Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
They do exist, and they're called "motor assisted scooters", per the Texas DMV. As far as getting 'splatted', I would put them on par with bikes. Of course, they should be ridden on the appropriate streets, safely and with a helmet.
you mean golf-carts
Neighborhood Electric Vehicle and Motor Assisted Scooter Information (http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/msb/pages/Electric.htm - broken link)
Look at GEM
STAY AWAY FROM THE CHINESE SCOOTERS! I see it many times on scooter forums those things conk out on you quickly and you will be unable to get parts. Stick to the known brands yamaha,honda,vespa,etc
CF Moto is one of the better Chinese Motorcycle/Scooter Manufacturers from what I have read.
Check out the CFMoto Fashion 250 a cheaper alternative to a Honda Helix.
I have a Znen 150 and a Suzuki Burgman 400. I think I probably have a slight preference for the Chinese scooter. It is cheap, easy and fun for around town.
Hows the can am spyder to ride? Fun? I was thinking about one of those but the sticker shock ruined it for me
They ride a lot like a sport bike: feet tucked back, leaning forward, putting a lot of weight on your wrists. Some riders are already looking at mods to make it easier to ride like a touring bike so you can go long distance.
You can't lean the bike over in turns, though you still end up with moving your weight into turns. It's a little like a sidecar in that respect. You also steer the front like a car rather than counter-steer like a two-wheeler.
Fun? I guess that's in your interpretation. Some would never give up the kind of feeling you get on two-wheels by switching to three. Others love the stability of a three wheel platform.
Price? Ehhh, most people who buy them would agree it's a fair deal. The MSRP has actually gone up and people are still willing to pay. It's a bit of a techno-ride with a lot of on board computer stuff and doo-dads. It's a bike that has become prohibitive of self-maintenance. We had hoped to do some of the simpler stuff ourselves, but were advised against it. Ours goes in for its first maintenance soon and what we were shown in the shop makes it appear like the thing is going to be hooked up to a life-support system I don't think that part of ownership is going to be cheap.
What makes it quite expensive is if you are part of a two-rider family and each person needs their own bike (as Spouse and I do. Neither of us likes to do the two-up thang). Then you're talking $30k+, not to mention the expense of maintaining them. I think we're going to just end up squabbling over whose turn it is to ride
OK, after reading all this, I have a new question. I have mountain roads rather than hills. Which scooter would be best able to cope with frequent and often steep inclines? The folks that actually paved roads around here must have had mountain goat blood in their veins.
OK, after reading all this, I have a new question. I have mountain roads rather than hills. Which scooter would be best able to cope with frequent and often steep inclines? The folks that actually paved roads around here must have had mountain goat blood in their veins.
The Piaggio has independent suspension and if it is not locked it will fall over just like a motorcycle. They have the lock lever so that you can push it to load it or move it but you cannot ride it in the locked position or you cannot steer.
In fact the picture you have is a triked Piaggio. The one I saw onlly had one back wheel. I think I could ride that one!!!! I'll have to check on that. Thanks...
The Piaggio has independent suspension and if it is not locked it will fall over just like a motorcycle. They have the lock lever so that you can push it to load it or move it but you cannot ride it in the locked position or you cannot steer.
In fact the picture you have is a triked Piaggio. The one I saw onlly had one back wheel. I think I could ride that one!!!! I'll have to check on that. Thanks...
The photo I posted was a quad piaggio mp3. If you cannot lock it then how would someone be able to ride it with the two wheels in the back? That would mean everytime you turn one of the back wheels goes up.
Piaggio MP3 is a trike two wheels in the front one in the back but it doesn't ride like one you have to lean rather then steer so you can drop it like a regular bike.
OK, after reading all this, I have a new question. I have mountain roads rather than hills. Which scooter would be best able to cope with frequent and often steep inclines? The folks that actually paved roads around here must have had mountain goat blood in their veins.
You're probably going to have to look at things like horse power, torque, and the weight of the person riding. My first scooter; ridden for a few months and then traded in on something bigger; was a Honda Elite 80 (80cc). I trucked it up to the Blue Ridge Parkway (mountains of NC and VA) to ride on weekends. Though the bike could do 45-50 on the flats, trying to haul me up steep grades it slowed to about 25, no matter that I pulled the throttle all the way over.
I'd advise a close look at the specs of each scooter you check out. Also, google 'scooter message boards'. It used to be that the most prominent message area was alt.scooter, but with the rise in scooter popularity, there are plenty of web-based boards out there.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I don't think that part of ownership is going to be cheap.
