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I have zero experience with scooters, but am considering buying one, for the sake of fun, and because itll help me save gas and wear and tear on my car as far as my local driving goes (My job is like 60 miles away - tons of abuse on my car). We also like to go out to the Lake Erie Islands and it would be great fun, and useful to drive out there.
I like the vintagey Italian/European style scooters like Vespas, but I kind of want to stay on the cheaper side. I also dont know whether I should buy one in the 49/50cc range or like a 125cc. I dont think I want much bigger because I still care about style and want it to be rather smaller.
Im kind of thinking I should probably opt for a 125 though. Im a relatively bigger guy...6'0" 235 lbs, so I figure I should have a little more power between my legs, to haul my ass efficiently. Plus dont 50cc's usually only top out around 40-45ish MPH? I dont ever intend to drive on any highways or anything with it, but even some major avenues and blvds have 50mph speed limits, so I dont want to be overwelmed by cars. Does anyone have a guess as to what kind of gas milage and top speed I could get at my body size on a 125cc? Does the size of the rider matter much?
I was thinking maybe like a Yamaha Vino 125? That would probably be a little cheaper than a Vespa right?
I have zero experience with scooters, but am considering buying one, for the sake of fun, and because itll help me save gas and wear and tear on my car as far as my local driving goes (My job is like 60 miles away - tons of abuse on my car). We also like to go out to the Lake Erie Islands and it would be great fun, and useful to drive out there.
I like the vintagey Italian/European style scooters like Vespas, but I kind of want to stay on the cheaper side. I also dont know whether I should buy one in the 49/50cc range or like a 125cc. I dont think I want much bigger because I still care about style and want it to be rather smaller.
Im kind of thinking I should probably opt for a 125 though. Im a relatively bigger guy...6'0" 235 lbs, so I figure I should have a little more power between my legs, to haul my ass efficiently. Plus dont 50cc's usually only top out around 40-45ish MPH? I dont ever intend to drive on any highways or anything with it, but even some major avenues and blvds have 50mph speed limits, so I dont want to be overwelmed by cars. Does anyone have a guess as to what kind of gas milage and top speed I could get at my body size on a 125cc? Does the size of the rider matter much?
I was thinking maybe like a Yamaha Vino 125? That would probably be a little cheaper than a Vespa right?
Note: any European machine will be a huge pain in the azz for service and parts. Vespa is European.........
Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Yamaha, Honda or Suzuki are all good brands to select a scooter from just let the dealer guide you to which one.
Yes you probably will even want to move up from a 125. I would say a 50 cc is out of the running with your size. I had a 07 Vino 125 and at probably 180 lbs at the time (5'8) I could get it up to 50 comfortably but not much more--and quite honestly you won't want much more with that size of wheels. It gets to feel a bit squirrley. I would look at a 150cc--I think this is the best level of an entry bike.
I would say 90% or more of scooter riders trade up after they find out how enjoyable the hobby is--so if you start a bit up you will be ahead.
Here are some bikes I would check out if I was wanting somewhat vintage styling with a bit of speed and not tiny wheels:
Kymco People 150--have ridden one--no problem with 55-60mph but light
Kymco Like 200I (not familiar with this bike must be a new model--saw on their website)
Piaggio Fly 150
I have a Piaggio BV 250 now and it is perfect for me--albeit a bit heavy.
I was able to find a People 150 on ebay with not many miles and a few years under it's belt for under $1500.
There are other models I would recommend (such as the Honda 150 etc but they are sportier looking)---
Wait, are you actually planning on doing a 60-mile commute on this thing? Seems like it would take forever on the backroads you would be relegated to by a scooter that size.
I have zero experience with scooters, but am considering buying one, for the sake of fun, and because itll help me save gas and wear and tear on my car as far as my local driving goes (My job is like 60 miles away - tons of abuse on my car). We also like to go out to the Lake Erie Islands and it would be great fun, and useful to drive out there.
I suspect with the rise in gas prices, we'll see a spike in the interest of scooters again, just as we did a few years back These kind of posts are what I expected to start seeing, considering the current fuel situation. When gas was hovering at $4/gal; even becoming unavailable here in the southeast; I heard from people like you just about every day. Even at stoplights, people would roll down their window and holler across traffic "hey! how much did that cost? what kind of mileage does it get!?"
Speaking as a scooterist of 13 years, starting with an 80cc, quickly moving to a 250 and finally settling on a 600cc Silverwing (ridden for the last nine years), a 50cc is an unwise choice for you given your size and the miles you expect to ride.
First - you need to make sure you are seriously interested in riding. That should take precedence over the size and style of bike. You need to take into account that 60 miles on a bike is waaay different than 60 miles in a car - actually 120 miles if one assumes that your initial number counts as only one way. The comfort level, safety, and convenience is vastly different when you ride. You absolutely have to take into account that a bike is in more danger than a car on the road, therefore, expecting enough power to merely meet the speed limit is not enough - you're going to need an extra assurance to be able to zoom out of precarious situations. Also - storage. People take for granted how easy it is to carry all their daily accouterments in a car, now trying to find space for those things on a bike PLUS room to stow your riding gear and extras like a rain suit. Comfort - as stated, 60 miles on a bike is more noticeable than 60 miles in a car (even for those of us who love riding and prefer two wheels to four). You feel the heat, the wind, are certainly more vulnerable to pop-up storms (I never trust weather stations. A 40% chance of rain means it will when you are out on your bike ).
Even at 5'4" and 116 lbs, I wouldn't ride anything less than a 150cc bike. I just don't view it as a safe or comfortable option to go lower, even when eschewing the busy roads. And this board isn't the best place to get advice on what to buy. There are plenty of scooter message boards out there. Check places like Maxi Scoots - Index or Battle scooters - ADVrider Talk to other riders, either in person or on message boards. Get a feel for what it's like once you get past the stage of paying for the bike and are actually living with it. That way you won't end up with an expensive dust collector in the garage (though I imagine scoots will probably be in demand again this year with a reasonable resale rate )
buy a burgman 400 to 650 great for a commute,the piaggio or vespas 250 to 500 cc to me are very uncomfortable and well it rides like a scooter rough dont buy the fly go 250 or bigger
If you're going to commute that far, get at least a 250. BTW, in case you didn't know, the Burgmans are Suzukis. They would be great for your purpose, as would the Honda Silverwing. I like the 'style' of the Vespas too, but the smaller ones just don't pack enough punch.
I'm seriously thinking about buying a Vectrix for local area use. (15-20 miles a day)
A bit small for a 60 mile commute (you wouldn't be able to do that flat out [68mph]) but it's a possible for 'local area' use.
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These kind of posts are what I expected to start seeing, considering the current fuel situation. When gas was hovering at $4/gal; even becoming unavailable here in the southeast; I heard from people like you just about every day. Even at stoplights, people would roll down their window and holler across traffic "hey! how much did that cost? what kind of mileage does it get!?"
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