Low Seat Height

gore-tx · 01-03-2013, 11:00 AM

I've been looking around for a scooter for my wife - actually I am planning on joining her on a scooter too (we want matching scooters). She is 5 foot tall and so far, only the Honda PCX seems to fit her (wearing heels!). But I am not ready to settle on that scooter yet because of its excessive maintenance.
Having said that, I am asking for help in finding a scooter that has a low seat height. Only 2 requirements are that the scooter needs to be 125cc or over and not too heavy (I have been eyeing the Aprilia Sportcity 125 but I haven't seen one in person).
Thanks for y'all's input!

Dansk · 01-03-2013, 12:56 PM

Looked into a Yamaha Morphous ? Low seat. Weight center of gravity is so low you don't feel it. Exceptional build quality. The looks do grow on you.

MotoRandy123 · 01-03-2013, 01:19 PM

Most little scooters need excessive maintenance. Some of the 250 and up go a bit longer.

gore-tx · 01-03-2013, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MotoRandy123

Most little scooters need excessive maintenance. Some of the 250 and up go a bit longer.

True but the PCX requires a valve adjustment every 2,500 miles. The oil change is every 5,000 miles. Unless I read wrong...

gore-tx · 01-03-2013, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dansk

Looked into a Yamaha Morphous ? Low seat. Weight center of gravity is so low you don't feel it. Exceptional build quality. The looks do grow on you.

May be... How wide is the seat? The seat might be low but if it is wide, it won't work. Makes me wonder about a Majesty 250 now...

cdwise · 01-03-2013, 07:14 PM

Look at the Genuine Buddy which comes in 125cc and 170cc version. My son started riding ours when he was 5'1" with the stock seat. They have a lower seat available as an option as well.

Ours is 6 years old and a daily rider for 5 of them, maintenance is easy and the only things we've had to deal with that aren't scheduled maintenance were a broken mirror and a horn wire that came loose. Streets in Houston are horrible with lots of potholes so if it holds up to that and a 15-20 year boy riding it to school daily I suspect you won't have any problems.

gitder · 01-03-2013, 07:45 PM

vino 125 is another option.

MotoRandy123 · 01-04-2013, 02:39 AM

Well on my Kymco Yager the valve adjustment is 2,200 miles and oil change only 1,200 miles!

gore-tx · 01-04-2013, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MotoRandy123

Well on my Kymco Yager the valve adjustment is 2,200 miles and oil change only 1,200 miles!

gore-tx · 01-04-2013, 10:35 AM

How about the Honda Reflex? Anyone rides one here?

Woodsrat · 01-04-2013, 10:42 AM

The relatively tall seat heights and wider seats on scooters does make touching the ground difficult for short people. I'll be curious to hear the answers to this problem.

Regarding frequent maintenance of small scooters--to achieve the performance to keep from getting run over in real-world traffic you're almost going to have to have a fairly high strung motor which in turn is going to require more frequent maintenance and rebuilds. Although virtually all small motors nowadays are incredibly reliable they're simply not going to last as long as a larger motor running at a more relaxed pace. To get the most life from them you're going to have to change the oil, adjust the valves and such more frequently. They don't hold much oil and personally I wouldn't go 2500 miles on a smallbore (under 250cc) scooter without changing the oil. Depending on conditions changing it at a thousand miles or less wouldn't be a bad idea. I live by the motto "oil is cheaper than crankshafts."

There are some motors nowadays that call for as much as 25,000 between valve checks/adjustments and folks I know blissfully ignore checking them until they reach this mileage. The thing is how do you know the bike was properly adjusted at the factory? (Always remember that your bike was made by a human who goes out for three beer or saki lunches just like anyone else.) It's not that big a deal to periodically give them a look-see with a feeler gauge even if you don't have the tools or ability to adjust them. For example if you see the clearances suddenly closing up it's a sign that your valves may be cupping or the valve seats wearing away. Frequent maintenance like this is simply a way of staying in touch with your motor and how it's doing during it's lifespan.

gregbenner · 01-04-2013, 10:57 AM

My wife is Asian, 4'11". Ended up getting her a Chinese scooter, 125cc, but still had to get the seat cut down (which I thought was surprising, and kinda funny).

The trouble is that the scooter is not all that quality, but at least she can ride it.

rv-rick · 01-04-2013, 05:56 PM

Another option, although not quite 125cc, is the Honda Elite 110. It's 108cc with fuel injection. Low seat height. I'm "vertically challenged" and it fits me very well. The only downside is it's restricted to 52 MPH.
As far as I know, they only imported them for the 2010 model year.
The Vino is nice, too The Zuma is nicer, but the seat height is higher than the Vino.

climbamt · 01-11-2013, 10:07 PM

Check out the Genuine Buddy. They make a low profile seat for it further lowering it. It comes in a 50, 125, of Fuel injected 170. All the same body and frame size. My local shop installed one on a bike in the shop

http://www.motostrada.com/2013/01/lo...uddy-seat.html

Happy scootin!

~Gd

Domromer · 01-12-2013, 04:12 AM

I've heard the helix has a very low seat. I'm not sure if the scooters width would cancel our that low seat though.

01-03-2013, 11:00 AM	#1
gore-tx ^OP Beastly Adventurer Joined: Nov 2004 Location: San Antonio, TX Oddometer: 1,064	Low Seat Height I've been looking around for a scooter for my wife - actually I am planning on joining her on a scooter too (we want matching scooters). She is 5 foot tall and so far, only the Honda PCX seems to fit her (wearing heels!). But I am not ready to settle on that scooter yet because of its excessive maintenance. Having said that, I am asking for help in finding a scooter that has a low seat height. Only 2 requirements are that the scooter needs to be 125cc or over and not too heavy (I have been eyeing the Aprilia Sportcity 125 but I haven't seen one in person). Thanks for y'all's input! __________________ ???

01-03-2013, 12:56 PM	#2
Dansk Adventurer Joined: Feb 2007 Location: Solviet Socialist Repunlic of Boston Mass. Oddometer: 18	Looked into a Yamaha Morphous ? Low seat. Weight center of gravity is so low you don't feel it. Exceptional build quality. The looks do grow on you. __________________ Dan,AKA Bikernut. 83 VT500F Ascot. 06 Multi 620 (sold). 99 Klr 650 (sold).

01-04-2013, 10:35 AM	#10
gore-tx ^OP Beastly Adventurer Joined: Nov 2004 Location: San Antonio, TX Oddometer: 1,064	How about the Honda Reflex? Anyone rides one here? __________________ ???

01-04-2013, 10:42 AM	#11
Woodsrat Gone ridin' Joined: Apr 2006 Oddometer: 1,273	The relatively tall seat heights and wider seats on scooters does make touching the ground difficult for short people. I'll be curious to hear the answers to this problem. Regarding frequent maintenance of small scooters--to achieve the performance to keep from getting run over in real-world traffic you're almost going to have to have a fairly high strung motor which in turn is going to require more frequent maintenance and rebuilds. Although virtually all small motors nowadays are incredibly reliable they're simply not going to last as long as a larger motor running at a more relaxed pace. To get the most life from them you're going to have to change the oil, adjust the valves and such more frequently. They don't hold much oil and personally I wouldn't go 2500 miles on a smallbore (under 250cc) scooter without changing the oil. Depending on conditions changing it at a thousand miles or less wouldn't be a bad idea. I live by the motto "oil is cheaper than crankshafts." There are some motors nowadays that call for as much as 25,000 between valve checks/adjustments and folks I know blissfully ignore checking them until they reach this mileage. The thing is how do you know the bike was properly adjusted at the factory? (Always remember that your bike was made by a human who goes out for three beer or saki lunches just like anyone else.) It's not that big a deal to periodically give them a look-see with a feeler gauge even if you don't have the tools or ability to adjust them. For example if you see the clearances suddenly closing up it's a sign that your valves may be cupping or the valve seats wearing away. Frequent maintenance like this is simply a way of staying in touch with your motor and how it's doing during it's lifespan. __________________ Boring fiction--One Last Ride in the Hoosier: http://woodsrat.com/one-last-ride-in-the-hoosier-national-forest/ Eek!! More boring fiction--*One Last Ride in the Hoosier Revisited:* http://woodsrat.com/one-last-ride-in...-by-tim-weaver

01-04-2013, 10:57 AM	#12
gregbenner Beastly Adventurer Joined: Nov 2004 Location: Glendale, Wrightwood (SoCal) Oddometer: 1,131	My wife is Asian, 4'11". Ended up getting her a Chinese scooter, 125cc, but still had to get the seat cut down (which I thought was surprising, and kinda funny). The trouble is that the scooter is not all that quality, but at least she can ride it. __________________ 2011 Victory Cross Country 2005 Suzuki Burgman 2007 Dyna, 1947 45 2007 VStrom, DL1000 1975 BMW R75/6,1981 BSA Lighning

01-03-2013, 01:19 PM	#3
MotoRandy123 Gnarly Adventurer Joined: Jan 2009 Location: NH/MASS Border Oddometer: 136	Most little scooters need excessive maintenance. Some of the 250 and up go a bit longer.

01-03-2013, 07:14 PM	#6
cdwise Gnarly Adventurer Joined: Oct 2010 Location: Houston, TX/Breckenridge, CO Oddometer: 463	Look at the Genuine Buddy which comes in 125cc and 170cc version. My son started riding ours when he was 5'1" with the stock seat. They have a lower seat available as an option as well. Ours is 6 years old and a daily rider for 5 of them, maintenance is easy and the only things we've had to deal with that aren't scheduled maintenance were a broken mirror and a horn wire that came loose. Streets in Houston are horrible with lots of potholes so if it holds up to that and a 15-20 year boy riding it to school daily I suspect you won't have any problems.

01-03-2013, 07:45 PM	#7
gitder n00b Joined: Jan 2012 Oddometer: 9	vino 125 is another option.

01-04-2013, 02:39 AM	#8
MotoRandy123 Gnarly Adventurer Joined: Jan 2009 Location: NH/MASS Border Oddometer: 136	Well on my Kymco Yager the valve adjustment is 2,200 miles and oil change only 1,200 miles!

01-04-2013, 05:56 PM	#13
rv-rick Gnarly Adventurer Joined: Jul 2008 Location: East Central VA Oddometer: 139	Another option, although not quite 125cc, is the Honda Elite 110. It's 108cc with fuel injection. Low seat height. I'm "vertically challenged" and it fits me very well. The only downside is it's restricted to 52 MPH. As far as I know, they only imported them for the 2010 model year. The Vino is nice, too The Zuma is nicer, but the seat height is higher than the Vino. __________________ If you think getting old is bad; consider the alternative.

01-11-2013, 10:07 PM	#14
climbamt Adventurer Joined: Jun 2012 Location: Baltimore, MD Oddometer: 10	Check out the Genuine Buddy. They make a low profile seat for it further lowering it. It comes in a 50, 125, of Fuel injected 170. All the same body and frame size. My local shop installed one on a bike in the shop http://www.motostrada.com/2013/01/lo...uddy-seat.html Happy scootin! ~Gd

01-12-2013, 04:12 AM	#15
Domromer Desert Rat Joined: Mar 2004 Location: Charleston, South Carolina Oddometer: 1,008	I've heard the helix has a very low seat. I'm not sure if the scooters width would cancel our that low seat though. __________________ If all you ever do is all you’ve ever done, then all you’ll ever get is all you ever got. http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=851060 ... A desert rat explores the south.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: .
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode