Does anyone use a gas scooter?
 

I'm thinking about getting one for the times that I need to get somewhere relatively fast or wearing nice clothes. I'm not worried about not being able to go on highways since I'm already used to that from riding a bike. I want to get something in the 100-150 cc range. I think it would be a good intermediary between a bike and a car in terms of minimizing my impact on the environment. As compared to wastefully hauling around 3000 pounds of metal just to transport a single person, a scooter is basically the most efficient way for one person not carrying anything to get around (excluding bikes of course). I also like the fact that scooters are slower than motorcycles so I would feel safer riding one with only a helmet on rather than having to get a jacket/riding suit, gloves, and boots.

Poke around on Fleabay or Craigslist...My GF and I got both of these over the summer for less that the cost of a upper-midrange road bike.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...hisandhers.jpg

The one on the left is a 71 Honda Trail 90 (90-100 mpg) and the one on the left is a 83 Trail 110 (80-90 mpg). We get comments everywhere we go and they are a hoot to ride! and Honda has made this engine/tranny for nearly 50 years-parts/wrenching are readily avalible online (Parts) and at your local Honda/Independent Cycle Shop. I just got back from a 150 mile ride on the 110 today....Total Blast!!

Please Do Not Buy A "Chinese" brand (Lifan/Kymco Ect.) Scooter/Motorcycle UNLESS it is sold by a LOCAL and REPUTABLE Cycle Shop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You may not be able to register it-Parts/Repair Network is Iffy at Best....Impossible is more likley!

There is a '80 Trail 90 on my local C-List (Wichita) Today under "Motorcycles"

+1 on the cheap chinese scooters that get sold in front of gas stations or the like, but Kymco, is an extremely reputable scooter company, they are only sold through dealer markets. Kymco is right in line with Genuine, SYM, and Daelim. I think Vespas are rediculously overpriced but they are good scooters. Yamaha has upped the anty this year with a few new offerings including this one that if I didn't carpool/bike I would jump on in a hearbeat.


http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/pr...08/0/home.aspx

Going to be a bad little scooter.

A 1980 CT110, I get an average of 108 mpg. It's only got 6500 miles on it. I also use it as a work vech. as a trail steward on 2 mountan bike trails. It will go anywhere my mountin bike will and cary chainsaws, gas, and trimmers much easier.

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s...hondact110.jpg

I've ridden scooters and motorcycles for years and yeah avoid the chinese brand unless you have a reputable shop willing to back them up. Used honda scooters run forever and get great gas mileage, but a old Honda Cub is more fun ;)

I have one. Still on the fence about it's worth to me. Having said that, it'll cut through city traffic like the dickens.

Mine... with the missus at the helm...

http://d2creative.smugmug.com/photos...30_zpn9k-L.jpg

A 125-150cc scoot isn't any slower than a motorcycle (for the intent of getting around in the city.) Sure, you won't have the top-end that a 650cc sportbike has, but you can still hit 45-50mph on a bike that size. Back in college I had a modded Vespa V9A1 with a 110cc overbore kit and a tuned exhaust, and it would do 50mph on a flat stretch of road. A stock 125 or 150 will easily do that.
The slower scooters are the little 49.5cc, no M-class endorsement models. They're required to have 35mph speed restrictors. The majourity of the gas-station/auto-parts store Chinese import scooters are of this type, and from experience in working on them vs. working on Vespas and Lambrettas, steer clear of 'em. I've seen more solidly constructed $30 vacuum cleaners.

While I wouldn't go as far as a full riding suit, boots and gloves, I used to wear a riding jacket along with my helmet. Taking a spill at 45mph would really suck if the only thing between your shoulder/elbow and the pavement is a button down shirt.

I wish to hell they sold Honda Super Cubs in the US.

If the OP is truly concerned about his/her impact on the environment, he/she should be wary of getting a small scooter. They do get great gas milage, there's no doubt about it, but they spew an awful lot of crap into the air. The problem is that (unless you're in California, I think), they don't have catalytic converters in the exhaust stream, so you get a lot of unburned hydrocarbons in the exhaust. A lot more than your average car. This is compounded by the fact that scooters in the sizes you're looking at are usually two-stroke engined, meaning that they put out a lot more in the exhaust than their four-stroke counterparts due to, among other things, the addition of two-stroke oil to the gasoline.

This isn't to say that they aren't useful or fun - they definitely are - but one of the stated goals was lessening such effects.

Oh, and check the licensing requirements in your jurisdiction. They vary pretty widely.

If you can do basic mechanic work a Chinese bike is an exceptional deal. You will need to remove all the body panels to inspect, fix assembly problems, replace the Chinese CVT belt with a Gates Kevlar CVT belt and replace all rubber hoses. I have a TANK 250cc urban touring with 19,908 miles on it with no problems. It will run 70 mph on the interstate. Fuel usage is only slightly more than a 150cc and the 250cc bikes feature liquid cooling and a higher quality engine. Parts are no problem.

http://www.scootersgeorgia.com/

http://www.partsforscooters.com/

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r...u/HPIM0411.jpg

First years mileage.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r...u/s5030609.jpg

+1

For city riding, you might as well get a "50cc" scooter - I'd reccomend a honda met, or a yamaha (they've got one with a "trunk" under the seat that holds 9 cubic feet!). if you're interested in acceleration, the 2 strokes are a bit quicker, but they're loud and fart exhaust clouds - stick with a 4 stroke.

As an aside, why not get a crappy Huffy MTB or something and stick a motor kit on it? Get a 40cc motor, do 35 mph and still be able to bike around when not using the motor.

I didn't know that.. that sucks. Do you know of any specific scooters that have catalytic converters?

Rather ride a full size 650 cc thumper.

TGB 9 is a nice bike...
Stellas are awesome......
Kymco, Adly / Lambretta Thunderbike.....
Yamaha has a real nice new 125 Zuma and their QC is great !
Dealim has a 110 Delfino if you want to go hotrod 2 stroke......

Be real careful of chineses stuff. For every one someone can keep running,
there are 50 that are problematic :eek:

Big issue is do not get anything with a 2 stroke engine. Those are the engines that pollute like crazy and you will burn cash with the oil mixture. Get something with a 4 stroke engine and you will be fine. At the end of the day I do not think scooters have any type of cats on them. I know motor cycles do but not scooters as far as I know.

It's funny that this topic came up just now...

I've been thinking of doing a small motor on a mountain bike type frame, but haven't spoken to anybody who's done it. I just wanted to chat with someone who did it... just to get some practical insight.

Two days ago, I stopped at the grocery store on the way home to pick up a few things, and parked in front was a cheap mountain bike with one of those little two-stroke motors on it! As I stood there looking the thing over, the owner came out and we started talking.

To make a long story short... he's an engineer-type nerd like me... and he made some changes and tweaks to the system. He has this thing going at a top speed of about 45MPH (he mounted a disc brake suspension fork for safety) and it's getting almost 280 MPG!!

I know the emissions of the two-stroke are worse than its 4-stroke bretheren, but hell's bells... how bad could the emissions be for a vehicle that's getting 280 miles on a single gallon? I'd venture to say that it puts out waaaay less than ANY conventional auotmobile on the road.

Uh, what? That must be 0.9 cubic feet. 9 cubic feet is more like the trunk space of a small car. A smallish person could crawl into a 9 cubic foot space. A 2 foot per side cube would be pretty huge compared to a motorcycle, but that's only 8 cubic feet.

I'd tend to go for a full-on motorcycle too. If your going to upgrade your transportation, I go for one that can get on the freeway comfortably and has the power to get out of the way of the cars.

sv650

dl650

true and proven ... but two cylinders

bmw xmoto or xcountry can be had for a song if you shop ... those are 1 cyl

TC-W3 2 cycle engine oil is designed to be environmentally friendly when used in a properly designed 2 cycle engine. Combustion is near 100% so pollutants emitted are very low. So low in fact the EPA has granted import certification for those little Chinese bicycle engines. They had been banned from importation for 2006 and 2007 but with a new tuned exhaust system and the use of TC-W3 oil those little engines passed strict EPA requirements. I purchased a Chinese bicycle engine in 2005 and wore out the first bicycle I installed it on. I built another bicycle just for that engine. I'm very happy with it. It does not smoke or smell and the stock exhaust is very quiet. Here is a picture of my motorbike.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r...u/dsc00020.jpg

Where is the writeup and links for that beaut?

You cannot compare mileage to emissions. You would have to look at pollutants output per mile which is going to be grossly higher then a car. Looking at gas mileage does not show this.

At the end of the day its more environmentally sound to go with a motorcycle than a scooter. That chinese bike is great except that its still a 2 stroke.