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Post by scootnwinn on Jun 12, 2013 0:48:22 GMT -5
You obviously have never ridden and maintained a kitted classic Vespa. They demand meticulous care. Nothing boring about it. For me though its not a hobby its a way of life.
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Post by domindart on Jun 12, 2013 1:00:14 GMT -5
Are vespa's pricey to maintain (kinda like a ferrari is in the car world)?
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Post by scootnwinn on Jun 12, 2013 1:28:31 GMT -5
No not really. I have spent about $100 since I got it most of it went to an air filter that lasts forever that was missing. A battery and a carb kit about the same as a GY6 kit and battery.. Its mostly just tuning and tightening stuff. Parts are similar in cost to GY6's performance head about $120. BBK ranges from $200 to $600. Lights all that are common and inexpensive. 10" tires are the same. Not bad at all.
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Post by scootnwinn on Jun 12, 2013 1:49:12 GMT -5
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Post by xxwoodmanxx on Jun 12, 2013 6:20:21 GMT -5
Awesome @ the get-together, man! I'd like to have one somewhere here in the central OH area sometime.  While I do not take the role of an 'elitist' when it comes to scooters/motorcycles mechanical know-how, I DO hold a higher regard for those that chose to wrench on their own rides. Builds your knowledge base, experience, and could help you help others somewhere down the road, based on those experiences. It drives me nuts, seeing these guys(or gals?) chomping at the bit to get their bike they've been dreaming of, only to be a "key-turner". And I'm not talking advanced mechanical insight here.....I mean those that don't even top off their own fluids, or know where their battery is located. As per my conversation in the gym the other day: ~He just bought a 2012 ZX9R Ninja~ me: ......"You go out riding yesterday?" him: "Nah. Couldn't get it to start for some reason." me: "Aw, man. Sorry to hear that. Any ideas on the issue?" him: "nope" me: "Battery? Starter solenoid?" him: "starter whaaa? I'm just gonna take it to the shop." .....I just casually ended the conversation there and changed subjects. Just had to think to myself, "Yeah! How's that "dream bike" treatin' ya now??"  |
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Post by brooklyn150cc on Oct 14, 2013 13:19:21 GMT -5
Hey Mike
I didn't know you lived in Brooklyn also. Where in Brooklyn was the Scooter Party? I would have attended with my Chinese scoot as well. I think the main thing about Chinese scooters is the price. Sure I would like an Aprilla but for a fraction of the price, my scooter is a good deal.
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Post by trailheadmike on Oct 14, 2013 13:48:27 GMT -5
I'm in New Jersey now unfortunately, but still not too far away. You might want to go on facebook and "like" the NY Scooter Club or check in with them from time to time outside of facebook if you don't use it. They seem to be the most active NYC area group I've seen and the scooter rally was theirs. It was held in Red Hook at Scooter Bottega, 65 Union Street. Two rides went out from there, and when everyone returned they had a barbque followed by a nightime ride through times square. I skipped the night ride because I still had to ride back to NJ, and I was not too keen on going over the Pulaski Skyway at night!
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Post by oldchopperguy on Oct 14, 2013 14:35:46 GMT -5
I dunno, guys and gals...
After more than a half-century of riding, I've ridden about everything. They're ALL different, and ALL have good and bad points, but I ALWAYS enjoyed riding what I was on at the time. I just traded my Chinese 150 on a used Kymco 250, not because the 150 wasn't any good, but because I needed a larger engine to keep up with changing traffic conditions around here.
Did my old Xingyue require MORE wrenching than I'd have liked? Absolutely! But I had all the bugs worked out, and learned a whole lot in the process. AND, "Lil Bubba" only cost $700 brand-new. The scooter-jockey who buys the little guy off the lot at Moxie Scooters will most likely be AMAZED to get a USED Chinese scooter that runs like stink, and doesn't give trouble.
As for cosmetics, I personally think the Chinese are the BEST hands, down. The styling, paint and looks can't be beat. As for performance; once you de-bug them, they run at least "in the ballpark" with the others so long as it's apples-to-apples. (You will NOT get a carbureted 2-valve China-scoot to run with a same size fuel-injected 4-valve Asian or Euro-scoot). As for quality, annoying things like brittle plastics, "square wheels", self-destructing fuel-lines, CDI's and valve-stems are a "given". You have to fix them. Not difficult, or expensive. The engines and running gear are usually quite decent.
The real problem is "quality-control"... or the lack of it. Missing pieces, cross-threaded nuts and bolts, air-filter-systems that will not allow tuning... These are the things that truly give Chinese scoots the bad rep. And, most of these are also easy for the average person to fix, so long as they have sites like this to advise them. (I'm a 50-year Harley lover, and had NO idea how to wrench my Xingyue...).
Those who think CHINESE rides are breakdowns waiting to happen, and think they spend more time wrenching than riding have obviously never owned a 1960's BRITISH ride... LOLOLOLOLOL!
I used to do an end-zone dance if I successfully rode my BSA Hornet 40 miles one-way without a breakdown, and then got out the tools and started praying, in an attempt to get back the same 40 miles home... The WORST Chinese scooter EVER MADE is a ROLLS ROYCE compared to that one... and most of its siblings...
My last Harley (a 1970 Electra-Glide) was no prize, either. The BEST, most TROUBLE-FREE bikes I've had were my 1957 Harley chopper, and my 1968 Honda 300 Super Hawk. I'm hoping my "new" used Kymco will join them in my rider's hall of fame. We shall see.
Trust me... There are cheap rides that are gems, expensive rides that are junk, and of course, also the opposite. I don't trash anybody's ride. Never did. After all, they paid hard-earned money for it, and it was their choice. It's like telling a guy his gal is ugly... Not nice, AND she may be the best cook in town...
Leo (ridin' what I can afford...) in Texas
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2013 14:45:22 GMT -5
facts.
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Post by spandi on Oct 14, 2013 15:44:29 GMT -5
Hmm, informative posting Leo, can't IMAGINE why the Japanese came to dominate the motorcycle industry! |
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Post by brooklyn150cc on Oct 14, 2013 15:56:13 GMT -5
Thanks! Just joined the site. Wish I had known about them earlier would have joined them for the Columbus Day Parade.
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Post by spandi on Oct 14, 2013 16:44:55 GMT -5
Cantankerous or not, Mrs Peel sure looked good on a BSA!
(unfortunatly dubbed in French.)
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Post by urbanmadness on Oct 14, 2013 20:27:33 GMT -5
I look at it this way... My $500 craigslist special, looks good, runs pretty reliable (I've had two blow outs in two weeks but I can't blame the bike on the second one), isn't too slow and got me on two wheels. I've got way more then 500 bucks enjoyment out of it and I'm sure I'll get my money back out of it when I upgrade, If I don't hang on to it. Am I any more a scooterest then my buddy that rides a 500cc Piaggio because he does't wrench on it? No, I don't think so, we still have great big smiles on our faces when we ride together. I actually even like wrenchin' on them... doesn't that make me a scooterest? No it makes me a masochist... |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Oct 15, 2013 23:36:10 GMT -5
Hmm, informative posting Leo, can't IMAGINE why the Japanese came to dominate the motorcycle industry! Spandi, They had to do something to get even for WWII... LOL! So they started making engines that would actually start... And stay running... and charge sensible prices... Cheesh! How sneaky can you get? They just wouldn't play fair! Such is life... LOL!  Ride safe,Leo |
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Post by shalomdawg on Oct 16, 2013 0:27:06 GMT -5
howdy, i won't judge the other guy on wrenching and not knowing whether you'd get home from work or to work for the "joy" of riding chinese(or other bikes like the old lucas electrics on the bso or triumph") but i checked my air pressure today befor heading out for a 700 miles round trip in the next few days and it was a major project for me. does that mean i'm not a real scooterist? i can't break down because i can't walk more than a mile or so without danger so should i give up riding two wheels? tha's not the decision i made. i buy the most reliable scoots i can find, then drive conservatively and find a dealer for servicing my ride. by your definition, i'm some kind of low-life that shouldn't be allowed to live and ride a scoot? maybe i'm not welcome on this prestigious forum?
lotsa miles and smiles to ya
ken
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