Post by slowscootin07 on Jun 29, 2008 14:30:19 GMT -5
Ok let's get realistic here. Lately scooters are a hot topic and there have been a lot of new people here with many questions. There are tons of tips and guides in purchasing a new/used scooter already written on these boards. Most of the common questions have already been answered in reviews and guides particularly by earlb and Big Guy and many, many more. Be it because of high gas prices, loss of regular driver's license (some states), the fun factor or just plain curiosity, scooters are becoming more and more frequent and more and more people in the US are seeing their practicality. Since we're on the topic of practicality, let's go over some of the most common questions asked by potential new owners or shoppers looking for a scooter for them and as the title says, "Let's be realistic." The most common questions that I've seen are; "How fast can I go," "How cheap can I go," and "What are the differences between a $600.00 eBay special to a dealer prepped $6,000 monster."
I'm going to try to answer some of these questions and I know they've been answered before, but hey, why not answer them again from a different perspective---realism, so let's get real about things.
Where am I going to get a scooter?:
eBay, Drop Shippers, Craig's List, Private Sellers and B&M (Brick and Mortar) Dealers; Let's face it, if you really want a scooter, you can get one with a simple phone call or a click of a mouse button. All it takes is a bank account or cash but the main question is where are you going to get it and who are you going to get it from? Let's compare each of them and the pros and cons.
eBay: Anyone can be an eBay seller, and they really don't care if you're licensed to deal them, spit polish them to perfection, or sell any old crap that you can get shipped as long as they get their fees. Too much negative feedback and they may suspend you, but that's ok because, you'll just delete your account and start a new name with a fresh record. I would guess that 90% of eBay sellers of scooters will never even see them and have them drop shipped directly too you. That is why they often ask you for a second color choice. You may get what you see in the pictures and you may not. I've read about some dawgs even getting a better scooter than they ordered and others that got nothing near what they wanted. Good luck trying to rectify a problem like that unless you immediately refuse the shipment. Even if you do so, then don't be surprised if you get a restocking charge or other fine print BS. Warranty? Did someone say warranty? Good luck with that one too. There are some very reputable eBay sellers and I myself have been one for over 4 years and I maintain a 100% feedback so don't think all of them are bad. While we're on the topic of feedback, don't trust all of what you see. A lot of the times a scooter runs great for the first few days, you leave a good feedback and then poof, something happens and it's too late. Never ever buy an "extended warranty" from an eBay seller or a drop shipper, as you'll be wasting your money. MCO's can take a few days or take several, several weeks and leave you with a scooter that just sits and looks good until you get it. You also may have issues with registration, DOT, EPA or CARB problems with the no-name eBay specials. I personally would not suggest to anyone that they should buy a scooter on eBay unless you are mechanically inclined and are willing to fix it yourself at your own expense and time. You may find a good dealer that honors the warranty and can get you the parts, but I'd go into it thinking I'm on my own and bonus land if there is actual support involved.
Drop Shippers: Not much needs to be said here except for the fact that a drop shipper is simply a middleman and will very rarely, if ever, even see your scooter before you do. True drop shippers will almost always ask you for a second or even a third color choice as they don't have control over what you get and again, won't even see it. As for buying an "extended warranty," don't do it, it's a waste of money. There are a lot of good drop shippers that for an extra fee will prep and re-crate your purchase. These drop shippers usually run a B&M too. Dealers like Bandit MotorSports come into mind for the reputable ones. Of course there are also drop shippers that could care less about anything besides your check clearing. As a general rule a shipper that preps the scooter for you will have a better technical support hotline and parts/warranty availability and service. If you want a tip on how to see if they're a drop shipper or an actual in stock shipper, then ask for the VIN or if they won't give it to you, ask for pricing on a few spare parts like pads or rotors to be shipped with the scooter. If you don't get an answer or get the run around, then you can confirm that they drop ship. Although there's nothing wrong with getting a scooter this way, make sure that you do it through a reputable source that has a history of good feedback and customer service. The dealers good and bad section on these boards should help you determine the class-act dealers from the riff-raff. Just like with eBay dealers, you could run into serious problems with the MCO's, government regulations and/or registration issues so be wary.
Craig's List and Private Sellers: Bottom line is buyer beware. There are generally no warranties whatsoever, no technical support and no buyer recourse available as these are 99.9% of the time cash sales as-is, where-is. Unless it's the original owner selling it, you probably won't even have a clue as to what service has been done. If the owner doesn't have the title, then run away. The MCO is not the title and really means nothing. You could get stuck with something that you can't register without an actual State of...title. If you do have one, then transfer and registration is a snap. Look at the VIN on the title and MAKE SURE that it matches the one on the scooter. Again--no title--no sale, trust me on this one. I bought one from a charity auction that I later found out could be titled, but I had to do it through an insurance company and it would cost me 3 times the value of the scooter to get a title. If after 2 years, it comes up clean, then I get a refund. If for any reason it came back stolen, then I lose the money and have to give it to the police. I didn't want to take a chance and it made one hell of a go-cart engine, but that wasn't the point of buying it in the first place. Miles can be tampered with, things could be rigged up and or the seller could plain right be lying about it's condition. Let's take one of my cages for example: My mustang has a 100K limit odometer so when it reaches 99,999 it will roll over to 0 miles. Currently it has 93ish. Is that 93K, 193K, 293K, etc... I'll tell you, it's 293K. Once it rolls over, I can easily sell it as 100,000+ instead of 300,000+ as Car-Fax only reports an odometer descrepancy and not actual miles. Even the title says odometer is beyond mechanical limits so no one but myself really knows the true mileage. Most scooters are 10K odometers and most won't even reach 100K unless you're refering to a Helix, which has and could go over 100K with proper care. A little wax and cleaning and the owner could sell it as a "Hardly ever been ridden, only 2,000 miles," when in truth is has rolled over. Again with private sellers, buyers beware. There are great deals out there, but just as many rotten ones too.
B&M Dealers: This is generally the best way to go for ease of purchase and simplicity with warranty and parts issues. They tend to give customers that bought it from them better support and service compared to those that purchased elsewhere. B&M dealers are always more expensive and will charge the MSRP in addition to their fees, markups and prepping costs. These can vary greatly from dealer to dealer and could be a $100-$1,000 and up. One huge advantage is that dealers are generally a one-stop, no-hassle way of getting your scooter registered, titled and licensed. I was in and out the door in less than 30 minutes with all taxes, state fees and plates. Boom Boom Boom, no hassles. Haggling with the pricing can be a bit of a one-way street as the products they have are in demand and they know it. You may be able to strike a deal with an older model that's taking their floor space, but a brand new one is pretty much priced without negotiations. As an example of what to expect in dealer charges, here's what I paid in dealer fees: $3,399 for the scooter, $175.00 dealer prep, $79.00 document processing, registration and title $103.00 and sales tax $264.84. Now you see how easily 3,399 can turn into 4,000 in a few clicks and signatures. Bottom line though, it was hassle free and everything was done for me in haste and I'd do it again in a heartbeat to avoid our lovely catastrophe that we refer to as the DMV.
Where can I take this scooter? Is it highway legal? How about off-roading?
Speed limits and road types: I'm not sure about you're area, but around here, the speed limit signs are optional, at least it seems so or until you get caught. I'm finding myself doing 50-55 mph in a 40 just to stay with the traffic flow. Any less than that and the late, inattentive or frustrated cagers will cause you problems and may push you around if you don't get out of their way. Footprint and visibility are key factors in scooting around with the big bad cars and trucks and the smaller your scooter is, the less likely you are to be seen. A 40mph top speed 50cc scooter traveling on a 40mph single lane road will get you killed around here, not to mention no engine likes to be at full throttle for long and it wear out or fail prematurely by pushing it to it's limits constantly. A dual lane road can give you a bit more leeway with traffic being able to go around you, but also consider that bigger roads usually mean more traffic on them and you are blocking "their" lane and ticking them off because you are in "their" way. Laws vary greatly from state to state regarding where you can go with scooters, especially when it comes to highways. City and County roads are pretty much open game unless otherwise posted. State highways and byways can be regulated individually and you may or may not be able to legally use them, or even safely use them. Remember, this whole post is about being realistic. Federal Highways are regulated the same across the US so you'll know if you're allowed on them or not by doing some finger work. Our state of Illinois prohibits the use of motor-driven cycles on any highway or toll way. They define a motor-driven cycle as an engine of less than 150cc. Our license plates are different for MD cycles and motorcycles and there's really no way to cheat, A TRUE 150.0+cc scooter will be considered a motorcycle for plates and license purposes, but a 149.9cc is not legal on the highways here. The cc rating on the MCO is what our DMV goes by and not what the sticker says or what model it is. A quick glance at the plate and the officer will know if you're legally on the highway or not. Besides, let's get realistic here and take it into account a 150CC scooter or motorcycle really isn't practical for highway usage anyway.
Hmm, can I go off-roading with my scooter? Sure you can, I can go off-roading with my Mustang too, but that doesn't mean something bad won't happen. With the exception of the Ruckus and some other dual sport scooters, keep it on the road. For starts the tires and the suspension weren't designed to handle it and the frame might not like the extra stress either. Take into account the extra dirt, dust and debris may not be properly filtered and besides, it may be illegal to take scooters off-road that are not designated for off-road usage. A spark-arresting muffler comes into mind for legality purposes and low ground clearance for practicality purposes.
50cc scooters: These are basic grocery getters and little fun machines that can seriously cause you problems mingling in with normal traffic and make a lot of cagers ticked off at you if you're not careful. They're good for about 40 mph and a good hill can knock over ¼ off your top speed and if you're a heavier rider could take even more off. Add a little headwind to the mix and your 40mph could be cut to 25. If you're over 6' tall you'll be cramped and/or if you're over 200 pounds, then forget it. That hill ahead or heavy headwind will knock you down to residential area speeds in seconds. This by no means that a heavier rider can't ride one, but the little engine will be stressed out continuously and it will decrease its life span exponentially. You can also about forget riding two up, if not for the power restrictions, but for the weight restrictions. Sure you might be able to push it, but it's a recipe for disaster if the frame can't handle the weight. Parts are harder to get for them, but there are a lot of high performance kits available. It's possible to get a 50cc scooter to do 50 and maybe up to 60, but why bother? Generally these scooters have smaller tires and wheels and at those speeds are very unstable and plain right scary. Go with a bigger scooter that has a bigger engine if you need to keep doing 40mph, are of larger stature/weight, or if you want to ride two up.
150cc scooters: The 150cc GY6 motor is pretty much the mainstay of scooters and parts are available for the motor everywhere. Big bore kits, bigger carbs and even 4 valve heads are available and can drastically increase your power. With the exception of a few 150 scooters using that motor you can expect it to power one 6' 200 lb rider to about 50 mph cruising speed and 55-60 max, but that will be pushing it hard. Add a head wind and or hefty hill and you can expect to lose up to 10 mph, maybe more. 150's are found on smaller frame scooters like the 50's and even some of the larger frame scooters that generally house a 250cc motor, but usually are on the mid size framed scooters. The GY6 is also commonly used in go-carts and ATV applications. 150 scooters can handle 2 up riding and as a general rule run pretty much trouble free. Of course there's always a quirk or two here and there, but considering the sheer number of GY6 motors in use, they are pretty reliable as a motor. It's good gas mileage, ability to keep up with normal everyday traffic and many, many different styles and availability make the GY6 and the mid-sized scooter, the most popular one around. Due to the vast number of scooter manufacturers and re-labelers, the GY6 scooters are also the most varying in quality control. You could spend a little money and get cut glass or you can get a diamond. Quality control has been increasing with the Chinese motor production methods, but these scooters still have minor teething problems, mostly electrical, that need to be worked out. A good PDI can help prevent most of the known common issues like loose wires; bad connectors and sometimes just a crappy part off the line will cause issues.
250cc scooters: Ok now we're getting to the bigger scoots. If you need highway speeds that you can maintain easily, Like to ride two up a lot, or like the couch style cruiser types, then this is the motor and scooter for you. The 250cc's are generally larger framed scooters more set towards a luxurious ride. They're also powerful enough for bigger riders and easily propel a 200+lb rider at 60mph. Their top is closer to 70 or 80 and more stable at highway speeds simply due to their size and weight. They sometimes include amenities such as radios and have ample room for additional add-ons. Storage space is the same if not larger than the mid-sized scooters. They tend not to lose speed when encountering hills and generally are a more stable ride in adverse conditions like rain and wind. It's a lot easier to affix trunks and saddlebags on these without sacrificing power.
400cc and up: These are the kings of scooters and the most expensive of their ilk pushing $6,000 and up. The 400's glide along at highway speeds like they were born to. Some of these scooters can easily reach 80-100 mph and safely do so. They're cruisers defined and are heavy, nimble machines almost the size of some subcompact cages. Riding two up is a dream on these and the fit is more like a recliner. For the most part, these are automatic motorcycles and for an example, the Honda Silverwing is easily mistaken for one at first glance.
Well, that about sums it up and I hope this helps you to make an educated decision on what kind of scooter that you realistically need. If you have any question as to if a particular scooter will work for you, or if you're borderline on your requirements, then take my advice and go the next step up. You'll be happier, your scooter will not have to work as hard and it'll last longer for sure. Another bit of advice is to not believe the hype and boasted top speeds of scooters that people sell. They tend to inflate the MPG and MPH ratings, and then say depending on rider and conditions. A stock GY6 is not going to do 65mph unless you're a horse jockey at 90 pounds with a 30mph tail wind downhill and that's even pushing it. Do your homework and read these boards. Odds are you'll answer your own questions and once again, keep it realistic and practical with your scooter choice.
Here’s an example of what I needed and what I bought. I’m 155 and 5’9” so just about any 150cc would do for me in normal city traffic, but I need to cruise at 55-65 for several miles so I’d need a 250. I (we) like to ride two-up a lot so again I need a 250. I really don’t like the couch-cruisers so I looked towards the high performance 150 sport styles. I really like the ride and stature of the 16” wheels so my choices are now shaved down to only a few. Since this will be my primary work transportation I needed reliability so the cheaper scooters were eliminated. (I’m a mechanic and fix other people’s problems all day and don’t want to hassle with mine.) After several months of research, not just a few website clicks, I opted for what I needed and the best that I could afford. Not only did I keep my search and purchase realistic, but also practical and I’m glad I did.
I'm going to try to answer some of these questions and I know they've been answered before, but hey, why not answer them again from a different perspective---realism, so let's get real about things.
Where am I going to get a scooter?:
eBay, Drop Shippers, Craig's List, Private Sellers and B&M (Brick and Mortar) Dealers; Let's face it, if you really want a scooter, you can get one with a simple phone call or a click of a mouse button. All it takes is a bank account or cash but the main question is where are you going to get it and who are you going to get it from? Let's compare each of them and the pros and cons.
eBay: Anyone can be an eBay seller, and they really don't care if you're licensed to deal them, spit polish them to perfection, or sell any old crap that you can get shipped as long as they get their fees. Too much negative feedback and they may suspend you, but that's ok because, you'll just delete your account and start a new name with a fresh record. I would guess that 90% of eBay sellers of scooters will never even see them and have them drop shipped directly too you. That is why they often ask you for a second color choice. You may get what you see in the pictures and you may not. I've read about some dawgs even getting a better scooter than they ordered and others that got nothing near what they wanted. Good luck trying to rectify a problem like that unless you immediately refuse the shipment. Even if you do so, then don't be surprised if you get a restocking charge or other fine print BS. Warranty? Did someone say warranty? Good luck with that one too. There are some very reputable eBay sellers and I myself have been one for over 4 years and I maintain a 100% feedback so don't think all of them are bad. While we're on the topic of feedback, don't trust all of what you see. A lot of the times a scooter runs great for the first few days, you leave a good feedback and then poof, something happens and it's too late. Never ever buy an "extended warranty" from an eBay seller or a drop shipper, as you'll be wasting your money. MCO's can take a few days or take several, several weeks and leave you with a scooter that just sits and looks good until you get it. You also may have issues with registration, DOT, EPA or CARB problems with the no-name eBay specials. I personally would not suggest to anyone that they should buy a scooter on eBay unless you are mechanically inclined and are willing to fix it yourself at your own expense and time. You may find a good dealer that honors the warranty and can get you the parts, but I'd go into it thinking I'm on my own and bonus land if there is actual support involved.
Drop Shippers: Not much needs to be said here except for the fact that a drop shipper is simply a middleman and will very rarely, if ever, even see your scooter before you do. True drop shippers will almost always ask you for a second or even a third color choice as they don't have control over what you get and again, won't even see it. As for buying an "extended warranty," don't do it, it's a waste of money. There are a lot of good drop shippers that for an extra fee will prep and re-crate your purchase. These drop shippers usually run a B&M too. Dealers like Bandit MotorSports come into mind for the reputable ones. Of course there are also drop shippers that could care less about anything besides your check clearing. As a general rule a shipper that preps the scooter for you will have a better technical support hotline and parts/warranty availability and service. If you want a tip on how to see if they're a drop shipper or an actual in stock shipper, then ask for the VIN or if they won't give it to you, ask for pricing on a few spare parts like pads or rotors to be shipped with the scooter. If you don't get an answer or get the run around, then you can confirm that they drop ship. Although there's nothing wrong with getting a scooter this way, make sure that you do it through a reputable source that has a history of good feedback and customer service. The dealers good and bad section on these boards should help you determine the class-act dealers from the riff-raff. Just like with eBay dealers, you could run into serious problems with the MCO's, government regulations and/or registration issues so be wary.
Craig's List and Private Sellers: Bottom line is buyer beware. There are generally no warranties whatsoever, no technical support and no buyer recourse available as these are 99.9% of the time cash sales as-is, where-is. Unless it's the original owner selling it, you probably won't even have a clue as to what service has been done. If the owner doesn't have the title, then run away. The MCO is not the title and really means nothing. You could get stuck with something that you can't register without an actual State of...title. If you do have one, then transfer and registration is a snap. Look at the VIN on the title and MAKE SURE that it matches the one on the scooter. Again--no title--no sale, trust me on this one. I bought one from a charity auction that I later found out could be titled, but I had to do it through an insurance company and it would cost me 3 times the value of the scooter to get a title. If after 2 years, it comes up clean, then I get a refund. If for any reason it came back stolen, then I lose the money and have to give it to the police. I didn't want to take a chance and it made one hell of a go-cart engine, but that wasn't the point of buying it in the first place. Miles can be tampered with, things could be rigged up and or the seller could plain right be lying about it's condition. Let's take one of my cages for example: My mustang has a 100K limit odometer so when it reaches 99,999 it will roll over to 0 miles. Currently it has 93ish. Is that 93K, 193K, 293K, etc... I'll tell you, it's 293K. Once it rolls over, I can easily sell it as 100,000+ instead of 300,000+ as Car-Fax only reports an odometer descrepancy and not actual miles. Even the title says odometer is beyond mechanical limits so no one but myself really knows the true mileage. Most scooters are 10K odometers and most won't even reach 100K unless you're refering to a Helix, which has and could go over 100K with proper care. A little wax and cleaning and the owner could sell it as a "Hardly ever been ridden, only 2,000 miles," when in truth is has rolled over. Again with private sellers, buyers beware. There are great deals out there, but just as many rotten ones too.
B&M Dealers: This is generally the best way to go for ease of purchase and simplicity with warranty and parts issues. They tend to give customers that bought it from them better support and service compared to those that purchased elsewhere. B&M dealers are always more expensive and will charge the MSRP in addition to their fees, markups and prepping costs. These can vary greatly from dealer to dealer and could be a $100-$1,000 and up. One huge advantage is that dealers are generally a one-stop, no-hassle way of getting your scooter registered, titled and licensed. I was in and out the door in less than 30 minutes with all taxes, state fees and plates. Boom Boom Boom, no hassles. Haggling with the pricing can be a bit of a one-way street as the products they have are in demand and they know it. You may be able to strike a deal with an older model that's taking their floor space, but a brand new one is pretty much priced without negotiations. As an example of what to expect in dealer charges, here's what I paid in dealer fees: $3,399 for the scooter, $175.00 dealer prep, $79.00 document processing, registration and title $103.00 and sales tax $264.84. Now you see how easily 3,399 can turn into 4,000 in a few clicks and signatures. Bottom line though, it was hassle free and everything was done for me in haste and I'd do it again in a heartbeat to avoid our lovely catastrophe that we refer to as the DMV.
Where can I take this scooter? Is it highway legal? How about off-roading?
Speed limits and road types: I'm not sure about you're area, but around here, the speed limit signs are optional, at least it seems so or until you get caught. I'm finding myself doing 50-55 mph in a 40 just to stay with the traffic flow. Any less than that and the late, inattentive or frustrated cagers will cause you problems and may push you around if you don't get out of their way. Footprint and visibility are key factors in scooting around with the big bad cars and trucks and the smaller your scooter is, the less likely you are to be seen. A 40mph top speed 50cc scooter traveling on a 40mph single lane road will get you killed around here, not to mention no engine likes to be at full throttle for long and it wear out or fail prematurely by pushing it to it's limits constantly. A dual lane road can give you a bit more leeway with traffic being able to go around you, but also consider that bigger roads usually mean more traffic on them and you are blocking "their" lane and ticking them off because you are in "their" way. Laws vary greatly from state to state regarding where you can go with scooters, especially when it comes to highways. City and County roads are pretty much open game unless otherwise posted. State highways and byways can be regulated individually and you may or may not be able to legally use them, or even safely use them. Remember, this whole post is about being realistic. Federal Highways are regulated the same across the US so you'll know if you're allowed on them or not by doing some finger work. Our state of Illinois prohibits the use of motor-driven cycles on any highway or toll way. They define a motor-driven cycle as an engine of less than 150cc. Our license plates are different for MD cycles and motorcycles and there's really no way to cheat, A TRUE 150.0+cc scooter will be considered a motorcycle for plates and license purposes, but a 149.9cc is not legal on the highways here. The cc rating on the MCO is what our DMV goes by and not what the sticker says or what model it is. A quick glance at the plate and the officer will know if you're legally on the highway or not. Besides, let's get realistic here and take it into account a 150CC scooter or motorcycle really isn't practical for highway usage anyway.
Hmm, can I go off-roading with my scooter? Sure you can, I can go off-roading with my Mustang too, but that doesn't mean something bad won't happen. With the exception of the Ruckus and some other dual sport scooters, keep it on the road. For starts the tires and the suspension weren't designed to handle it and the frame might not like the extra stress either. Take into account the extra dirt, dust and debris may not be properly filtered and besides, it may be illegal to take scooters off-road that are not designated for off-road usage. A spark-arresting muffler comes into mind for legality purposes and low ground clearance for practicality purposes.
50cc scooters: These are basic grocery getters and little fun machines that can seriously cause you problems mingling in with normal traffic and make a lot of cagers ticked off at you if you're not careful. They're good for about 40 mph and a good hill can knock over ¼ off your top speed and if you're a heavier rider could take even more off. Add a little headwind to the mix and your 40mph could be cut to 25. If you're over 6' tall you'll be cramped and/or if you're over 200 pounds, then forget it. That hill ahead or heavy headwind will knock you down to residential area speeds in seconds. This by no means that a heavier rider can't ride one, but the little engine will be stressed out continuously and it will decrease its life span exponentially. You can also about forget riding two up, if not for the power restrictions, but for the weight restrictions. Sure you might be able to push it, but it's a recipe for disaster if the frame can't handle the weight. Parts are harder to get for them, but there are a lot of high performance kits available. It's possible to get a 50cc scooter to do 50 and maybe up to 60, but why bother? Generally these scooters have smaller tires and wheels and at those speeds are very unstable and plain right scary. Go with a bigger scooter that has a bigger engine if you need to keep doing 40mph, are of larger stature/weight, or if you want to ride two up.
150cc scooters: The 150cc GY6 motor is pretty much the mainstay of scooters and parts are available for the motor everywhere. Big bore kits, bigger carbs and even 4 valve heads are available and can drastically increase your power. With the exception of a few 150 scooters using that motor you can expect it to power one 6' 200 lb rider to about 50 mph cruising speed and 55-60 max, but that will be pushing it hard. Add a head wind and or hefty hill and you can expect to lose up to 10 mph, maybe more. 150's are found on smaller frame scooters like the 50's and even some of the larger frame scooters that generally house a 250cc motor, but usually are on the mid size framed scooters. The GY6 is also commonly used in go-carts and ATV applications. 150 scooters can handle 2 up riding and as a general rule run pretty much trouble free. Of course there's always a quirk or two here and there, but considering the sheer number of GY6 motors in use, they are pretty reliable as a motor. It's good gas mileage, ability to keep up with normal everyday traffic and many, many different styles and availability make the GY6 and the mid-sized scooter, the most popular one around. Due to the vast number of scooter manufacturers and re-labelers, the GY6 scooters are also the most varying in quality control. You could spend a little money and get cut glass or you can get a diamond. Quality control has been increasing with the Chinese motor production methods, but these scooters still have minor teething problems, mostly electrical, that need to be worked out. A good PDI can help prevent most of the known common issues like loose wires; bad connectors and sometimes just a crappy part off the line will cause issues.
250cc scooters: Ok now we're getting to the bigger scoots. If you need highway speeds that you can maintain easily, Like to ride two up a lot, or like the couch style cruiser types, then this is the motor and scooter for you. The 250cc's are generally larger framed scooters more set towards a luxurious ride. They're also powerful enough for bigger riders and easily propel a 200+lb rider at 60mph. Their top is closer to 70 or 80 and more stable at highway speeds simply due to their size and weight. They sometimes include amenities such as radios and have ample room for additional add-ons. Storage space is the same if not larger than the mid-sized scooters. They tend not to lose speed when encountering hills and generally are a more stable ride in adverse conditions like rain and wind. It's a lot easier to affix trunks and saddlebags on these without sacrificing power.
400cc and up: These are the kings of scooters and the most expensive of their ilk pushing $6,000 and up. The 400's glide along at highway speeds like they were born to. Some of these scooters can easily reach 80-100 mph and safely do so. They're cruisers defined and are heavy, nimble machines almost the size of some subcompact cages. Riding two up is a dream on these and the fit is more like a recliner. For the most part, these are automatic motorcycles and for an example, the Honda Silverwing is easily mistaken for one at first glance.
Well, that about sums it up and I hope this helps you to make an educated decision on what kind of scooter that you realistically need. If you have any question as to if a particular scooter will work for you, or if you're borderline on your requirements, then take my advice and go the next step up. You'll be happier, your scooter will not have to work as hard and it'll last longer for sure. Another bit of advice is to not believe the hype and boasted top speeds of scooters that people sell. They tend to inflate the MPG and MPH ratings, and then say depending on rider and conditions. A stock GY6 is not going to do 65mph unless you're a horse jockey at 90 pounds with a 30mph tail wind downhill and that's even pushing it. Do your homework and read these boards. Odds are you'll answer your own questions and once again, keep it realistic and practical with your scooter choice.
Here’s an example of what I needed and what I bought. I’m 155 and 5’9” so just about any 150cc would do for me in normal city traffic, but I need to cruise at 55-65 for several miles so I’d need a 250. I (we) like to ride two-up a lot so again I need a 250. I really don’t like the couch-cruisers so I looked towards the high performance 150 sport styles. I really like the ride and stature of the 16” wheels so my choices are now shaved down to only a few. Since this will be my primary work transportation I needed reliability so the cheaper scooters were eliminated. (I’m a mechanic and fix other people’s problems all day and don’t want to hassle with mine.) After several months of research, not just a few website clicks, I opted for what I needed and the best that I could afford. Not only did I keep my search and purchase realistic, but also practical and I’m glad I did.
