Scooter buying advice and tips - FAQ

Answers to some frequently asked questions about buying a scooter:

1) What brand of scooter is best?

The well-known brands all have their own strong points: Vespa, Honda, Yamaha, Aprilia, etc. I met a lot of people at AmeriVespa who LOVE their Genuine brand scooters -- these are models called Stella and Buddy. I have a friend who rides a Kymco and recommends it to everyone -- very low price, but reliable.

Be wary of buying a used scooter if you are inexperienced or not mechanically inclined. A bad scooter could get you killed. Is it worth a couple hundred dollars?

Think long and hard about buying a mail-order scooter. Can you really build a gas-powered, engine-driven vehicle from parts in a box? This is not a bicycle, dude.

2) Do I need a motorcycle license to operate a scooter?

In Florida, for any scooter with an engine size of more than 50cc, you need to have a motorcycle endorsement on your driver's license. Check the laws for your own state.

Even without the motorcycle endorsement, in Florida the 50cc scooters must have a tag and registration.

3) How fast does it go?

Generally speaking:

• 50cc = 40 mph
• 150cc = 60 mph
• 200cc = 75 mph
• 250cc = 80 mph
• 400cc = 95 mph

4) How many miles per gallon does it get?

It totally depends on the make and model. My Vespa LX 150 easily gets 60 mpg -- but the manufacturer claims it gets 80 mpg. The ethanol in U.S. gasoline is reducing the mileage you can expect to get. (Yes, pay more for gas that doesn't take you as far. Grrr ...) Also, the manual says we should use a high-octane gasoline in Vespas, so I'm paying for Super or Ultra. Other scooters will have different requirements.

Still, I fill the tank about once every two weeks and pay less than $8 to do it.

5) How much does a scooter cost?

Again, check the make and model. Engine size is also a factor in price.

A 125cc Genuine Buddy is $2,699 (MSRP).

A Kymco People 50cc is $2,449 (MSRP), and the 125cc is $2,999 (MSRP). Only $500 difference.

A Vespa LX 150cc (if you can find one!) is $4,399 (MSRP), and the smaller engine, 50cc, is $3,299. Yeah, a big price difference there!

Meanwhile, a 250cc motorcycle, such as Honda's popular Rebel, goes for $3,199 (MSRP) -- new. Honda's Nighthawk (250cc) is $3,699.

6) So why not just buy a "real motorcycle" instead?

Ahhh ... that's a very good question. Let's just say that there are plenty of people who have ridden motorcycles, and loved riding them, and now they ride a scooter instead. There are people who got on a scooter and never wanted to ride anything else. There are even people who sold a scooter, bought a motorcycle, and ... then sold the motorcycle and bought another scooter.

It's not about shifting gears. I used to ride a Honda Shadow 750cc, and shifting gears was no problem at all. My Vespa is lighter, more nimble, more responsive, and -- best of all -- more fun to ride!

Some more advice:

• 6,000+ miles on a Honda Metropolitan 50cc
• The joy of riding a scooter
• Scooter commuter in Oklahoma

...

Motorbikes and economics in Laos

Cheap Chinese motorbikes ($400 each) change life in rural Laos.



Story (The New York Times): In Laos, Chinese Motorcycles Change Lives

The Honda Wave is the prototype for these cheap models -- it's a great, reliable 125cc bike, easy to handle. If I could buy one new in the U.S., I would!

My 750cc Ride (and 50cc Scooters)

I have to make an admission before I really get started with this: I do not own a scooter. I own a 750cc Honda cruiser, which is rather a lot larger than what is traditionally called a scooter. Now, I owned and rode a motorbike in Malaysia for eight months, and that was a 115cc machine, single-cylinder, four-stroke, with an automatic transmission -- so that was not very different from a traditional scooter.

A lot of the scooters you see on U.S. college campuses are 50cc. This is a low-power machine, just barely street legal. In most places, you do not have to earn a special motorcycle certification on your driver's license to ride a 50cc bike (check your own state's motor vehicle laws). Some scooters, like the Yamaha Vino, come in a 50cc version and a 125cc version.

Check out this nice comparison of the 50cc Vino and Honda's 50cc Metropolitan.

So I'm thinking about adding a little scooter to my stable, just because that bike I had in Malaysia was so nice, so light and quick ... Anyway, that's my excuse for starting this blog.