Need Help Finding a New Scooter 150cc+, Smooth+comfortable!  By  zml661415 (Read 897 times)

Hey, WELCOME to the site! Have a bone on the Old Chopper Guy for putting some good thought into choosing a scooter to really meet your needs. Being light weight, you DO have an advantage over us "ample" riders... LOL! You can get by with fewer cc's than most of us...

I think many of us would agree with Kat about the larger wheels being a good move for you. My first scooter was a Chinese Xingyue 150 with 13" wheels. I found it to be a GREAT all-round ride up to its top speed of approx. 60 mph. The 13" wheels handled most bumps fine, and the suspension was "adequate" for me. I rode the scoot for 7 years, and traded it on a used Kymco 250 simply because around here, I really DO need 70+ mph speed just to safely stay with traffic...  Even on local SURFACE STREETS... Yup!

The Kymco 250 has 12" wheels (120/70/12 front, 140/70/12 rear) and is fine for me, even cruising at 65+ but you'd find them small and rough, based on your post. Like Kat, I'd recommend Italian brands which are of GREAT quality, and often can be had affordably, and used models can be a great buy.

My only experience with large-wheel scooters was this Kymco "People 200" my dealer loaned me while he changed tires on my 250. It was amazing!   I almost considered swapping back for it, instead of the 250!  I liked it THAT much. It's not a true 200, but a 163 cc air-cooled GY6 type. Simple, air-cooled, carbureted, easy to maintain, with no bells and whistles, but handled great, and would hit 69 mph with my 235 pounds aboard. One of those bikes that was just a joy to ride. It was 6 years old with only 2K miles on the clock; almost "like new" condition, and sold for $1,500 which seems to me, like a good deal from a dealer.



The Italian large-wheel scoots are similar, and may be more available depending on your location. I did find the 17" wheels were much more forgiving of potholes and bumps than my 12-inchers. Acceleration was VERY good, and the ONLY thing I didn't truly love about this little Kymco was that even though listed at nearly the same weight as my 250, it felt "feather-light".  I could "thrash" it and standing by it, lean it over till the bars nearly touch the ground, then pick it up with one hand...  It almost puts itself on the center-stand!  I can NOT do that with my 250.  Not a bad thing, especially when maneuvering into a parking spot, or riding in city traffic, but a tad more "twitchy" in monster crosswinds... But ANYTHING on two wheels is a little that way in heavy wind.

I am an old-school biker, used to big bikes: choppers and baggers, so the scooter experience is quite a change. I'm just too old and arthritic these days to climb onto big bikes, and have fallen in love with step-through scooters... still happy with them after more than 8 years.

I realize EVERYTHING in New York is much more expensive than in Texas, so I can't estimate how much you might have to pay for a good, large-wheel ride. I do believe that you CAN find either a new one on sale, OR a good used one from Italy or Taiwan for under $2,000.

If possible, try to test-ride as many scoots as possible to get the best impression of just what suits you best. While most all brands today are good, my experiences make me lean toward all the Italian brands, and Taiwanese Kymco and Sym. Just me.  My old 250 weighs 350 pounds and rides MUCH smoother than my old Chinese 150 rode...  The heavier the bike, the smoother the ride, but in New York traffic I'd probably sacrifice smoothness to go "light" for nimble handling.

Whatever you choose, do ride carefully. Those potholes can even dump you off a Harley, or a Honda Gold Wing!

Ride safe, and please keep us posted!

Leo in Texas