another newbie "1000 questions"

[lotzopets]

Hi, I have read posts for the last two days, my husband keeps making comments like, "I thought you already read about that scooter", or, " aren't you done yet"! Well, to save what little bit of patience I have left, I have decided it is time to just ask the experts instead of trying to sort through and find all my answers, hope you don't mind. Here they are
1. Want a scooter under $2000.(if possible, we will be buying 2)
2.Need comfortable ride( I broke 12 verts from my neck down to my lumbar, horse accident
3.Don't have any scooter shops in our area, looked yesterday. Did find Honda, very expensive!!
4.Hate to admit it, but, I weigh 200 big ones
5.We live on top of a mountain,3100' level. It is 35 miles to town so when we come back it is a slow upward climb from sea level to 3100'.
6.We are looking for comfort, reliability, reasonable, gas economy, fun, quiet.
7.Want to use the scoots, instead of car, to do all of our town runs, and to go on short trips(700 miles or so)

So, do any of you wonderful experts have any good answers for me. By good, I mean ones that would make me smile, not cry. I am an emotional grandma
I hope one of you can help me solve my dilemma, waiting patiently(well sort of) for your anwers.

Thank you for any help or advice.
P.S. When I was a lot younger, I rode a 650BSA, of course someone had to be home when I came back, I couldn't hold it up ;D. Have also rode a 350 Honda, no problems. So I do know how to ride, just want a good scoot.

[leo]

if you buy a chinese scoot be prepared to do some work on it, almost every day.
it seems i'm always fiddling with mine although it hasn't cost much money in upkeep.
your criteria calls for a 150cc or larger.
if you plan to do any highway riding then plan on a 250cc. mine weighs in at 350#.
you can probably get a 250 for 2 grand but seeing as there are no bike shops around you will no doubt be looking for a little more dependability than a chinese scoot.

["Big Guy"]

Considering all of your points, I would say that you would probably get along well with 400cc Silverwing or Kymco Xciting 500, but both are priced out of your range.

I don't know of anything I would recommend in your price range under these circumstances other than a small used motorcycle. Scooters hold their value much better than MCs do.

Now there is a China option, Lifan makes a really nice MC that has gotten some rave reviews. They are a really good quality manufacturer of engines, and they have a nice v-twin 250cc MC (LF250-B) that I might recommend. A friend of mine bought one in Lafayette last year and he just loves it. I got to take it out for a spin and it's fast, nice looking and handles beautifully:



He paid $1900.00 on eBay for it, and they did have a 400cc version as well.

Good luck!


-Rich

[griff10]

I'd have to agree a 400 would be the minimum. Think the climb will kill anything smaller if done regularly.

This may not sit well, but I'd highly suggest taking the MSF course (motorcycle safety foundation). An awful lot of returning riders in the past few years have found they didn't really remember all that much about riding and are alot safer after taking the course.

Bill H.

[dancinci]

The 35-mile uphill from town sounds like a lot for the smaller 150cc scooter. But you could buy one of the lower end 150cc scooters and try it out. Buy a new one for $1000 if it won’t work sell it for $750 or $800 and you haven’t lost too much. I would do this before spending $12,000 on two new Hondas or Kawasaki’s if you are even considering that.

Doing the easy break-in may be difficult as I found out. I have a long two or three mile uphill road to get to my house. It is hard to keep up with traffic 40 mph and still run my 150cc scooter easy. Once I have it broke in, 40 or 45 mph uphill doesn’t look like it will be a problem. I would consider the traffic on the roadway, and if you are willing to take it slow and spend an extra 10 or 15 minutes going home.

I’m a newbie on scooters and don’t claim to have a lot of experience. It looks like most posters think you need something bigger and they may be correct. I bought a Chinese scooter for my wife because it was the cheapest way for her to get started, get licensed, and learn how much she will use the thing. If she decides to move-up or give-up on scooters, we haven’t invested too much.

Edit to add- I don’t plan on taking my 150cc scooter on the highway. I also think it best used in areas of 0 to 40 mph. If you need more then that it would not be the best choice. That’s just my opinion.

[rerun2]

You NEED a gear box!! If you are doing an up hill down hill trek on a regular basis, you will wear out the drive train on any scooter way before its time, no matter how well it is made. For a 35 mile climb, or let's just say 20 miles, you are going to have a LOT of heat building up, which kills off CVT belts quickly. Available gears give you a lot of flexibility in your power on demand, you have something other than just the throttle to use, same with braking in the downhill mode. Just a guess, but I think you would need at least 400cc displacement to do this with a scooter, and a cycle might get by with 250cc if it is one designed for speed, the 250 Ninja is the only small cycle I know of that can get in the 100 mph range on level ground, and I think that is the power requirement you would be happy with. Anything that has to really struggle will be a mechanical nightmare for you, and a joy for your mechanic, if you have access to one.

Sorry if I am raining on your parade ... Used cycles might be the place to go, 250 Ninjas two years old can be had in my area all day long for around $2000-$2200, probably because people assumed they get ragged out from day one! ;D