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That other thread was a bit long in the tooth and the OP was weak, so hopefully this one's better. Hooray! Why scooters? We ride scooters because we want to. There are bigger, faster, sure, but we didn't buy them. We bought scooters. Scooters are motorcycles. They have two wheels, and a motor: criteria met. Just because our engines are swingarm-mounted, and we have step-through frames, doesn't make it any less a motorcycle.  1. Will I save money? It is possible to save money riding scooters, but unlikely. While recurring costs are tiny, they repay slowly, and it takes quite a while for the initial outlay to be repaid. I'll expand on this later.  2. It can only go xx miles per hour, how dangerous can it be? Scooters are motorcycles, and they crash just like bigger bikes. The Hurt Report found that most motorcycle accidents occur below 30mph, speeds any 50cc bike can achieve. Those speeds can be fatal. Please, take rider's training courses, such as the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Basic Rider Course. You may balk and say that MSF teaches things you don't need to know on a scooter (shifting, likely), and that the bikes might handle differently from scooters, and that's true. However, more carries over than you think, and there are ways to be more targeted: some MSF schools offer a Scooter class, and many will let you take the class on your own bike provided certain criteria are met (my school would let me use my own bike provided it was road-legal, insured, and over 125cc). Get trained, wear gear.  3. I don't need a license, right? In the USA, scooter-related laws vary quite a bit state-to-state. Please, find your state's Department of Transportation or State Patrol website before asking about laws. The information is out there. In most states, bikes with engines lower than 50cc get fewer restrictions. Typically, this means you don't need a motorcycle license (a regular driver's license will suffice) and you may not need to insure and/or register the bike. Some states enact more restrictions, but many officers have no idea where scooters exist legally (HOWEVER, DO NOT USE THIS FACT TO RIDE ILLEGALLY!). .jpg) 4. How about parking? Parking varies city-to-city. Some places offer dedicated motorcycle parking, some ignore scooters, others might be strict as hell. Generally you can park in those white-line-hashed-out areas in parking lots or bike racks and nobody cares, but sidewalks can be tougher. Cars will get mad at you when you take an entire parking space, and there have definitely been cases of scooters getting moved so cars can take their spots, feeling themselves to be more deserving. gently caress those people, but be aware they're out there. For perpendicular and slanted parking spots, I suggest parking as close to the edge as possible, so you're visible right away and aren't hidden between the cars beside you. When you park on the street, park perpendicular to the curb, with your back wheel against it. Like this:  5. How can I keep my bike from getting stolen? You can't. Locks and alarms might serve as okay deterrents, but ultimately you're taking about a 250 pound (for a 125-150cc) bike. It can easily get picked up and tossed in the back of a van like an eight-year old boy. Carry insurance or budget for replacement. .jpg) Websites Forums: ModernVespa: for modern Vespas and related bikes. ModernBuddy: for Genuine bikes. ScooterBBS: Vintage-focused but brand-open. StellaSpeed: Stellas, PX/P-series, and generally a good resources for classic bikes. scoot.net: Classifieds and rally galleries. ScooterTime: Modern focused, brand-open, great resource for the Vino 125 and Zuma 125. ScootDawg: the best site for Chinese bikes. TotalRuckus: Ruckus, big and small. UrbanScootin: Honda Metropolitan-oriented. Vespa Maintenance: A good resource for old Vespa owners, particiularly P/PX, with nice maintenance walkthroughs. Scooter Help: like the above, but with a bit more variety in bike, including some Lambretta stuff. Adventure Rider: ADV might seem out of place here, but they have a great scooter section, and given the nature of the crowd there you get some different perspectives on our small-wheeled beasts. News/Blogs: TheScooterScoop: General scooter industry news from a guy who's worked in it. 2StrokeBuzz: My favorite scooter news site; no official industry affiliation that I know of, but he definitely gets more inside scoops than most. Scootin' Old Skool: Orin's a blogger, not a reporter, but he writes well and occasionally gets treated like press. Nice guy, too. Scooter in the Sticks: Pretty pictures and introspective writings from a dedicated Pennsylvania rider. Scooter Lust: Somewhat female-oriented, has recently had some pretty great Scooter 101-type posts. Stores: US: Scooterworks: Pretty much the default scooter store, they're also sisters with Genuine Scooter Company. Very good customer service. If you need very specific parts for your Genuine bike, call them: they can get stuff directly from Genuine that's not on their site (for example, I can buy pre-painted body parts for my Stella instead of the primered parts they have on the site). Scooter Mercato: These guys are pretty new but immediately gained a lot of support from StellaSpeed, probably thanks to some ads. But they have a good selection, very good prices, and good shipping rates - more for your dollar than Scooterworks. Scooter West: Yet another retailer. Perhaps more modern-bike stuff than the above shops, but I haven't ordered from them. American Scooter Center: I'm not too familiar with this company, but they seem to be well-regarded. Europe: SIP: carries a lot of European aftermarket parts, a big deal in the classic Vespa/Stella community but also has lots of modern parts. Ships to USA. Easyparts: "has not only original parts for almost any scooter make you can think of, they also provide online illustrations and parts list for the scooters - great when you want to see how something is assembled." US shipping unknown. (thanks, Mathturbator!) I think I address the most frequently-asked questions, but if anyone has anything to add, let me know! edit: thanks sigtrap 
Gay Nudist Dad fucked around with this message at 00:51 on May 2, 2010 |
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Apr 23, 2010 08:14
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A Very Basic Buyer's Guide A Note on Chinese Bikes There's a flood of lovely, Chinese-made scooters on the market, frequently retailing for a third the cost of a comparably-engined Japanese bike. They are not worth it. They're copies of Japanese bikes made with absolutely no quality control. They'll probably take a lot of work to keep running and you probably won't have a dealer to rely on (and if you do, they can't get parts from the maker). Basically, don't buy them. Displacement Scooters cover a very wide range of engine sizes. This breakdown is from a Scoot! Magazine buyer's guide from a couple years ago, and it's still relevant:
Brands
I think I got the most important points, but if you have suggestions, let me know!
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Apr 23, 2010 08:15
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infraboy posted:This sounds dumb but how do scooter transmissions work? Are they just automatics? Because a lot seem to just have 2 brake levers and no clutch ? They seem just ride'n go. Modern scooters use constantly-variable transmissions, or CVTs. Howstuffworks.com has a good writeup here. Scooters use pulley-based CVTs. Vintage scooters use more traditional manual transmissions, but instead of using a foot lever like a motorcycle to select gears, the left part of the hand grip rotates. This can be seen in this video from Orin of Scootin' Old Skool.
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Apr 23, 2010 08:35
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Mathturbator posted:Open24hours - that is awesome! Looks fantastic, and I bet it's fun to ride Cool, I'll add this to the op. Charlie Bubblegum, that cutdown is insane - any idea what it weighs now?
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Apr 29, 2010 00:49
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Well! I just got and installed some parts on my Stella. Should give me a couple horsepower: -PX200 air filter (same size, but WAY less restrictive than stock) -Sito+ to replace the restrictive, catalyzed stock exhaust -new jetting from the general advice on StellaSpeed: 55/160 idle, 160 air corrector, BE3 mixer, and 98, 100, 102, and 104 main jets I put in the 104 to begin with; better to err on the side of richness. Though I intended to take pictures, when FedEx guy came I just tore right into it. The Sito+ has a much more distinctive "pop-pop-POPpopopop" sound than the stock exhaust - and lets a lot more 2t smoke come through. Awesome. gently caress Earth. I'm about to go on my first ride with it, but I can't really get it dialed in yet.. there's a plastic bolt/screw that covers the mixture screw on the back of the carb box and I cannot get that loving thing off. It's awkward to get at it, and when I can the plastic just bends or breaks before it loving turns. rear end in a top hat. edit: okay, took it out, butt dyno says at least like 1/3rd gain. If I had a working speedometer, I'm guessing my 4th gear top end went from ~50 to ~60. Huge improvement. And since I'm new to tuning, can anyone give me some input on this spark plug? This is after ~20 minutes of city riding, and on the last few blocks to my house I held WOT in 3rd as long as I could, then closed the throttle, went to neutral, shut it off, and coasted to my driveway. This plug was not new. 
Gay Nudist Dad fucked around with this message at 03:25 on May 1, 2010 |
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May 1, 2010 02:30
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Senator Woofington posted:the scooter in the top left there, what is that, its so cool! That's a Honda Ruckus.
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May 5, 2010 01:16
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Well! That was fun. Got stranded by my Stella for the first time. Spent ~2.5 hours riding this afternoon - everything from sustained 50ish to in-town traffic to some speedy twisties. My first big shakedown run after setting up the Sito+ and P200 air filter. It rode beautiful the whole time. Smooth, powerful. No troubles. Until there were troubles, anyway. I pulled over on a low-traffic road to piss, and left my bike idling on the side of the road, which was not level. So she was tilted to the engine side quite a bit. In hindsight, she was idling smoky, but I didn't really pay attention. Anyway, couple minutes later (had to be hidden from the road for the pissing, you see) I get back on and start riding away... first gear seemed a bit weird, get into second and it cuts out. I clutch it, then let it back out, it catches, then stalls again. I clutch in and coast to the side of the road, find a level place to park, and start freaking out. I tried starting it a couple times, checked my fuel, petcock, carb box, etc., everything looked good. Once I felt the engine had cooled a bit I took out the spark plug, and it was very black and sooty. Carbon fouled. I called my roommate to bring me some of my spare sparkplugs (which I kept meaning to put in my glovebox), and when he got there I swapped the plug for a fresh one and it started right up and got me home. So. I figure I might be idling slightly rich, and it was just compounded with the engine-side tilt to get to the point of fouling. Or, maybe I'm running rich on the main jet (SI 20/20 carb), and the plug was getting black before I even had it idle. I'm not really sure, but I don't *think* this is the case; I've checked the plug a couple times since the install and it's been tan, I posted a pic up the page. I tweaked my idle mixture screw again, so here's hoping. Gay Nudist Dad fucked around with this message at 03:24 on May 9, 2010 |
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May 9, 2010 03:21
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nooo second page  Got new stickers! The "current riding" stickers were giveaways/for sale at the last couple rallies in town, and the girl leaning on a Vespa is from a 1970s Vespa print ad. Apparently it was the logo of an all-girl scooter club in Seattle and Portland that is now defunct; there was a woman handing the stickers out at the last rally.  And this is for my fellow Kurt Vonnegut fans. I had it printed by SA's own (former) http://kitschstickers.com/ 
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May 12, 2010 18:33
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Phat_Albert posted:What does the "I am currently riding a scooter" mean? Reference from something? I just find it hilarious and meta, but I think it's a play on the "I'd rather be fishing/skiing/molesting" stickers. e: http://www.obviousoctopus.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_11&products_id=344 From a local Bellingham company! Gay Nudist Dad fucked around with this message at 19:43 on May 12, 2010 |
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May 12, 2010 19:40
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BradleyJamers posted:The '97 Honda Elite 80 - http://rmn.craigslist.org/mcy/1733398981.html You can't go wrong with either. Stock, that Vino will be slower than the 80. Maybe not in acceleration but probably in top speed and hill-climbing ability. However, if you are into modification, I think those Vinos share an engine with the Zuma, which has a tremendous aftermarket. Admiral Ballsack posted:I gotta admit that I'm kinda bummed that there aren't any vintage scooter goons. Oh well, I guess that's what modernvespa.com/forum/forum19 is for We got a couple others, but most of them don't post. I remember more vintage bikes from the first Megathread though. Charlie Bubblegum posted a pic of his ridiculous cutdown Lambretta on the first page, though. And I'm not *really* vintage since I'm on a Stella, but it's good enough for me.
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May 12, 2010 23:42
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NavalCasity posted:So, I'm looking at a 2003 Metro that's currently on the market for a steal. The one thing that's bothering me is the owner (her name is Edith, how cool is that?) says that she hasn't started it at all this year, and that when she did last year it would "die quickly." The owner thinks it just needs a new battery, but as far as I know the battery only starts the engine and the alternator would take over after that. If this Metro dies quickly, wouldn't it need a lot more work than just a new battery? I want to make sure I'm not jumping into a bad deal. Thanks for any help. There are people here better-equipped to answer engine-related questions, but you can run a bike like that on a bad battery forever if you keep kickstarting it. You are right, the battery should not affect its dying. It's probably a pretty simple issue, though. She probably didn't store it correctly, so now you've got bad, old fuel in the carb. So the carb probably needs cleaning and the fuel tank draining, depending on how much is in there. It's where I'd start.
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May 13, 2010 17:43
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Admiral Ballsack posted:I know that everyone is looking to buy a scoot on the cheap, but you can buy a running reliable vintage for around $1500, and one that looks good too for around $2000. Some people daily drive '65 Mustangs, but mostly people prefer having a modern car. It's just preference. I will say I find riding my Stella much more rewarding than I found riding the Metro and Vino 125 I had before it, except maybe when it leaves me stranded. (lovely loving spark plug wire came off the other day, and in my newness I could not figure it out in the grocery store parking lot. Until I went home and started Googling, and then it was a huge facepalm moment. livin' and learnin') That Allstate looks awesome, I love that you've kept the body rough. Looks like the metal's pretty straight, too, probably wouldn't take much bodywork to make it very pretty. e: and you mentioned modernvespa's vintage section, I assume you know about stellaspeed.com? It is mostly P/PX/Stella-focused but there's a good amount of other vintage Vespa chat. Gay Nudist Dad fucked around with this message at 19:36 on May 13, 2010 |
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May 13, 2010 19:26
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Please ride that thing every day
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May 15, 2010 03:07
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I'm not trying to be a condescending dick here and I apologize if I come off this way, but perhaps the "lack of balance" you experienced had more to do with your lack of experience than the bike. The MP3 500 is going to be even heavier than the Silver Wing you detested. These are REALLY heavy bikes (Honda says the SW is 540lbs ready to ride, the MP3 is 538 *dry* - for comparison, my dad's Sportster 883R is ~540lbs). I wouldn't suggest that for any new rider. Maybe consider something smaller? Scooters in the 150cc range are usually 250lbs, in the 250cc range you're looking at 300-350lbs. Way more manageable. 150cc bikes will be much nicer in the city and lots of people do long rides on them. 250cc bikes will be better at touring (most can do 80mph and hold 70 comfortably) but harder to park and all that. Gay Nudist Dad fucked around with this message at 04:04 on May 15, 2010 |
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May 15, 2010 04:01
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got dat wmd posted:Yeah I figured it was mostly from inexperience, that and the place I lived was NOTHING but hills making everything worse to figure out. I figured however the third wheel would help considerably with stability, but I'm still not sure. I'll have to see with everything, because I'd definitely need to be able to do highway speeds. The third wheel won't help like you think it will, the bikes don't hold themselves up. The wheels tilt, so the bike still leans like a regular scooter when you're riding. There is a lever that locks the wheels, but it's not the sort of thing you do at every stoplight, more like to park. TacoBender posted:2008 genuine co. buddy italia - $1000 (32 st 202) I'm not sure what a Buddy 50 can do stock, I'm guessing 40ish, maybe 45? With exhaust and maybe the right rollers (and de-restricting, if it is at all) 45 should be pretty easy. There're also 70cc kits. Except maybe with the 70cc kit, 45mph is probably going to be pretty much your top speed, but it'd be in the sweet spot for a 125.
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May 15, 2010 07:56
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It may be an Aprilia and all but $1,000 for 10,000 miles and 8 years is a bit much, and you're right about them being more expensive. If you really want the Aprilia, do it, but if you don't have your heart set on that particular bike, you can probably do better elsewhere.
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May 20, 2010 03:59
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CubanRefugee posted:Soon-to-be new scooter goon checking in! Well it's *best* to take a rider's training course like the MSF or, since you're near Portland, Team Oregon. But yeah you really shouldn't take to the open road without getting some practice in, but rider's training will be incredibly helpful. And grats on the Stella, these things are super fuckin' fun. Register over at https://www.stellaspeed.com and familiarize yourself with the maintenance/tuning FAQs, because you'll probably need them. e: $4500 for that '05 is loving insane unless it has some ridiculous custom paint or something, those parts aren't worth more than $1,000, tops, and their new purchase cost certainly doesn't just get tacked onto the price of a stock bike. $2100 for the '06 seems reasonable. What exhaust does it have, a Sito+? Gay Nudist Dad fucked around with this message at 21:05 on May 24, 2010 |
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May 24, 2010 21:03
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CubanRefugee posted:Thanks! Yeah, I actually signed up with stellaspeed yesterday once my wife and I decided that it was a definite go on the Stella. We're both signing up for the MSF, but looks like I'll need to call to find out what the deal is because their site isn't listing any classes upcoming in Oregon. After looking, I also had no idea that they had a specific scooter course, that's pretty awesome. Never heard of Team Oregon, but we'll check their classes out too. Some states just run their own stuff instead of MSF, and I think Oregon is one of them. From what I've heard a lot of the state-run curricula are better than the MSF's, including Team Oregon and Idaho STAR. I'm not sure what MSF does for their scooter program, but on a Stella I'd skip it in favor of the basic rider training anyway. I imagine a lot of what's cut out for the scooter program is clutching and shifting, which you need on the Stella. e: just noticed your e:, lol. So you're buying from P Town Scooters? I just checked their site and the $4550 bike matches. Nice little shop, I've been in a couple times. You're in a great city for scootering, Portland has a big, active community. I haven't made it to a rally there, but someday. Whatever exhaust is on your Stella-to-be (probably a Sito+), ask if it has the stock air filter or not. If you look on StellaSpeed for discussion of "de-blueing" (or P200 air filter) and "Bald John jetting," I'd suggest doing those if they haven't been done already. Cheap, easy, and good power to be had, especially in conjunction with exhaust. Gay Nudist Dad fucked around with this message at 21:23 on May 24, 2010 |
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May 24, 2010 21:18
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Senator Woofington posted:So why would I want a stella over say a vespa? Also, its an honor to have named this thread. I feel like this requires backstory, even though it probably doesn't. In the 1980s Vespa was selling scooters like the PX150 and P200 in America and things were bad, so they abandoned the USA. When they came back in the early '00s they were only selling modern scooters, so the last time you could get a shifter scooter was sometime in the '90s or something when Bajaj stopped making the Chetak (itself a Vespa PX150 clone of sorts, but four-stroke). In the '80s LML in India partnered with Piaggio to build the PX150 for the Indian market; in '99 Piaggio wanted to stop making it so LML bought out their share of the factory and kept going. So in '03 ScooterWorks/Genuine Scooters started importing the LML Star 150 and selling it as the Genuine Stella, and it was the only shifter bike you could buy new. So that's why people bought it. In '04-'05 Vespa started selling PX150s again, but only for that brief time, and they were expensive compared to the Stellas - and remember, Stellas are made in a Piaggio-built PX150 factory, so they're very very similar. New PX150s were/are nicer than comparable-year Stellas. Piaggio had higher standards, so stuff like Stella's notorious crank failures didn't happen. They also had nicer details: better seats, higher quality rubber on grommets, better paint. But, again, expensive in comparison - by more than a grand at the time. So people kept buying Stellas... and then Vespa stopped the PX150 again and now Stella's the only option. If you're on the used market, your options for a PX150-type bike are this: Stellas, '05 PX150s, and '80s PX150s (and 200s). '05 PX150s will be the nicest of the bunch, but if you manage to find one for sale it'll be big money because now people think they're collector's items. You'll pay a lot for the "historical significance" and the luxury of better paint, seats, speedometer, etc. Stellas will be really easy to find and not expensive and potentially low-mileage and are still nice. For a couple years they were notorious for cranks failing, but that got fixed and things are groovy now, mostly... new bikes suffer build-quality issues like failing speedometer pinion gears and loose bolts, but nothing catastrophic. '80s Vespas will have all the fun of dealing with a 20-something year old bike and won't be nicer than a later Stella. So I guess somewhere in there I answered your question, I think. Goddamn this got long. Gay Nudist Dad fucked around with this message at 06:29 on May 27, 2010 |
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May 27, 2010 06:24
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Aerofallosov posted:Has anyone tried the new Stellas (The 4T ones)? I'm on the shorter end of the height chart and was curious as to how they held out. How short are you? I'm 5'8" with a 30" inseam (probably 29 if I were honest with myself), and I cannot flatfoot my Stella. It's pretty tall. At stops I tilt to the left and hold it up with my left leg, keeping it stopped with my right foot on the brake. There are lots of aftermarket seats that'll shorten it a bit (most around $100-130) and be more comfortable, and probably aftermarket suspension that'll also be better and shorter ($80-300?).
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Jun 10, 2010 00:30
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Aerofallosov posted:I am 4'11". I was expecting to have a harder time with the vespa, but I was only about 3-4 inches short or so in regular shoes with the kickstand up. Either the Vespa is little or I have a weirdly long inseam. You should buy a Vespa smallframe! Like a Primavera 125. They are little and awesome and can be very fast. If you're down for buying vintage and all the tinkering that'll come with it, that is.
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Jun 10, 2010 02:26
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FuzzyWuzzyBear posted:Of all the different kinds of people that ride, one group in particular never wave back at me on the road. Hardcore Harley 1% riders with vests and chaps? Nope. Squids on brand new CB1000RR's with shorts and flip flops? Nope. 70 year old grandpas on Goldwings? Nope. A lot of them are just plain dumb newbs. I'd say at least 40%, maybe more, of the people I see on scooters are clearly new or are clearly riding just because it's cheap transportation, and are either unaware of, or wholly disinterested in, any camaraderie. People on name-brand scooters, especially classics, generally wave to other scooterists. But there is also definitely a disconnect between scooterists and motorcyclists. I don't always throw a wave to motorcyclists but I always return a wave, and I almost always wave to scooterists even when they're on Chinese bikes and unlikely to return it.
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Jun 10, 2010 22:12
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Aguirre posted:Not really understanding the hate on Chinese scooters. That's sometimes true, but it's all-too-frequently true that they fail catastrophically for no good reason. And it's not like they're even nice when they're running.
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Jun 25, 2010 07:29
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HappyHelmet posted:How are Kymco's anyway? I see a fair amount of them here around Taiwan, but I don't know much about them. I'm sorta in the market for a new (used) scooter so I'm curious. Reliability is paramount as scooters are pretty much your first and last line of transportation here. From everything I've heard Kymcos are drat reliable. Some of their bikes are made in mainland China, and on those the fit-and-finish suffers (the Agility 125 I sat on confirmed this), but apparently they are still mechanically quite sound. I keep my leg in while cornering, but it's just preference. In most of the scooter racing I've seen they put a knee out like sportbikers, though.
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Jun 26, 2010 19:11
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Ampersand-e posted:Having a 2 stroke, do I have to worry about the "up to 10% ethanol" gas and my oil mixing properly or is it just E85 that I should keep away from? I've had my Rattler for a little over a year and haven't had a problem except for the occasional backfire (which is cool as hell) but is there something I need to be doing to prevent future problems? Can you pin the backfiring specifically on the ethanol? Being a new 2-stroke it probably came from the factory leaned out to pass emissions, so I wouldn't be surprised if that alone caused your backfiring.
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Jun 27, 2010 20:44
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NotJoe posted:looks NotJoe posted:cost NotJoe posted:reliability NotJoe posted:performance All that said I fuckin' love my Stella, it's a way more rewarding bike to ride and to own than my Vino 125 ever was. I knew going in that buying a Stella would be buying me into a hobby with more depth than riding (that is, becoming an amateur scooter mechanic). As the mechanic - who owned classic 'brettas and Vespas but currently rode a GTS250 - at the scooter shop I bought it from said: even if you've never named a vehicle before, you will come up with a name for a Stella (or any other classic-type 2-stroke shifty scooter). Even when they work they have personality. Mine's a finicky bitch. Her name is Barbarella. Gay Nudist Dad fucked around with this message at 08:03 on Jun 29, 2010 |
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Jun 29, 2010 08:01
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Phat_Albert posted:Thats the same reasoning that Ducati/Aprilia/Guzzi/whatever other european bike owners use to justify their bikes over the Japanese ones. Well I was going to say that the things that make it more rewarding include -having a manual transmission over a CVT, and thus having a direct connection between the engine and the rear wheel with no slack that I am in total control of, versus having to get some pulleys and belts and weights to do what I want; -the two-stroke goodness, because the smell is intoxicating and it has a ton of tuning/modification options that don't exist to the same extent on any 4t scooter and don't offer the same power/$ when they do. I've found that I like turning wrenches for upgrades/repairs and I just didn't have that opportunity on the Vino (in part because it "just ran"), there's very little out for it in comparison; -the vague bullshitty reason, where being forced to actually know what's happening under the engine cover makes me more in tune with how what I do with the controls affects the engine, for example now I actually think "Okay the bike runs like this and has this much power at this throttle position, and I'm mostly all on the main jet right now, so it feels like my main jet is tuned right." Phat_Albert I didn't say that unreliable = better, I said that I find it rewarding. Some people just like riding, and even on that front I think the 2-stroke and 4-speed make it more satisfying than a 4t CVT. Some people don't want to shift or tune or repair, and for them a modern 4t CVT scoot will be more satisfying because it will always just work. Neither is better, but Stella's better for me. Gay Nudist Dad fucked around with this message at 18:39 on Jun 29, 2010 |
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Jun 29, 2010 18:34
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NotJoe posted:Theres a dealership nearby selling 'new' 2008 Stellas for about $2600, which is a little bit more than a used one on craigslist, but waaay less than even a used vespa. $2600 is a very good deal; I got mine for $2800 OTD because my local dealer was going out of business and clearing their inventory. From a 50cc it will blow you away with torque, and if you spend like $125 and a couple hours to put on a Sito+, new air filter, and rejet the carb, you'll be alike whoa power once again. It's amazing how much power it gave. I don't think anybody knows on the 4t. I'd expect it'll be better, but they've been kinda indefinitely delayed by the EPA right now so it'll be a while before anyone has any clue.
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Jun 29, 2010 20:35
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yaay posted:I've had a ruckus (zoomer) for a few years and I really couldn't recommend them, not for the current asking price: €2350 when bought a few years go, €2700 now - same as the entry level motorcycle honda sell here (cbf 125 I think). It's just not worth it for a 50cc scooter, and in this case you KNOW you're paying through the nose for a steel frame and a tiny engine, because that's pretty much what the ruckus is. Only 35mph, really? I rode an '04 Metro for a couple years, which has the same engine, and it consistently did 37-38 unmodified. And apparently they made little changes to that engine (in both the Metro and the Ruck) in '06 that yielded 43mph for most people. But scooters are literally never a good deal compared to motorcycles. Not ever. You can always get more displacement for your dollar.
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Jul 12, 2010 03:41
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CubanRefugee posted:So fortunately it's not listed in the OP under the online stores, but I just want to give my thumbs down for scooterloungeonline.com. Sucks about that website; have you tried calling or anything? Do they even have numbers listed? How much fluid do you need to move? A lot of Stella people use those restaurant-type refillable ketchup bottles, you can find them at any housewares-type place for $4  yaay posted:I've read that in the case of the Zoomer, the FI system it uses instead of carburettor is the reason they tend to be slower. The second thing is a surprise to me though; Apart from vespa/lml, I've always held the opposite perspective. Both the Ruckus and the Metro here still use carbs, though looking at Honda's website the Ruckus apparently gets a 15mm carb while the Metro gets an 18mm carb. Interesting. The price gap has also grown a lot between them, with the Ruck now $2499 and the Metro $2049. When my mom bought her Metro in '04, it was ~$1800 MSRP, and the Ruck was only about $200 more. Weird that the price gap grew so much, I guess they're capitalizing on the niche styling/following the Ruck has now. Gay Nudist Dad fucked around with this message at 21:26 on Jul 12, 2010 |
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Jul 12, 2010 21:21
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Aguirre posted:It sounds like the the Honda Metro would be your best bet. As a general rule, the four-stroke in the Metro tends to be more reliable and lasts longer than two-stroke in the Vino. The new Vinos are 4t - they call them the "Vino Classic" now instead of just the Vino 50, which were 2t. This has been the case for a few years. Honestly I doubt you'll find any appreciable difference.
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Aug 1, 2010 01:47
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Radbot posted:I'm sure some of you scooterists already know, but Carter Brother's (SYM's US distributor) warehouse burned down in an apparent arson, so there are literally zero spare parts for any SYM scooter in the US right now. Apparently some dealers can import parts by way of Canada right now, but the word on the street is to not buy a SYM unless you can get a good deal. It's a shame too, since I own one and really enjoy it! Yeah 2sb and The Scooter Scoop (a former Carter employee) have covered it. A shame, SYM is one of the best "off-brand" makers.
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Aug 1, 2010 21:00
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DJ Sizzle posted:Well guys I just bought an 06 Vino in great shape for $700 bucks locally, drat good deal! I have a few questions as it didn't come with the owners manual, what type of gas am I putting in this baby? No oil mixing right? Also the previous owner was around 350 lbs but the bike only has 1200 miles on it, do you think the extra weight could have hosed something up on it? Apparently the guys normal size son was the one who rode it mostly before college. Anyone know where I can get an owners manual that won't cost and arm and a leg? Only thing the extra weight could've done would've been to maybe mess up the suspension, but I doubt it. 350lbs probably isn't too far above the rated capacity and even if he road it all 1200 miles I'm sure everything is fine. You can find owner's and service manuals for free download here: http://scootertime.net/ In fact, here it is: http://scootertime.net/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=922 You'll need to register an account, but this is a pretty great site for Yamaha scooters so you'd want to anyway. As for oil, an '06 should be a four-stroke, so you'll just need to do periodic oil changes like in a car. I bet the engine doesn't take more than a quart at a time. Don't forget to occasionally change the gear oil in the final drive, too - the above-linked service manual should have instructions on how to do both. Enjoy the new scooter!
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Aug 2, 2010 21:50
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yaay posted:
I think they're awesome (and from what I hear, crazy fast in 180cc/tuned trim) but they are goddamn rare here in the States so all I know is "awesome, no parts, sketchy reliability, but awesome." Captain Crunk posted:Well, I went on a ride with a friend around my apartment parking lot last night on her 150CC something-or-other. Even with two people on it and extremely slow speeds it was a freaking blast. For parking, remember, scooters are like 2' wide. Depending on how huge your Cadillac is compared to the carport you can probably fit the scooter under there in front of or behind the car, parked across the spot rather than lengthways, if that makes sense. If not, $40 gets you a good waterproof cover, and scooters are pretty waterproof anyway so even if you parked it outside, in rain, forever, it'll probably be fine. Riding in rain/cold isn't a big deal, either. If you're doing slower (<40mph) shorter (<30 minutes) rides it's pretty easy to dress for cold. Waterproof proper riding gear isn't that expensive, or you can just go to REI and get some polyurethane overclothes that'll keep you completely dry. I was living in Bellingham, WA, which I think is slightly colder/rainier than Portland, and I rode year-round. When it's below freezing I take the car because I fear ice, but for grocery runs and the like I kept scootering for the most part.
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Aug 3, 2010 20:36
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clockworx posted:Can anyone tell me why I shouldn't buy a Kymco Super 8 150 in the next couple days? I think the Super 8s are neat, and you should buy at the dealer if you like them. Scooter industry is in the shitter right now and good dealers need all the help they can get. You certainly want to try helmets on in person to make sure the shape fits your head.
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Aug 25, 2010 05:30
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clockworx posted:I'm actually a bit annoyed. The season is near the end here, and they don't want to come down on price at all. I'm not trying to take them to the cleaners or anything, but they still refuse to budge on price, when I know other dealers around the country are offering discounts (but it's not exactly convenient to go pick up a scooter a few hundred miles away the same way as with a car) There's very little dealer markup on scooters, so unless Kymco is offering incentives the dealer really doesn't have much to work with - it's not worth making a deal to make a sale when you're working with a $300 margin. Other scooter companies like Genuine are currently offering/about to offer significant incentives, taking the hit in price so their dealers don't have to. Perhaps you can get them to swing a discount on gear, leniency on the freight/setup charges, or coupons for future service? But I'm not good at this I paid full price for my first scooter and only got a deal on my second scooter because they were going out of business (though I'm pretty sure he was more generous with me since he knew me and had nothing to lose anyway)
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Aug 25, 2010 06:38
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TLG James posted:2strokebuzz has a pretty depressing article about the state of the scooter industry. It isn't good. The Scooter Scoop's take on the matter is good, too. He used to work for SYM. It really is a shame, but anyone who thought about this for more than a minute realized what was going to happen. Scooters sold like hotcakes to people that didn't fully realize the sacrifices and risks associated with riding* v. driving and then parked their bikes the moment they had their first close call, had to carry something bigger than they could fit under the seat, or gas dropped back below $4. Not even counting the people that bought $600 China Specials and had them break down two weeks later. I'm glad the lovely quick-buck dealers are closing, but it breaks my heart that a lot of honest, fully-invested real scooter dealerships have to shut down because we're in the bust cycle. Plus now that hybrids are more common even fewer people will be going to scooters. The people that had cars with good mileage probably weren't buying scooters for gas reasons anyway, it was just the SUV drivers. Now the SUV drivers are trading for hybrids that aren't as terrifying on America roads and it's all goin' to hell *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMAI26FPeyM Gay Nudist Dad fucked around with this message at 04:57 on Aug 27, 2010 |
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Aug 27, 2010 04:55
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Coldrice posted:Ok looking for some advice on scooter purchase. If you like the Like 125 you might also look at the SYM Fiddle 125, just to throw another wrench in your cogs. But both are 125s, aren't they? Really the only bike I can think of with Vespa styling that's 200cc is the Vespa GT200. If you want 200cc and a Vespa, why not just buy a 200cc Vespa? Especially since you're okay shopping used I bet you can get a great condition GT200 for a price comparable to what a new Like would cost. And then you'd never look wistfully at the real Vespatistas rolling by, thinking, "What if?" e: there are 2 GT200s in Seattle right now for $2750 ('05) and $3000 ('07), just buy a Vespa. Gay Nudist Dad fucked around with this message at 03:27 on Aug 29, 2010 |
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Aug 29, 2010 03:25
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Woofington posted:The guy is saying that it is a stock stella, with a 2 stroke engine and manual transmission. Is this legit? That's what Stellas are: 2-stroke 150cc with four-speed twist-shift manual transmissions. It's essentially a Vespa PX150, which was introduced in 1978. $2,000 for a stock one in good shape would probably be alright. Compare classifieds at https://www.stellaspeed.com and https://www.scoot.net to see what the going rate is. On an '03 I'd ask if he's had problems with the crank - they tended to fail on the early models, and '03 is as early as they get.
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Sep 10, 2010 02:40
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Someone just posted this on ADV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGXcM9evUpo I bet that thing is a beast up to ~70mph* *Vespas run extremely high ratios
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Sep 11, 2010 23:42
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