Had alot fun over the weekend riding around on my buddy's 2020 Vespa 300 GTS....Quite a zippy little scooter, fun and a breeze to operate. Twist and go CVT auto trans. These things are not exactly in-expensive either for a new one let alone for a good used one. Vespas have that retro appeal I guess.
No scooters, but I picked up one of these cheap Chinese mini bikes last week for my boys. They had fun mobbing around the beaches in Homer with it.
Same here. I bought a pair of the original style Coleman red minibikes for my kids and they love ‘em.
I played around on them a couple of times and bought a Harley that I’m still learning how to ride. Note to self keep ape hangers well clear of mirrors…
Bigsqueeze: Unlike some on this post I have complete control of my ego! Fun is fun - it does not need to be on a "hog" to enjoy the wind in the hair! I and the VarmintWife bought a Yamaha "Zuma" several years ago and we just love it. The VarmintChildren and VarmintGrandChildren just love to ride it when they come to visit as well. It is dependable and a blast to ride here on our .7 mile long paved drive. And on occasion I take it to town zipping along at 32 M.P.H. (thats as fast as I have had it going). It has been exceptionally dependable and gets 123 M.P.G. (miles per gallon) with its 49 C.C. engine.
I had a scooter years ago. Vespa type but not an actual Vespa. It had a 125 cc motor, and was a very economical way of getting to and from work - I could go all week on less than a gallon of fuel. The downsides were that while it was good on the flat it struggled going up hills - I was living at Bondi Beach in Sydney, and on the hill up out of there I'd be getting passed by everything, including buses. With its little wheels and primitive suspension it also didn't handle like a real bike. Still and all it got me from A to B, and was a lot cheaper to run than my 5.3L Jaguar. More reliable too, truth be told. Not a patch on any of the motorbikes I've owned though.
I have a Yamaha Majesty now. I've also owned a Honda Silver Wing.
say what you will about them but they have a comfortable ride, zero effort and they have built in storage space.
My Yamaha will go faster than I am comfortable riding, but its not a touring bike. Its for a quick run to the store and commuting to work. That's what its all about, I'm not trying to impress anyone with what I ride.
I think the Burgman is the standard, but the Yamaha is a competent bike.
I had a yahama zuma in college when I went to Berkeley. Had it for 4yrs and never had a problem. Would love to get another one for my kids to ride around the neighborhood when they get a little older. For getting around town for small errands They are great. I wouldnt want to one on a major hwy though.
Had an old Honda 50 Express back when I was in my teens. It was a fun little town putter but too slow for much more than a couple mile trip. It also struggled mightily climbing any sort of hill bigger than a pitcher's mound.
My younger brother ended up wrapping it around a car when I was off at college and that was the end of it.
Bought this used one with 300 miles on it from a college student. I use it more than a horse while moving cows and it goes thru tight spots the ATV won't. The wife uses it to get the mail at the end of the drive and visits to the neighbor farm ladies. Our young niece and nephew fight over it when they visit here. Last time they visited they pitched in and cleaned up all the dirt and cow schidt on it.
I have managed to enjoy about 20 different 2 wheel machines with motors, ranging from 50cc all the way up to 1700. Scooters, dirt bikes, sport bikes and tourers.
If you want a scooter with little wheels but without the social stigma of a scooter Honda has just the thing(s), most all with the same 125cc single cylinder air cooled engine. I wouldn't mind a Monkey, they'd be a lot of fun on trails. There are videos of folks going coast to coast or doing a 1000 mile Baja ride on Monkeys. Been following a thread on a motorcycle forum I visit with one guy in New Jersey going on 40-50 mile rides on trails and back roads.
Grom
Monkey
Or you can go to full size 17" tires in the Super Cub and/or Trail 125
Or go dirt cheap on the 109cc Navi for $1,807 MSRP.
Bought mine new (Yamaha Zuma 125) and it has 10,000 miles on it now. Has long-ago paid for itself in fuel savings at 90 mpg. I look like a drunken circus bear riding it, but I don’t give a chit. Saves on wear and tear of my pickup for short trips to the grocery store and short commutes to work. And yeah…it’s kind of fun to ride.
I’m not even a little ashamed to ride the damn thing..
If you want a scooter with little wheels but without the social stigma of a scooter Honda has just the thing(s), most all with the same 125cc single cylinder air cooled engine. I wouldn't mind a Monkey, they'd be a lot of fun on trails. There are videos of folks going coast to coast or doing a 1000 mile Baja ride on Monkeys. Been following a thread on a motorcycle forum I visit with one guy in New Jersey going on 40-50 mile rides on trails and back roads.
These are usually called "postie bikes" here in Oz, because they have for many years been widely used by posties (mail delivery people). They are popular as farm bikes too. Cheap to buy (especially when Australia Post sells them off), cheap to run and simple to maintain. There are even long distance/enduro events especially for them, which seem popular. See https://www.postiebikechallenge.org/.
They aren't bad little jiggers to ride, as long as you aren't in any sort of hurry, but I don't think I'll be lining up for a 2000 mile run through the outback on one.
The little scooters and mini-motos are fun and easy to ride but they are limited to in-town or dirt road stuff or rural areas with lots of lower speed limit, less traveled back roads.
Have posted this one before but I have a Suzuki TU250X which is a single cylinder, air cooled motorcycle in the style of the classic Universal Japanese Motorcycle. Nice low seat height and relatively low weight so it's nimble as can be. It's a blast to ride around town or even on the 55-60 mph country roads but with a top speed of 75 mph - provided you're on level ground with a good tailwind - freeway riding is hazardous to say the least. But it gets 80 mpg if I flog the hell out of it and up to 90 mpg if I take it easy so it's still pretty economical.
I've been seriously considering picking up a Trail 125 for buzzing back and forth to work on the cheap with gas prices the way there are, but it is just a bit too slow. If they'd cruise 55mph, I'd probably already have one.
Some males aren't confident in their manhood, they think a small bike makes them look like a small man. A small bike has nothing to do with that. Small bikes are quiet and can taken along creek-banks and down washes, through thick woods where bigger bikes are too cumbersome. But then most people have no desire to travel to those places, they can't let go of air-conditioning, a cooler full of food/drinks, zero gravity chair and shade canopy.
Same ones you could hear say''you'll never see me riding a bicycle'' as they take their 'high blood pressure' medication.
I've been seriously considering picking up a Trail 125 for buzzing back and forth to work on the cheap with gas prices the way there are, but it is just a bit too slow. If they'd cruise 55mph, I'd probably already have one.
Many people had these same thoughts back during the obama years, when they figured out that tires only last 9-10K miles and are expensive to change, plus sprockets and more. They realize they didn't save any money by buying a small bike.
During that time you couldn't find a Yamaha TW200, Then used ones were everywhere, and dealerships had two/three year old models unsold, still in the crates.
I've been seriously considering picking up a Trail 125 for buzzing back and forth to work on the cheap with gas prices the way there are, but it is just a bit too slow. If they'd cruise 55mph, I'd probably already have one.
Many people had these same thoughts back during the obama years, when they figured out that tires only last 9-10K miles and are expensive to change, plus sprockets and more. They realize they didn't save any money by buying a small bike.
During that time you couldn't find a Yamaha TW200, Then used ones were everywhere, and dealerships had two/three year old models unsold, still in the crates.
I had a Honda VT1300 back then. Sorta regret that one, it wasn't particularly comfortable and was a fuel hungry pig for how slow it was... only averaged about 38mpg with it. I only had it a couple years, and actually haven't acquired another bike since.
Yes, bigger bikes don't seem to get any better fuel economy than small cars. I have a Yamaha R-1, 1,000cc it gets about the same mileage as your VT did, maybe less, and when being run hard, ? low teens ? mpg.
Yes, bigger bikes don't seem to get any better fuel economy than small cars. I have a Yamaha R-1, 1,000cc it gets about the same mileage as your VT did, maybe less, and when being run hard, ? low teens ? mpg.
Wow - I never would have thought an R1 would be that bad.
I get fairly steady between 41 and 46 mpg with my HD, 1868 cc - granted, it never sees the RPM an R1 will but still - volume wise...
A few scooter 'n folk here I see......I'm gonna look around for one to buy and have some riding fun with...With scooters the CVT auto transmissions, no shifting, no clutch, with just twist and go is all very appealing..... So far my candidates in no favorite particular order are the Suzuki Burgman 400, Yamaha X Max 300, Piaggio Beverly 400 (Piaggio owns Vespa), and the Vespa 300 GTS for that retro look if I choose that style. 300 to 400cc's imo should make a great combo for city, urban and highway touring use...Don't need a 500+ cc scooter weighing 500+ lbs. Defeats the purpose of what a scooter is imo.
This one will easily do hiway speeds and is a kick in the butt.
I had one of those and I loved it. Hated that I got rid of it. The XL bikes of the 70's were bulletproof.
Absolute truth!
One day I was tooling around on it and when I got home I noticed the (highlighted) battery cover was missing. Spent a half a day backtracking my movements and actually found the cover unharmed. I doubt I could have ever found a decent replacement.