Recommend new scoot for 14 yr old

[wevie]

I want to buy my son a scoot for his 14th birthday coming up.

In my state he can pass a moped license class and drive legally.  The vehicle requirements are:

In Iowa, a moped is a vehicle that has a seat for the use of the rider and is designed to travel on not more than 3 wheels. They are not capable traveling over 30 MPH on level ground unassisted by human power.

I want something RELIABLE.  2t or 4t I have no opinions.  I have absolutely no idea what I'm looking at when I look at the myriad of options to purchase online (oh yeah, I'll be purchasing online and having delivered).

So...  line up the recommendations!

[Lucass2T]

Stick with japanese or european (italian/spanish) brands.

Personally i hate chinese scooters, i think they're junk and won't recommend them to someone asking for reliability. Everything breaks and wears faster on those than you'd expect. 2nd i think they're super ugly and cheap looking. Almost every chinese scoot has certain aestetics which are a 1-1 copy from japanese/euro scoots. Very weak sign..

[90GTVert]

Just curious, why are you set on delivery?

If you were willing to shop locally, you could go with Honda, Yamaha, Kymco, Vespa, or Piaggio 49cc scooters a bit easier. When reliability is the #1 goal, I have to recommend those. You also have dealer support that way, assuming you buy new. Real dealer support, with trained techs. Even many that buy Chinese scooters locally find that they are somewhat on their own if issues arise. Chinese scooters are not famous for their reliability or supportive dealers. In some areas, people find it hard to even find a mechanic that wants to work on a Chinese scooter.

I own 5 Chinese scooters ATM, so this is not to say they have no value, but I would suggest reconsidering local purchases if possible so you could perhaps pick up a used big name scoot for what a new Chinese scoot costs.

[tortoise2]

Hard to imagine a teen actually complying with the Iowa moped 30mph speed limitation and safety flag stipulation! Since the scooter will most likely be desecrated with modifications . . a used Znen L5Y may be a more "expendable" option.

[eclark5483]

Here's the thing... Reliability is an excellent thing to shoot for. But reliability is gonna cost you money. If it's for a 14 year old... expect them to drop it a few times (my daughter has dropped hers 4 times already... mainly because the wind tipped it over), expect scratches, expect it will get abused.

I guess what I am saying, is don't spend $3,000 on something that might get the hell beat out of it. Kids will be kids. With that being said, go cheap... they have 2 years till they are 16 to learn to be a bit more responsible with their shit.

Go with an ATM50-A1, BUY IT HERE: www.provenpowersports.com/collections/taotao-scooters/products/taotao-adult-50cc-gas-moped-scooter-atm50-a1

As a fellow Iowan, we both know these things are EVERYWHERE. If the price on the ATM50 seems OK but your concerned about reliability... look around locally for a used one in the same price range that is a Yamaha or Honda.

Come on, pretty easy to find... here's a pic at Spencer High my daughter took yesterday with about a 1/3rd of them that were there.

[stoneforth]

I loved my yamaha jog 2t. Solid, compact and a decent amount of power.

Yamaha, honda, suzuki 2t's are the brands i look for.

Chinese scoots are just not built to last. I don't have a problem with the engines, but the poor corrosion protection on the frame and electrical connectors is a joke.

The only way i can justify getting them is to get it dirt cheap or free, repaint the frame then test and properly insulate every electrical connector.

[spaz12]

He's a boy and boys will be boys, so he'll want to make it faster at some point, so get a 2 stroke. I'd buy a good quality Japanese or Italian scoot because you want it to be reliable. I wouldn't buy a new one because most new scoots are 4 stroke and they're prohibitively expensive to make go just a tiny bit faster, which makes them (in my opinion) no good. I even feel that way about 4 stroke Vespa's. And the new 2 stroke scooters that you can get are mostly based on the Morini motor, which isn't a bad motor at all, it just doesn't have many go fast parts available.

[dan50]

But Dad want's the boy to stay out of trouble with the cops. Go with a low miles 4 stroke, Japanese (Honda, Yamaha). There is another highly rated brand named Genuine Scooter Company. New ones list from $1.500 to $2,000 and they are very reliable ( including the 2 strokes). I've read that people have gotten 50,000 miles or more without any engine trouble.

I own 3 Chinese scooters. The problem is, They need to be worked on a lot. Even a new one has to be worked on quite a bit to get it to perform reliably.

[niz76]

Aug 24, 2016 13:59:09 GMT -5 eclark5483 said:

Here's the thing... Reliability is an excellent thing to shoot for. But reliability is gonna cost you money. If it's for a 14 year old... expect them to drop it a few times (my daughter has dropped hers 4 times already... mainly because the wind tipped it over), expect scratches, expect it will get abused.

I guess what I am saying, is don't spend $3,000 on something that might get the hell beat out of it. Kids will be kids. With that being said, go cheap... they have 2 years till they are 16 to learn to be a bit more responsible with their shit.

Go with an ATM50-A1, BUY IT HERE: www.provenpowersports.com/collections/taotao-scooters/products/taotao-adult-50cc-gas-moped-scooter-atm50-a1

As a fellow Iowan, we both know these things are EVERYWHERE. If the price on the ATM50 seems OK but your concerned about reliability... look around locally for a used one in the same price range that is a Yamaha or Honda.

Come on, pretty easy to find... here's a pic at Spencer High my daughter took yesterday with about a 1/3rd of them that were there.

Holy Cow! COOL!

[eclark5483]

Aug 24, 2016 23:34:54 GMT -5 niz76 said:

Aug 24, 2016 13:59:09 GMT -5 eclark5483 said:

Here's the thing... Reliability is an excellent thing to shoot for. But reliability is gonna cost you money. If it's for a 14 year old... expect them to drop it a few times (my daughter has dropped hers 4 times already... mainly because the wind tipped it over), expect scratches, expect it will get abused.

I guess what I am saying, is don't spend $3,000 on something that might get the hell beat out of it. Kids will be kids. With that being said, go cheap... they have 2 years till they are 16 to learn to be a bit more responsible with their shit.

Go with an ATM50-A1, BUY IT HERE: www.provenpowersports.com/collections/taotao-scooters/products/taotao-adult-50cc-gas-moped-scooter-atm50-a1

As a fellow Iowan, we both know these things are EVERYWHERE. If the price on the ATM50 seems OK but your concerned about reliability... look around locally for a used one in the same price range that is a Yamaha or Honda.

Come on, pretty easy to find... here's a pic at Spencer High my daughter took yesterday with about a 1/3rd of them that were there.

Holy Cow! COOL!

Yeah, she said around 80 kids all drive scooters to school. When you live in a state where 14 and 15 year olds can't have a driver's license but can have a moped permit, you'll likely see an army of them cruising around town.

Edit: The nice thing about it, is since almost everyone has one, you can find some pretty sweet deals on used and classic scoots that nobody wants any more.

[eclark5483]

So you can see you are getting different answers from everybody, and nobody is wrong about what they are saying. 2T, 4T, Chinese, Japanese, Italian. I tend to agree with everybody when they say the Chinese scoots are less reliable, but I disagree with them being junk. I would honestly recommend changing out all kinds of things on a Chinese scoot once you get one... first and foremost, the carb and valve stems for the tires. I think the manual itself even recommends a valve stem change. I think reliability is something you'd wanna shoot for in any purchase you make. My reasoning for saying buy Chinese has more to do with the age of your child then it does anything else. There is always a resale value to keep in mind as well. If you spend a smaller amount on a cheap Chinese scoot instead of investing $2000 upwards on a Honda/Yamaha/etc, it won't be much of a big deal if your kid wrecks it or damages it somehow... and knowing 14 year olds... something is bound to happen...

But anyway, you buy cheap at first so they learn on it, learn how to take care of it. Then make the REAL investment maybe a year or 2 later into a nicer, more reliable brand. A Chinese scoot that is a couple years old will only lose a couple hundred off it's original price if well taken care of. So a substantial purchase to a better suited bike won't be so bad provided you get a decent trade/sale on the old one. By then, you won't need to worry as much about your kid destroying an investment.

Kinda like when your kid gets their drivers license and their first car is an old 87 Buick 4 door that grandma gives them. MUCH more expendable then buying them a new Mustang GT right off the bat.

That's really how I was with my kids... bought em an old beat up 86' Spree to learn on, got them new ones later.. Of course, that old beat up Spree is now part of the family and is being restored.. but I think you get the idea.

[AG]

My son rode his brand new scooter for exactly one year, until he was old enough to drive.
Fast forward 8 years, and here I am tearing it apart at 2000km, and making it go fast for ME.

Keep whatever you buy in the garage, and keep it clean. Mine still looks new more or less.

Oh yeah....the brand new scooter took a spill less than a month into him riding.
No significant damage, but a brand new scooter might not be the best idea in the long run.

[jeff84]

yeah I had a scooter when I was 15. rode it and abused it. it had a rough life. I managed to seize the engine real good right before I got my DL. then it just sat and eventually got sold for scrap.

didn't get back into them for several years. not saying your son would do the same, but it would be a shame if he did and it was a 3000 dollar machine. Chinese scooters are 1000 or less. and may be a learning/bonding experience if you guys fix and reinforce the cheap scooter together. or better yet buy two cheap ones and ride them together.

[fts902]

Aprilia SR50.

[nelson]

This is what he really wants...
honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/mcy/5734816072.html