Posted on 11/21/2011 2:03:12 PM PST by WOBBLY BOB
thanks for the info.
I found some on MCN, but it’s all in the UK, mostly on stuff not even available here.
The little scooters only have a few hundred miles in them. My son used one in urban Philly for his 3 mile commute from South Philly to near Fishtown. It was great for the commute and on side-walk parking. It got stolen twice. Now he’s driving a old VW Fox, but one with low mileage. Cheaper and more reliable!
My other son used one at his school in Fairfax, VA, but really it was unsafe in that more suburban venue. It got vandalized a few times, and he ended up selling it for a hundred or so to a roomie for ocassional use.
When I was in college one year I rebuilt a scooter and a couple of motorcycles in my dorm room. (I turned a closet door into a workbench, and hung it up at the end of the semester with the stained side inwards.) I loved the scooter and it was a babe magnet, but it really had no go. I sold it for $100, having bought it dead for $10 and adding about $30 in parts and paint. I relied more on the one motorcycle. The other bike — well that was a bad experiment. It was fun riding the bikes up and down the concrete-institutional stairwells to the third floor. Another floor mate had a Ducati up there for a while. That really had too much torgue to ride up and down the stairs.
If you mean are they legal to take on a restricted access highway the answer is no. Mine topped out at 55 and it was not at all suitable for the freeway.
A 250cc should be adequate but I would check with your local DOT.
Just a note on the evolution of bikes over the last several decades:
What is considered a cruising bike has become quite large over the years and it probably is a function of having more discretionary income. When I was young, cruising on the highway was frequently done with 250cc and it was done well. Now many people see the 250cc as quite small but with the growth in delivered HP, it simply is not true. Honda sells the snot out of their 250cc line and there are frequently shortages as a result of these high sales. the model is the Honda Rebel, a kick @ss machine at a reasonable price.
When I spoke with a salesman I described my normal driving habits and he felt that on a 250cc I would be getting 70 to 80 miles per gallon.
Houston has many people who ride 250ccs and they do fine under all circumstances. So you don’t to have a big cruiser to get from one place to another.
As a reference point, the Austin Healey Bug Eyed Sprite had an 850cc engine and one of my other sportscars, an SE492 sported a 492cc engine. Both engines were quite adequate. There is no reason to drive a bike with a car engine underneath you. It’s a bike, not a stripped down car.
But it is fun ;
My educated guesstimate is a real-life total cost around $1 per mile. Much more than the same for a reliable used car.
Why? Theft, vandalism and accident damage likelihood.
The likelihood of theft is reduced when you buy a U-lock. Accidents can be prevented if you buy a reflective jacket.
YOU don’t know Philly very well. The theft rings operating there can cut through any lock. See for example : http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/queen-village-bella-vista-hawthorne/23330-stolen-bike-3rd-catherine.html
I know I gave my son two urban adapted bicycles, including a top-rated chain locks, and both where taken by theft. The scooter actually lasted longer, but it seems the thieves have stepped it up in the last ten months.
Generally few dense urban US areas otherwise suitable for effective use of scooters is a safe environment because of crime: theft, vandals and bad drivers.
Knock wood no issues at all, just keep the oil changed according to the manual.
“But it is fun”
Yes, it is but we are talking utilitarian biking here. 250cc is just fine.
Wow, Tijeras. You are indeed ‘Slim.’
That was when I was still working out.
But a good friend of mine who has been into owning scooters for over 40 years sent me the following link.
http://modernvespa.com/forum/topic2690
Bottom line is unless you are handy with maintaining your own scooter, you won't be saving any money. He further recommends the following.
Tell him to get a big wheeled Scooter if he is interested in saving money. (Longer tire life) For the safely related stuff... GET A HEADLIGHT MODULATOR ! That way he might be able to attend his grandkids graduation.
the last college graduation I went made me wish I was getting hit by a truck.
thanks for the info. yeah, the scooters with 16” wheels are the way to go.ride more like a cycle and can handle MN potholes.
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