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Posts: 14
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Joined: Aug 14, 2015 0:09:39 GMT -5
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Post by raven85 on Aug 14, 2015 0:24:05 GMT -5
Hello! Figured I would pop on here and introduce myself. My name is Ryan, currently reside around Oroville CA and am currently looking at getting my first scooter.
I have rode ATV's and motorcycles most of my life, might not know my way around an engine extremely well but I am willing to learn and have (some) patience when it comes to it.
Currently I am looking into one of three different scoots and would be curious as to any info on them. My current choices are the Honda PCX 150, Kymco Super 8 150X or the Lance Cabo 150. My main points of interest would be cost, parts availability (aftermarket) and reliability. Obviously the Honda would be my ultimate choice (Although I would prefer a Ruckus but can't deal with just a 50cc and can't afford a GY6 conversion at the moment).
My budget when I go to buy will be $4,000 which would pay for either of these three out the door, but I would like to try and keep cost to $2,500-$3,000 new or used. I would also like the option of aftermarket parts (Specifically a 12V plug for charging my phone on the go, highway bars and maybe later on engine mods).
The biggest thing is I want to be able to cruise at 55-60 mph fairly easily (I am 5' 3" and about 240-250 lbs.... Haven't weighed myself so not sure on that but 250 is the highest I am sure.) And if I can pick up a scoot in the 2-3k range I would have the rest of my budget for a few aftermarket options for the motor as 65 mph would be awesome to be able to cruise at for the highways around this area.
That reason alone is the main factor for the Kymco or Lance scoots as they come in the low range of my budget brand new, I don't mind doing a PDI of my own (although I would probably go to Sacramento and get from a local dealer so hopefully not much is needed.) and I could afford some upgrades to it when I buy it or after I run it a bit.
Anyway, sorry for the long post, hopefully I can find some info on the three scoots I have been contemplating (searched quite a bit, but the Kymco and Lance have proven hard to find parts for online, at least for me, and I am not sure if the GY6 engine parts would work on those two scoots or not.)
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Post by beenriding on Aug 15, 2015 9:10:48 GMT -5
You can't go wrong with a Honda, but the performance market for the PCX is limited. The Kymco Super 8 is an awesome ride with lots of room to grow. If you're really looking for highway speed you may want to go 250 or 300cc's, especially if you're over 200lbs.(Like myself) A 150 can do 55-60, but you don't want to be pushing it to the max all the time. Youtube has tons of reviews most all scooters, here's a good one for you.... See you on the road.
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Post by scooter on Aug 15, 2015 11:15:17 GMT -5
If you want to ride comfortably and without straining the engine at freeway speeds, I'd say go for a 400cc or larger. I saw a nice used Suzuki Burgman 400 for 2,800 just the other day. Suzuki quality, and a street worthy engine. Not quite as polished as this one but nice for the price.
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Post by bandito2 on Aug 15, 2015 15:44:50 GMT -5
For what you describe as your needs and budget, a good used Honda Reflex should fill the bill just fine in a $1800 - $2800 range. (2004 to 2007 models being the preferred choice... better charging system) Anything left over in your budget can go to riding gear and plenty of gas. Then a service manual , oil, tires and such when you need them later. There are no engine or exhaust mods that you should want to do or ever actually should do to this bike. Trust me on this. Only one BB kit mod done that I know of (so far) that didn't ever end badly. High flow filters make it run poorly and too lean. Exhaust kits only make it so you need to change jetting to make it run right. But you would only end up sounding differently and using more fuel with no appreciable increase in performance. They are best left stock engine wise. Honda got it right the first time with the Reflex. It will get you up to 70 mph fairly easy. Acceleration rate eases after that but can hit 75 mph plus. (personally I've had one of mine 83 mph (GPS) and still slowly climbing... but I'm in the 160# range) And you can put it on 70 mph until it runs out of gas from full to almost 200 miles later without problem. Fuel economy is low to mid 60 mpg to a little over 70 mpg. Parts are easy to get, though naturally cost more than Chinese parts, but then you are not likely to need them very often either. That scooter would give you a pretty good bang for your buck and last a long time. Some have done things with the drive line by using different Clutches or variators, pulley faces, K-Mod which is merely removal of some of the variator rollers or replacing rollers with Dr. Pulley sliders. These can safely be done showing a modest improvement in initial acceleration and possibly also top speed. BTW, some come with TRUE ABS brakes, not the Chinese pseudo ABS. And just for full disclosure, I also use a 145/70R12 car tire on my Reflex scooters. First one I used was on a scooter for 35,000 miles and could have gone more, but was changed to try out a different car tire. A scooter rear tire for the Reflex normally lasts only about 5000 to 7000 miles on average. So 6 X as long. Iv'e done 2000 + miles touring with it while pulling a single wheel trailer, so yeah, the Reflex can handle long trips as well. It is well worth considering. ................... ...................
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Post by wheelbender6 on Aug 15, 2015 18:21:20 GMT -5
Welcome the the forum. I believe Oroville means "City of Gold", so to speak.
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