Some observations on riding modern scooters...  By  oldchopperguy (Read 2,611 times)

Well boyz n' girlz...

Seven years ago I rediscovered 2-wheel riding AGAIN, after nearly 40 years without a bike. Back "in the day" I was a die-hard Harley rider, either chopper or "full-dress" bagger. Never could afford another bike after my last Hog was stolen around 1978.

Then, I discovered Chinese scooters. THAT was either a blessing, OR a curse, depending on what the little "workers' paradise" ride decided to do on any given day... LOL. But, you can't deny the fact that my first scoot (Xingyue Eagle 150) was a true bargain at $697 delivered to my door. And when it would start and run right, it was a joy to ride. Just for the record, over 6 years, I had 2 years of absolute misery getting it to run right and fixing "all things Chinese"... LOL! And, I had 4 years of fairly trouble-free enjoyable riding.

One must remember that my life has now spanned enough decades that I must think in terms of dollar values ranging from gold being $35 per ounce (Eisenhower Dollars) to $1,900 per ounce (Obama Dollars). When I was a teen, a guy or gal could get a job any day of the week and in a year, be buying a home and a decent car, get married and have a child, and pay the bills while the spouse stayed home. A low-level worker made maybe $8,000 a year, lived in a $6,000 house and drove a $1,000 car. The CEO of the same business made around $1,8000 a year, lived in a $15,000 house on the other side of the tracks and drove a $3,000 car.

For around a century, the rule of thumb was that one could only afford a house costing ONE YEAR'S gross pay, and a vehicle costing ONE MONTH'S gross pay. While that is still true today, most of America now flounders in debt and misery trying to somehow build a house of cards, earning maybe $50K or much less, and living like they make $500K, hoping that with luck, and an early demise from working and worrying to death, the house of cards won't collapse before they do. Can't change it, it's now the accepted "norm".

That was a DIFFERENT world, where "Wally and Beaver" never got into drugs, and one meager salary was enough...  a world which most folks younger than 50 can't comprehend. Today, the Chinese scooter has re-opened the door to vehicle ownership to thousands of folks who would otherwise have to walk, or ride a bicycle. It also opens the door to people being able to afford a scooter just for fun. Troublesome or not, THAT is amazing in today's economy. And, even since I got my Chinese scooter 7 years ago, more reliable scooters from Taiwan, Italy and other places have become more and more affordable, AND more and more advanced.

I recently "upgraded" from my '07 Chinese Xingyue 150 to a used '07 Kymco 250, mostly because the 150 simply could NOT safely keep up with local traffic. I've put on nearly 1,000 miles on the Kymco, and cannot help but compare it to my old Harley Electra-Glide. Overall handling and performance is amazingly similar, with top-speed being around 80mph, as opposed to the 1970 Harley bagger top-end being an honest 90mph. Acceleration with the Kymco is faster than the old Hog. Braking is much better too. The seating position and overall "feel" at any speed above 30mph is astonishingly similar, being solid and comfortable. Yet the Kymco still is nimble at low speed, like a 150 scooter.

CAN an old Harley guy or gal REALLY be happy on a modest 250cc scooter?  Amazingly, the answer is a resounding "YES".

Now that it's COLD here, I'm REALLY finding out the advantages to a modern scooter. The Kymco came with a GIVI windshield that truly puts me (and my face and hands) in a "bubble" of still air, allowing me to comfortably ride at 50 degrees. The old Hog windshield mostly just blocked my vision... my face and hands were always miserably cold at the same 50 degrees. In short, I'd usually opt to use the car below 65 degrees. Now, I opt to use the scooter... AMAZING what modern technology has done for a simple plastic accessory.

The scooter design also shields my legs and upper-body far more than a motorcycle. (I stay fairly CLEAN through puddles of "schmootz" and if I ever accidentally hit another skunk, well...). The CVT transmission makes riding as easy as driving a car with automatic transmission, and the step-through frame makes mounting the scoot as easy as sitting down on a chair. THIS is a must for me now since arthritis has taken its toll.

To make a long story shorter, I am a lifelong motorcycle lover. If it has 2 wheels, I like it;  Mini-bike to monster!... But, at nearly 70 years old, I now find modern scooters to be a GREAT way to ride, which simply did not exist a few decades ago. Considering today's dollar, scooters (even the more expensive Asian and European models) are a FANTASTIC value. And for fun, or, as useful transport, they offer a transportation option that's more practical, enjoyable and affordable than anything from my early days.

It seems to me that scooters (from thrifty 50's to screaming 800's+) now give one and all a way to get "in the wind" in ways never dreamed of in days gone by. If it weren't for modern scooters, I'd probably be traveling only by car. I think scooters are TRULY a breath of fresh air in a world that for the most part, will no longer pass "the smell test".

Ride safe, one and all,

Leo in Texas