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I've been contemplating a scooter for a while now, my concern is living in the mountains how well a scooter of, say 250cc, would handle the terrain. I don't think I'd want a maxi scooter, I'd prefer the Honda NCX700 over a maxi. But, as was pointed out in the article, I ain't getting any younger.
I've been contemplating a scooter for a while now, my concern is living in the mountains how well a scooter of, say 250cc, would handle the terrain. I don't think I'd want a maxi scooter, I'd prefer the Honda NCX700 over a maxi. But, as was pointed out in the article, I ain't getting any younger.
Cannot speak for other makes. We too live in the mountains (5450') and have a Vespa LX150cc which does just fine single up; for 2up a 250cc would be better. Vespas which are incredibly reliable and easy to work on/with have been around since 1947 and that's 70 years of production, although they cost more $$$$. These venerable machines are still around!
Have nothing to do with Chinese makes which to me will eventually become disposables in a short time. A Japanese Honda might do just fine. 250cc will do
I've been contemplating a scooter for a while now, my concern is living in the mountains how well a scooter of, say 250cc, would handle the terrain. I don't think I'd want a maxi scooter, I'd prefer the Honda NCX700 over a maxi. But, as was pointed out in the article, I ain't getting any younger.
If you decide to get a two wheeled vehicle make sure that it's fuel injected. I live in Denver and have found that is a very important feature.
Wow. I didn't need to get more than a few sentences into the 1st item on the list before I realized the author is clueless. The small wheels on scooters don't make them unstable, but the small wheels are more likely to fall into a pot hole and send the operator over the bars. There are more 12" potholes in the world than 17" (sportbike) or 21" (dual sport front wheel) ones. The small wheels don't make scooters inherently dangerous, but the rider needs to make allowances for them.
And, despite what the author says, some scooters are dangerously slow and have dangerously poor brakes and suspension. The rest of the list has nothing to do with the viable of scooters as transportation, it's just a bunch of random baseless proclamations.
The author can spin it any way he wants, but I can't think of too many reasons why one would select a scooter over a regular motorcycle.
I wasn't impressed with the article. The advantages of scooters are their ease of use and the under seat storage and extremely low cost of ownership and relatively low maintenance (which includes superior fuel economy. This makes scooters useful as an economic transportation tool tool in dense urban environments, especially in developing countries where most people can't afford to buy or operate a car. Outside of this I don't see much of a point to them. Sure they are fun to dink around in but for me it doesn't get close to comparing to the motorcycle experience. I love the way motorcycles look and ride. The shifting, the reving, leaning into turns, etc. For that reason I can't see myself going back to a scooter.
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Ex sportbike rider here. I have owned it all from 250cc to 600ss to 1200cc ones
I gave up sportbikes due to traffic, tickets by radar, no where to ride a sportbike like the commericials. And this is the big thing-- I HATE to SHIFT. after 10 plus years of shifting motorcycles I got completely sick of it.
Now I ride scooters and probably unless I can buy my own state will never ride a motorcycle again. The ease and comfort and agility of a light scooter is just or more fun than a motorcycles. Motorcycles have their place but you really have to find places to not share the road with others. You need a lot of space to let it rip and lean.
Scooters are tailored made for urban areas and its really more fun when these light and small things play ******* in traffic.
I wasn't impressed with the article. The advantages of scooters are their ease of use and the under seat storage and extremely low cost of ownership and relatively low maintenance (which includes superior fuel economy. This makes scooters useful as an economic transportation tool tool in dense urban environments, especially in developing countries where most people can't afford to buy or operate a car. Outside of this I don't see much of a point to them. Sure they are fun to dink around in but for me it doesn't get close to comparing to the motorcycle experience. I love the way motorcycles look and ride. The shifting, the reving, leaning into turns, etc. For that reason I can't see myself going back to a scooter.
I own a 2011 TaoTao 50 scooter which I bought in Jan 2012, it's used almost daily to go to/from work and to the grocery store and errands, I even ride it all through the Iowa winter when the streets are cleared of actual ice.
I have almost 6,000 on the odometer now, very few problems of any kind, and for the $700 delivered to my door price it was a real bargain.
The biggest issue with Chinese scooters is people buy them and put gas in and go, the thing is the carbs are jetted for China's climate and run very LEAN, the carbs are also sealed per import requirements.
So the first thing new scooter owners in the know DO with their brand new Chinese scooter is replace several items with better quality. Expect to spend a few hours and about $100 here on these items, but trust me all of the below greatly improves everything in the scooter:
1) Replace ALL rubber hoses and fuel lines- Chinese rubber is garbage
2) Replace sealed carb with an unsealed aftermarket carb (about $25) and rejet it for your particular area- almost always needs rejetting to run RICHER, this prevents problems caused by running too lean! Never run these engines lean.
3) I would replace the tires with Kenda or some other brand, the factory installed tires are the cheapest junk made.
4) Go over every nut bolt and screw to make sure they are all tight
5) CHANGE OUT the factory installed oil and gear oil before even starting it for the first time, Chinese oil installed in these is GARBAGE, Quaker State or similar 10w30 is very good, and usually 90w gear oil for the rear.
6) Replace the cheap factory "torch" brand spark plug with an NGK plug, about $5
Consider adding a windshield, a universal windshield runs around $49, and it helps redirect the wind around you, increasing power and speed a little due to aerodynamics.
FREQUENT OIL CHANGES go a long way for long engine life, they only use half a quart of oil, it's cheap enough to replace the oil at least every 3 months.
I did all that when it first came.
The Honda clone engines on these have been around a long while and millions made and these engines are outfitted with an automatic transmission- no shifting or "gears" it uses a variator and belt. I replaced the factory belt on mine after about 3,000 on the odometer with a better kevlar belt mainly because I had planned to take the cover off and inspect the belt and variator to see how they looked, since I had it off I just replaced the belt.
It still has the original factory installed starting battery, it holds the charge and works fine.
After 5 years the clear coat on the fiberglass body panels started peeling, so I sanded and repainted. I also replaced the seat as the vinyl was torn at the seam.
As can be seen in the photos, I had returned home in the snow after shopping at the grocery store, the underseat storage will hold about one bag of groceries, the hook on the front dash will hold up to 2 more of those plastic bags of groceries.
In places like Taiwan etc these scooters are very popular, and people even train their dogs to ride on the floor or in the case of this one- on the front of the seat.
Scooters are perfect for rural in-town and city use, mine will hit about 40 mph, and I get about 60 mpg, would get more if I rejetted a little leaner than I have it, and took it easier on the throttle, but those ads claiming 100+ and 110 mpg are mostly BS, the best mileage I ever got on this was about 80 mpg.
Ex sportbike rider here. I have owned it all from 250cc to 600ss to 1200cc ones
I gave up sportbikes due to traffic, tickets by radar, no where to ride a sportbike like the commericials. And this is the big thing-- I HATE to SHIFT. after 10 plus years of shifting motorcycles I got completely sick of it.
Now I ride scooters and probably unless I can buy my own state will never ride a motorcycle again. The ease and comfort and agility of a light scooter is just or more fun than a motorcycles. Motorcycles have their place but you really have to find places to not share the road with others. You need a lot of space to let it rip and lean.
Scooters are tailored made for urban areas and its really more fun when these light and small things play ******* in traffic.
The above sounds like a walking advertisement for a Supermoto bike. They are quick but probably won't get you too far into supra-legal speeds to have fun, thus avoiding undue attention from John Law.
I quit riding my GSX-R750 on the street, to quoted's point. Track only, 750 Production Class, the only limiting factor was me from then on.
I've been out of Supermoto about seven years, but I did try and subsequently discovered they were't my cup of tea, but it wasn't for lack of effort. Mine was a Husqvarna SM510R, a breed that apparently no longer exists, but it was:
- At 51hp dyno'd at the wheel, fast enough to get out of its own way and leave most everything else behind because it weighed maybe 275 lbs
- Relatively low cost of entry (chuckle): no, not really: they are expensive.
- Agile as any dirt bike
- Simple to work on, didn't need much.
There were downsides, too, mostly range and no real comfort more than maybe 200 miles in a day. Not what they're designed for.
Husqvarna and KTM make street-lego Supermoto bikes, but I bet they're spendy. If Suzuki still makes those 400cc Supermoto beasts, I bet that's a compromise urban bike to consider.
I suppose scooters have their place. I had a 125 Honda back in the day, that being c. 1986, which was barely adequate for urban environments but not ideal for suburbia. I got rid of it and found a real bike before it killed me (more likely, before someone else ran me down). It's just a niche product, and IMO does not substitute for a real larger-displacement motorcycle if that's more appropriate for the user's needs. I'm enjoying 1200cc Adventure bikes for my needs, past seven years, but nothing there that really scares me off either nor do I have the urge to ride one like a sportbike too often.
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