Fabulous Fifties: 2009 Kymco People S 50

Kymco stands for "Kyong Yang Motor Corp.," and the Taiwanese firm has been building a name for itself, producing high-value, reasonably priced scooters for the USA for more than 30 years. The People S 50 is the firm's stab at making a stylish, big-wheeled scoot with a clean and friendly four-stroke powerplant.

The large layout is cool, with a comfortable seat that has room underneath for a full-face helmet. The glovebox and windscreen are standard pluses on this model, and it rides, turns and stops well enough, thanks to a sturdy chassis, front disc brake and those 16-inch alloy wheels. Unfortunately, the clean, quiet motor's output--or lack thereof--was disappointing. I had to take to the bike lane when climbing a small hill by the office because the People S slowed to jogging speed. I could have used pedal-assist.

The good news is that just another $350 gets you the People 150, with older styling but a lot more power. And if you love the scooter-of-tomorrow-today look of the People S 50, the similarly styled People S 125 is just $2999.