motorcycle after scooter?

[gogogordy]

Originally Posted by HandKPhil

Picked up another KLR250 today, this time a pristine '04 with 1000 miles on it. Though I love my current '03 KLR250/Yamaha Majesty combo, I figured I needed to have a pair of evenly matched dual-sports for when a friend or family member and I want to go on a country ride where we might encounter a lot of dirt roads. Those Majesty air filters clog up mighty quick you know. Now I need to get my '87 Honda Elite 150 out of mothballs, so that I have a pair of scooters in case a friend and I decide to take a city ride

Damn fine specimen! Beautiful....

[conchscooter]

On my 27 mile commute on the Overseas Highway I tried a Stella 150 and gave that up as it would barely make 53mph and eventually seized after 2800 miles. No more Indian bikes for me, though I grew up with traditional Vespas and wanted another P series type ride. What a disappointment!
.

Then I tried a Vespa GTS which I loved. The 250 was comfortable and fast, 85 mph in Flatistan and I rode it for ten months and ten thousand miles until the electricals kept blowing relays. The Vespa needed a lot of tires and carried no spare like my old P200, plus the rear wheel was a bitch to remove and the muffler bearing broke all the time and changing the gear oil was a contortionist act, and it was further complicated to maintain with the belts and rollers which back then had to be changed every 6,000 miles. When it stopped running reliably I had to sell it, the most comfortable bike I'd owned in 40 years.


I replaced that with a 2007 Bonneville which has been supremely reliable for commuting and long trips for four years and 62,000 miles though not as comfortable as the GTS. It is easy to operate and great fun, though it's critics call it overweight and bland. For younger daredevils I recommend a Speed triple for the modern equivalent of an old Bonneville "superbike." The new Bonneville is a sensible conservative ride.

Nowadays I call this the best ride of my life and every day I look forward to my commute rain or shine or wind (no snow in the Keys). The big difference between riding a scooter and motorcycle is that I find I get more respect from drivers who tend to treat scooters as "mopeds" on the highway and cut you off and generally ignore you. A Motorcycle seems to engender respect. Plus I like shifting gears and with luggage I have as much capacity as a scooter to carry stuff.



I am also not hunting for spare horsepower on the Bonneville which is considered low powered by young motorcyclists but I find it perfectly capable up to a hundred miles an hour. Most of my riding is at 60-70 with plenty of power to pass slow cars. On the freeway I cruise around 85.
Then there is my wife's Vespa 150 which I adore even though I get to ride it rarely.


With a top speed of 65+ on the flat highway through the Keys the 150 has enough power to keep up with cars though passing a slow car around 50+mph can be slow and problematic, especially with headwinds. Also the ET4 does not engender respect from car drivers. But it is fun. I am not a fan of modern large scooters which to me seem long and bulky and resemble cruiser bikes with their feet forward position and resemble sport bikes with their all encompassing bodywork. They seem extremely practical and convenient but lack the pizazz of a machine that gives me a thrill to look at or the pleasure of a shifting motorcycle to ride. In the end I guess I am happiest with my motorcycle, which surprises me as I started riding a Vespa 50 in 1970 and have always been a fan of scooters, as much as motorcycles since then.




I rode a P200 Vespa across country in 1981, so believe me when I say I have always enjoyed scooters, but today my Bonneville has the primary place in my riding world.

[Kennon]

i had a scooter as my first set of wheels and i miss her dearly it would only do 55mph being a 2 stroke 50cc but it was allot of fun and i liked the storage dont get me wrong i love my Supermoto its easy to ride in town with its great turning circle and low down power apart from corner carving and riding long distances down to university it does the same job as my scooter did getting me to places around where i live in a more uncomfortable manner in a ideal situation i would love to have both in my garage

Kennon

[Phipsd]

Originally Posted by griff199

I've been lurking here for some time, mostly in the "Thumpers" section. I have a 14 mile commute daily, currently on the Vespa S150. Wouldn't trade the 2-wheel commute for a car in a second, but there are a few nagging issues I'm looking to solve:

1. A bit more weight (wind stability)
2. A bit more HP
3. Limited range

Anyone gone this route getting a dual-sport or adventure bike, only to later regret spending the $?

A V-Strom 650 or a Versys 650 are both outstanding commuters. The Versys is much more agile ( more scooter like ) in it's handling and more grunty and responsive power wise in the midrange. They are huge fun to ride. The V-Strom has more room, better lighting, range is better for distance and can be had with ABS. More practical, but less fun.

I already have a V-Strom 1000 so I went with a midrange scoot; an SYM Citycom 300i. It has a long wheelbase so if I scoot ahead onto the front of the seat it is rock stable no matter how windy. The convenience of the CVT for commuting, weather protection, storage and less worry about attention from Officer Friendly means that the scoot gets by far the most use for commuting and long backcountry mountain day trips.

The only time the motorcycle is clearly superior is when I'm loading up with a weeks camping gear and going for a long trip.

[Tinks]

Scott says the scooter makes commuting just easy. Look at an Aprillia Mana for a heavier commuter.

I'd say get a motorcycle if you want to do 'other' type of riding on weekends and trips. If only for commuting, probably stick with the fun easy commuter.

[StreetBlighter]

You seem to have found the limitations of your scooter. You'll always feel like you're being blown around. Adversely, you'll have a supremely nimble commuter in a scoot. If you feel it's underpowered, it is. You're the best judge of that. In terms of range, your 150 vespa gets very good mileage.

I have a 70cc Vespa that I love. I can zip through traffic and park it anywhere downtown. I've had 150 and 250's also. For short trips, scooters are best.

Your scoot is adequate for what you need. That said, you feel like you're being blown around. I ride an r1100gs and 1203 cc Buell that I greatly prefer for anything that requires more than a few minutes. You'll quickly adjust to shifting.

A lot of the smaller dual sports will feel much the same as your 150 vespa in terms of feeling squirrely in the wind. Lightweight bikes with a low center of gravity feel that way in strong crosswinds. Combine that with knobbies and you'll likely feel just as unstable in strong crosswinds.

You have a long commute. I'd recommend a heavier bike with more power. I'd recommend the reliability, comfort and stability and range of something like a 650 BMW GS. Stable, nimble, fun, and all the weight disappears as soon as you're above 5mph.

[Hip001]

I'm enjoying all the comments and recomendations on this site!

I've owned lots of bikes(BMW's, Ninja 1000, DR650, Vmax, Victory Vegas, Wahoo 50, Goldwing,etc) currently have a 1984 Yamaha Riva 180 scooter & 1986 Kawasaki Voyager XII. I can understand a lot of the comments here. Truthfully it depends on you. Not so long ago I didn't understand why anyone would ride a scooter over a motorcycle unless they lived on the beach or in Key West. I've come to the conclusion that everyone should own two or three bikes/scooters at a time. I went from my only transportation being a Honda XL185 making it do EVERYthing, to owning 5 bikes and 4 cars. Every person is different and situations change. I find my Riva 180 very capable of errands and just getting around for fun & I do enjoy the ease of "Hop on and go" riding & 70mpg. But today I got the Voyager out for a ride and loved the power, speed, storage, shifting, & sound!! There's always bikes that excell in certain areas and not so good in others. You have hot/cold, long/short, wind blown/wind protection, storage/naked, etc.

I've got my next focus on a Yamaha Morphous 250 but not sure on how low it sits and the feet forward ride position.

my question is:

"is there such thing as the perfect bike" or is that a urban (TV marketing) myth?

[vortexau]

Originally Posted by Hip001

. . .

I've got my next focus on a Yamaha Morphous 250 but not sure on how low it sits and the feet forward ride position.

Only YOU can try one of these and make your own decision. How long a piece of string should a person carry in their pocket?

my question is:

"is there such thing as the perfect bike" or is that a urban (TV marketing) myth?

For WHO'S use?



We are different one from another. There is no one size fits all.

[Grainbelt]

I commuted on a DR650 briefly and found the suspension, tires, and brakes severely lacking for road use, particularly in the rain.

Something like a Versys, ER-6N, Wee Strom, NC700X (get the DCT and pretend it is a scooter) is a far more effective commuter, IMO. They are all fuel injected, push the button and go. With a topcase, you can haul stuff and lane split with ease.

[Hip001]

Originally Posted by Grainbelt

I commuted on a DR650 briefly and found the suspension, tires, and brakes severely lacking for road use,

I enjoyed my DR650 but agree. Some say it is the "Do-All" bike when equipped with windshield and bags. I did enjoy the roll on wheelies!!! I found the seat not comfortable for any distance. A buddy has a BMW GS650 and took a 1200 mile trip on it. He enjoyed 70 mpg on highway but was missing his RT's comfort and full fairing.