Scooters, advice, insight requested
 

Hey Folks!

I am looking at getting a scooter for running small errands and just having some fun around town and maybe cruising out to the beach. The road leading to the beach has a top speed of 80km/h but not sure if I would take that road or other back roads and avoid all the large vehicle traffic.

Mostly just for in town cruising over to friends houses...etc

Just looking online and there are a ton of models/makes to choose from with all different engine sizes and such. Don't care if it is retro (vespa) just want something reliable that works!

What should I be looking for? Avoiding? I don't ride a motorcycle and never have.

Share with me your stories and other insight! (no bashing please)

Scooters are awesome. This link was on Digg yesterday, and has a lot of good information:
Ten Things You Should Know About Scooters

Avoid two-strokes.

why? sorry i have no idea about engines lol.
-----Added 24/7/2008 at 12 : 50 : 44-----

thanks will i'll check that out!

I'm really wanting a scooter as well. I don't know if I want a 50cc, 150cc or 200cc one though :(

Relax, don't do it, when you wanna get to it....:paranoid:

And you'll need to have some engine knowledge to stay up on the maintenance of a two-stroke engine. Four-strokes are much easier to maintain.

If you have no idea about engines, get a 4 stroke. That way you don't have to premix your oil and fuel. Cars are 4-stroke. Chainsaws are 2-stroke. Which would you rather drive?

I agree with all others basically- get a four stroke.

Scooters are cool, why worry about bashing?
-----Added 24/7/2008 at 06 : 32 : 40-----

You should probably be more interested in HP then CC. The newer scooters with 50cc get about 5-7 HP where the older ones (70's and 80's) needed 150cc to get that many horses.

How much HP do you need? Depends. How big are you? Are you going to be carrying a passenger?

Yeah, I am talking about a newer scooter. My thought is that a 50cc or is it 49cc scooter doesn't need a motorcycle endorsement (at least in my city). The ones I have been looking at top out at like 35-40mph though and the 150cc scooters top out at around 65mph. My problem would be on the 45mph road (all uphill) I take coming from work. And also the fact that the 50cc scooters are about half the price of the 150cc scooters I have been looking at. ;)

I'm a light person (5'11" 135lbs) and I may carry a passenger around sometimes.

riding the chainsaw would be bad-ass but i get your point lol.
-----Added 24/7/2008 at 06 : 51 : 09-----


For me, no passengers and I am 5,11 and about 185lbs.


I have been looking only at that 125-200cc class of scooters.

It's all personal choice. Myself I'd go with smaller engine and forgo the busy faster road, if possible. I've rented a lot scooters in a lot of out of the way places. Traveling on a busy road with lots of cars isn't any fun to me.
-----Added 24/7/2008 at 07 : 08 : 09-----
I'm 6' 225 and I've always been just fine with a 150cc. In Key West where everything is flat 100cc is more then enough, IMO.

Thanks Tully! I was curious about the engine size. Just reading online it looks like a 150cc bike can get *up* to 65mph which is more than enough for my city needs and would work fine if i decided to jump on a secondary road that had high speeds. (no highways!).
-----Added 24/7/2008 at 07 : 51 : 45-----
I just read this review online and found it very informative.

People150

Get a motorcycle. The only reason to get a scooter is for mpg's, unless you look good sitting side saddle on it. Since mileage doesn't seem to be a reason mentioned, I'd get a small engined full size motorcycle. Great mileage, safer handling, more capacity, better visibility, and for a beginner easier to learn on.

I own classic Vespa that was a 150cc, two-stroke. It was always more than enough to get me around the streets of Toronto. That said, I wouldn't go for a classic if you are looking for reliability. I would buy something new. If price is an issue, the Vespas are a bit more pricey than other brands. I know some people who've been using Yamaha Vinos and have been very happy.

I am not really interested or need a retro style ride. I like the Vino's the 125 series is nice and in my price range.

Sound like my experience with VW Bugs. Had a 65' and 68' always lots of fun but a lot of little stuff to tinker with. heck to get decent mileage the valves need adj. once a month or so.


Yamaha's are big down here as are some Italian brand that I can't remember at the moment. It's kind of scary to see a family of four go buzzing by on one. Mom and dad on the seat, then they have a wooden seat (sometimes a crate) for the kids to sit on in the middle.

And the law down here is any OVER 16 has to wear a helmet. The kids? Nada.

The best thing I did was change the original engine (it was brand new in 1971) with a new 150cc engine. Reliability was much better. The old engine took a lot of coaxing.

I want a friend who is female to be able to ride it when i travel sometimes. She could never ride a motorcycle that would fit me. she is very small!
-----Added 24/7/2008 at 09 : 25 : 45-----
Ok so I just requested an insurance quote for the Vino 125 and the BWs 125.

I should add in that i've never had a drivers license and this will be my first driving experience (well i drove a bit as a teenager using my 365). So I am curious how much my insurance is going to be. I am 32 as well and never had a need for a vehicle and don't need this scooter.

Just need a new toy every now and then!