I want a scooter

So, I have a motorcycle but I want a scooter for my short trips. I could end up riding as far as 75 mile round trips on it on the 2 lane roads. I know nothing about brands and am looking to buy used. I think I need about a 125 cc so I can get up to speed on the back roads. I think a 50 would be too small.

I know there seems to be a lot of brands I have never heard of. What should I look for? Honda? Yamaha? What others have a good reputation for reliability? I dont know a thing about scooters. Any advice is appreciated. I know there are some Chinese models also but I dont know if any of them are any good.. What do you all think?

I bought a Kymco people 150 for town and back roads. When you get on the two lanes it was just too small. It was a great scooter and the quality was on par with the Japanese mfgs. I traded it in on a Kymco People S 250. It is good for town and the faster roads. I won't have any thing smaller any more.

Honda, Kymco, Yamaha, Genuine, Vespa, Piaggio, Aprilia are all top notch. Me personally would stay away from the Chinese scooters, unless you want to work on them all the time.

Just my opinion.

+1 on everything hexnut just said about the brands, Kymco, and the Chinese. I'm another happy People S 250 owner. I got mime for an excellent price, it is a 2007, had 3400 miles on it, and I paid $1600 for it this past September.

Being off season, it is a great time to buy. I saw an Aprilia Sportcity 250 with less than 2000 miles go for $1526 on eBay a few weeks ago. It was about 400 miles from me, but I still would have bought it if I didn't already have the Kymco. If it was less than 200 miles, I would have bought it anyway.

I have ridden the Sportcity 250, it is a fun machine. It has a little more power than the People S 250, but a little more cramped seating position, and I am only 5' 9". If you are taller, go for the People S, or the Scarabeo if going Aprilia, or BV from Piaggio.

If you're buying new, and can swing the $5400 or so they list for the People GT 300i is a very nice machine. It has just shy of 30 HP vs. the 20 HP of the People S 250 ( most of the 250-class machines are 18-22 HP). It (GT300i) weighs about the same as the 250.

To add to what Hexnut said, even if you don't want or need to go any faster than the 125/150 class scoots' typical top speed of 55-60, you'll take a long time to get up to that speed. You won't be able to pull into 50 MPH traffic with any confidence. Most 250's have a top speed of 75-80, but will VERY comfortable do 55-65, including getting up to that speed. Also, a 250-class machine will have bigger wheels/tires, and weigh about 75-100 lbs more than a 125, making them MUCH more stable at those higher speeds.

DON'T BE SO LAZY! At least take the initiative to review the YEARS of previous discussions on this topic . . example.

Thanks for the advice. Where is Kymco made? Mostly what I see in my area are some kind of knock offs of some sort. I will keep in mind the brands you listed. I would like to have a 250 of course but its more money. I need to do some soul searching on that.

I second hexnut's advice.

Now Y'all can get by just fine on a 150 cc scoot, but I'll tell you those extra 100 ccs don't make a huge difference on lower performance scooters, but the difference is very nice on those 55 MPH 2 lane roads, you'll very much appreciate it, well unless you've not ridden a smaller scooter, but even then its nice.

Now a 150 would be reasonable, my Elite 150 hasn't got no problem doing 55 MPH and has done a GPS 65+MPH on a flat road, but its pretty much wound out at that speed and ain't comfortable. Its much better in the 40-47 MPH range. I will do 2 lane highways now and then, but only for about 5 miles once in a while, mostly backroads and twisties cause I got me a Shadow 700 for high speed riding.

DO NOT by a Chinese scooter unless Y'all want to learn how to be a mechanic real fast, in which case I'd recommend a old beat up CB 350 that needs lots of TLC or an engine rebuild, cheaper in the long run and you end up with a decent reliable bike in the end. The only chinese bikes that are even worth looking into are higher end brands meaning they cost lots more, in the long run their not much cheaper than a proper scooter. Basically buying you a Chinese Scooter is like reaching into a bag of skiddles, and 50% are poisined and 50% are good tasting, you never know what your gonna get with them china scoots, their parts sources and quality is very inconsistent and varies greatly even from one manufactoror, but a Honda you know will never let you down.

If you are not looking into paying a lot, you may look at Kymcos. Their Taiwanese and MUCH better than most any chinese scooter, actually they's worked with Honda and built engines or something for them and have been along much longer than you would think. But their kinda pricy now except for their smaller 150 and under scooters, the 250+ class is over $5,000. Howevever SYM another good company has that there RV 250 for $4,500 and that thing will do almost 90 MPH and is quite a scoot. Even the $3,400 HD200 may be enough for you, it'll do about 70-75 MPH.

Or if I was you I'd look for an old Honda Scoot on Craigslist. Sounds to be an Elite 250 or Helix would be ideal for you. The Elite will run 70+ MPH so 55 MPH no problem, the Helix 72-78 MPH so 55 MPH also pretty much cruising. The Elite 250 is much smaller and more of a zippy scooter feel to it, and can be found for as cheap as $600-$1500 depending on condition and location. The Helix a bit more pricy, maybe $1,000 for a decent one but more likely $1,600-$2,400 for a real nice one. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Kymco, SYM, and most of the scooters from Genuine Scooter Company are made in Taiwan. All three brands have quality that is on par with the Japanese makes, and should not be put in the same category as the mainland Chinese brands, most of which are compete junk, with the possible exception of CF Moto, which I've read some good reviews for, but their pricing of their 250 model is approaching that of the Kymcos.

See: http://justgottascoot.com/ for lots of reviews on both Kymco, SYM, and Genuine Scooter Co Scooters. Most of Genuine's scoots are made by PGO in Taiwan, and the Stella is made in India (forget the company name, but they used ot build Vespas under license for sale in India).

You won't find many reviews of Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Piaggio (who also owns Vespa and Aprilia) scooters on justgottascoot, or any other independent site, becuase all those companies are very restrictive with their dealers and letting scooters go out for review by other than major publications.

So, go with one of the brands that Hexnut Lists, or one of the three I mention above, and you should be good to go. Don't get sucked in by the low price of the mainland Chinese stuff. You'll hate it, sell it at a loss or junk it, and then buy a good one later anyway, so just skip the trouble.

Good luck with your purchase!
Jay

That is why I went pre-owned. I got a nice lightly-used, well-cared-for 250 for about $1000 less than a new 125.

Kymco offers their Yager 200i, which is along the same lines as the HD200 from SYM. It has a 175cc fuel injected engine, and will top out at around 70 MPH, making 55-60 easy riding. Both the Yager 200i and the HD200 are similar in physical size to the 125-150cc scoots, but with a bit more zip, and a little more weight (300ish lbs, vs. 250ish for a 125, or 370ish for a 250).

Look for dealers that are motivated to sell leftover end of season stock. There is a dealer near me that has a left over Aprilia SportCity 250 that they will let go for $3400, list price, if I remember correctly was over $5000.

I've seen (running) Elite 250's being sold for $600-$800 -- excellent value and performance for the price.

The Helix seems to have achieved cult status among devotees, AND, are no longer in production, so, yes, a nice example is going to run a lot more money. They are a bit different, in that they are long and low, so they're definitely a love-it-or-hate-it design.

Ironically, I was just reading that thread. I dont think I want a Chinese scoot. I already have a harley davidson that I work on all of the time. Dont need another. These things seem like a wad of fun to me and very practical. I need to go down to my honda and yammy dealers to see if they even stock scoots. Last time I was in them neither had a one that I remember.

ONe more question. What would be considered high mileage for a 100 to 250 cc 4 stroke scoot engine? I assume the smaller ones are run at WOT all of the time. How do they hold up if you keep the oil changed ect?

Is it an old Harley? Funny thing is everybody talks shit about Harley's relibility, but I'll tell Y'all, I've got 6 bikes including my Trail Bikes, and my dad has 3, and by far his Harley has been FAR more reliable than ANY of our bikes, and its got lots of miles on it. Its new an 08 but man NEVER missed a beat or had a problem, right now its one of only 2 running bikes we have!

I read of people putting 20-30,000 miles and more on Helixes. I saw a Piaggio BV250 listed on ebay with 25,000 miles on it. So, the engines on quality 250's will go that far. You will, however need to change the CVT belt around 9-11,000 miles, but that isn't a big deal.

I haven't seen anything as far as life expectancy of the smaller ones. I'm sure a quality 125 or 150 will last as long if run at 40-45 MPH, but will probably not make it that long being run most of the time WOT at 60 MPH.

Definitely check out the Kymcos too. They have a pretty good dealer network, so it shouldn't be hard to find one. The Hondas are going to be the most expensive.

Also, neither Honda or Yamaha offer anything in the 250-300 cc scooter segment in the US. Honda sells the SH-300i elsewhere, but we don't get it. Both companies have smaller scoots (Zuma 125 from Yamaha, Sh150i from Honda), and larger maxi-scoots (Majesty 400 and Tmax 500/530 from Yamaha, and Silverwing 600 from Honda). So, to get a 250-300, you're looking at Kymco, SYM, Aprilia, Piaggio, and Vespa (over priced IMHO).

Models you'll be looking for:

SYM: RV250
Kymco: People GT 300i & 200i, Downtown 300i, Yager 200i, People 250, People S 250, Grand Vista 250, XCiting 250
Aprila: Sportcity 250, Scarabeo 250 (skip the 200, it is only 163cc and kinda wimpy)
Piaggio: BV250, BV300

For more money, many of the above are also available in 500cc:
Kymco Xciting 500
Aprila Scarabeo 500
Piaggio BV500

I rode a 2006 Harley-Davidson XL883 Sportster for a few years, and it was very reliable. I rode it through a couple of cold winters near Seattle and Tacoma, Wa. that got down to below 20 degrees F. The bike never let me down. I sold it recently when we moved to the island of Hawaii.

Kymco and Sym (and Genuine, though I have no personal experience with their scooters) are quality scooters made in Taiwan. These are the only scooters I know of that come with a two year warranty. Not cutting Vespa/Honda/Yamaha/Suzuki etc down, but why don't they have a two year warranty? We have both a 2008 SYM HD200 and a Kymco People 150. The highways here are 45-55 mph (no freeways) and both of these scooters, taking into account that the speedos are optomistic by maybe 5% each, can run the highways here. The People is nsettling down to very close to 90 mpg, while the Sym seems to be mid 70s. The SYM is harder to get an accurate fill, but the Kymco is easy.

There are more Kymco dealers out there than Sym. We bought both new as leftovers and got good deals. The Kymco was $2300 out the door.

Thge Sym is bigger and roomier and faster being a four valve water cooled engine with ceramic coated cylinder. The Kymco is an air cooled moter, but known for great relability as is the Sym. Both of ours have been great scoots.

I also like the Vespa S150, the Honda new 110cc and 150cc scooters, and the Genuine Buddy. I have not given up motorcycles after 50 years of riding and intend to pick up a dual sport soon.

I really like the looks of that scoot. I am going to do more research and I thank you all for steering me in the right direction. Im already wanting a 250 becuase I have a few big hills to climb up where I live. If I could go 55 and not strain the thing to death it would be ideal for me. I seldom need to go past 60 but I hate to have to ride something flat out all of the time to keep from getting run over. I dont understand why the Vespas are so expensive either. I like the looks of them though. I need to see if I can find a Aprilla dealer near me somewhere just to look at them and also need to check on the Kymco.

I didn't mention SYM because of the Carters Brothers fiasco. That was the US distributor. Most of the SYM dealers are gone and parts are hard to come by. The HD 200 is an excellent scooter if you can find one cheap.

SYM has a new distributor and hopefully can get a dealer network back. It may take some time though.

http://alliancepowersports.com/

Kymco is the up and coming scooter mfg with the best line up in the US right now.

http://www.kymcousa.com/showroom/index_onroad.html

I ve seen post of Helix with between 50 t o100 thousand miles on them. Any old Honda elite 125, 150 or 250 well work for you . The 250 cc helix will work to. You re not going to put out much more cash on Helix or any old elite. A Grand buys almost any of those if you look around. Kymco, they might be nice put guys are posting problems getting simple parts like air cleaners. Yamaha Rivi 180 and 200 are ok bike if the carb system is working right. Vespa has a great following but you need to stay away from Ones imported from India or Asia. Far to many are just boggled together , import and then sold when the the guy whom imported them finds out he's going to have to spend 3 grand to repair the boogies. You can google on how to tell an imported Asia vespa. Myself I consider the Helix to be the bike to ride. Cheap , dead reliable and parts aren't a problem . If you want to stick to 125 cc You could look around for the Yamaha Bwm 125 because I m seeing new 2009 ones selling for great prices.

I have no problem getting Kymco parts here in the US. My dealer can get parts in 3 to 4 days or I can order on line from several places.

For getting around town IMO you want at least a 250cc scoooter , while it's freeway cabable IMO it's border line for the freeway . In the maxi scooter department I like the Tmax best of all , and in the mid range 250cc I like the Big Ruckus .
If you live in an area where there is a lot of fast moving traffic , you aren't going to be happy or very safe in any thing less that 250cc's. Below are 2 of my scoots , I'll own them untill I can no longer ride or I'm dead and gone . I don't want to own another bike that I have to shift ever again . I've been riding for 50 years and feel like I've shifted enough .

TheReaper!

My TMax is about the 20th two wheel vehicle I've owned (depending upon whether or not sting ray bicycles with a washing machine pulley and a b & s lawnmower engine count); it is by far the best overall ride I've owned.
250cc may just meet the need if you're going to ride a highway, 500 cc's puts you out in front (if you choose) of 90% of the automobile traffic.
Handling on the TMax is as good as my Ninja.
Storage is plentiful.
$1.45 a week for full insurance coverage (Progressive).
55 mpg when I don't ride aggressively.
I don't miss shifting one bit...

SYM HD200. Dead reliable. Parts may be short, but they don't need any 70 mph, 70 mpg, and the damn thing just goes. Drop in Dr. Pulley variator weights. Throw a screen on. Put a quart of oil in every 600 miles (the suggested oil change,) and seven bucks in gas on a long day. When the factory Duros burn up, throw on Shinkos. This is what a scooter was meant to be. You can ride one of these coast-to-coast at full throttle without problems. These are what a scooter was intended to be -- outstanding, cheap transport.

I have a Kymco Super 8 150 and a Aprilia Sport City 250. I use the Kymco to ride to work and run errands around town. I prefer the Kymco around town because it'e a lot lighter and just more fun to ride a lower speeds. It handles well, accelerates well and doesn't slow much on hills unless their really steep. It tops out around 60 but is happier cruising under 45-50. I. have had some minor problems which the 2 year warranttee took care of

The Aprilia is more comfortable and is a much better bike outside of town. It easily handles highway speeds but does have problems on hills with a passenger. I have had no problems with the Aprilia except for wearing out the rear tire.

They both get around 75 MPG but the Aprilia calls for 90 Octane gas.

I have had a blast on both and have put about 4300 miles on my Kymco in a year and about 6300 miles on the Aprilia which I got about 7 months ago.
More details are in my ride reports: http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=647784
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=693143
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=670883

IMO, smaller and lighter is more fun but you should get something big enough to handle the speeds you will be riding at. If you will be staying under 50, a 150 should be fine. If you want to go faster, get a 200 or 250. There are still left over models around and winter is approaching so there should be some great deals out there.