Top Speed 52mph? 150cc  By  indymoped (Read 6,401 times)

I bought a 1987 Honda Elite 150 Deluxe scooter new back in the day (just at $1,000) and it always got upwards of 65 MPH with the digital dash readout and a ride by test with a high school friend. Miss those days when the good scooters were cheap and no endorsement needed, heck a learners permit driver license was all you needed back then for any scooter.

I can squeeze 60mph on flat ground but I have to tuck and it takes a long stretch. I have hit 67 down hill engine was turning 9k

i get to the high 50mph to 60mph out of my 125 and 150. sometimes its the low 50's if conditions are adverse. i weigh 240 and both scoots are around the same

my 150 will hit speedo indicated 65 ... I think....haven't tried a wot run in a while.

Impossible stock. Maybe even otherwise. The 250 / 300cc Vespa will do that, however



I hit 65 indicated on my 125 today. Flat ground, too. But that is not common. Most of the time I top out in the low 60mph, indicated. Speedo is around 5mph off across the band. Same goes for my 150.

Top speed doesn't concern me a lot as I don't really need it. I ride WOT much of the time and cruise at 55mph without strain.

If I needed to cruise at 65mph comfortably and consistently in most any conditions I would get a capable 250cc something or another. Note I say in most any conditions. That is why for me 250cc for 65mph would have to be the minimal. If I am going 65mph I want the power to get up to 85mph+, not struggle to get to to 75mph with an odd cc bike. 170cc, 220cc, and what have you. 200cc. Nope. Just give me a good 250cc+ and that settles it

I think THIS experience is right on the money with the typical GY6 Chinese 150. Stock, my Xingyue Eagle 150 topped out anywhere from 45 to 52 mph depending on wind, etc. (except for a strong tailwind or downhill grade, which can get exciting...LOL!).

I recently upgraded to a prodigy variator with 12-gram rollers. I'm seeing about a 3-4 mph increase, but at a MUCH lower rpm. Formerly, at 52 mph I was running about 9,500 rpm. Now at WOT and 55 mph or so, I'm turning about 7,500 rpm.

Around town, at 40-45 mph, it's a real pleasure, just "putting" along in the 4,000 rpm range. At those leisurely speeds, it almost feels like a good Japanese or Taiwanese scoot! Almost...

Your 50 to 150 conversion should have a little better performance potential than a standard 150, but even the stock 150's aren't very heavy, compared to the 50's. So the increase on yours may be more cosmetically impressive, than actually much faster than a full-size 150.

With your hot acceleration, you can go to heavier weights in the variator for sure. THAT will give you some increase, with easier-rpm cruising, and, you might get away with taller final gears too.

I recently rode the wife's chiropractor's new fuel-injected Vespa 150. It had NO trouble hitting 70 mph on it's itty-bitty wheels, with me aboard (I am 6' 1" and weigh 235). I also remember those awful-looking but great-running old Honda "Dukes". Even worn out and held together with duct-tape, they'd always hit 65 with ease.

I don't know WHY their Chinese copies won't even begin to equal that performance. But... We have to live with the fact that (unless we weigh around 100 pounds or less) a TYPICAL Chinese 150 will top out somewhere between 50 and 55 mph. With the most careful tweaking (exhaust, carburetion, CDI, coil and variator/drive-train, etc.) you MIGHT get an honest 60 mph on flat ground and no wind. But, add a slight uphill, or a little headwind and you're right back down to 50 mph tops.

How I WISH China would make these commonly available in a true 175 to 200 cc in their cheap, mass-produced scoots. I know they make such scoots, but they're not common, and they're a little expensive.

I generally figure a Chinese 150 as well-named... It'll carry ONE rider at FIFTY mph... if everything's working right... LOL!

Just my observations...

Leo in Texas


PS: It seems that most all of us find our Chinese 150's just a few mph short of what we really need, and we're trying desperately to coax that magic 55 mph cruise out of them, with little success.

I recently test-rode a Kymco "200" which is really like 170 cc, and it did have that sweet extra 5 mph top end. I really liked it, and it's only about double the price of a Chinese 150. Not bad if you can afford it.

I also tried out a Genuine Buddy 175. Whew! What a slick little hot-rod! VERY quick... but EXPENSIVE... and VERY small. A little too small for me, and pushing $4,000. I'm thinking however, that if you are wanting something like a 150 conversion in a 50, and if you can afford it, the Buddy 175 might be irresistible!