GenuineScooters
5 min read

Genuine Venture

By Scooter Nut
Summary
The Venture checks all the boxes for a super practical urban 50cc: ultra low cost, large wheels, disc brakes, liquid cooling and it’s even moped legal. However it likely doesn’t do any of these things particularly well.
Pros
$1599
Front and rear disc brakes
Ample cockpit room
Cons
Chinese built
1.9 horsepower (but easily derestricted)
2.8

GENUINE VENTURE

The Venture 50 was introduced by Genuine for 2016 in an effort to provide a decent 50cc scooter at a really low price. The Venture is designed to be a practical urban machine with it’s large wheels, front and rear discs and a super low MSRP of $1599. It remains on sale as of 2019.

Model Background

Genuine imports scooters from several different manufacturers, which are then sold under the Genuine name in the USA. In the past they’ve partnered with LML (India) and PGO (Taiwan) to manufacturer typically well built machines, but they’ve gone in a different direction with the Venture.

In an attempt to lower costs, Genuine has formed a new partnership with an unknown Chinese manufacturer. With a slew of makers and a revolving door of brand names, the Chinese market is notoriously difficult to understand so it’s not clear who is making the Venture for Genuine but the Venture 50 was a pre-existing design that Genuine decided was of sufficiently high quality that it was worth importing to the USA. Before doing so, Genuine specified a number of changes to improve the model including improved brakes, paint, fastener quality and electronics.

Engine

The Venture is powered by a 49.3cc 4-stroke motor which is restricted to 1.9 horsepower and 2.8 ft-lbs of torque – not that anyone reading this will be geeking out over power specs. That kind of power will gets you up to a moped legal 30 mph, eventually, on a flat road. It’s similar performance to a 1978 Honda Express moped and a modest step up from a bicycle. Fortunately the Venture is only restricted with a chip that can be easily unplugged to unleash 4.2 hp and 3.6 ft-lbs of torque. Top speed rises commensurately to just over 40 mph and makes the Venture a reasonable commuter.

Genuine is claiming 100+ mpg from this mill but in the absence of any actual testing methodology we can assume this is optimistic like most manufacturer claims. Most likely you’ll see around 80 mpg from the Venture.

The bright spots of this engine are that it’s liquid cooled and uses 3 valves. The liquid cooling should mean it’ll run better in hot climates and it may better tolerate performance modifications. The opaque background of the Venture makes it difficult to know if any go-fast parts are available, but there is a good chance someone makes a bigger cylinder which could be combined with a proper sized carburetor to restore power output to something credible. The 3-valve design may provide a little better power and efficiency than a 2-valve head, but on a scooter this cheap it seems more likely to be a calculated highlight for the specs sheet than a functional highlight.

Design and Amenities

The most notable aspect of the Venture design is its large wheels. At 16” up front and 14” in the back, the Venture provides a smoother ride over rough urban streets than most scooters which use 10-13” wheels. Genuine has paired these up with disc brakes at both ends, meaning the Venture both rolls and stops quite well for a 50cc.

The Venture is a physically large machine, with a wheelbase of 54.5”. Compare that to other popular 50cc’s like Honda’s Metropolitan (46.5”) and Yamaha’s Vino (45.7”) and it’s easy to see that the Venture is a better fit for lankier riders. There’s no issues with hitting the bars on your knees here, and there’s enough room to slide forward and squeeze on a passenger if need be.

The rest of the amenities on the Venture are standard fare. There’s a steel tube frame, modest storage under the seat and a grocery bag hook below the dash. The rear seat storage is smaller than average because of the large rear wheel and low seat. As a result only small full face helmets will fit.

Also missing is a glovebox and any type of 12V charger. It is nice to see both a center stand and kick stand included. The Venture’s gauges include a speedometer, fuel and engine temp plus the usual warning lights for blinkers and low fuel.

Comparison

The Venture checks all the boxes for a super practical urban 50cc: ultra low cost, large wheels, disc brakes, liquid cooling and it’s even moped legal. However it likely doesn’t do any of these things particularly well. Like most Chinese scooters it’s probably built to excel more on the specs sheet than the track. Still, it should function well enough to get you around and there is 2 years of Genuine’s warranty for peace of mind.

I’ve advised against purchasing Chinese built scooters in the past for reasons related to resale value, build quality and lack of brand support. Still, a Chinese scooter will provide 50cc transportation for less money any other machine. If you’re in the market for a 50cc and want it as cheap as possible, then the Venture makes a lot of sense compared to purchasing from another Chinese brand which might be gone tomorrow. By buying through Genuine, you get a scooter from a brand that most likely will be around to honor the warranty and provide parts. Also because the Genuine name is reasonably well known, re-sale value will likely be a bit better. So the Venture is a better choice over another brand of Chinese 50cc.

Still, consider whether you’re better off spending more for a well known machine. The Venture has a minimal feature set, likely marginal quality and not much in the way of power. For about an extra $500 you could get a far nicer and more capable machine like Aprilia’s SR Motard, Yamaha’s Vino 50 or Genuine’s Buddy. Any of these will be much easier to sell for a good price, so it’s likely you’ll get your money back when it’s time to sell.

Large wheeled small displacement scooters haven’t typically sold very well in North America, leaving little direct competition to the Venture 50. However used examples of Kymco’s People 50 or People S 50 and Aprilia’s Scarabeo 50 are pretty easy to find and could be obtained used for a similar price if you want a big wheeled scooter. The Scarabeo 50 is the best of these.

My suggestion is that anyone that might be selling in a few years should buy something easier to resell, but if you’re after super low cost transportation, don’t want an eBike and don’t mind wrenching on it once the warranty runs out, then the Venture could be a good way to get around.

Please consider adding an owner review of your Venture. It greatly benefits other readers and improves this site.

Pros:

  • $1599
  • Front and rear disc brakes
  • Ample cockpit room

Cons:

  • Chinese built
  • 1.9 horsepower (but easily derestricted)

Links:

Venture 50 Review – Nice write up from ScooterFile
JustGottaScoot Review – Good assessment of the Venture
TopSpeed Review –
MotorscooterGuide Forums – Visit the forums on this site to chat about this scoot.

Key Specs:

  • Engine: 49.3cc liquid-cooled 4-stroke
  • Horsepower: 1.9 HP @ 7500 RPM (4.2 when derestricted)
  • Torque: 2.8 lbs-ft torque @ 5500 RPM (3.6 when derestricted)
  • Transmission: CVT
  • Bore & Stroke:
  • Fuel Delivery: Carb
  • Wheelbase: 54.5”
  • Weight: 218 lbs
  • Starter: Electric and Kick
  • Seat height: 29.5”
  • Fuel Tank:
  • Front Brake: Disc
  • Rear Brake: Disc
  • Front Suspension: Telescopic fork
  • Rear Suspension: Single rear shock
  • Wheels: 90/100-16” (front), 90/100-14” (rear)
  • USA MSRP: $1899 (2019)

Colors:

  • 2016 – 2017: Glossy Titanium, Tangerine, Turquoise, White
  • 2018 – 2019: Black, Glossy Titanium, Tangerine, Turquoise, White