New scooterists in SF Bay Area

[dorian]

Greets all! Gas prices had us shaking our heads so my wife sold her Honda ST1300 so that we could pick up a couple of scooters for commuting.

After spending a few months researching on the web I decided to plop some cash down today on a Lance Milan. Instead of going the less expensive online route I decided to spend an extra $100 and buy from a brick and morter house in San Francisco that can support us through any difficulty. My plan is to get a feel for the Milan over the next few weeks and determine if its the right way to go for my wife as well (his & her Milans) or if plunking down more cash for a Buddy or Kymko might be a smarter move.

I'm fairly mechanical, having ridden and maintained several motorcycles from a 175cc bush-wacker all the way up to a GL1800 long distance tourer. I'm looking forward to wrenching a scoot and feel like I've found a goldmine of tech-tips in this site. But I'll be honest, I'm not looking for power or speed; gas mileage is our prime motivator or we would be sticking to motorcycles.

I'm looking forward to learning and sharing!

[runswithscissors]

Welcome to the pound!

Enjoying my Milan since April and have put 700 trouble free miles on it. Besides having to replace the tail lamp, my initial PDI with locktite keeps me tinker free. When you get yours, I hope you also have the same karma.

Gas prices in the SF Bay Area(California) are highest among the lower 48 states, it stinks to have paid $4.89 per gallon for regular unleaded. Scootering is a great choice, as you will soon see it's just as invigorating as motorcycling.

---runs

[jrsharp21]

Did you guys pick up your scoots from SF Motoretta?

[dorian]

Jul 23, 2008 0:08:56 GMT -5 jrsharp21 said:

Did you guys pick up your scoots from SF Motoretta?

Yeppers, SF Motoretta was happy to take our cash! Actually, I haven't picked ours up yet. They didn't have any red ones in stock so I ordered one by paying in full. I went with the "Basic Package" plus they are doing the assembly for an extra hundred (I want to ride it home on the back roads between the north and south bay rather than trailer it). It will be about 2 to 3 weeks before we pick it up. Once I get it home I'll be totally disassembling the scooter and tightening things up as well as doing some corrosion prevention. Its what I've always done with any motorcycle I've bought so it comes naturally.

I have a lot of friends that live in San Francisco and they all speak highly of SF Motoretta. Its not just a scoot shop, its a hang out for a lot of my two-wheeling friends. They have an aura of trust about them, and that was one of the key reasons I went with them instead of online. At least there is someone I can vent my frustration to face-to-face should the need arise.

[jrsharp21]

SF Motoretta has always answered any emails I send them with in the day. The lady who answers them is always very polit and from what I can tell, very honest.

They told me if I bought in store they would even deliver it to Sacramento for me for an addedd fee. The fee for the delivery was not bad at all.

I am very surprised that they don't have a bigger precense here on Scootdawg. I figured with all the customer service issues, that these guys may stand out even while drop shipping Tank and BMS.

[runswithscissors]

Yes, my scooter was purchased from SFMotoretta. Have not needed service from them which says something about Lance Milans in general, but I'm sure they'll work on it if I brought it in for repairs or maintenance. My dealings with them have been cordial, responsive, and most of all up front with all of my questions.

scootdawg.proboards59.com/index.cgi?board=questionable&action=display&thread=9139

So far so good.

Regarding presence on scootdawg, my guess is not many complaints coupled by happy scooterist means they stay low on the radar.

---runs

[dorian]

Runs, here's an avatar for you:

[runswithscissors]

Thanks Dorian.
It rocks!

---runs

I almost forgot about the bones.