New from Orlando, Fl

[jy11]

Long story short - I dont have a scooter yet, looking around and doing my research - came accross this site by watching 90gtvert videos on youtube that were great. Money is an issue and looking at chinese scooters and in Orlando actually have quite a few dealers to choose from - So i came here to get advise from the people that know about scooters and can give honest, good advise. I am pretty mechanically inclined and doing the work myself is not an issue, wanted to point that out going into my questions:

1. Buying from dealer versus online?? - Obviously the brick and mortar have the mark ups to make a larger profit for business costs; however do offer decent warranties, offer repair and roadside services and scooters of course are fully assembled and inspected. Now I am positive that I could assemble one shipped, give a good inspection, ect..but if shipped damaged or with deffective parts and such - is it worth the few hundred bucks difference to buy from the dealer??

2. My big question - The scoot will be primary to and from work commuter- the ride is 12 miles one way and all the roads are 45mph speed limits usually with a good amount of traffic - and to mention Flat, no hills (its florida). With that said, I know a 150cc would be the logical choice but again money is an issue. Now from what I have researched on the chinese scoots, are parts will need to be replaced, often and many should be off the bat and with upgraded parts...**CDI box, ignition coil, carb (as most come stock with a sealed carb for some reason), exhaust and many other parts - This regardless if a 50 or 150 as have basically same engine.
THe price difference between the 50 and 150 at the local shops are average of about $500 - 600 or more - So 600 difference, I would think could get the 50cc, make the minor upgrages upfront with the CDI, carb, intake, sparkplug, jets and a few more im sure and still come in cheaper than the 150.
I am about 190 pounds, on flat roads, with the modest upgrades, think I could get a steady 40MPH?? And could get a bbk later down the line and cost I have figured would be right around the 150cc stock. A modified/upgraded 50cc would be better than a stock 150cc right? - but question is, would I be able to make a constant 40-45mph to flow with the traffic??? Or simply wait and just go with the 150cc??

Thanks in advance for any/all advise!

[Elektrey]

I'd get the $600 chinese tao tao online, I think the markup is too much. Usually the online dealers have warranty too and will send you parts.

the parts and labor on these are so cheap and simple warranty isn't really worth too much.

If you want to ride on 45mph roads, go 150cc. I think the 150cc online chinese scooters are like $800-900 shipped.

50cc won't be comfortable on 45mph roads unless you put a lot of work into it and if you never had a scoot I wouldn't suggest starting out that way.

now if you got a used 2 stroke you might be able to tune it a bit and be comfortable on 45mph roads.

my 2 stroke 50cc is very comfortable to ride on 45mph roads and keeps up (and even passes) traffic, but I have done some work to it and again I wouldn't recommend starting out with tuning something to get it to where you can ride it, especially when you are tight on money. One mistake and there goes your transportation.

50cc stock *might* do 40mph GPS but I am in orlando too and I know that "45mph" means 50-52mph GPS usually so you won't be doing very well there.

CDI carb intake and sparkplug and jetting will not get you very far, maybe 1-2mph at MOST if something was really restricting it beforehand. You'd need to do a BBK and some valve work and even then don't expect much more than 45mph GPS.

150cc out of the box will do 50+mph and I think it's your best bet.

[scooterpimp]

[90GTVert]

One thing to remember when buying Chinese scooters locally is that some places selling them don't have good mechanics or any real desire to help you post-purchase. There are good ones and bad ones. If you were to go with a local shop, research them first. Some online retailers will try to get replacement parts if things are damaged or for warranty, so you aren't necessarily without help this way. All of that said, I always say when you buy a Chinese scooter you should assume you'll be on your own as far as dealer support. Maybe you won't be, but if that's a deal breaker then you either need to be very familiar with the shop so there's a good chance it won't happen or go another route like a big name scoot (Yamaha, Honda, etc...).

The better made and better supported scoots will be from big names. Japanese and European scooters generally have qualified mechanics, real warranties, and a dealer network. The down side is you pay quite a lot more to buy new. You may be able to get a good used big name scoot on craigslist for a similar cost to a new Chinese scoot, but of course you have to be careful choosing one and you'll have no warranty that way.

I'm not sure that warranty will even be an issue if you buy a 49cc and want it to go 40-45MPH cruising. When you modify any of them that much you'll void the warranty.

You can expect anywhere from 30-40MPH cruise speeds out of stock 49cc scooters, depending on what you get. Most of the time the 139QMB, that's the common Chinese 4T 49cc, will cruise at 30-35MPH reliably. The 1E40QMB, common Chinese 49cc 2T, will cruise closer to 40MPH most of the time. The bad part about a new 2T is they are harder to find and tend to be more expensive (more comparable to Chinese 150cc costs). A Chinese 150cc GY6 should be good for around 50MPH cruising in stock form.

If you go with a 139QMB powered scoot, like a TaoTao, a 47mm big bore kit along with carb and CVT tuning will likely put you around the 40MPH cruise mark. You can pick up a 47mm kit from some online retailers for $50 shipped or less. You can replace the carb for about $25-30. A main jet kit costs about $15. You can spend a lot or a little on rollers or sliders, but even one set of decent rollers or sliders will cost around $20.

With any new Chinese scoot you should consider a PDI and there will be more expense there. At very least you'll need some engine oil and gear oil right off the bat. There's a lot more info on PDIs here :
49ccscoot.proboards.com/thread/8006/chinese-scooter-assembly-pdi

If I were planning to cruise 12 miles each way every day and needed to go 40-45MPH reliably on a 45MPH road, I'd at least consider a 150cc. A 150 should be great for that without you having to be wide open throttle (WOT) an tucked down at all times to try and keep up with traffic. I'd think the big negative there would be that you need a motorcycle license, registration, and insurance to be legal on the 150cc.

[jy11]

Thanks for advise - why I came here. I know a 150cc would be best for what I am looking to do (the 12mi commute on 45mph roads)and fit my needs better - but i really like to tinker around(upgrading and tinkering with a 50 to see what i could get out of it seems like a fun challenge)- that said it would prob be best to start with the 150 for now to get what i need out of it and later on when i am able pick up a 50cc.
As for the purchase itself - what are some solid webstores/sites to purchase from? Have looked at a few and reviews are up and down - this is what concerns me most, ordering from a reputable site online with solid shipping.

Thanks again all!

[90GTVert]

I bought my TaoTao from FamilyGoKarts :
49ccscoot.proboards.com/thread/5617/familygokarts-com-scooter-buying-experience

[muddawg]

welcome to the forum

50cc scoots are fun to toy with 
, but like he said a quality scooter is usually a more reliable bet for getting to work on time

enjoy whichever you choose

ive seen many honda elites 150 and 250 for under 500 bucks

so ther are options

mike

[Elektrey]

Jul 10, 2015 11:25:16 GMT -5 jy11 said:

Thanks for advise - why I came here. I know a 150cc would be best for what I am looking to do (the 12mi commute on 45mph roads)and fit my needs better - but i really like to tinker around(upgrading and tinkering with a 50 to see what i could get out of it seems like a fun challenge)- that said it would prob be best to start with the 150 for now to get what i need out of it and later on when i am able pick up a 50cc.
As for the purchase itself - what are some solid webstores/sites to purchase from? Have looked at a few and reviews are up and down - this is what concerns me most, ordering from a reputable site online with solid shipping.

Thanks again all!

See if there's an alternate route on 35mph roads to do your commute. You won't be going any faster than that on the 45mph roads with a 50cc so it won't be any longer.

If you can find a commute that way then you can get a 50cc and tinker around with it to be more able to go on the faster roads.

[Florida Antique]

My
First Nice to see another Central Floridian!
I agree with Elektrey when he says 45mph speed limit = 50 to 52 and probably closer to 60 so if you really want to keep up with traffic, you will have to go with a 125/150cc scooter. I also agree with muddawg saying that you might be better off with a used Japanese bike then with a new Chinese bike. Although around here a Honda Elite 150 for $500 would more than likely be in a box. If 45 is fast enough and you move over for the drivers climbing up your butt, you might want to look for a good used Honda Elite 80. They made them for 22 years and there are plenty of them around in good running shape for $500 to $1000. Another scooter to consider is a Yamaha Vino 125 ($700 to $1200 used)good for 55 mph. Either one are proven reliable bikes to get you to work. Both require motorcycle endorcements/license in the state of Florida. If you really want to stick with a 50CC that you can modify to get to 50 to 55, look for a Tiawanese 2 stroke bike like a Genuine Buddy, or Genuine Roughouse or maybe an Adly, TGB,or CPI. With those it is easy to upgrade to 70cc and with a chamber and some variator tuning, get to 50 mph. To get a Chinese 2 stroke, it will have to be 7 or 8 years old and will likely be in rough shape used. Buying a new bike like they said is 30 to 35 for a Chinese 4 stroke or 50 to 55mph for the 150cc.

[aeroxbud]

Welcome to the forum.

[muddawg]

well this is in west ky but you are welcome to come and get em

westky.craigslist.org/mcy/5065935633.html

[Florida Antique]

The ad says "bill of sale only". I don't know about Kentucky but here in Florida you would have to jump through some major hoops to get a tag for that bike. You would have to come up with a title from another state that has a more liberal title policy. I have heard of a website that will get you a Vermont title and tag for $300 for a 150CC scooter. Then hopefully you can get that transferred to Florida (another $150). If the scooter had been reported stolen then the only thing showing in your link is a pile of old Honda scooter parts. It will never be able to be legally driven in this state. Florida will absolutely not fool around or listen to stories about titles. They treat $150 VIP scooters just like $150,000 Maserati's. It does not matter to them.

[muddawg]

yeah , goin outa state bugs me too
i could get a title here
but i dont know about coming from another state and trying to transfer
its bad enough just doing it with a truck from the state next door

sorry about the thread hijack

mike

[jy11]

So i found a 150cc pretty cheap local - guy says it doesnt run but pictures look in really good shape and low miles (pictures of scoot overall look realy good) - Didnt say what was wrong exactly, could be a really simple fix and of course could be something major - Its a gy6 4 stroke engine and from what I have researched (youtube videos really) probably can replace a few parts to get it going (CDI box, ignition wire, spark, battery and probably carb) - $300 for a 150cc scoot (again body in really great shape) with unknown engine prob - what you guys think?? take the chance and attempt to fix?? or pass on it and buy new?

[Elektrey]

$300 sounds good and if you ever needed help depending on how far you are from me (im also in orlando) I'd offer my help.

Just make sure it has a title! need titles in florida, its a must have