Suggestions for new scoot rider  By  raven85 (Read 1,926 times)

Raven85,

Welcome to the site, and, have a bone on the old chopper guy for joining up! This post will also be a little long, but as a long-term rider, I want to give you the best advice I can.

I've been riding now for more than 55 years myself, and have ridden about everything around. Like you, I weigh over 230, and my health issues finally made it too difficult to ride the big cycles anymore. Too much arthritis to comfortably climb on and off. So, eight years ago I discovered scooters again.

Here I am at 16, in 1962 on my pet chopper...

And here are me and the missus with the old Kymco...

Two VERY different bikes, but each does its intended job... LOL!

Here's the way "Minnie Mouse" looks right now...  A very BIG trunk, and saddlebags come in REALLY handy when running errands.  The fishtail exhaust is just a tribute to my old Harley days.  I purposely choose the dated Grandvista because I wanted to keep it a true, flat-floor, small-wheel scooter.  I liked the nimble handling of my old Chinese 150, and the Kymco GV 250 is nearly identical in wheelbase, length and overall handling to the 150's, but will safely run a LOT faster.

I started with a Chinese 150 which taught me MORE than I ever wanted to know about Chinese scoots... LOL! But it served me OK until two years ago when I began to need to get on limited-access highways. I moved up the displacement food-chain to a well-used 2007 Kymco Grandvista 250.

It is outdated by today's designs, being a single-cam carbureted version, but it has proven very good for my use. It will cruise 65+ which is still "marginal" on highways, but with an all-out top-speed of 80 on the flat, it will do. Newer 250-300cc versions with fuel-injection will do better.

While the 125-150cc scooters have come a long way in performance, I believe you would be better served by at least a 250 (especially in the hills of San Francisco). New, and minty used major brand 250+ scoots ARE available in your price range. As for operating expense, my 250 uses no more gas than my old 150 did, and, insurance is no more either.  But "Minnie Mouse" will scoot up hills which slowed my 150 to a crawl.

As for riding impressions, I tried out most EVERYTHING, new AND used, before going with the used 250. All the Japanese scoots are great, and the Italian models are superb, AND often surprisingly AFFORDABLE! The Taiwanese Kymco and SYM models to me at least, seemed to be near the top of the heap for heavy-duty, durable, quality construction, but that's only my opinion.

One of the other members just snagged a NEW Kymco "Downtown 300" this week for under $3,500 delivered, and THAT is a LOT of ride for the money! Others have found new, name-brand, larger than 150 scooters for even less, so you have to scrounge around for the best deal.

Newer Chinese scooters (especially larger displacement models) are much better than in past years, but for serious, daily-driver use, I'd still prefer a bargain-priced new-or-used Japanese, Italian or Taiwanese brand. I must admit I'm a die-hard Kymco fanatic these days... Just me, but they are very good.

You might be OK with one of the newest 125 to 200cc fuel-injected scooters, but they are fairly expensive, and, in all honesty, there really IS "no replacement for displacement". The best 150 is not going to have much more than 12 hp, and the worst 250 will have nearly 20hp. And the bigger displacement models have stiffer frames, and generally somewhat better overall riding manners than the smaller ones...  Especially with heavier riders, climbing hills and running freeway speeds.

Whatever size you choose, be aware that wheelbase, weight and overall length varies quite a bit between models. Also, if you have any trouble like me, with climbing OVER a bike, remember some have FLAT floors, and some have SEMI-HUMPS to get over... For example, the Kymco "People" series has a true flat-floor, and the "Downtown" models of the same displacement have humps. No problem if you're limber, but if you're stiff, BIG difference.

I'd strongly recommend you test-ride MANY different scooters in your price range if possible. Some you'll LOVE, some you'll HATE and a few will be "OK" when you get used to them.

I have no knowledge of the CARB approved models.  I'm sure some California riders can help you there.

Whatever you choose, you'll have plenty of friends on this site to offer advice! So, enjoy the ride, and RIDE SAFE!

Leo in Texas

PS:  One thing I learned is that whether or not you run freeway speeds, ANY scooter runs better on "P" rated tires!  150 and smaller scooters usually come with "J" rated tires for speeds up to 60mph or so.  "P" rated tires are rated for over 90mph, and when I replaced the J-tires with P-tires, my scooter became a whole different ride!  At ANY speed, even in slow traffic.

Whew!

LOADS of advice here, ALL GOOD! If you don't mind a real "clutch n' gears" motorcycle, the Honda Rebel IS a first-class choice. DEFINITELY worth looking into.

As Kat posted, the ITALIAN scooters really ARE top-quality, and usually affordable. The note that most "200" scoots are really much smaller is true. I rode a loaner Kymco "People 200" from my local dealer while he changed out my tires. It is similar to the mid-sized Italian large-wheel scoots in appearance... See picture below.


image hosting free

In all honesty, I loved the thing... It is still "old-school" with a dated air-cooled 163cc carbureted GY6-style engine, but had at least 50% more pull and speed than my Chinese 150. It would do around 68mph with my 230 pounds aboard. Although maximum cruise was limited to around 55-60mph tops, with wind and hills.

This particular model seems EXTREMELY light and easy to man-handle when parking or getting onto the center-stand, but still short on highway performance. I'm sure the newest fuel-injected "200" scoots from Kymco, Yamaha and other makers would be noticeably better, and just might be adequate.

The Genuine Buddy "Hooligan" 170 is a truly different animal! Genuine makes the Buddy lineup which look more "Italian" than Italian rides... LOL! Their quality is very good, though I'm not sure just WHERE they are made. The only complaints I would have is that they are quite small for a large rider, they are still limited to around 60-65mph top-speed with 55 being max. realistic cruise, and, they are EXPENSIVE for their size.  Due to their price, they are not seen too often, but are surely the Rolls Royce of city scoots.  My dealer sells Buddy and Stella, and I tried out a Buddy 170.  FABULOUS in town, but VERY small, and still lacking performance on the highway, and EXPENSIVE!

If you'd like a truly classic scooter, in a smaller size with plenty of power, the larger displacement Vespa scoots are marvelous. I found numerous minty used Vespa 250's under $2,100 and Vespa riders are known for meticulous maintenance of their rides, and Vespas are known for a lot of speed for their displacement.  My Wife's doc has a Vespa 150 which actually will top 70mph!

You would still probably be best off with a scooter like the Kymco "Downtown" 300 though, and this genre of larger scooters is available from all the Japanese manufacturers too. For a lot of high-speed use, the large-wheel designs are as Kat said, are better handling (though my little 12-inch wheels run smooth and steady at 75) and large wheels would strongly indicate an Italian brand... Again, they can be found in your price-range.

And it you don't mind shifting gears, do check out the Honda Rebel... Very hard to beat for daily riding!  Everybody seems to love 'em.

Best wishes on whatever you choose!

Leo (still ridin' the mouse for all she's worth) in Texas

PS:  It was noted that the Kymco Grandvista is a little cramped.  True, but if you have fairly short legs they are great.  Not likely you'll go for a GV though, as they've been out of production since 2010.  Once in a great while, a NOS Grandvista shows up, left over from 2011, still in stock from a dealer.  If you like them, THOSE are really great deals, as they can't command top-dollar due to age.