Help- need scooter for city transportation for husband  By  monalisaride (Read 988 times)

I've been riding now for over 50 years, and must agree with "Ricardoguitars" and "Cyborg 55". At 71, I ride a scooter for the step-through frame since arthritis keeps me from climbing onto a big bike without a LOT of pain.

Today's scooters are great, and I like the "twist-n' go" no-shifting controls. Easier to ride than clutch n' gears motorcycles.

For safety, a full-size motorcycle likely has a slight edge over a scooter, if for no other reason than larger wheels. Now my aging Kymco 250 scooter has small 12" wheels, and with good tires and properly balanced wheels, I do ride 70-mph in relative comfort but larger wheels are better.

I live in the Dallas/Fort Worth TX area, and bikes of all types are available at decent prices. $1,000 is a VERY tight budget, but decent rides can be found, especially if you shop before the new riding season.

A used (or even new) Chinese scooter is likely to need some fiddling with to get it reliable. That's just the way it is. Sometimes you get lucky, but you must be ready to do some minor work.

Japanese, Taiwanese and Italian scooters really ARE more likely to be trouble-free, and around here, they can be found in the $1,000 to $2,000 range. You really have to search them out.

My first scooter was a Chinese 150 bought new for $700. THAT however, was 8 years ago. I suppose a new one like it today might be well over $1,000 but NEW Chinese scoots are better than mine was.

I would definitely keep an open mind on motorcycles like an older but well-maintained Honda Rebel 250 or something similar.

My scooter is a 2007 Kymco Grandvista 250 with 18K miles on the clock. I bought it 4 seasons ago for $2,500 but today it's worth only around $1,000. A scoot like it would be a very good choice. Kymco scoots are extremely well-made. I've had ZERO maintenance issues with the old girl, and she's as reliable as the family sedan.

Long story short, I'd try to find EITHER a scooter OR motorcycle in the 150 to 400cc range, made in Japan, Taiwan or Italy. Just me, but I've been around the block... Heck, I've been around the world!

Don't worry about getting one a little larger than 150. I'm about the same weight as your husband, and I'm much happier on the 250 than I was on the 150. Nothing under 700cc is going to be so fast that it's "scary" or dangerous.

Keep us posted on your quest for wheels... And if you run into maintenance problems, there are plenty of members here to give advice.

I've ridden over a million miles on every kind of bike, and if I get too old and feeble for 2 wheels, I'll get a 3-wheeler... or a sidecar... LOL!

If your husband is new to riding, please DO get some good instruction. Little things like wet leaves, oil on the road and such CAN be a miserable surprise... But if careful, bikes are relatively safe, affordable to use and a WHOLE lot of fun!

Buy well and ride safe!

Leo in Texas