The Kymco CV-R5 is a Scooter That Wants to Be An ADV

No it’s not an ADV, or is it? The new Kymco CV-R5 is set to be presented later this year at the EICMA showpiece event in Italy, but what do we know about the new scooter? First off, before I take you down the route of features of the scooter, think of the Honda X-ADV as its direct competition which is a machine that we rated third on our top ten ‘Maxi’ scooters list of 2024. The CV-R5 is not too dissimilar in its appearance, but where the two bikes do separate themselves is the look of the front-end.

Around the side of the scooter, the Kymco CV-R5 and Honda X-ADV look very similar thanks to a sharp and dynamic style. The CV-R5 has a tall front fairing, which if you know your ADV bikes, will make you think of the Ducati Desert-X and the Yamaha Tenere 700. While details about this new CV-R5 are scarce, here's what we can tell you about the prototype on show.

An all-new engine has been designed for the new CV-R5 with a displacement reported to be 427cc, while the bike makes 40.2 Nm (29.65Ib ft) of torque at 5,000rpm. It’s yet to be confirmed whether the engine will be a single-cylinder or a parallel-twin like the X-ADV 750. But if we’re going off another Kymco scooter in the form of the Maxsym TL500 which has a parallel-twin engine, we might have our answer.

Like the Maxsym scooter, the CV-R5 shares many of the same features, including a chain final drive to the rear wheel, with a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) gearbox providing the drive. The suspension has upside-down front forks and monoshock in the rear, while also accounting for twin discs in the front and a single rear disc for stopping power. No to make this all about the Honda X-ADV, but the seating position is also very similar, both of which curve inwards before sloping up to the pillion seat.

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