Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/719034
38 • September 6, 2016 • Powersports Business MOTORCYCLE www.PowersportsBusiness.com 49cc street legal model quickly becomes a top-seller BY LIZ KEENER MANAGING EDITOR The first question I had when I opened the box containing my Adly RT50 demo unit was: What is it? My dad, a lifelong Gold Wing rider asked the same question, as did my husband. The RT50 was sent to me from Bintelli Scooters, the exclusive U.S. importer for Adly, a Taiwanese scooter manufacturer since 1978. It's street legal with a two-stroke 49cc like a number of scooters and mopeds. But you straddle it like a motorcycle, and if you asked an Average Joe on the street, he'd probably call it a motorcycle from its styling alone. The mystery, and the fact that the RT50 can't be easily defined, is what Bintelli presi- dent Justin Jackrel enjoys about the unit. "There's no wrong way to describe it. That's actually what's cool about it," he said. Even on Bintelli's website and at the Bin- telli office in Charleston, South Carolina, the RT50 is described as having "the heart of a motorcycle and the soul of a scooter." "It's really like a motorcycle and a scooter had a baby," Jackrel joked. After a few weeks of riding the RT50, I'm still not sure what to call it, other than a fun little unit to run around town, or to learn how to ride aboard. Trying to rack up the miles for a proper test ride, I mostly traversed around my neighbor- hood and a couple surrounding neighbor- hoods — anywhere I could get while traveling 45 mph or less. It rode like a motorcycle, and I received the traditional waves and nods usu- ally earned while on two wheels. While I didn't run any errands on the bike, I did venture toward a park, a local baseball field and the strip mall a few blocks from my house. Jackrel said one RT50 owner in the Charleston area has gone as far as securing a basket to the rear fender for storage. This type of bike was designed for some- one looking for a unit just for running around town. In my area, for example, I cannot only get to numerous strip malls, department stores and gas stations on 45 mph and under roads, but taking the right route, I could also make it too downtown Minneapolis or the Mall of America. Who needs freeways? (OK, I couldn't drive to the office because it would've taken over an hour to snake through back roads. But, again, for tooling around town, it served its purpose.) And with 80-100 mpg and a 1.64-gallon tank, I never had to fill up after the first time I put gas in it. From the photos people have seen, Jackrel said the first question he gets is about the unit's size. Many are surprised at the RT50's stance when they finally see it in person. For my not-quite-5'2" frame, the 28-inch seat height was perfect. I could, with no chal- lenge, stop flat-footed, a feat on most bikes. Jackson Haskell, a 6-foot-4 Bintelli dealer sup- port specialist, was able to ride it with ease as well, no complaints about the size. "It's bigger than dealers expect it to be," Jackrel said. "It's not nearly as small as what it looks like it the pictures." He sees the height as a great selling point because while tall riders can be plenty com- fortable, those who are vertically challenged, like myself, are also comfortable swinging a leg over the RT50. "It's that great bike where it doesn't matter how tall you are," he added. The height opens the bike up to buyers that may have never considered a motorcycle before. Jackrel said some customers are small- stature college cheerleaders who haven't been able to sit flat-footed on any unit. The 49cc engine and automatic transmis- sion also makes the unit ideal for learning the basics of riding without the concern of maneuvering a heavy motorcycle or shifting the transmission. "It's a great starter bike. Being automatic, it's a great way to learn how to ride a motor- cycle," Jackrel said. "It's a perfect starter bike." One customer, for example, bought an Adly RT50 because she wanted to ride along- side her husband, but she was intimidated to start with a larger unit. Now the duo spin around their area side-by-side. "It's a nice little bike, which is really nice because there are so many models out there that have similar style, but like the Honda Grom, they're 125cc," Jackrel said. In most states, you need a motorcycle endorsement to ride a 125cc bike, while you don't for a 49cc. Registration for a 49cc unit is also usually easy, or not required in some states. For Bintelli dealers, who, for the most part, have only had scooters until now, 85 percent of their sales stem from 49cc models. And those dealers are enjoying the Adly RT50. After Bintelli began importing Adly scooters last summer, the company decided to Motorcycle or scooter? Adly's RT50 blurs lines See Adly, Page 39 Left: The Adly RT50 can be pulled out of the garage for a quick run to the store or a ride to anywhere else where the speed limit is 45 mph or under. Right: Is the Adly RT50 motorcycle or a scooter? Justin Jackrel, president of Adly importer Bintelli Scooters, says it's a bit of both. The 28-inch seat height appeals to a variety of riders, from 6-foot-4 Bintelli Scooters employee Jackson Haskell, shown here riding the RT50, to 5-foot-2 PSB managing editor Liz Keener.