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Post by beenriding on Aug 5, 2015 23:35:15 GMT -5
Not sure about you guys but scooter riding is down from last year round here. Still seeing plenty of shifter bikes out but the small scootership seems down. Not sure why. I know a lot of people got those $600 scooters from a dealer that gouges them for repairs. Spending $700 on repair for a $600 scooter seems tough to swallow for me tho. But then so does spending 4grand on a new Honda.I've tried to help out some co-workers, given them parts and some tips to look for, but really don't want to end up as the 'scooter guy'. I helped a girl in the neighborhood once, she gave me money, it didn't seem right.
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Post by horace on Aug 6, 2015 15:03:37 GMT -5
I do not know where you live but, Here in Las Vegas, Scooters are becoming more popular than ever!!!!!!! I dare you to drive for 20 min without seeing one on the road..... Rentals, Teenagers, Low income, Enthusiasts etc..... I do agree major dealerships are gouging the heck out of folks who don't know better but, That will always happen. I was recently quoted a 35 dollar fee for a single exhaust gasket............. I'm Not going back to that shop but, other will be paying that price........... Knowledge of what you own is a good thing IMHO. The scooter shall rise again  |
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Post by beenriding on Aug 6, 2015 15:18:30 GMT -5
horace I'm up in Reno, it WAS like that here, but for some reason not this year. We aren't a very scooter tolerant town, people don't have patience for the 50's and they don't want them in the bike lane either. You see them in the downtown area, but that's about it. There are a ton of motorcycles out tho. Maybe all those scoot riders are now motorcycle riders! And I don't know why there's no scooter rental here yet either. There is/was a guy on C/L selling like 10 scooters, he was going start a rental company but found out the insurance was out of his league.
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Post by jtron on Aug 6, 2015 15:38:57 GMT -5
Hahaha 35 buck exhaust gaskets...sounds like freakin car shop prices. I used to work on cars and like a 40 minute brake job where we turned rotors and put new pads in would be like 600 bucks
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Post by horace on Aug 6, 2015 16:31:50 GMT -5
RENO ROCKS!!!!!!!!! just sayn (Sorry for the double post)
The Wolfpack is indeed great!!!!!!
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Post by wheelbender6 on Aug 6, 2015 19:22:48 GMT -5
I think the economy has affected scooter purchases, because workers are commuting longer distances to work. Scooters are fine for shorter commutes, but riders that must commute 100 miles per day will probably opt for a motorcycle.
-We are still seeing speed limits rise and that also tips the scales toward motorcycles.
-The condition of our roads continues to get worse. There are bumps and cracks along my route that send my scooter airborne at cruising speed. Those roads make me want to ride a KLR.
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Post by horace on Aug 6, 2015 19:54:37 GMT -5
Very true Bender!!!!! Then again, those same potholes can cause accidents with a liter bike as well..... Vote for infrastructure -_- Yeah, I can see how riders in most city settings can get frustrated. Reno has snow and ice to deal with too..... Heck, I know riders who gave up because changing gears constantly in city traffic is just plain annoying...... Anyways, at least our traffic is not like some countries... Your horn is not a Brake |
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Post by JR on Aug 6, 2015 20:10:24 GMT -5
RENO ROCKS!!!!!!!!! just sayn (Sorry for the double post) The Wolfpack is indeed great!!!!!! Took care of the double post horace Thanks for reporting it. JR |
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Post by horace on Aug 6, 2015 21:12:45 GMT -5
Thanks JR,
A report can also be used for Good things.....
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Post by spandi on Aug 6, 2015 21:19:09 GMT -5
Well good, it'll keep scooting a small EXCLUSIVE club! |
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Post by beenriding on Aug 6, 2015 21:33:54 GMT -5
wheelbender6 Also, gas is cheaper than it was a year and a LOT cheaper than two years ago. I must admit I'm part of the problem, last year I tried to ride at least 3 days a week to work, so far this year 0. I just don't like the commute, don't like riding with a pack, took my top box off. I work 8am -4pm, it's usually baking hot and windy when I get off. I always enjoyed it more in the morning than afternoons. But I ride strictly for pleasure I don't need to ride it to work.
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Post by beenriding on Aug 6, 2015 21:41:11 GMT -5
RENO ROCKS!!!!!!!!! just sayn (Sorry for the double post) The Wolfpack is indeed great!!!!!! Well It rocks for a few months out of the year. I have bad knees from my youth so I don't ski or board anymore, have NO use for snow or even cold weather. Lived here for a long time, LOVE the summers, but every winter sucks a little more than the last one. |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Aug 8, 2015 17:25:14 GMT -5
I think the scooter population varies a LOT from one place to another, and from one season to another.
Around here (Dallas/Fort Worth Airport) area, I've seen more scooters this year than last year. Mostly, they're ridden by first-time riders who aren't interested in motorcycles, and older dinosaurs like me, who rode big bikes long ago, but arthritis, old age and tight budgets have caused them to notice just HOW far scooters have evolved in the last fifty years.
In this area, I'd say big bikes still outnumber scooters at least 10 to 1, but there are SO many big bikes around that even at 10 to 1, there are also a LOT of scooters on the road! Just my own observation, but the local scooter riders I meet are usually young, first-time riders, old men re-discovering fun transportation on two wheels, and ALL ages of women who wouldn't be caught dead on a big bike, but have fallen in love with the appeal of motorscooters.
With the temps now WAY over 100 in the shade, and around 120 on the open road, protective gear has pretty much become a forgotten item... especially for gals riding the big stuff. While it's an interesting sight to see, it still creeps me out a little to see a gorgeous 100 pound gal wearing nothing but a bikini and sunglasses (and MAYBE flip-flops to keep bare tootsies off the burning asphalt) spinning donuts on a monster Harley chopper, or doing 150 mph wheelies and stoppies on a 400 hp crotch-rocket.
Last week, one "Daisy Duke wannabe" came up behind me and "Minnie Mouse" at 70 mph on the freeway, doing probably 140. With a SCREAMING mill and smoking tire, she dropped down a gear, goosed it and JUMPED OVER me and "the mouse" landing 50 feet in front, and accelerating all the way out of sight... How RUDE! Now, I can handle another rider giving this old geezer the bird, but jumping over me is pushing the envelope... at least she didn't leave tire-marks on my helmet... She got some SERIOUS air-time there... LOLOLOL!
Ahh, the innocence and boundless self-confidence of youth...   
I've heard guys joking that they'd hate to try to make a living selling scooters in Texas, but it would be a lot harder to make a living selling helmets... LOL!
Anyway, I'm happy to see more and more scooters on the road! As for the "size" of the scoots, I don't see any particular favorite. 50, 150, 250 and the bigger 300, 600-700+ cc scooters show up about in equal numbers. You're as likely to see a 700 road-scoot putting to Wally World for groceries, as a 50 desperately trying to sneak down the freeway from one exit to another... To each his own...
Spread the word about scooting, and, RIDE SAFE! And if possible, PLEASE refrain from jumping your crotch-rocket over the old chopper guy... It's hard on the old heart!
Leo in Texas |
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Post by horace on Aug 8, 2015 17:50:24 GMT -5
Very True!!!!! For every small displacement scoot, 1 less big boy bike is on the road! Then again, city folk don't really need A liter of power...... 3rd gear is more than enough for daily city riding, A country back road or hour long twisty/straight commute will be more fun with a larger bike...... JMHO. Folks often think they need the biggest and best, often resulting in a lack of skill to backup the power.......... Personally, I'm happy putting along--- Everyone has to wait for the same stop light anyway.. |
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Post by pmatulew on Aug 9, 2015 8:28:43 GMT -5
Sometimes I think it's just a matter of setting an example. My little town has always had lots of big bikes (revered local dealer now gone), but has always been a scooter dessert. Low horsepower motors just not viable on the hills or the highway.
After I started using my scooter to commute in from the suburbs several days a week though, the number I see on a regular basis tripled. Large and small, guys and gals. Not necessarily new machines either, but even those forsaken little TaoTao's and Roketa's with the ripped seats and yellowed headlights that have been languishing in peoples backyards and storage sheds for years are getting put back in service. Hogs, rockets, Wings, and little nippers with duct taped plastic and chrome spiked license plate frames all parked in a row. It's a beautiful thing.
You zip around the streets in town and you see people look up and the light bulb goes on. "Why drive the car when I only live half a mile from where I want to go?" "Scooting can be fun/easy/safe/efficient/convenient!" I've even tossed my keys to a couple co-workers and the silly grin they come back with says it all.
Where I work it's also partly a matter of privilege. Cagers are required to park in the employee lot across town and use the company shuttle bus to the main campus. That adds at least 15 minutes to either end of the day. On the other hand the "cool kids" on two wheels are tacitly allowed to "squat" on a strip of median between the main buildings. Way more convenient to be able to park right outside the door. Especially if you need to run errands during the day.
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