smallest cruising(55 mph) scooter for GF

[cdwise]

Originally Posted by InlineSkate

Is that GPS verified?

A PCX150 starts to lose it's legs at 60 mph with 180lb's on it.

GPS verified on the Buddy 125 of crusing at 65 with a bit of throttle left. Flat ground at sea level on Hwy 3 between Houston and Galveston for the time it hit 72mph 76mph indicated). FWIW, it our runs the Vespa ET 4 150 we used to own both at the top end and how quickly it gets there. Personally if I was going to be crusing 65+ mph for hours at a time I'd take my GTS. Its a bit more grounded with the additional weight and maxes out at 82 GPS verified but before I got the GTS I'd go on group rides with 240-500cc scoots and had little trouble keeping up except in heavy crosswinds when it would slow down to a max of 55-60 but that was only with high crosswinds. I could maintain close to 65 with a head wind.

FWIW, being ridden for 4 years by a teenage boy the only repairs it needed was a replacement mirror where he cracked it banging into a brick wall when parking too close and the horn connection came lose so they had to open the plastic to plug it back in properly. Given the state of the streets - potholes, overfilled pot holes and general bad repair it's almost surprising that it hasn't needed some other repair besides general maintenance.

[lifer]

Originally Posted by scottorious

What have people seen out of the kymco agility scooters. Decent quality? the scooters I own now are quality 80s Hondas which I have no doubts of them running for another 20 years. I see that Kymco scooters can be had for a pretty good price. and as long as they are halfway reliable and have parts available I think it seems like a good deal.

The agility 125 is made in china by Kimco in there own factory so it does not have the poor quality of other China scoots. It does not have as good of quality as the Jap makers but it is decent. For the money they are a good buy. With your 100lb gf on board it will do in the low 60 mph area by gps on flat ground. If she gets a real good running one it might even reach 68 mph or so. She could cruise at 55 with no problem. The bad is the tires give poor traction , the headlight is not very brite and the back brake is a little on the weak side. The speedo is very optomistic like 12 % or so. The odometer on them is in km not miles .They are reliable and if you do need something you can get parts pretty cheap if you know where to look. It is a gy6 design and maintenance is easy to do. Those that have had problems, it is ussually the electrical . some cdi's do go bad and there have been some who needed a rectifier. Both are inexpensive and for $50 you could have them as a spare under the seat if it worried you. I do not want to exagerate the problem though . The majority of owners have not had any problems.

[maddiedog]

The Buddys are carberated, and they have a "redline" mark on the speedometer at 55mph. You don't want to cruise faster than 55, or you WILL blow up your engine. They're buzzy, only get 75mpg, and have teeny little wheels that make even the smallest grooves in the road or tiny potholes harrowing.

That said though, Buddys are good, solid bikes. My wife's has almost 14k miles on it and still runs like a bat out of hell. It's a blast to ride, much more flickable and nimble than my PCX or any other bike I've ridden. If you're stuck in the garage, just pick it up and turn it around (it's that light). There's a reason we've owned 3 Buddys, they're great scooters.

If you're going for economy first and foremost, look at the Buddy. You can't beat the low maintenance cost, cheap parts, and dirt-cheap initial costs. I like my PCX better because it's smoother and more well-built than the Buddy, but I'll NEVER recoup the $1000+ I would have saved from initial sticker cost through the better gas mileage my PCX gets. It's like driving a base-model Yaris vs driving a Camry. Both will get you there fine, and are mostly the same. But the Yaris on the highway shakes a bit, has less features, is smaller, and less comfortable. In this analogy though, the Camry gets better fuel economy.

[cdwise]

Originally Posted by maddiedog

The Buddys are carberated, and they have a "redline" mark on the speedometer at 55mph. You don't want to cruise faster than 55, or you WILL blow up your engine. They're buzzy, only get 75mpg, and have teeny little wheels that make even the smallest grooves in the road or tiny potholes harrowing.

Hmm, I've never heard that you WILL blow up your engine if you cruise faster than 55 on a Buddy 125cc. Mine has done been on many, many trips where I cruised between 60 & 65 for hours on end. I'm the original owner of a 2006 - first year of the 125cc and its got approx 9,000 miles on it. With me on it I was getting 85mpg and my son who when he started riding it to school as a daily commuter would get 90-95 mpg in heavy city traffic. Take a look at http://www.fuelly.com/motorcycle/genuine/buddy%20125 for what people are getting since it ranges as high as 136mpg and as low as 70mpg with the largest number in the upper 80mpg. If your wife is getting in the mid 70mpg perhaps it is her riding style vs yours that accounts for the different mileage.

If you are considering the Buddy you may want to go lurk or post over on http://modernbuddy.com and don't forget to read the ride reports for the Buddys in the scooter cannonball this year if you want to see how they hold up crusing at WOT for 3,000 miles (give or take.)

[DudeClone]

Originally Posted by scottorious

What have people seen out of the kymco agility scooters. Decent quality? the scooters I own now are quality 80s Hondas which I have no doubts of them running for another 20 years. I see that Kymco scooters can be had for a pretty good price. and as long as they are halfway reliable and have parts available I think it seems like a good deal.

i own one and ride the hell out of it all year round. its a solid well made bike. some say it says "cheap" from looking at it but if cared for it looks good and the plastics are durable, if basic. over 2 years and 13,000 miles and i have had not a single problem

i also have experience with a Buddy 150. it feels and rides smaller then the Agility, weighs around the same, and has quicker acceleration. however the Kymco 125 is no slouch and can match the Buddy in top speed. the biggest difference imo is the Bud is aesthetically more pleasing (better paint, finish, trim, etc) and its smaller. i must say at 6'2 from a "light" seating position i can flat foot the Buddy and nearly overwhelm it with my 230lb size. but that is not the case with the Agility as it feels "just right" for me in a small scooter

Buddy is a great, fun, flickable scooter. and reliable. and good for shorter riders. the Agility would not be good for shorter riders. its seat is wide, too

the Kymco is not Honda quality, of course. or Italian refined or Buddy "cute." the Buddy is a true "scooter's scooter." like a man's man but of scooters lol. the Kymco is a good practical scooter that for around $2,000 will be fun and last a bit. built well, its tough

[JerryH]

I just bought a new 2012 Zuma 125. I don't know about top speed, but it should be around 60 mph. I only have 12 miles on it so far, I will find out soon enough. I bought Japanese because I traded a crotch rocket in on it (probably saved my life). But the Agility 125 is just as good, cheaper, just not quite a fancy looking. If money were a major issue, I would have no problem at all buying a Kymco scooter. They are NOT typical Chinese JUNK. I saw a video where an Agility 125 ran off and left a Vino 125, and I know a Vino 125 will do 55, and that is with my 220 pounds on it.

One thing to remember about these small scooters that top out at 55-60 on flat roads with no wind. Just the slightest headwind or an uphill grade that you can't even see can slow them down considerably. Nevertheless, I have put over 2000 miles on my Vino 125 on the freeway without problems, even though it is technically illegal.

[Tromper]

Originally Posted by Barnone

Sym HD200 70 mph 70 mpg
Cruising at 55 MPH needs a top speed of 70 MPH.

Assuming she's physically comfortable on this (inseam etc play a part) I can verifiability say that this can cart someone around all day on back roads at back-road speeds. The big wheels help with the occasional pothole, or squirrel. It can run freeway speeds reliably. I have done it. I didn't like it on the freeway vs. my Burgman, I found it a bit light.

You can find them relatively cheap used if you poke around.

It's ceramic cylindered & water cooled. My wife uses the 2k8 model. Carburated & drum brakes in rear.
Overall reviews are all about the same. Engine is excellent. Suspension is a scooter (aka aftermarket tweaking can improve. The brakes are "OK". I gather the brakes improve if you put on aftermarket pads. (EBC, fits same as the people 150) This is on the list for this winter.

[klaviator]

Originally Posted by JerryH

One thing to remember about these small scooters that top out at 55-60 on flat roads with no wind. Just the slightest headwind or an uphill grade that you can't even see can slow them down considerably. Nevertheless, I have put over 2000 miles on my Vino 125 on the freeway without problems, even though it is technically illegal.

My Super 8 150 tops out at around 65 on the speedo, so around 60 actual speed. Head winds and hills have little effect unless they are pretty steep. It's less effected by hills than my Sport City 250.

[cdwise]

FWIW, Kymco is a Tiwanese not a People's Republic of China scoot. They acutally do have quality control, so much so that they are making the parts of the new BMW scooter and have also made parts for Honda. PGO is another good Tiwanese brand which manufactures the Buddy and some of the other Genuine Scooter models (Genuine is a US based company that works with PGO on scooters for the US market - as several have mentioned Buddies are extremely reliable.) Sym is a good Korean scoot. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a scooter from any of those brands but I won't buy an LML or one of the mainland produced Chinese scoots.

[Dabears]

Originally Posted by cdwise

FWIW, Kymco is a Tiwanese not a People's Republic of China scoot. They acutally do have quality control, so much so that they are making the parts of the new BMW scooter and have also made parts for Honda. PGO is another good Tiwanese brand which manufactures the Buddy and some of the other Genuine Scooter models (Genuine is a US based company that works with PGO on scooters for the US market - as several have mentioned Buddies are extremely reliable.) Sym is a good Korean scoot. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a scooter from any of those brands but I won't buy an LML or one of the mainland produced Chinese scoots.

FYI- SYM is a Taiwanese company. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SYM_Motors

[lifer]

Originally Posted by cdwise

FWIW, Kymco is a Tiwanese not a People's Republic of China scoot. They acutally do have quality control, so much so that they are making the parts of the new BMW scooter and have also made parts for Honda. PGO is another good Tiwanese brand which manufactures the Buddy and some of the other Genuine Scooter models (Genuine is a US based company that works with PGO on scooters for the US market - as several have mentioned Buddies are extremely reliable.) Sym is a good Korean scoot. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a scooter from any of those brands but I won't buy an LML or one of the mainland produced Chinese scoots.

The agility and super 8 and a few other Kymcos are made in main land china. The rest are made in Taiwan.

[hexnut]

Originally Posted by lifer

The agility and super 8 and a few other Kymcos are made in main land china. The rest are made in Tiwane.

But they are made in Kymco's factory in mainland china with kymco's quality control in place. Also the engines are made in Taiwan with other parts and shipped to China for assembly from what I am told.

Honda, Yamaha, Kawisaki, and Piaggio seems to do well with their mainland China factories also.

[Warney]

Piaggio does "well" with their mainland Chinese factories and suppliers? What about the faulty Chinese Fuel Pumps used on Vespa, Aprilia, and other Piaggio products.

[hexnut]

Originally Posted by Warney

Piaggio does "well" with their mainland Chinese factories and suppliers? What about the faulty Chinese Fuel Pumps used on Vespa, Aprilia, and other Piaggio products.

Don't own a Piaggio product so don't know where the fuel pumps were made. They did a recall and replaced them free of charge. And they still love their Vespas over on Modern Vespa.

My Kymco S250 was made in Taiwan and runs great. It has never given me any trouble.

[JerryH]

The '09 Zuma 125 had the same fuel pump issue, which, as far as I know, has been fixed. I never knew exactly what the problem was. I do know that defective parts can be made in all countries, including the U.S. You will not likely find any Asian scooter, including Japanese, that is of superior quality to Kymco.