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Post by robp234 on Mar 12, 2009 22:54:06 GMT -5
I have to commute about 50 miles one way in a rural area in Georgia. I was wondering which if any China-made 250cc class scooter would be a reliable and safe option? Ideas and opinions from the veterans would be greatly appreciated!
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Post by winchesterboy on Mar 12, 2009 23:26:18 GMT -5
rob, welcome to the pound! Not really sure if I would be considered a veteran or not but....I have a 250cc (MC-54 250B) scooter and I don't think I would enjoy a 100 mile daily commute on it. Mine is a work in progress. Has not run just right since new. It runs much better now, but...still not 100%. If I were commuting that far I would try to buy a used, at least, 400cc (majesty, etc..) if not a 600-650cc (burgman, silverwing, etc..). New these scooters are VERY expensive and used they are expensive but new or used are very reliable. Just my opinion.
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Post by earlwb on Mar 13, 2009 5:40:43 GMT -5
While it is certainly doable on a 250. I know of a few people doing it already. I have a 50 mile round trip commute myself that I do fairly often. Most any 250 is useable, it doesn't really matter as to the brand as they are all quite similar. When you get the scooter, you need to perform a PDI on it, and then ride it a while to work out any teething problems first. Once you get the kinks ironed out the scooters are fairly reliable. Some people have had more kinks than others to work out though. I also carry tools and some small spares, just in case, and flat tire repair stuff too.
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Post by ashyndin on Mar 13, 2009 6:26:21 GMT -5
i have a roketta 250 and once all my issues are worked out i would do the commute on it no problem. My father rides a Kymco Grand Vista 250 and i would look forward to the commute on that thing, it is amazing.
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Post by cstephen on Mar 13, 2009 6:37:11 GMT -5
The Linhai would do it without a problem, and be comfortable too! I was commuting 160+ miles on it a day for several weeks last summer. No problems! The only problem I ever have with that scooter, is that it handles terrible in cross winds, but they have to be pretty strong cross winds!
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Post by allworld on Mar 13, 2009 8:25:32 GMT -5
Hello robp234: I also have the Linhia 300, and have found it to be both reliable and comfortable. It is not perfect for sustained 70+mph but will cruise all day at 50-60mph with out a blip. I also like the look of the new CFMoto, but don't know too much about it.
Good luck in what ever you decide
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Post by cat0020 on Mar 13, 2009 8:52:59 GMT -5
50-mile one way commute.. better off with larger displacement (400cc or above) scooter or motorcycle.. Chinese scooters may not be ideal for daily usage of 100+ mile satrting from delivery day.
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Post by scooterran on Mar 13, 2009 9:25:50 GMT -5
Rob, I live in Indiana and ride my scooter 60 miles round trip to work and back. I ride a MC-54 250-B and this scoot takes the trip pretty well. 10 of those miles is on an interstate with big trucks. Yes, sometimes it gets a little shakey but the scoot can handle it. You have to remember that comfort is a +, I am 6 ft. and I need the leg room and don't want to get leg cramps when ridding. When ridding this far the weather is another factor. You have to carry a good set of rain gear or you will be a drowned rat. Rain doesn't care where it falls. This scoot is pretty reliable as long as you do a PDI on it and care for it as you would a new car. Have a good ride----- Scooterran
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Post by jim63 on Mar 13, 2009 11:37:23 GMT -5
I can tell you from experience my commute is 52.6 miles each way, so alittle over 100miles per day. The commute is 40+miles on Interstate, I cruise at 60-65mph. There are areas at 70mph posted, but are 3-lanes wide so no worries in right lane. My 250B handles it just fine at 60-65mph, ride quallity is good, gas mileage at 60+mpg. My SYM RV250 has alot more giddy-up-and -go and does it better. With either one your cruising speed will be around 65mph, with some "burst" power if needed to pass slower trucks/RV's etc. I have cruised at 70mph with the SYM and it does well, but 65mph seems better with a better "burst" speed.
A 250cc scooter will handle the commute just fine as long as you keep the speeds reasonable. If you really want to cruise at 70+mph, your probably better off with a bigger cc scooter. If money no object for your long commute the Burgy 650 is a sweet ride, with oodles of power, I almost pulled the trigger on buying one. The only thing that stopped me was the thoughts of spending 10k for my ride. Overall I am very satisfied with both of my 250's in the commuting dept.
Wanted to add, I added a larger windscreen on both, this is the best thing you can do to ensure a smoother ride for yourself. When your body is not being buffeted by wind, it makes all the difference. On either one can cruise with my visor up at highway speeds in comfort.
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Post by yarddogbbq on Mar 13, 2009 11:52:28 GMT -5
i do a one way commute of 46 miles on an mc-13-250 about 91 miles round trip, and have 9500 miles doing so.
would have been perfect in the days of 55 on freeway for freeway and going down one is possible wide out most of the time but if something comes loose they will not find much of you, but 65 is easily reachable and possible have done so. actually seems easier to reach 65 in the city than out in the wide open.
i generall vary from 55-65 on a two lane across hills and little 4 lane suburb roads and highways. no problem. the bikes does 65 pretty easy can reach 70 but that is flying low.
im used to faster speeds on a suzuki 1100g but the scoot seems like it is flying on 12 and 10 inch tires. ill probably cut a deer in half someday. i hope not. i see a lot of them.
i routinely ride to a town called leslie up highway 65 and to a town called big flat in the spring and summer and you can ask jrryan that is some ride and could be wild at times. but no problem so far.
so a 250cc is critical for 65-70 mph and barely enough. a four valve head bike would probably be a little better.
i have drooled over an mp3 250cc four valve, and a larger cc mp3 for just riding on wetter and maybe an icyer day, maybe. i hope they are a little bit stabler on slick surfaces, maybe not. but still i am drooling some for one. an mp3 exited off of a freeway and i couldnt catch it, (didnt try too much rush hour traffic in the morning on the way home) dont know if it had 250cc or a 400-500cc engine but it looked smooth.
i met a can am one morning also. lookes as wide as a car front end, three wheeled. a chariot of sorts.
good luck. on your choice.
yarddog
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Post by JR on Mar 13, 2009 20:29:40 GMT -5
Yep yarddog is right that commute up to Leslie on Hwy 65 is mean! The Highway is a truckers highway and in the summer it is bumper to bumper because of all the folks going to Branson. If he's making it on his 250 then I'm not afarid of it. I have relatives in SW Arkansas and rode mine this last fall round trip over 350 miles in one day, had a blast! JR
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Post by robp234 on Mar 13, 2009 22:15:26 GMT -5
Thanks so much for all of the advice.
From what I gather as long as you are comfortable with a wrench and mechanically inclined the China scooters aren't all bad. One more question, when properly maintained how many miles can you get on one of these China scooters before you have to do major (engine/tranny) work? I'm almost sold on one if they would hold up for 2 or 3 years.
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Post by earlwb on Mar 13, 2009 22:31:07 GMT -5
The verdict is still out on how many miles one can rack up on a 250. The 250's have only been available since around 2006 or so. But I have over 12,300 miles on my 2 year old 250. I have heard of someone with more than 16,000 miles on a 250.
So if you are pretty religious about riding most everyday that is is practical, then you would be racking up around 15,000 miles or so a year. So getting 30,000 to 40,000 miles is not unrealistic. 15,000 miles would be riding about 150 days a year for you. Which isn't bad, as one could drive on bad weather days, and when it is just too cold outside.
15,000 miles at about 60 miles per gallon, would mean you used about 250 gallons of fuel, costing about $450 dollars at $1.80 a gallon. A car doing 15,000 miles at say 22 mpg would consume 681 gallons of fuel costing about $1,227 dollars. That would yield a savings of around $771 dollars. Granted the rear tire wears out about every 5,000 miles, you need oil changes, motorcycle insurance, spark plugs, CVT belts (about every 11,000 to 12,000 miles) and so on. But it is still cheaper than a car then. Especially if you are doing your own maintenance.
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Post by robp234 on Mar 13, 2009 22:48:39 GMT -5
Thanks Earl. I just want to cut out some of the $ I give to the Arabs and be able to justify a two wheeler to my wife! I currently drive an 08 silverado which gets about 18mpg on a good day so I guess it would be safe to say it would pay for itself in a couple of years on the commute without figuring what I would save running around town on the weekends.
Is 60mpg the best you can expect out of one?
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Post by 12string on Mar 14, 2009 8:06:20 GMT -5
I think I would take a different approach. I would look for a low mileage 400, either a Majesty or a Burgman. They both have a track history of being able to handle high miles per day and the dealer network is large, if you have ant problems. Also they are a bit larger which will make a long commute more comfortable. I bought my 05 Burgman with 7000 miles on it for $3000.00. I have put 6000 miles trouble free miles on it this past year. Don't buy by just price. Make sure the scoot you choose will be to the task.
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Post by oldkid on Mar 14, 2009 9:53:58 GMT -5
I love my Linhai Mainstreet 300 and would have no concerns with a 50 mile commute. I purchased mine from a dealer in Warner Robbins Ga and the Importer Is Sunright located in Suwanee Ga. I would check them out. www.sunright.net
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Post by Gary on Mar 14, 2009 10:32:03 GMT -5
Rob, In my opinion, the key is how fast you need to go. My 250 is pretty comfy at 55 to 60 and I wouldn't mind a one hour ride at that speed. Bump the speed up to 65 - 70 though and the scoot is jumping around a bit and working pretty hard - nearly WOT with little margin for acceleration. I don't think I'd want to ride for an hour at that speed - mainly because the poor little scoot is just working too hard. Winds also push the scoot around quite a bit, especially at higher speed.
Another issue is reliability. Hopefully you've studied up on this forum enough to be aware that the china-scoot factories have pretty poor quality control, so the scoots are prone to all sorts of issues. Most of these are minor, a wire shorting out or coming loose, a switch failing, etc, but they do happen especially in the first few months of ownership. (See my post - What's gone wrong with my scoot for examples). You have a back-up vehicle, so this is less of a problem. But there is a chance you could get stranded once in a while. It has happened to me twice, but in all fairness to the scoot both times were due to improper maintenance on my part the night before. AAA RV/motorcycle insurance is pretty cheap and I can easily get a tow or gas for the scooter with just a cell phone call. Might not be as easy in rural Georgia though.
So, if you are prepared to do some 'wrenching,' can afford to get stranded once or twice, and don't need to go faster than 55 to 60 or maybe 65 for extended periods, I'd say a 250 would be fine - I absolutely love mine. On the other hand, if you need to go faster and can't afford a breakdown now and then, I'd go the used Bergman route as 12string suggested.
Good luck and have fun. Gary
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Post by haakon59 on Mar 15, 2009 0:27:57 GMT -5
If I had a long commute like that each day, reliability would be at the top of my list of considerations. Especially considering that you will be riding through a rural area, i.e., which means you could be stuck for hours if you broke down before you could get help.
Since money is always a consideration, I would consider buying a used scooter from one of the more reliable manufacturers, of which fortunately there are several.
Of course, this all depends on how mechanically inclined you are I suppose. Do you have the knowledge, background, and tools to make adjustments every day? If you don't, why not select a used bike from Craigslist or someplace like that? Buying new is nice of course, but the China bikes have to be assembled a bit after they ship it to you. Of course, you probably have the ability to put the wheel on, etc., but do you know how to inspect everything? I would say such a long daily commute should inspire you to seek out the most reliable brands you can get and to look into buying used to cut your costs. As several have mentioned, you might want to consider a larger sized bike too. Best of luck whichever way you decide to go.
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Post by Gary on Mar 15, 2009 9:13:09 GMT -5
Rob - I just glanced at cycletrader.com and noticed there are several dealers in your area offering new 2008 Hyosung MS3-250 scooters for sale as low as $2999. The MS3s are really nice fuel-injected scoots and would be pretty darn good for your commute. Compared to a china-scoot, the MS3s have more power, bigger wheels, a bit more weight, and a better build quality. $3K for one of these is a heck of a deal - the list price for the 2009 models is around $4,500 I believe. If I could get one at that price I'd jump on it in a heartbeat. Gary
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Post by yarddogbbq on Mar 15, 2009 12:02:30 GMT -5
left work, 48 degrees, just put some lucas gasoline additive to offset the alcohol in my kroger 87 octane.
started up and left with no warm up, no stalling (havent had stalling since carb adjust when i first got the bike) ran great i have 46miles or so to go home.
on the way home filled up still had a little of the lucas in my tank, and heading out.
got behind a p-up and boat trailor hauling about 65-70mph near a place that used to be call the breadbasket on highway 10 west jrryan knows the road not too bad to ride, pretty cool at those speeds, we got up to about 72-73 behind that truck, pushing it a little with my 12" and 10" boppers front and rear. no problem, dont know if the lucas is helping but is supposed to be compatible with the gasohol e10. i can do those speeds with out the lucas. it is supposed to be non solvent but supposed to keep your fuel system in good shape and a quart treats 100gallons. so reasonable enough (9.00 dollars at walleyworld) i liked the idea of non solvent, easy on the chinese rubber parts in the vacuum valve etc.
reduced speed to 55-60 the rest of the way home.
well 46 miles later put the mule up (someone else calles theirs a mule, bike sorta looks like one too)
so that was a ride one way from work on an 1800.00 roketa cfmoto powered bali type scooter.
it likes the trip and so do i.
yarddog
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