First time buyer (advice PLEASE)  By  mrsunsett (Read 1,359 times)

I'm with tortoise on this one, and Tim at Carolina Fun Machines hits the nail on the head. In my opinion , the Lance PCH 125 is one of the best all-around new scoots on the planet.

Or you could go used....anything from Japan or Taiwan.

First, welcome to the site!  Have a bone on the Old Chopper Guy!

I rode big bikes for more than fifty years. Like you, car maintenance was getting high, and I love anything on two wheels and arthritis is making it hard to climb onto a big bike. So eight years ago, I got a new Chinese 150. It was "OK" but required a LOT of wrenching. I finally got it reliable and did enjoy it... UNTIL local roads got re-designed and traffic speeds increased monumentally. Suddenly the 150 would not safely run with traffic.

I then traded my '07 Xingyue 150 on a well-used '07 Kymco Grandvista 250. I chose that outdated model because it was one of the smallest, lightest 250's and was as good as the old 150 in crowded traffic... BUT... it would still run 70+ mph when needed. And THAT includes on surface streets with 45 mph speed limits where traffic regularly runs 65-75 mph.

After nearly a decade of riding modern scooters, I really cannot recommend anything under 150cc except for closed-communities, or STRICTLY on side-streets where traffic runs slower than 35 mph. Even a 150 is "marginal" for safety. I'd ONLY go with a 50cc if there was a major reason to. The larger scooters are nearly as nimble as small/mid-size scooters (so long as you stay away from the VERY long "maxi" scoots) and they are affordable to license and insure. Even my old carbureted 250 gives better than 80 mpg fuel consumption.

There are new classes of high-tech scoots in the 200cc class which are light, nimble and have enough speed for safety, but they are pricey.

So... as for engine displacement I truly recommend nothing less than 150cc and preferably over 200cc.

For manufacturers, I recommend (new OR used) any major brand from Japan, Italy or Taiwan, but would shy away from Mainland China. (My old, used Kymco from Taiwan with 18K miles on the clock is LIGHT-YEARS ahead of many new Chinese scoots when it comes to reliability and heavy-duty construction).

Italian scooters of all sizes are EXTREMELY good, and can often be had for VERY affordable prices... Something to seriously consider.

To sum up my thoughts, go 150cc or larger. Go European, Japanese or Taiwanese (new OR used) and test-ride different models and styles before making up your mind.

Hope this may help,

And, whatever you get, RIDE SAFE!

Leo in Texas

I can understand your dilemma. When I first started looking for a scooter it was like looking at a whirling kaleidoscope lol! So many models and sizes you didn't know where to start, just take your time, do your research and after awhile you'll start knowing your way around. You've already have some good leads from the folks here, and as far as the " love-hate" in the opinions about Chinese scooters, there are better and worse even in that market, and a lot of times it comes down to doing a proper PDI (set up of your scoot) and maintenance. BTW, I agree with the rest of the Dawgs here about going for the larger 125 models. Good luck!

Welcome to itistheride

Knowing some things about your actual needs might better help us to help you make a choice sooner and more specifically. Without more concrete info, it's not as easy to make better informed suggestions.

1) What is your height & weight?
2) What kind of roads do you expect most of your riding to occur on? (hills, pavement, any dirt roads, max speed limits on those roads to be used, any expressway riding intended?)
3) Where will most of the riding be done? (city, urban, rural,?)
4) What kind of distances do you expect you will be riding?

A lot of the Japanese bikes might be a little more expensive than Chinese, but are generally known to be pretty reliable, but if you don't mind being vigilant with maintenance, then some Chinese bikes would be OK (I suppose; personally I tend to favor Honda bikes)

5) Have you checked on scooter forums where most of the bikes are Japanese?
Most forums for any scooter will often have sections on known issues for their genre/favored bike manufacturer of bikes. (frequency of problems for various systems and their repair/maintenance solutions etc) investigating this may help in your decision making.

6) A rough estimate of your budget would be helpful to know.
(you should also budget for protective gear. Helmet is a must for your safety even if the laws allow for no helmet riding. + A jacket with at least some rudimentary armor and high visibility attributes, gloves and boots to protect your ankles. Other items like riding pants and rain gear would also be a good idea for better protection and comfort)
Securing your bike to help prevent theft is also a consideration to bear in mind. (various locks & cables are available; some better than others)

7) What is you level of riding experience?
Taking a basic rider course through the Motorcycle Safety Foundation for example, would be a good investment if you are lacking in experience. (and may be a requirement for obtaining a motorcycle endorsement even though you will be riding a scooter as many states consider any motorized bike above a certain size to be a "motorcycle") Scootering (done right) is more than just getting a bike and twisting the throttle.

8) Do you prefer new or are you OK with used?
New is going to cost more (obviously) But as previously stated, good used Japanese bikes tend to be fairly reliable, parts are available almost anywhere in the US. Though they may be more expensive than Chinese parts, repairs and maintenance are likely to be less frequent than with a Chinese bike. 6 of one, half dozen of another. Just a matter of how busy you are willing to be keeping the bike in good running order.

There are a lot of types and sizes of scooters from many manufacturers from several countries and selection can be daunting. Help us help you more effectively by getting back to us with answers to as many of the above questions as you can.

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That covers a lot. Maybe others here can suggest questions if I've missed something else important to know to help him with his selection of scooter.

Thanks alot everyone, i made my decision amd love it. I ball'sd up and got a 150. I took everything everyone said into consideration especially bandito2.

I was really leaning towards a 50cc because A, im slim and weigh 178 180 depending on how much im eating and my work week. I have a son and my income is... okay, but could be better so i could be more comphy on expenses and bills. I live in miami florida where traffic is absolutely horrible, so a small bike would help me zip through traffic, and in florida hills are non exsistant. As a car driver, i was an expert at finding my way to and from my destinations by zipping through neighborhoods instead of the clogged main streets.

And the bad history was the main thing bothering me, the last time i was on a two wheeler, i was 18 and into dirtbikes and atvs and racing them on the tracks, was thinking of persuing a career out of it, but i really messed myself up on a jump, breaking my clavicle and 3 ribs, tearing the tendons in both my wrists and almost loosing 2 fingers de to landing a hair off and falling off with the bike going over me. So needless to say, i was pretty scared after that.

To get to the point, i figured, i live 4 miles from my job, but im prolly gonna have to move into a bigger residence when my son gets older, so i went with a honda pcx 150, was a little pricey, but i could not have picked a better scooter, the bike mechanically looks very similar to my old honda dirt bikes, just not as exposed. Its great for me to take my wife to the beach and zip aroundaround town to do small errands, had it for a litter over a week and ive put over 150 miles on it.... i can just smell the savings in gas. Bought a scorpion 3/4 helmet and impact gloves(still looking into body armor and pants and boots) and perfect time for sports authority to be going under, got all my rain gear for 40% off... got like 300 bucks worth of rain gear at almost half the price.



All in all, thanks guys
You really helped me get through the maze of the internet. All my future questions comments and concerns will be for yall to talk about on here


Itistheride indeed.


Spencer