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I'm debating if it's wise to buy a scooter. I live in a suburban Phoenix area and won't be driving it on fast, busy highways. Safety is my primary concern. I realize no one can ever tell me my specific risk of injury due to so many factors.
Kymco seems to have a lot of models for sale, most or all are 4 stroke. Some even meet CA air standards.
Any comments on these bikes?
As an alternative, I was thinking of looking at an entry-level Harley 500. I know these two bikes are very different... BTW, I'm tall, 6'1", and 210 lbs. Thanks.
Buy a motorcycle. They're much less dangerous to maneuver being a bigger guy (height) and if you haven't ridden a scooter before. Plus with a scooter, that doesn't have a manual transmission, you're going to need at least 300cc's to get your butt moving without it bordering on dangerous.
There are tons of good starter bikes out there, don't limit yourself to HD.
They're two entirely different beasts. Ive had Harley's, and Ive had scooters. For a utilitarian item I would take the scooter, no question about it. No contest. Kymco's a great bike, but they are sized kind of small, so fitment might be an issue. Right now I have a BMW 1100, a 50cc Tawianese Eton and a Honda PCX 125. I OWN urban traffic on the small scoots. A Harley/big bike might as well be another car in some situations. Dont discount a Burgman 400. My Burgman would smoke any 883 Sportster and could carry two grocery bags doing it lol
Having lived and ridden in PHX... easily the Most frightening/dangerous place I've ridden. That covers ~23 years, and a few countries. It was worst in the winter when the snowbirds arrived, nothing like 50 different regional driving styles all converging in one location. :/ I'm not sure I could do it these days when everyone is more interested in twiting/faceshaming/whatevering on their idevices.
Anyway, as for the right tool for the job, a small scooter doesn't really have much of a place outside of communities like Sun City where you're only looking to keep up with golf-cart traffic. They're better than that, really, but it really is safer to have a Little more than the bare minimum to get the job done. A mid-sized scooter would be good for most non-freeway, and a maxi-scooter (Burgman mentioned above) will handily cover even freeway work. On the motorcycle side of things, try to pick something with between ~25 and 50hp to be able to cover ALL riding, and 15~25 for anything short of freeway riding (though, again, better for a new rider to have Some extra headroom if you'll be trying to hit 55mph with any frequency). Since you have the height, a dual-sport would be the most ideal choice as they're built to take drops and have a Great powerband that's ideal for in-town traffic.
The biggest issue with riding in PHX is that it takes an almost unheard-of level of self discipline to wear protective gear Every. Single. Time. It's not the 110~120* days when it's hardest either, it's actually Cooler in non-vented gear that's fully sealed up (keeps hotter air out). It's the 90~100* days when you get a little relief with venting but can easily give yourself heatstroke. And then the temptation to not ride with any gear... but it only takes one minor spill to run up a Major medical bill. What's your insurance deductible?
Riding is risky, there's no escaping it. You have to know the risks and decide if the reward is worth it. Not trying to scare you, just inform you. BTW, the risks drop substantially as soon as you get away from population centers...
Last thing, PHX was (and may still be) the leader in motorcycle/scooter thefts. Don't skimp on your insurance and best bet is to chain the Frame (never wheels only) to something immovable, even if you park it indoors.
If you decide to go the Taiwanese scooter route you should look at a Sym HD 200. I rented one when I was in San Francisco last summer and really liked it. I got it up to close to 70 with my wife on the back as we crossed the Oakland bridge but it was very manageable power and was very agile for getting around traffic. It is liquid cooled too which would make it good for sitting in traffic in AZ heat.
If you decide to go the Taiwanese scooter route you should look at a Sym HD 200. I rented one when I was in San Francisco last summer and really liked it. I got it up to close to 70 with my wife on the back as we crossed the Oakland bridge but it was very manageable power and was very agile for getting around traffic. It is liquid cooled too which would make it good for sitting in traffic in AZ heat.
Good tip, Cruz. I'm going to visit a local scooter shop tomorrow. He has one used one in exc. shape.
I have a 2009 Kymco Xciting 250. It gets up to speed fairly quickly and easily maintains 65mph, so it hangs with local traffic good enough, for freeway riding I recommend the 500cc version though. The Xciting is not a lightweight model though at 407 lbs, so smaller framed people may find it too heavy and cumbersome, but I would not ride anything smaller like the Super 8 or People GT out on the highway. My main reason for buying a scoot is that my job is close to my home, and I don't like making frequent short trips with my car.
My only real complaint is that it's sometimes hard to start when it's below about 30 degrees, or if I leave it out in the hot sun. I think the issue with the sun is that the fuel line heats up and vaporizes the fuel.
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