Newly filed trademark suggests Kymco is finally closing in on its long-teased 427cc single-cylinder adventure scooter
When Honda unveiled the X-ADV a decade ago the idea of an adventure scooter seemed like a niche too far, but it’s turned out to be a success that other brands have been keen to replicate. Kymco has been hinting at its own adventure scooter for years and now a new trademark – CV-X45 – suggests such a machine is on the verge of production.
Kymco has shown several adventure-maxi-scooter prototypes, including 2023’s CV-L6, based on the brand’s 550cc parallel twin, and 2024’s CV-R5 using the company’s 427cc single-cylinder engine. Both had motorcycle-style chassis design, with a frame-mounted engine and transmission and a separate swingarm instead of the powertrain-in-swingarm setup common on more traditional scooters, and the new CV-X45 trademark, intended for an as-yet-unreleased bike, would be a logical name for a production version of the CV-R5.
Not only does the ‘45’ in the new trademark hint at a 450-class engine like the CV-R5’s 427cc single, but the ‘X’ points to an adventure-style machine. What’s more, the new trademark is accompanied by a registered logo that matches the typeface and style used in the prototype CV-R5’s graphics.
The CV-R5 was already a near-production design when shown in 2024, with specs including 34.4hp and a peak of 40Nm of torque, a CVT gearbox and a chain final drive, plus monoshock rear suspension and upside-down forks. The wheels, 15-inches at the front and 14 at the rear, give the impression of a long wheelbase, but the 800mm seat height and 210kg weight show the bike isn’t really as big as it first appears.
Watch this space to see whether the new CV-X45 trademark becomes a production CV-R5 or appears on a different model altogether.
