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Post by avidreader1959 on Jan 30, 2013 8:17:42 GMT -5
My 23-year old son needs a moped to get to school (8 miles) and work (3 miles) daily. He has ZERO, NADA mechanical abilities. We are in Northern Virginia. I spent some time surfing your forum and the amount of information is overwhelming. I get the impression that internet sales places are to be avoided. There is one very small moped dealer in the area and I am going there later today. I also read the difference 2 vs 4 stroke, so we may be focusing on 4 stroke since he doesn't need speed, he needs efficient transports. What do you recommend for somebody that will be unable to work on his own moped, will not care about speed, just needs transport because the bus routes do not cover where he lives, so he is walking about 2-3 hours daily to get places.
Thanks
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Post by snugglebunny on Jan 30, 2013 8:45:32 GMT -5
hello glad to have you on OUR forum
heres the rub internet sales { drop shippers} offer great deals , but you have to do all your own mech work. but there are differences in drop shippers also. The ones listed way at the top ^^^in the banners are usually on here alot, and will advise, help, w/e they can to make sure they have a satisfied customer. BUT with the understanding that, they have probably never seen your scoot. They order it, it comes from a warehouse straight to you. and then you are responsible for doing a PDI {pre delivery inspection}, which isnt that hard heres a link for it x1scooters.com/pdi.html
HOW ABOUT YOU, SIR are you mechanically inclined??? IF/WHEN you have problems as long as you can read and follow directions, the REAL mechs here can talk you through any problems. The biggest prob with that is, when you need help, there may be no one online for a few hours. but as long as you respectful you WILL get help. Now we all understand that when your working on a prob, and getting help from online, that you may get frustrated and sometime people say stupid stuff. The Mechs understand that a will let a lil slide, but not to much. Unless your a woman . like me. LOL they know we have NO mech abilites
the roads you / he needs to drive on, what are the speed limits? whats the terrain like? ie up and down BIG hills?
if you or he cant do simple mech work, you will need to pay more for a warranty, so that the shop can do the work. BUT im a old woman, im not mech inclined, i change the oil in my cars and plugs and stuff like that, but i WOULDN'T say im a mech at all.
but i do, do all my preventive work, tighten bolts, change oils, etc/
i had a real BIG problem last year. and the guys talked me threw on how to use a multimeter, how to tests wire, how to find my prob, and how to fix it. SO if i can do it, anyone can LOL
hope this gives you a small idea
but you/he can do it
glad to have you here
oh and 'memebr that old saying "there is NO such thing as a stupid question"
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Post by rae4180 on Jan 30, 2013 9:22:22 GMT -5
If this is a frist time scoot for him I would just try any of the gy6 or qmb scoots. they are cheap. But yet runn ok I have one that out lasted my brand name scoot its all in how you take care of it to make it last. If you dont know much about theam and want it to last then make sure all paper work is in order to let the warrenty cover things you may need down the road. take it in every year for a good clean up and work over and you should be all good. But remember if you do things to the scoot your self the warrenty stops there. Good luck and happy rideing.
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Post by tvnacman on Jan 30, 2013 10:58:39 GMT -5
You might want a name brand scooter with a dealer for support .
John
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Post by avidreader1959 on Jan 30, 2013 12:41:08 GMT -5
Thanks everyone for the advice. Answers to some of the questions. Flat land, surface streets only, max speed on any road is 45, but he can find routes at 35 and 40 and there are bicylists all the time, so lower is safe. I am a mechanically-challenged female, so he inherited it from me. I appreciate the advice!!!
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Post by snugglebunny on Jan 30, 2013 13:24:47 GMT -5
hi reader
wow i didnt even see u were another female sorry hun
and as i stated in my post im a non mech type also but unless you buy a brand new, good rep type scoot, from a good type dealers store and get a good warrenty there is gonna be work need to be done on it some shops charge $50/hr and up
it depends on how much money you wanna spend
and also for the type of riding you descibed i'd say go for a 150cc scoot 50ccs will do about 30-35 w/o alot of modifications 150cc can cruise at 50 all day long
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Post by yosemite on Jan 30, 2013 15:46:45 GMT -5
Very good advice from Snugglebunny, The worst is not being able to keep up with traffic which puts the scoot driver on the right side of the road to allow the cars to pass them(not very safe) if something is on the side like a hole or something that the scoot driver has to veer more into the lane. And for the speed limits that he would have to travel on a 150cc scoot will handle it with a little more power left. You know if the speed limits are 35 cars are doing 40-45 etc.. So always think of the speed limits and the traffic is moving at 5-10 mph faster than posted speeds limits.
The other very important thing is how much do you want to spend, also new or used. That will help determine which way to go Brand Name like Yamaha, Honda etc.. or otherwise. Sam
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Post by skuttadawg on Jan 30, 2013 16:26:57 GMT -5
Get a good one from a local dealer if you have one or take a short road trip as I would only buy what I can look at in person than over the internet as I have many horror stories about shipping damage and crappy scooters .
Its better to pay the extra in order to get a good scooter than all the money needed in parts in labor for a not so good one .
A 4t 50 will be slow , a 2T will zoom and less to service or tear up since no oil changes or valves to adjust , and a 150 will have enough power to keep up and accelerate if needed and not have to work its tail off being maxed out like a 4T 50
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Post by rae4180 on Jan 30, 2013 22:23:07 GMT -5
Dont gor get about the law dif. between a 50 cc and a 150 in some states you need a cycle endorsment to ride anything bigger then a 50 cc.
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Post by millsc on Jan 31, 2013 15:45:51 GMT -5
I think you have to a motorcycle license,insurance and plates in all states for anything over 50cc's
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Post by rapidjim on Jan 31, 2013 16:08:12 GMT -5
I think you have to a motorcycle license,insurance and plates in all states for anything over 50cc's Very true, most states are that way. It really depends on what you/he wants and of course your pocket book. Some of us dealers do offer predelivery inspection and set up for dropshipping. Otherwise you need to go to a Physical dealer in your area. Jim/Owner Rapid Repair
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Post by super9 on Jan 31, 2013 20:32:19 GMT -5
id go with what i know best kymco super 9 2 stroke...well built engine theres also a kymco super 8 4 stroke..my kymco had 18,000 miles on it and the piston rings change twice still going stong then i upgraded to a 70cc..so ive vouch for them
the stock kymco super 9 can go 50mph with the boss drive replaced
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Post by rae4180 on Jan 31, 2013 20:47:15 GMT -5
ya kymco are good scoots I have the agilty 50 its a 4 stroke with well over 40.000 miles and I had the motor rebuld once after the rebuld it was stronger then ever its stell going strong Im at the point of just babbying it a little more to make it last as long as I can............
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