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Post by firewalker22 on Jun 26, 2013 12:48:34 GMT -5
Long have I longed to own a scooter, when I Was a teen I wanted a vespa so much I could taste it. I think this year I will take my vacation money and spend it on a scooter and then take it on a road trip down the back roads of the USA, see how far I can make it. So here it is: Which one should I buy? Should I go with a Chinese dealio? I have heard people say the china should be avoided, but I really don't know. I am thinking 150 cc maybe. How about this Ruckus clone, anyone out there with an opin about it? www.scooterdepot.us/150cc-4-stroke-new-style-gas-moped-for-sale-with-trunk-d150l.html#pro_tabs-2. Any recommendations out there based on road worthiness and reliability? |
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Post by lykos23 on Jun 26, 2013 12:58:39 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum! ;D I have no experience with that specific scooter, but I have experience with my own Chinese scooter. And I must admit that I have been stranded multiple times - BUT every single time I've been stranded has been my own dang fault. The reliability and road worthiness of the Chinese scooter is wholly dependent on the mechanical skill of the owner IMHO. When I first got my scooter I had tons of issues and I could barely hit 25mph. Now that I've progressed with my skill with a wrench and gotten more familiar with the mechanics of the scooter I'm hitting speeds just over 50mph and I haven't been stranded since I last charged my battery about two months ago. If you end up with a Chinese scooter just be sure to carry some tools for rudimentary repair when going on long trips.  |
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Post by domindart on Jun 26, 2013 15:01:26 GMT -5
If you want to wrench less, get a more expensive scoot I think
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Post by PCBGY6 on Jun 26, 2013 15:08:22 GMT -5
If you want to wrench less, get a more expensive scoot I think Well that wouldn't be any fun.  |
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Post by scootnwinn on Jun 26, 2013 15:23:42 GMT -5
...then take it on a road trip down the back roads of the USA, see how far I can make it... Any recommendations out there based on road worthiness and reliability? Do you really want to see how far it will go? Or do you want to have a nice ride? Chinese 150's are good around town bikes but I would be leery of long tours on them. You can get a Vespa used for a lot less than you think. Search your local Craigslist. Lots of nice rides out there from Taiwanese, Japanese, Indian, and Italian firms that will add smiles to your adventure. |
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Post by scootnwinn on Jun 26, 2013 15:35:17 GMT -5
If you want to wrench less, get a more expensive scoot I think Well that wouldn't be any fun. Being broken down, on a busy road, with a narrow shoulder, 300 miles from home, on a hot summer day, pushing a scooter shaped object packed with your gear, to where you do not know, is not my idea of fun... Have a look at the scooter cannonball run. No Chinese machines to enter or finish if I am not mistaken... Vespa has finished Paris Dakar rallies... |
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Post by domindart on Jun 26, 2013 15:37:56 GMT -5
If your going to go on tours you need a good quality scoot
Tomos
Kymco
Suzuki
Honda
Yamaha
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Post by lykos23 on Jun 26, 2013 15:44:46 GMT -5
If your going to go on tours you need a good quality scoot Tomos Kymco Suzuki Honda Yamaha Forgot Italian I think... +Vespa +Aprilia etc. |
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Post by scootnwinn on Jun 26, 2013 15:58:06 GMT -5
Genuine, Bajaj...
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Post by bigggroovy on Jun 26, 2013 15:59:47 GMT -5
always remember. you get what you pay for!!!
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Post by scootnwinn on Jun 26, 2013 16:02:48 GMT -5
And you always pay for what you get...
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Post by tarkus on Jun 26, 2013 16:49:52 GMT -5
If you're looking to cruise I would avoid the china scoot. If you're a wrench turner then maybe as its "save yourself" with china scoots.
I would look at SYM and Lance lots of bang for the buck. Also Kymco and Genuine .There are also a lot of leftovers out there that can be had at a discount. I sad discount not cheap but in the long run you'll have better support.
I twisted wrenches on Harley's for years and don't care to do it to my scoot. Just my preference
For me "It is the ride" not the service.
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Post by SylvreKat on Jun 26, 2013 19:29:37 GMT -5
If your going to go on tours you need a good quality scoot Tomos Kymco Suzuki Honda Yamaha Forgot Italian I think... +Vespa +Aprilia etc. + Piaggio.... They're right. Decide if you want to tinker, or just ride. Me, I'm mechanically-challenged, so went to a big dawg. But lots of guys here love their China-scoots. Go check out the dealers and compare. Sit on them. Ride them in the parking lot if they let you. See if you can find any Chinese dealers (we have Mark's Rugs...and oh yeah, Chinese scooters too  ) See if you like them compared to the Kymco or Piggy or Yami. And get the one you like best for the price you can best afford. >'Kat |
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Post by JR on Jun 26, 2013 21:02:20 GMT -5
If you buy a Chinese 150 and take it on a long ride, I am talking 600 miles and you are pushing it, you wouls be the first person I have ever heard say they completed such a ride. All of the attempts I have seen posted to do a several hundred mile trip has ended with it over heating and melting the plastic cooling shroud ending the trip.
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Post by rockynv on Jun 27, 2013 4:11:07 GMT -5
The Piaggio group invented the scooter to provide reliable transportation to Europe after the World War. It is hard to go wrong with most anything that they make. Piaggio, Vespa or Aprilia are extemely reliable bikes that after the break in oil change go 6,250 miles between oil changes.
I have almost 18,000 miles on my Aprilia 250 now and since the break in oil change all it has required is the one standard belt and roller service at 12,000 miles, 1 regular scheduled valve adjustment, 2 regularly scheduled oil/gear lube/filter(air and oil fiter that is) changes, 2 tires and the normal 2 year coolant and brake fluid fush and changes that every water cooled car, truck, motorcycle and scooter requires (air cooled still require the brake fluid to be flushed and changed every 2 years).
Change the oil/lube along with put on fresh tires and you are good for a 6,250 mile ride.
For a decent 150 you if you shop around you can get a new Aprilia for only a few hundred more than a upper level Chinese clone. Remember asking is not getting and some dealers ask way more than what the bikes really sell for. My Aprilia 250 has a MSRP of $4,499 but I got it new for $2,999 from a local dealer with a full year unlimited mile parts and labor warranty which I then bumped to 4 years unlimited.
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