to grab part of this new market niche – should we call them ‘adventure scooters’? – and Kymco looks set to be the first to come up with an X-ADV rival.

The firm has revealed a single image of a new concept bike, the C Series, which will be shown at the EICMA show this November.

It’s based on Kymco’s new AK500 maxi-scooter and gains typical adventure bike elements including a beak, longer-travel suspension and tall screen.

Like the AK550, it will be powered by a 53hp, 550cc parallel twin via a twist-and-go transmission.

Whether a production version follows the concept remains up in the air, but given that the AK550 itself started life as a concept scooter – the K50 – it’s got a very good chance of reaching showrooms eventually.