Adly GTA 50 Scooter Review | Exclusive Test

October 25, 2015

2016 Aldy GTA 50 Scooter Review — 2016 Aldy GTA 50 Scooter

Adly GTA 50 Scooter Review

Just when you think two-strokes are extinct on the road, we’re presented with the Adly GTA 50 scooter, featuring goodies like electric start (kick backup) and oil injection for its air-cooled two-stroke engine.

Built by Her Chee Industrial Company in Taiwan, the new GTA 50 is Adly’s return to America after various importer and distribution issues. Now imported by Bintelli Scooters, a South Carolina company that has been in the scooter business since the 1990s, Adly is hoping to make a comeback in the United States.

The new Adly GTA 50 has a futuristic look, fun graphics, and a name that unashamedly references a famous video game franchise. However, don’t try running from the police, as this is still a 50.

Performance of the GTA 50 is highly dependent on your weight. I’m about 165 (sans gear), and I was riding with Caitin Joy Hanson from Driven PR (Adly’s agency), who is considerably lighter than me. When turning the throttle to the stops when the light turned green, she would grab the holeshot every time, and I wouldn’t catch her until she realized I was being left behind. Certainly, the lighter you are, the better the acceleration.

Normally, I would lane-split to the front of the line at signals. However, given that the GTA 50 is slower than cars, I hung back and tried to stay out of the way. Claimed torque is 3.45 ft/lbs, so you can see that you won’t be accelerating hard–on anything steeper than level ground, I gave a few paddles of my feet to help progress.

Top speed on flat ground is around 35 mph with me on the comfortable seat, but acceleration is slow past 25 mph. I did hit over 40 mph on a downhill portion, and got a taste of the GTA 50’s “high speed” handling. It’s good, and the 52-inch wheelbased GTA didn’t wobble or behave poorly, even when hitting various bumps in the road. The 12-inch Kenda tires stick well in corners, and the 130 width of both tires provides a good footprint.

Suspension is, of course, basic, yet completely functional at the speeds the GTA attains. The front disc does a good job slowing things down the 50, but the rear drum seems to have some sort of anti-lock system–actually, it’s just not powerful enough to lock up the rear tire. That’s not a horrible thing, but it could be a bit strong and still avoid skidding.

50s are always fun around town, and it Old Town Temecula, where the speed limit is 25 mph, the GTA was an enjoyable ride. Adly claims the GTA 50 to weigh under 200 pounds, and it feels like it. Unless you’re on a bicycle, you’re not likely to find a more agile motor vehicle.

From a practical standpoint, the GTA 50 has fairly large underseat storage. However, the two-stroke oil tank filler neck is under a fiddly cover on the bottom of the storage space. This means any cargo has to be removed before filling the oil tank, and you’ll need to have a funnel with a long tube to avoid spilling oil in the storage space. It’s not exactly convenient, but the tank capacity will take you hundreds of miles between top-offs.

The 30-inch high seat is very comfortable, and the ergonomics aren’t overly tight. There are two places for your feet, so you can move them around on longer rides. For extra carrying capacity, there’s a functional rear deck for bungeeing something that won’t fit under the seat.

Adly put halogen headlights and LED turn indicators on the GTA 50, which is a nice upscale touch. Upgrades rims are available, but the point of the GTA 50 is frugality and the stock rims look fine. The speedometer is analog, with a digital dash an option–again, the standard setup gets the job done, though the mph numbers are pretty small. Still, your chances of tickets are slim.

The load capacity is 367 pounds and the GTA 50 has retractable passenger pegs. You can certainly ride it two-up, as there is plenty of seating space, but it better be on a college campus or somewhere without a lot of automobile traffic, as performance will be very low.

For those worried about reliability, the GTA 50 has a two-year unlimited mileage warranty, along with two years of roadside assistance. That’s good coverage, and one that would quickly put Bintelli out of business if the Adly didn’t live up to a high standard of reliability.

When your lifestyle calls for a 50cc scooter, there is nothing like them. Her Chee has been building Adly scooters for a good length of time, and they have it down. With Bintelli confidently importing Adly scooters (there’s also a more utilitarian-looking Bullseye 50), the Taiwanese brand may be making a comeback in America.

Photography by Caitlin Joy Hanson / Driven Public Relations

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