Lik

1) How much (total) budget do you have?
2) What is your intended use of the scooter?
3) What style (of scooter) do you prefer?

-Lik

Lik

原帖由 邊少 於 2009-3-9 07:51 發表

tks first lik
1. around $2xxx-3xxx
2. nearby grocery shopping (driving range abt 10min Richmond Superstore nearby area)
3. no idea what kind i can choose from

1) If $3k is your total budget, you may or may not have enough. A good helmet (HJC, let's say) is already $300. You should at least get a proper riding jacket ($200?) and a pair of good shoes that'll cover up your ankle when you ride.

2) For grocery shopping only in Richmond, a 4-stroke 50cc scooter would be enough. 2-stroke 50cc are more powerful, but I don't like them because they are bad polluters to the environment. Underseat storage might be important. Or, you could spend another few hundred $$ to get a rear Givi case.

3) For reliability, Honda, Yamaha, and Kymco are your best bets. For the most part, the 3 most popular styles revolve around neo-retro scooters, sports scooters, and rugged-looking scooters. Aprilia and Piaggio might be prettier and more upscale in some people's eyes, and some of their models ride a lot better b/c they have bigger wheels (12" vs 10"). But just like European cars, they aren't as reliable as their Japanese counterparts. Whether you can deal with the possible issues is up to you.

The really stupid thing is, if a 50cc scoot has 2 seats, you are allowed to carry a passenger. However, just b/c it is legal doesn't mean it is something you should do. Unless you have at least a year's worth of riding experience, I would never recommend any rider to carry a passenger. It totally changes the dynamics of the bike. 50cc scooters only make it worse b/c the scoot is underpowered to begin with.

Note that 50cc scooters can only do 60km/h (4-stroke) or 70-ish km/h (2-stroke) at most. Many people mod them to make them go faster, and that is certainly something you can do. I follow the belief that it is cheaper, more fun, and most importantly, safer to simply get a proper MC licence and get a bigger scooter/bike instead. To me, a 125 or 150cc scooter is a lot more fun than a 50cc, even if the 50cc is tricked out. Of course, that adds another $800 or so to your overall cost (for riding school and licence test), but it is definitely worth it.

Man... I love the Yamaha BWS 125, but unfortunately, my riding days are over la...

-Lik

Lik

The usual stuff la.

Overall condition. Look for scuff marks and signs of whether the scooter has been dropped before. Look at the handle bars (esp the ends) and brakes lever for damage. Ride the thing and listen of odd noises and vibrations. See how well the brakes work. Pay attention to see whether the CVT belt / auto-clutch (forgot what it is really called) is slipping. Pay attention to see whether there is any excessive smoke (2-stroke will inherently smoke a little). Check for rust, esp on the frame / bottom / underside / at the exhaust, etc.

Japanese scooters should be pretty trouble-free if they have been properly maintained ge.

-Lik

Lik

To do 80kph+, you'll need an engine size of at least 125cc. However, 125 - 150cc scooters will max out at around 90 - 100kph, depending on how heavy the rider is.

As far as brands are concerned, the scene is kind of similar to cars -- Japanese and Taiwanese scooters are ultra reliable, and Italian scooters are stylish and trendy, but are not as reliable gum law. Vespa, in particular, is very much a boutique brand, and while their scooters look extremely stylish (with that impossible to duplicate European flair), they are certainly on the expensive side as well. Piaggio, which is their value line, is more affordable (but has the same not-Japanese/Taiwanese reliability).

Personally, I really like the Yamaha BWS 125 and the Honda SH150i. Both are fuel injected, and should be tremendously fun to ride. The BWS has smaller but more rugged tires, so it should be more nimble, but would feel a little rubbery (b/c of the taller tire). The SH has big tires, so it'll feel more stable at speed, but is less agile darting around town. Kymco is a very reputable Taiwanese brand, and their scooters would be a little cheaper than the Japanese brands, but I am not as familiar with their scoots.

If you ever want to do I5 / I405 / I90, etc., you'll need at least something with a 250cc engine. I am quite light, so I remember myself doing almost 130kph on a 250cc scoot with a full high speed tuck-in. But you're a bit bigger and heavier than I am, so you might need something a little bigger. I personally find the 400cc+ maxi scooters to be too big and unwieldy, but Vespa and Piaggio have scooters with 280cc engines now, so they should be good enough for Interstate travels should you ever feel like it.

(Personally, I wouldn't do that because I find scooters to be most enjoyable at sub-100kph speeds, but whatever floats your boat, you know?)

-Lik

Lik

and personally i wouldn't do anything too fast with a scooter
i only have a 50cc but because of the light weight (scooter + myself), at 70 km/hr i already feel a tad bit 'piu'...so i wouldn't go too fast, unless i change to a heavier scoot or gain some weight myself.
mibu 發表於 2010-8-18 12:43

Bear in mind that more often than not, the speedometer reading on scooters reads much faster than you are actually travelling at. Also, the tendency is for the discrepancy to be bigger the faster you go.

With my old 150cc scoot, I know I was only going at around 90kph even though my speedometer reads 100kph.

Also, stability (or lack of it) also depends on wheel size. Assuming that you have a Honda 50cc scooter, it probably has a 10" wheel. The 10" size is what gives you the agility at slower speeds. The moment you move up to a 12" wheel, the scooter becomes that much more stable.

-Lik