Scooter vs Dirt Bike

[katt]

I am not a moto rider just need something fuel efficient for food deliveries, bought scooter because its de facto stereotype vehicle for deliveries, however its heavy and very difficult to balance because you sit on the bench.

Considering switching to dirt bike, 50-100cc...

Would like to hear pros / cons of riding dirt bike vs scooter?

Important question for me is wheel size, i read somewhere than smaller diameter wheels give better stability when you go on the pothole, however i find stability not so great...

P.S. i plan to ride many hours a day.

[kkzxxx]

If you are riding in a city the CVT can be easier, switching gears all day will tire you, however the riding position/handling is indeed better on a dirtbike because you are one with the bike.
I think you should test ride both, sure most people would vote for the scooter but if you like the dirtbike more then just use that.
Id guess the MPG is about the same for both and since you are using it for work the spare parts & maintenance needs to be considered as well.
There are loads of parts for 50cc scooter engines, however 50cc dirtbike parts cost more and are harder to get it seems(depends where you live), that is if we are talking about real Brands not chinese 4 stroke dirtbikes - which vibrate like hell and Id never take one as daily ride.
I had the exact same question about month ago, but since I already had a scooter, I did not want to buy&tune another extra vehicle.

[culcune]

I own a TGB Express, but a much older one with the 151cc engine (they only sell the 50cc two stroke version now). I used it for deliveries in Yuma, AZ. It worked fine, but Yuma is not a city. I could have used any motorcycle since the only advantage it had was that I was an independent contractor, and had to pay for my own gas, insurance, maintenance, repairs, etc.

Now, I moved to L.A. and got a side job delivering for a restaurant, but use the company's Honda Metropolitan (I haven't had time to bring my TGB out here, yet). It works fine for the most part, especially the small size allows me to filter the super heavy traffic between the bike lanes and between cars, but I do find the lack of power annoying even in those conditions...I would prefer a 150cc scooter.

You haven't mentioned where you are delivering. If it is urban like L.A., definitely your scooter. Lack of shifting and light weight, combined with the two hand brakes for easy stopping, make it my preferred vehicle in L.A.'s heavy stop and go traffic.

[90GTVert]

Don't forget legality. In some areas the 49cc dirt bikes/pit bikes won't be legal for street use. I didn't really know that a dirt bike would be legal anywhere, without conversion for lights and such, and may require a motorcycle license.

May 7, 2018 1:40:34 GMT -5 katt said:

Important question for me is wheel size, i read somewhere than smaller diameter wheels give better stability when you go on the pothole, however i find stability not so great...

You've got that one backwards. Small wheels and tires will fall into potholes that large wheels and tires won't. Also, small wheels are very quick handling for low speed maneuverability. Larger wheels are more stable at speed but require more input to steer. Something like a TaoTao ATM50 or Honda Metro on 10" wheels with small tires will feel very nimble around town, but then may feel unnerving to some if they get up to 40MPH or above (depends on more factors and some people aren't bothered by it though). Scoots with 12" wheels are generally still quite nimble, but more stable if you will be cruising faster. A true dirt bike with comparatively gigantic wheels will glide over things that the scooters will beat you up on, but then that's kinda the job/point of a dirt bike while small scoots are often about ease of use.

[katt]

I am still getting a feel of it riding in Los Angeles with crappy roads and a lot of traffic, since my scooter only does 32mph on a flat road (i don't feel its stable enough to go faster), my idea was to get something that is more stable on speed and easier to balance and drive about 40MPH right because car drivers in LA get very annoyed by people who drive slow in their lane and act very inconsiderate (keep small distance, go around on the right lane that has cars parked and only little gap so they end up almost cutting me off) to get ahead of me...

Currently i got old scooter for $300 and my dirt bike will not be much fancier something used and Chinese.
Must confirm this scooter wheel lock and skidding when braking from little acceleration over some light bumps, only perfect on flat surface, one tiny pothole that i miss going 30mph and scooter falls in and feels like it has no suspension at all.

[ThaiGyro]

I'm with 90GTVert...bigger wheels is the ticket. Wider is better too, IMO. More rubber contact when emergency braking. My views on scooter versus dual sport..(Dirt bikes are not street legal in CA)

Scooters- A 125 4 stroke will run well for a long time and have reasonable carrying capacity. I haul groceries every day on my Yamaha Mio 125. I do NOT like the 14" tires, but not the diameter. The front is just too skinny. I like the Yamaha N-Max/X-Max style and tire/wheel combo. 13 or 14" depending on year, but big diameter and fat.

Dual Sport- If you can find a good inexpensive one, you would enjoy it more for the ride, less for carrying, though nice rear racks are very useful. All Japanese companies make a 250cc and smaller. Under $2000, last I checked.

Like other said...ride both styles and decide based on your comfort.

[katt]

As a alternative are there a scooter frames where you seat like on motorcycle and wheels that are 15" or more?

49 cc preferred

Automatic or CVT

Please list all makes/models you aware of.