Comments on: Why Buy a Scooter?

By: Brendon J. Wilson

Brendon J. Wilson — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 01:07:32 +0000

I looked at Honda, Yamaha, and Vespas. For my taste, I wanted something that was a bit stylish, but had enough power to keep me safe when moving through traffic.

Vespas are nice, but overpriced in my opinion – running between 1.5 and 2 times the cost of similar Honda and Yamaha models. Honda models that came in the Vespa-esque styles (such as the Metropolitan and Metropolitan II) are underpowered, coming in at 50cc or so.

The Yamahas were perfect, providing 124cc (powerful enough for my purposes) in a stylish package. In the US, you could score once of these new for $3.5K or less – better yet, buy one used and you’ll probably get it for around $2K.

The only thing to remember is to check the law in your state or province. The local laws will govern what kind of license you need to obtain to drive the scooter legally, as well as where the scooter can be taken (i.e. what is the minimum size of engine allowed on the freeway, among other restrictions).

By: BEB

BEB — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 02:40:14 +0000

hi,

I am researching on buying a scooter ether honda or other name brands from real dealerships. What is the best scooters to research and then buy. 80cc / 125cc / 150cc

thanks

By: Brendon J. Wilson

Brendon J. Wilson — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:42:21 +0000

You should just be able to look up a Honda dealer or reseller on the Honda web site.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 01:57:14 +0000

I want to get a scooter. I looked at a honda jazz. Can somebody recommend a good place to buy one?

By: Terry

Terry — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 06:33:02 +0000

Just bought a C3 Yamaha moped. I am 300+ #’s. 250 miles on it, and it is sweeter than sweet !!!!!!

By: ko57

ko57 — Tue, 27 May 2008 17:30:06 +0000

I want one, and I know I’m going to get one eventually, as the gas prices will not come down. Used to ride back in ‘88-91, I loved it. I also rode in the rain, monsoon, winter, heat, whatever, as I didn’t have a car back then. I’ll keep my car, but if it stays parked like I think it will after getting the scooter, I might just carry liability insurance and drop the collision coverage. We’re required to have liability insurance but not collision (owner’s car coverage) once the car is paid for.

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 14 May 2008 16:07:14 +0000

Glad to see another scooter enthusiast in the mix. I’ve had a scooter (Whimpy 49cc Honda Jazz) for 3-4 years now and I’ve wrapped the dials twice. That’s over 20k of riding – in Victoria even…

I ride rain or shine, except ice and snow. I’ve been telling people for years it’s better in the long run than the bus. When people driving those SUV’s mock me on my scooter, I tell them to shut up when they start complaining about the price of gas. The best question I’m asked: How often do you fill up? My answer: I dunno, I can’t remember the last time.. maybe couple weeks ago? Keep in mind I drive it every day.

That said not everyone can *only* have a scooter, you do need a large vehicle at times especially when you’ve got family, carrying building materials, buying large items, shopping trips to costco etc.

The scooters in our house are primary transport. We have 1 vehicle and 2 scooters (one for me, one for the wife) and the vehicle usually just sits in the garage during the week.

By: Raul

Raul — Wed, 14 May 2008 05:31:12 +0000

Brendon,

Came here through… not sure, maybe Twitter, maybe a DemoCamp thingie. Anyways – loved the “nothing emasculates you more than…” comment. This is a brilliant post.