I’m thinking of getting a scooter to use around town. I live in a quasi-urban area in North Carolina and it seems like a good way to commute back and forth to my University and such. It’s about 6 miles of flat-ish road, but it’s not bike friendly at all.
I don’t need something that’ll handle high-way speeds, but if it can hit something like 50mph that seems like it would be a good thing. (I’m about 200 lbs, if that matters.)
I don’t want to spend a fortune on the scooter, but I don’t want a hunk of junk either.
I don’t really know anything about scooters at all.
What are your scooter experiences? Can you recommend something for me?
Are you talking about those devices they advertize for elderly people, that medicare might pay for? George Costanza swears by his: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csuZHyW-iGI
But seriously, 50 mph? Maybe modified.
I am writing this as a 200-lb. rider who has ridden both a scooter (a Vespa GT and a Piaggio BV500) and a motorcyle (a Kawasaki VN750) for over 5 years in NYC traffic.
First, depending on your locality, a scooter of > 50cc engine size (which will be necessary to get a 200 lbs. rider with groceries up to 40-50 mph) is probably classified as a motorcycle, requiring you to pass a written and road test for the class endorsement on your license.
Second, even if you get a “small scooter”, don’t treat it as a toy. Riding one IS as risky riding on a motorcycle, maybe more so because of their smaller size and lower power. You sound like you’ve ridden a bicycle around your area already, which should give you a good idea of how inconsiderate some drivers are, and/or how invisible you are to them as they’re looking for oncoming car traffic; yet even a low powered scooter will be going faster than a bicycle, meaning if you come off of it, you will be hitting the pavement that much faster as well.
Wear a helmet and leather gloves at a bare minimum; a full-face helmet if you like your face the way it looks now and don’t think scraping it with asphalt at 20-30 mph would improve it. Most motorcycle accidents do not happen at highway speeds but simply going around town, and involve either single rider crashes (i.e., losing control due to road conditions, operator error or some combination thereof), or a car “not seeing you” and hitting or you or cutting you off while making a left turn, pulling in/out of a driveway or parking lot, or changing lanes. You being on a Vespa will not significantly change those odds or dynamics versus you being on a bigger bike.
Do you already have a car? If so, a scooter might not actually be a money saver for you.
I work 4 miles from home, and here is how the math came out for me.
8 mile/day, 40miles per week.
I’m currently getting 20mpg, let’s guess I could get 80mpg
So going from 2 gallons/week to 1/2 gallon/week
1.5gallons/weeks savings.
$3.00/gallon
$4.50/week savings.
We’ll be generous and say that between winter, rain, and days I want to dress up, I can ride to work 1/3 of the year or 17.33 weeks/year
So I’d save $78/year in gas.
Assume a $1000 scooter.
It would take 12 years to pay off the cost of the scooter.
Yes, I’m ignoring the savings of wear and tear on my car, but I’m also ignoring insurance and maintenance on the scooter. I’m also estimating all my numbers in favor of the scooter. So at least for me, a scooter has to be considered a toy with some usefulness, rather than a useful tool that is also fun.
Agreed, unless the scooter is a substitute for a car or other means of transport (in my case, taking the bus/train), don’t try and justify it from a cost savings perspective. Except when you’re at the pump next to a guy filling up a Chevy Trail Blazer or Ford F-150 while you pump 1.5 gallons into your scooter and reset the trip meter. Then it’s HAHAHAHA! time. But not while doing the actual bookkeeping.
On the other hand, the OP goes to University in NC and gives riding a bike as the alternative, so it could be feasible. $1,000 plus the cost cost insurance and riding gear, to save a lot of TIME (if not money) for much of the year. I would say I ride to work at least 3/4 of the time, and in NC where there really isn’t a winter, and at University where there isn’t a dress code, I’d guess it could be a lot more often – except for the hurricane season, perhaps…
I would think the main appeal of a scooter for the OP is ease of parking. At most universities (certainly at UNC, Duke, and NCSU) parking is basically non-existent or else expensive. If you are at UNC, there is (or used to be) free motorcycle parking at Davie hall.
Thanks, folks. I’m actually at UNCG. The scooter cost savings would be mainly in parking. A “deck pass” for parking on campus there is something like $350 for two semesters while a scooter/motorcycle pass is $50. If a scooter can be gotten for ~1000 or so I'll be recouping that in a couple of years. My car gets pretty decent gas mileage, but between the cost of a pass and the time cost of circling around looking for a spot I think I’ll come out ahead of the curve.
Robardin, thanks for the cautionary tips. I’m aware that it’s not super-safe, but it doesn’t sound like it’s much more dangerous than biking around town. There are lots of scooters there, and (from what I’ve seen) they tend to get more respect than cyclists. I fully intend to wear protective gear, and the mild climate should let me use the scooter most of the year.
The Piaggio is actually the sort of thing that I’m looking for, I think. I’m out of town for a couple of weeks, but I’m thinking I’ll look into some real shopping when I get home. What sorts of things should I look for, and what sorts of questions should a total noob like myself ask?
Ugh. I just did some Googling and it appears that anything over 50cc (or capable of over 30mph) is classed as a motorcycle. I’d have to get the right license and registrations and inspections. This is looking less and less viable. <sigh>
The speed limits in town are all about 35mph. I don’t know if a scooter rated at <30mph would even get close to 30mph with me on it.
Check out the Honda Ruckus. They look badass, and are infinitely “tunable” (meaning you can upgrade them to have pretty much whatever features and however much power you want.) The only downside is I personally think they’re kind of overpriced, so shop around for a good deal on a used one.
Edit: Meant to add: I think you can tweak the Ruckus to get your desired speed/power without going over 50cc. That’s its main appeal (besides the look) for most people.
In NC it’s not that hard to get your motorcycle endorsement. The written test is easy and then you have a road test. A better option than the road test is to take the MSF safety course. They use small motorcycles for the class and they are similar to a scooter. The only downside is you may have to wait to take the class ,they fill up fast.
I’ve never ridden a scooter, but I’ve thought that an Aprilia would be fun to ride along the beach. They have larger tires than many scooters, which appeals to me. I like the Scarabeo for its classic styling.
I like the Honda Ruckus because they’re funky-looking.
I say look for an old Honda Elite 150 or 250. I have owned several of them and they are utterly bombproof. They are also ridiculously easy to work on. On my first 150, the winter after I got it, I pulled the engine, stripped it to the cases and reassembled it with just the pdf version of the shop manual available online. The 150 will go 50mph with oyu on it and the 250 will take you to 70, I weigh a good bit more than you and those are my actual viewed speeds.
As for the motorcycle test, on a Elite 150 it’s laughably easy. So much so that for a couple years I made good money loaning my 150 to folks to take the test on. I met them at the DMV, they handed over 100 bucks, zipped through the test and rode off happy on their bigger bikes. I did that more than 50 times and ONE person couldnt make it- and they were so uncoordinated shouldn’t have been allowed to walk:)
You have to click on the most popular tab to get to the Elite 150 but the 250 is right there on the main page.
PS if you look you can get them for a song as well. I just picked up a CH250 this past weekend for $200; all it needed was for the carb to be pulled out and cleaned which took me all of an hour.
Go for an informational trip to your state DMV. Depending on the size of the engine, there are different regulations for different types of vehicles. In my state, it breaks down something like this:
0-79 CC: Moped (can use bike lanes, can’t use highways…legally similar to a bicycle, no special license)
80-149 CC: Scooter (can use bike lanes and highways…legally similar to a motorcycle, same license)
150+ CC: Motorcycle (can’t use bike lanes but can use highways, special license.)
Therefore, you can have a bike that looks like a moped but is allowed on freeways. Conversely, you can have one that looks like a motorcycle but can’t go on the freeway.
In my state, taxes and registration on a moped is similar to a bicycle: a one time fee for forever. Motorcycles, however, have the same taxes and registration as a car.
However, each state is different. Some states (iirc) will require you to pass a special test for a moped.
I have been riding a 150 cc scooter for over a year. I’m 260 pounds (was about 290 when I got it).
It’s probably my most favorite thing ever. I tell everyone who is considering that it really only makes sense if you want to use it as your main means of transportation.
But, I also have an old beater of a car that I can drive if the weather is bad or if I need to carry stuff or take passengers.
Parking and gas are the two biggest perks. For me I was spending 60 something dollars a month on gas. I now spend 10 dollars. In three years the scooter would have paid for itself.
I realize that this is going to make me sound like a complete wuss, but I wouldn’t know the first thing about fixing up a beat-up scooter. Having never even had one, I wouldn’t be able to tell you what “normal” or “good” means with regard to scooters. All of my Greensboro friends are bike-riding hipster vegans. None of them would be even slightly helpful with a scooter. I’m pretty handy with a wrench, but I’m not all that interested in learning to do maintenance in the parking lot of my apartment complex.
I like the Ruckus as well. Every time I see one I think “that looks neat!” Then I read reviews about how they’re super-weak and slow. It would count as a scooter in NC, though, so that’s a plus. I guess I’m going to have to just try some scooters out and see what I like.
If I have to do the Motorcycle-things (license, inspection, insurance, blah, blah) then the scooter idea looks like more work and $ than it’s worth.
Is there a brand hierarchy in scooters? Are Hondas and Vespas really any better than Piaggios and other lower-priced brands? What’s the difference?
Hondas, Vespas, and Piaggio (owned by Vespa) really are a class above the no name Chinese scooters. The fact you dont want to be a mechanic makes me recommend the Elite even more. Find one with low miles in good cosmetic shape, pay a couple hundred bucks for a mechanic to tune it up and your problems will be over. You will not have that piece of mind with the
!!!150cc Scooters for $995 tax included!!!
deals you see plastered everywhere.
Another great great brand is Buddy (and the former Stella). They are modern scooters but with excellent quality control and a great sales network.
The reason I say good cosmetic shape is that if it hasn’t been crashed, then there’s not a lot that goes wrong with these. Steer clear of ones with missing plastic or that have been repainted. The plastics are the hardest things to find.
As I said, I like the Mad Max looks of the Ruckus. A guy where I used to work rode one, and it looked great next to my R1 an a coworker’s SV500 and others’ Harleys and Harley-styles. I wouldn’t mind having one in my stable.
