KYMCO Mongoose 50
- Updated: October 13, 2004
By Joe Tolle
The ’05 Kymco Mongoose 50 and 10-year-old GNC racer, Ryan Wheeler.
If you are looking for a mini quad to get your child, (6 years old and up) started in the sport of ATVing there are an overwhelming amount of mini quads to choose from these days. Unfortunately, many of these mini quad companies are producing less then reliable machines.
While we were at the London, Kentucky round of the GNC MX series in July, we met a young racer by the name of Zack Wentz. Zack is the 2-time national short track champion and recently switched to Kymco ATVs.
His father Darin explained that they had made the switch to Kymco in an effort to stay ahead of the competition and actually won their second championship aboard the Kymco 50. With such a positive endorsement and the winning record to back it up, we had no choice but to contact Kymco and get a Mongoose 50 of our own to find out what makes this particular mini so good.
Kymco did a nice job of setting up the controls appropriately for young rider’s smaller hands. Note the kill switch, low oil indicator light, and headlight switch. The headlight itself is available as an accessory through your local Kymco dealer.
Mechanical breakdown
For the motor, Kymco uses a 50cc air-cooled two-stroke mill out of one of their scooters. The motor features an oil injection system so there is no need to mix your gas and oil. The machine is equipped with an electric start as well as a kick-starter backup. To keep things simple for young riders, Kymco equipped the Mongoose 50 with a fully automatic CVT transmission. Final drive to the rear wheels is handled by a standard chain sprocket setup.
In the chassis department, Kymco uses basically the same design as the Kasea or Eton. While it would be nice if Kymco had a completely original design, the aftermarket is ready and waiting with chassis mods so potential racers will be happy. Up front, the Mongoose has single A-arms with preload adjustable shocks offering 2.9 inches of wheel travel. Out back, there is a standard swingarm setup with a preload adjustable shock and 2.7 inches of wheel travel.
Bringing the Mongoose 50 to a halt are two drum brakes up front and a single drum brake in the rear. The front and rear brakes are individually operated using the levers mounted on the handlebars. The brake levers and throttle are also sized appropriately for a young rider’s shorter fingers — aiding in ease of operation.
The Kymco features floorboards with raised serrated foot pegs. The floorboards help keep the rider’s feet safely off the ground. The raised foot pegs make aggressive riding easier and safer by allowing the riders foot to pivot on the peg while traversing rough terrain.
The Kymco clutch engages at a high enough RPM that quick takeoffs are no problem. Don’t worry, it won’t intimidate most beginners and the restrictors make limiting takeoff and top speed a snap for mom and dad.
The little Kymco is a capable of carving a decent turn. The machine steers easily and does not push excessively.
The Kymco has ample power for getting air! Ryan tries to keep the machine from over jumping this small tabletop jump on New Vienna, Ohio’s peewee track. While downside landings were no problem, flat landing resulted in bottoming the suspension.
Six year old Ethan had a ball on the little Mongoose 50. After destroying a micro mini 50, the Kymco offers a lot of performance to grow into.
The Kymco’s preload adjustable shocks weren’t particularly plush. However, they weren’t as stiff and useless as those found on some other 50s. Unfortunately, the extra plush also results in extra bottoming when you start jumping. The Kymco suspension is not perfect, but Kymco is heading in the right direction.
Safety first
The Kymco is equipped with a variety of safety features, allowing the parent to control the power output of the machine. From the dealer, the Mongoose 50 comes restricted with an ignition rev limiter, a clutch engagement restrictor, and a thumb throttle limiter. For the absolute beginner, the machine can be tamed down to just a few miles per hour. With the thumb throttle limiter screw fully open, the machine is designed to run 10 mph. Removing the rev limiter will add another 10 mph. According to Kymco, removing the clutch restrictor will add yet another 10 mph, – bringing the unrestricted top speed to nearly 30 mph, .
On the handlebars is a tether kill switch, which allows the parental unit to walk along side and kill the machine, should the young rider begin to get him or herself in trouble.
Ride time
For the evaluation, we brought out ATV Scene’s mini test dynamic duo, 6-year-old Ethan Wingate and 10-year-old 90cc mod, GNC MX and TT racer Ryan Wheeler. First up for our track and trail test was Ethan. Since Ethan was riding his old micro mini into the ground after just 6 months he needed to try a step up to something bigger. We had him ride the Mongoose bone stock for a few weeks. It didn’t take him long to master the totally restricted machine.
The Kymco’s motor, (when unrestricted) is quite an impressive performer. The airbos is easier to access then on some minis and offers excellent airflow for a stock setup. The floorboards with raised foot pegs are also a well thought out design offering safety and performance.
Lower profile tires, wide stance, and low center of gravity offer great stability, but detract from ground clearance. Fortunately, there is a rear skid plate to help protect the drive and brake components from trail debris.
Small fry first
At the test site, we removed the thumb throttle, rev limiter, and since we were on private property and conditions were not dry, we removed the spark arrestor from the silencer. This allowed the machine to max out at around 20 mph. When Ethan first hit the gas, the rear wheels broke loose a little and accelerated him to a brisk yet controllable speed. From there, the motor would continue to build RPMs, but the CVT transmission wouldn’t allow the machine to continue accelerating. The Kymco’s clutch initially engages at a good RPM making the motor controllable, yet allowing for a surprisingly quick take off.
For fast sweeping turns, Ethan could just back off the gas, lean slightly then continue powering through the corner. For hairpins, the brakes would slow the machine quickly. The machine doesn’t push excessively and with a little body English and a hand full of throttle, a mild power slide was easily achievable. For our smaller test rider, the 50 seemed completely stable no matter how hard he pushed in the corners. This is due in part to the machines Maxxis tires. The tires feature a relatively low profile and aggressive tread pattern offering stability and great traction in everything from mud to hard packed terrain.
While testing on the Motocross track, Ethan was clearing the small tabletops and getting air on all but the largest jump on the track. While the suspension travel is limited, as on most minis, it was adequate for Ethan’s featherweight 55lbs. The suspension is not exceptionally plush, but Ethan never seemed to bottom it hard. The biggest drawback to the suspension is the single front a arms, which force the rear wheels to scrub across the dirt as the suspension goes through its travel.
On the trail, the machine delivered a stable and predictable ride. Ethan is a little too small to try any serious hill climbing, but for the flat trails and his ride across the creek, the machine performed quite well. The rear of the machine doesn’t offer much in the way of ground clearance, but we’ll give up a bit of ground clearance for a lower center of gravity and extra stability.
Flyin’ Ryan
If a stock Kymco can keep national rider Ryan Wheeler entertained for an entire afternoon of riding, it should keep a beginner entertained for quite some time. Check out our video above and see for yourself how the Kymco’s good handling manners lend themselves to Ryan’s aggressive riding style. Having seen Ryan roost on his national machine, we knew he could handle everything the little Mongoose had to offer. We removed the final restrictor in the clutch, allowing Ryan to ride the machine full speed and turned him loose on the MX track. We could instantly notice the machine’s newfound speed as he ripped up the track’s long smooth uphill straight. On the trail, Ryan was tearing through the trees, and climbing an off-camber-rutted-uphill trail section. From the MX track to the woods, Ryan was very impressed with the machine’s motor. Not only did he feel it was fast for a stock 50, he even felt that it was faster then his 70cc big bore kit 50 from a few seasons ago. That is impressive!
When Ryan started jumping he found the limits of the suspension quickly. While he is not too heavy for the machine, Ryan’s aggressive style is more then any stock 50’s suspension is designed to deal with. As long as Ryan landed the machine on the downside of tabletops and didn’t push it on flat landings, the suspension was fine, but push it too far and the suspension would easily bottom out on him.
With the more mild speeds in the tight woods, Ryan found the machine to be quite stable. He was climbing the deeply rutted uphill trail with no problem. With the higher speeds on the little MX track, Ryan got the machine on two wheels on several occasions. The machine is definitely not unstable, but the motor’s potent rush demands that you use proper body English when exiting corners at full throttle.
Ryan thought that the brakes worked well. They were easy to reach and offered plenty of stopping power. Ryan likes his personal tire choice for motocross use, but felt that the Kymco’s stock tires worked well in all trail conditions. When we asked Ryan if riders getting into the sport would like the Kymco, he exclaimed, “Oh yeah, definitely!”
The bottom line
We think the little Mongoose is a hit. After our two test riders, as well as several other children and various adults tried their hand at the controls, everyone came away impressed with the power and handling of the machine. While the stock suspension may be the biggest limiting factor on the Mongoose, (as with most minis) there are aftermarket companies that can help you improve the length and quality of the machines wheel travel for hard riding or racing applications.
With its peppy engine, modern styling, and excellent safety features, the Kymco Mongoose 50 should provide your young rider with years of riding pleasure. If your in the market for a new 50, we highly recommend that you contact Kymco, locate your local dealer and give the Mongoose 50 a serious look.
| Engine | |
| Type: | 2 stroke air cooled |
| Horsepower | 4.3hp @ 6500 RPM |
| Displacement: | 49cc |
| Cooling System: | Fan |
| Ignition: | |
| Starting System: | Electric w/kick start backup |
| Transmission: | single speed CVT |
| Drive Train: | |
| Lubrication: | Oil injection |
| Chassis | |
| Dimensions: | |
| Overall Length: | 54″ |
| Overall Width: | 35″ |
| Overall Height: | 36″ |
| Suspension/Front: | Single A-arm with preload adjustable shocks and 2.9″ of travel |
| Suspension/Rear: | Swingarm with preload adjustable shock and 2.7″ of travel |
| Brakes/Front: | |
| Brakes: | F/R Drum/Drum |
| Tires: | F/R 16/8/7 Maxxis |
| Frame: | Steel |
| Seat Height: | 25 in. (635mm) |
| Wheelbase: | |
| Ground Clearance: | 5.75 in. (146.05mm) average |
| Fuel Capacity: | 1.45 gallon (5.29 liters) |
| Dry Weight: | 221 lbs |
| Other | |
| Lighting: | Taillight |
| Colors: | Red, Yellow or Blue |
| Warranty: | 1 Year Limited Factory Warranty |
| MSRP: | $1499.00 |
| Other Features: | Low oil warning light, lanyard safety switch and a forestry approved spark arrestor |
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