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A buddy of mine did a 500 mile tour with a kid on a new Sportster. Every corner he heard the sound of skidding coming from that bike. When he asked the kid, "Are you using the front brake?" the kid said, "Heck NO! My Dad said you never use that. It will flip the bike over on your head." Ignorance abounds.

I've heard the stories of Chinese restrictors failing for years but not on any scooter forums in the nine years I've been on. Mine has never even done anything in the nine years I've owned it. Maybe I've never done anything wrong but I've never had any complaints with my brakes. Obviously they're no match for an Aprilia but then again I won't be doing 80 mph either. 

But back to the original topic. I commuted for years and the last thing I needed to worry about was if some technical feature would fail. I literally had both brake light switches wear out in the 125,000 miles I owned my Z-1000. I can't imagine what would have happened if I had all the wiz-bang features on some of today's bikes. I would have worn any scooter to death in that mileage but my Z kept on going.

If I have to rely on something every day I want something I can service. ABS and traction control look good on paper but to me are just things to fail later on. My Spectre and Nighthawk are all tech I need.

www.revzilla.com/common-tread/communing-with-machinery-the-allure-of-older-motorcycles?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=3/18/2017%20-%20CT&utm_term=Common%20Tread%20%7C%20Combined

I think if there was an easier way Pete would have found it. He isn't the only one I've seen complain about it. Modern Vespa is filled with gripes about service issues. As are most brand name scooter forums. It makes people take them to the dealer all the time.

I'm usually a fan of Chinese scooters but when "Blows Up" after so few miles it's indicative of abuse. It's senseless to put a new engine in one when that happens. The cost of the engine, the time it takes to install it and the possibility of further discoveries makes it pointless. Buy the Kymco Agility instead. It's a top notch scooter and the price is right. Just make sure there isn't other things, visible and covered, that go along with the plastics damage.

The biggest problem with tiered licenses is that even 250cc bikes are capable of speeds up to ninety. The 250 Ninja was radar clocked at ninety-five by Cycle World. The 300 Ninja does about 105 actual. Fast enough to get a new rider in trouble. My lowly Rebel will do slightly over 80 flat out.

In Great Britain learner licenses are limited to 125cc bikes and scooters. That should let new riders learn without getting into too much trouble but except for the Kymco K-Pipe, Grom and Kawasaki Z-125 there isn't much else.

Back in 2013 I needed a cylinder head to replace one I cracked overtightening some bolts. I planned at the time to sell the scooter after I fixed it so I didn't want to spend a lot. Scrappy had a fully assembled head for only $50. I bought it and was happy with the way it looked. I was even happier at the first valve adjustment. Usually the exhaust valve closes up to nothing after 1,000 miles. This head only closed down .002 inch from the .005 I set it at. The intake valve didn't close at all and still measured .004. Not only that but the scooter was peppier accelerating in comparison to the previous head. I wouldn't ever hesitate to buy from them again.