I recently moved to the big city and I have been commuting to work via bike and /public transport. My old car died over a year ago and I am not buying one anytime soon.

Do any members ride a scooter or smaller cc motorcycle for around town or general commuting?

After I come back from vacation this summer, I am planning on buying one of these 150cc Honda scooters:

http://m.powersports.honda.com/model/str...ected=true

You can techincally drive them 8-9 months of the year, where I live. Top speed is about 60mph. So, for daily trips and even somewhere an hour or so away, it will fill most of my basic needs.

Just wanted any input or advice from any other members, if they have kind of done the same thing?

I owned one for a few years, excellent way to get around in the city, traffic is never an issue as you can just weave in and out, I was always where I needed to be in the estimated timeframe.

Two downsides are weather and also idiots who open car doors while sitting at lights without checking, had a few close calls.

They are cheap to run, insurance isnt a lot and is far more efficient than a car.

WB - would buy

Well, I'd say if you're going to spend that much you should get an actual motorcycle, even if it's a small single cylinder bike like a Honda Rebel. The Honda Rebel 300 is only $4400 MSRP and looks pretty damn cool IMO.

Any particular reason you're looking at scooters? Licensing requirements, maybe? I dunno, parking issues maybe?

Edit to add - You can find low mileage Rebel 250s all day on Craigslist for $2000 where I live. I wasn't saying you should buy something brand new, necessarily.

Yes, right now I am driving a 50cc Babetta 210 for commuting.
Not even nearly 60mph, but it gets the job done and in Sweden you are allowed to drive it on cycle ways.
Dirt cheap and no registration.

But the downside is that I look and feel absolutely ridiculous driving it.
I am actually wearing a scarf to conceal my face while driving...

So I would recommend buying a proper motorcycle instead. Which is also a lot more fun. Perhaps a used Yamaha sr400, or something similar.

@weambulance

Mainly, because of the upright seating position, underseat storage and driving across state lines. I wanted a 49cc, but where I live they do not put a plate on them. I live in one state and work across the river, in another state. So, I figure for what it is...I will probably do the job.

Also, we are techincally not allowed to have a concealed pistol at work, so I can keep it under the seat, while at work.

Honda Grom.

@weambulance

I want to buy new too. Just tired of buying used. I will run the shit out of it.

Looked at those new Honda 300s and the 500s already, online. Pretty cool machines.

Okay, good reasons then. I feel you on the used equipment thing.

I used to commute all the time on a BMW F650GS with aluminum Hepco & Becker hard bags. It was pretty nice. I could store my riding gear except helmet in one hard bag, then I'd either carry my helmet or use a Pacsafe cable mesh bag looped through my handlebars to leave my helmet with the bike. There was plenty of storage to make grocery runs, and it was also really nice being able to store my registration and insurance securely in one of the hard bags.

I don't need to commute now, but I also don't have a bike here.

I used to own one in my young days (25-26) and for daily commute it worked like charm. Also, I must add that at that time scooter also helped my game.

For girls I dated it was an exciting activity to ride around cool places of the city with me. During the ride they have to press against your back and put their arms around. Instant kino!

Hell, I even recall 2 instances when girls aproached me while I was parking and asked if I they can ride with me a few blocks around. (For the fun of it, not to take them somewhere specifically)

Get a proper motor cycle. Nothing is more emasculating than a scooter.

Cosign with weambulance

You might as well get a low CC bike, to me, scooters/mopeds are sketchier than a regular motorcycle.

Quote: (04-18-2017 12:42 PM)weambulance Wrote:  

Well, I'd say if you're going to spend that much you should get an actual motorcycle, even if it's a small single cylinder bike like a Honda Rebel. The Honda Rebel 300 is only $4400 MSRP and looks pretty damn cool IMO.

Any particular reason you're looking at scooters? Licensing requirements, maybe? I dunno, parking issues maybe?

Edit to add - You can find low mileage Rebel 250s all day on Craigslist for $2000 where I live. I wasn't saying you should buy something brand new, necessarily.

I used to have a Honda Nighthawk 250 that I got with 1200 miles on it for $2000. I prefer them to the Rebels. Seems like they have slightly more power, look sportier. The Rebel were always a little smaller if I remember right, and were the recommended starter bike for girls getting into riding.

I took it on the highway occasionally and could get it up in the 70's but it felt dangerous at that speed. Bike was too light and shaky on the highway. Any longer than a few hours on the highway with it and you would be worn out and shaken up from keeping it steady.

The Nighthawk would be fine in a smaller city (I had mine when i lived in 100k town) for cruising around, but I wouldn't feel comfortable taking it through 5 lane traffic in somewhere more major. It's only a matter of time until some retard hits you, then your a cripple for life if not dead. I would actually prefer a moped in a bigger city as it would be easier to weave around, stopping and starting while inching along in rush hour traffic and stoplights, plus easier to dodge cars that don't see you.

I already take the bus or ride my bicycle ten miles through a very unsafe city to get to my work. People freak out all the time at my work. One of the managers threatened to send me to a work psychologist, because I rode a bicycle and took the bus. I told him to do it and see what happens.

So, if some one thinks it gay to ride a scooter...can't possibly be worse than how people try to shame me now.

;')

might be seen as gay compared to a motorbike, however motorbikes are expensive ( when it comes to the insurance aspect ) here. So im not sure if the savings on gas would equal out with having insurance on 2 vehicles. Obviously you would need a car for winter in Canada.

^

Depends on the bike, I imagine, though I'm not familiar with CA insurance. My BMW dual sport was like $150 a year for insurance. I pay about $720 a year for my car insurance (comprehensive, since it's financed).

My BMW reliably got 52 or so mpg if I was hitting the throttle hard. It wasn't hard to get 60 or so mpg if I took it easy, even around town. I rode about six months a year and I probably about broke even on the bike in terms of gas savings vs ongoing expenses, since I was running through a set of tires every year and they were expensive as fuck where I lived.

I had a Suzuki DrZ-400 SM for a few years when I lived in Orange County, insurance was only about $200 a year averaged 55 mpg. As stated above I'd say get an actual motorcycle, you can find plenty that are great for those small commutes plenty of dual sports out there, small sportbikes or cruisers.. If you do decide on a scooter just buy new. I know you can find them dirt cheap on craigslist but most of those are just run into the ground because the initial investment was so cheap. Besides you want something that will allow to to travel comfortably on the freeway from time to time. I stuck mostly to side streets but on the occasions that I did jump on the 57 or 91 or the 605 it was nice knowing i wouldn't have to hug the shoulder the whole time and pray they'd see me.

Side joke about scooter from a non red pill friend: "scooters are like fat chicks, they may be fun to ride but you don't want to get caught on one"

Second the dual sport option. Honda, Suzuki, Kawa or Yamaha single
cylinder, 250cc to 400cc.

A 250cc dual sport gets you by really well in the city, you can go right
through bumps, potholes or sidewalks, you have a more upright riding
position which is great for high visibility and control, and they're light
enough so that you still have plenty of acceleration, especially
compared to a scooter.

You can take them on the highway, though they're no ideal for long commuting,
they're better in city traffic than a road bike. Also these bikes are very
low maintenance and very reliable, and fun to ride, and just about the most ideal
learner bikes for beginners. They're also perfect for going on country roads
off the beaten path.

I would get a well-garaged older bike with low mileage, in the $1,500-$2,500 range.
Those bikes being very reliable and having changed all that much in the past
10-20 years, so you don't have to fork more than twice that much for a new version,
as the new bike % premium is greater than for a new car.

You will be also able to resell it for just a few hundred dollars less a few years down
the road. I'm partial to Hondas, but the other brands are good too. Plenty of those
in Southern California, where the dry weather means no rust. Get them from an older
X-gen or even a Boomer who hasn't taken them offroad.



BlackFriar later this summer:

^

He'll have to change his name to BlackSquid.

I use an electric scooter here in Beijing for most of my city travel needs. I've ridden in the winter, but last winter I took 4 months off, because my clients are now spread out far enough that it would be just too painful to spend all that time in the cold.

I love it. Electric scooters have almost no moving parts, so maintenance is minimal. An acceptable scooter sells for as little as $300-400 new. Just have to change the batteries every 9 months ($100) and have the brakes tuned or changed every 3-6 months. That's about it. The electrical power is cheap, so it's almost free transportation. I can get 50-60km per charge, but if I wanted more, lithium batteries are an option. They would cost as much as the scooter itself and I don't want the extra worry about them getting stolen (which happens every so often).

It's faster than taking the subway (by about 2X) and often faster than traveling by car, since traffic is brutal in Beijing. The instant kino, when transporting the gentler sex, is awesome too.

@suits

What scooter are you using? What is the weight limit?

Quote: (04-18-2017 09:25 PM)BlackFriar Wrote:  

@suits

What scooter are you using? What is the weight limit?

It's a burgundy 都市风. No idea about the model number. These things come in so many different models that nobody knows the official name of what they are driving.

I know for a fact that it can handle over 150kg without struggling. One white guy and a little Asian girl is never a problem.

Looks something like this.

Holy... couple hundred for insurance for a 2 wheeler is great. From my little research, I would be paying close to 1000 per year in alberta.

Quote: (04-19-2017 03:45 PM)sonoran_ Wrote:  

Holy... couple hundred for insurance for a 2 wheeler is great. From my little research, I would be paying close to 1000 per year in alberta.

Wrong. I ride a sports bike in Alberta and pay just over 400 for a full year. Not bad at all.

I owned one during college. Girls always loved it and wanted to learn to ride it (since it's riding on easy mode, teaching them was a walk in the park). Mileage was great, close to 100mpg. Cost of gas, payment on it, and insurance all equaled out to be about $125/month and I didn't even need my license.

No, but I did have a motorcycle....more of the large cruising type but either one gets the job done with similar benefits.

My big piece of advice is not to just get a small scooter. Get something with saddlebags that lock. It makes the vehicle practical for running errands. You can pick up a gallon of juice, stuff a laptop down there for work, carry a folded change of clothes, and a whole lot of other things that simply can't be accomplished with only a backpack.