Scooter Commuter

So, my 27 mile daily highway commute in the premium gas only M6 is kinda getting silly expensive.
But.....There is a way to do the whole thing on surface streets that run at a reasonable pace. So I got to thinking, why not get a scooter? Had an aprilla we used as a pit bike, but I need something, well ...at lot less girly. So is there a reasonably priced, commuter scooter that fits the bill? I would just get another motorcyle, but I want something simple, easy to park and cheap as hell on gas. I am already gonna be a fat guy on a scooter, so something mildly cool would be helpful. As for riding experience, learned to ride in Miami on an ST4 Duc and lived to tell the tail.

Honda reliability and 49cc's of frugal speed. It get's an honest 100 mpg at wide open throttle. I know this because it's at wide open throttle approximately 100% of the time.

that's very cool. Cruising speed? And can it make it off the light without holding up traffic? 49cc single strokes make me curious.

It's maxed out at around 45. It's not bad leaving the light, but 35 to 45 takes a while. They are very sensitive to your weight.

You really want this.

Yamaha TW200.

55 mph top end and 90 mpg. You can drop a gear or two on the rear sprocket for more top end and potentially 80 mpg.

Lightweight, fun, cheap, etc.

The Honda Ruckus is nice. I prefer my two stroke Yamaha Zuma.

Be warned. I did this goofing around on the Zuma.

Those little wheels do things QUICKLY sometimes. LOL

townsend7 wrote: Those little wheels do things QUICKLY sometimes.

I agree. I originally bought this scooter with the intention of swapping in a 600cc Silver Wing engine into it, but I quickly realized that I wouldn't want to go too much faster on the small wheels.

27 miles, I would want a "real" bike. Maybe something with a fairing. Although if that's round trip, I may be tempted to "knock" it out.

Yeah, 27 miles is too many for a scooter.

I really enjoyed my Kymco Super 9, until it was stolen...

I had an '08 air cooled 2 stroke 49cc. that got about 80 mpg at 100% wot. Alone I could cruise at 55, more like 45 with my girlfriend on the back. Made many 50 mile + round trips without incident. Excellent brakes.

Woody wrote: Yeah, 27 miles is too many for a scooter.

FAIL! Last year I bought Mrs.Mini an older 250 Honda Elite. I have put way more miles on it than she has and it has no problem doing 65, all day long,with my big carcass on it. The Jetson looking fairing is great for wind and bugs and it's like driving a barcolounger. Did I mention the honest 70+ mpg? There is no problem keeping up(and beating) traffic and the best part.....$800. Liquid cooled, too!

Are you leaning toward a scooter because a motorcycle license is not required?

I would opt for something larger than a scooter. If tempted to hit the interstate it would ride better than scoot because of its weight, you can carry a passenger if necessary and if you sold it there may be a larger market.

This 1100cc was ~$1400.

You can find buell blasts for 1500$ which is equivalent to the cost of a scooter. The blast is a great cheap bike, will do 90mph freeway and has ease of maintenance. If you don't dick with the carb/mixture for more powar, the bike will give you around 55mpg. If you are stupid like me and fool with the carb jets, exhaust, and intake, expect between 45-50mpg drive at fool throttle. I think a scooter is a little too small for a longer commute.

The only thing to make sure if you get a blastardo is that the rocker cover gaskets have been updated if it is a 00-01 I think. There wasn't a recall though there should have been.

I actually had someone on a 350cc automatic scooter race me on the blast and that little scooter kept up pretty damn well. Not to mention the scooters have a storage area under the seat that is large enough for a helmet or 6 pack of beer depending or your persuasion.

914Driver wrote: Are you leaning toward a scooter because a motorcycle license is not required? I would opt for something larger than a scooter. If tempted to hit the interstate it would ride better than scoot because of its weight, you can carry a passenger if necessary and if you sold it there may be a larger market. This 1100cc was ~$1400.

I ran the 27 mile one way route in the m6 again and realized that the locals really dont see anything but their text messages. The scooter just might not have the avoidance I would need to be safe for that long a distance.

I would love to get another bike except 2 problems: My condo association outlawed them (yes I know that is retarded), I don't have anyplace to work on it other than the parking lot, I am not allowed to park motorcycles in.

I was all set to say that awesome bike of yours is a BMW till I looked at the motor and it appears to be a flat 4, water cooled?

OldWing.

Lets see, my Virago 535 is just an air cooled twin, gets about 60 mpg, cruises comfortably at 70+mph, etc. It's easier to park than many scooters because it's smaller.

The same could be said for a whole lot of sub 500cc motorcycles.

A 27 mile commute? I would not consider a toy like a 50cc scooter or such.

get something over 300CC.

My XT225 is fine under 55mph, and can do 65-70, but it just isn't comfortable at that speed.

My old 1975 Honda CB360 only had another 15-20hp but it made all the difference at 65mph. The engine was revving, but didn't sound stressed.

With Motorcycles banned what makes you think scooters will not be next?

In condo-speak, why is a scooter not a motorcycle?

1980 Goldwing sans Vetter.

Dan

There's always the Big Ruckus:

250cc, 75mph i think... I dunno about mpg. I do know a buddy who had one and put 14,000mi on it in 8 months or so, so I'd say its comfy and reliable.

Just so I'm clear... How much are you trying to spend on the bike/scooter, and how much do you intend to save over what timeframe to recoup your initial investment? And where do you park the scooter if you can't park a bike? It doesn't seem to add up if you include insurance, safety gear, maintenance et al. Just roughing the numbers says a few years at least...

What about a motard?

http://powersports.honda.com/2009/crf230m.aspx

Sorry for the delayed response, finals week was brutal.

I was originally thinking scooter just because they are cheap and easy; and technically not a motorcycle.

But them Tommy has to go and show me a motard. If i am going to get back on a real bike, i want it to have the thumping awesomeness of a single cylinder. Plus, with that much ground clearance, I could just ride it into the condo, so it could be next to both my toolboxes :)

Hmm, I can probably find a way to schmooz the president of the association. The lust for a thumper is hard to deny.

as someone who has been commuting ~25 miles one way in an RX-8 for a few months, i feel your pain.

27 miles is a far piece on a 49-50cc scooter. however, (for Yamahas and Hondas at least), there are 70cc cylinder upgrades. my normal commute is ~6 miles and I pay ~$150/mo to park. i'm thinking of a scoot (sidewalk parking FTW) but need an honest 45-50mph ability, so a 49cc --> 70cc upgrade might be the ticket (and the wife could stil ride it). hmmm, there's a cheap 2-stroke Vino on CL....

The China 150s are selling for $650-$900 around here. I know of a 250 Honda Elite that's asking $900. The 150s may not be too bad-they'll run at 55-60 no problem, and with at least 13" wheels, ride fairly comfortably.A 25-30 miles each way is very do-able and can be an enjoyable ride.