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Post by ldasil on Apr 9, 2018 11:38:30 GMT -5
I've never actually driven one, but I've always wanted a scooter. Now that I live a mile and half from my office and my car is dying, I'm thinking I can buy a 49cc scooter and live without a car. I've done some math and I think the money I'm saving on a car would cover a scooter plus the occasional weekend car rental and Uber rides when necessary. This experiment could be a complete failure so I don't want to invest too much into it. Does anyone have any thoughts or advice about going with a super cheap "starter" scooter? TaoTao is the brand I keep seeing, I'm sure they're not quality machines but I figure if it works out I'll upgrade after a year or two. Any advice would be appreciated, thanks!
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Post by tortoise2 on Apr 9, 2018 11:55:17 GMT -5
never actually driven one Keep in mind that you may be invisible to some drivers . . just not mentally registering. |
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Post by 90GTVert on Apr 9, 2018 12:46:33 GMT -5
 Since you've never rode one, maybe see if you can rent one for a short period if there are any options in your area for that. Some love them and some don't. Plan to put some practice time in if possible before hitting the open road. Stuff to get used to basic operations and maneuvering. Maybe read some stuff from the MSF and/or pick up a motorcycle handbook from the local MVA/DMV (or download one online). A 3 mile round trip could make a scooter a good choice as long as it's a good road for a small scooter. High speed limit roads are not good for scooters unless you are allowed to ride the shoulder IMO. They typically go 30-35MPH stock. Keep in mind that you will have to deal with the elements if all you have is the scooter. Cold, hot, wind, rain, snow. They can be dealt with to some degree, but it's certainly different than hopping into a climate controlled car/truck with a cage and shielding from the outside. Also means you should consider the cost of gear when thinking this over. At least I'd advise a good helmet. It's protecting your head, so don't buy something just because it's cheap. Also consider stuff like a motorcycle jacket, motorcycle gloves, and motorcycle rain suit. Chinese scooters are okay, but I like to see them used by people that are mechanically inclined and willing to work on them or people that actually have a reputable dealer nearby. They can be surprisingly good for what you pay, but make no mistake they are more prone to failures than the more expensive machines from big name brands like Honda, Yamaha, Piaggio, Vespa, and so on. When they do break down, you can have trouble finding a good mechanic that will work on one. That would be worth checking into before buying if you don't want to do any work that pops up. An alternative is to hunt for a used big name scooter in good shape used. Sometimes deals come along that put top notch scoots on the market for similar costs to new Chinese scooters.
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Post by moofus02 on Apr 9, 2018 19:15:45 GMT -5
Brent gives good advice. I lived 4 miles from work and road 10 to 11 months a year back and forth to work because i wanted to but i had a cage as backup. Coldest was about 10 below zero and high about 100. Sun snow and rain. I had bought a new 08 Zuma. I stopped because i changed jobs and it's 90 mile round trip now.
Good riding gear is very important, I've been riding for 45 years and i still managed to low side that Zuma at about 10mph in a parking lot for no good reason. Cracked 3 or 4 ribs. A good riding jacket, boots with ankle protection, helmet and always wear good gloves. If cold weather is anticipated pick a helmet like the hjc that sell motorcycle and snowmobile helmets. That way you can get one with the extra cold weather stuff and a double layer shield to help with fogging and swith it out with a normal one for summer use. They also have some with a sun shield that you can flip up and down so you don't need glasses or a tinted shield. Snowmobile gloves work great in cold weather. I always wanted a used leather snowmobile suit for winter riding. Windshield is nice also.
I road that 2t zuma for 6 years and did nothing but gas and 2t oil after the initial tune. It ran about 43mph true speed. Milage was about 45 to 50. Maybe a little better. If you are going to depend on it primarily i would recommend a name brand scooter, used ones can be had for a reasonable price if you shop carefully.
02 to 05 zuma are nice but geared real deep so top speed is limited to mid 30's. 08 to 11 Zuma has better gears but needs some restrictions fixed to make it run good. Also in 2t bikes i would look at Kymco people 50 or like 50. The like 50 is a real nice looking bike with 12 inch wheels and a trunk. I've also had real good luck with my 2t Eton. And adly seams to make a real good scooter.
In 4t scooters i would look at the yamaha new zuma, C3 (one of my favorites), vino, Honda metropolitan, ruckus, any kymco, and the 4t Eton beemer seems to be a really well built scooter.
The 2t's can be stone reliable and are easy to hop up and work on, the 4t's get about twice the fuel milage from my experience and the 4t zuma and c3 are fuel injected. They will run right with a stock 2t.
Scooters are also easily stolen so consider where you need to park and how you are going to make the theif think it isn't worth their time to steal it. I also carry liability insurance on them, dirt cheep for under 50cc bikes
Hope this helps
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Post by ldasil on Apr 11, 2018 10:14:55 GMT -5
Thanks! For the most part I'm driving within 5 miles of home with a max speed limit of 35mph. I don't want to go faster than that anyway as an inexperienced rider. I'm definitely factoring in safety and weather gear and appreciate the tips. Theft is definitely a concern, I live in an apartment complex and will be parking in a lot. I've scouted out a few things I can chain it to as long as management doesn't complain. While I'm not interested in speed, power might be an issue. I'm short but fat and there is a bit of a hill on my daily commute.
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Post by pinkscoot on Apr 11, 2018 10:39:34 GMT -5
Another company to look for is Genuine. The Buddy or Roughhouse are solid machines and 2 stroke so they will give you a little more speed.
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Post by jbjhillbilly on Apr 11, 2018 11:59:01 GMT -5
If you do decide to buy a scoot, take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s New Rider Course msf-usa.org/When I took the course, I had ridden motorcycles on, and off road for 25 years, and had been a daily rider for several of those (I’m a freelancer, so my office moves around a lot). The course was nothing short of amazing. It also helped me to correct a lot of bad habits that I didn’t even know I had developed. MSF even has a scooter specific course, depending on where you live. |
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Post by fuzzyruttin on Apr 12, 2018 17:09:33 GMT -5
never actually driven one Keep in mind that you may be invisible to some drivers . . just not mentally registering. I always do smidsy maneuvers when someone wants to turn into my driving lane, granted I see them first. If traffic permits, I cross double yellow lines and everything. If that doesn't work, meeep meeep! mhheeeeeeppp! |
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Post by ThaiGyro on Apr 13, 2018 3:15:36 GMT -5
Welcome fuzzy! The boyz covered the functional stuff well! Asssuming you are in North America...or Europe...
When I was young and my heart was an open book...I had a financially induced living arrangement. Great job, but far away from affordable living. The opposite of what you have. However, the point was then, getting to and from work efficiently. I drove a '75 Yamaha RD 350 over hills and crazy traffic lanes and a major highway 52 miles in each direction. It was hot and wet and even some snow, though rare.
I earned 5 traffic tickets, lost one exhaust baffle and crashed in my company parking lot in a hail storm. All worth every mile. Oh, I had a car...bad ass car. It only got about 13 mpg. The RD? About 45 mpg. No brainer.
If you can live with some bad weather and learning the art of zen scooter maintenance...do it my friend! When I left California, I had reduced my commute to 1.7 miles. Son in University, early retirement visions...Drove my Ducati every day for over 4 years! I think I saved more than 10K in total cost over driving my 4WD truck. (Insurance was the biggest!)
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Post by diynuke on Apr 13, 2018 4:27:42 GMT -5
Just any brand bike should be fine.. And at first you say 35mph is fast enough. after a while you are getting used to the speed. so then it doesn't feel that fast anymore. And the best speed well you just have to go fast enough so you can follow the other traffic.. So here most cars drive 60 on a 50 road so i also drive 60. that way they don't overtake me in dangerous way's And yeah you should always think that cars don't see you so don't assume they've seen you. if you can look them in the face then they probably saw you. And well for the rest it is go or stop nothing between xD if you hesitate it can go wrong quickly. The scoot itself. maintenance. if you can do it yourself just get a cheap scoot. if you can't get a good brand scoot but that is already said a bunch of time's  Have Fun! |
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Post by 65cabriolet on Apr 15, 2018 14:07:52 GMT -5
if you can look them in the face then they probably saw you. Nope, don't you believe it. I've been in my 4wd pickup and looked people in the eye and they have still pulled out in front of me when I was half way through the intersection. |
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Post by diynuke on Apr 16, 2018 3:46:25 GMT -5
if you can look them in the face then they probably saw you. Nope, don't you believe it. I've been in my 4wd pickup and looked people in the eye and they have still pulled out in front of me when I was half way through the intersection. Damn. well it happened once to me but however its better than not doing it tho.. What i also kind of always do is watch at the wheels. which are really easy to see if they start rolling and what way they are heading. already happened 15x that somebody turned up on a roundabout while i was in the same lane xD |
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