First time scooter buyer seeking help please

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Katjies27

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Hi people,

My work, gym, shops ect are all within a 5km radius so hubby and I are thinking of buying a cheapish (R10 000) scooter for me to save some money on petrol. But we know nothing about scooters, sadly.

Can anyone advise whether the links below is worth considering or is this the "cheap china sh*t" I am reading about NOT to buy?

http://www.motomia.com/capri.php

http://www.jonway.co.za/catalogue/scooters/gomoto-citti-150cc

http://www.bigboyscooters.co.za/catalogue/scooters/revival-150

Any suggestions welcome as well.

:) :) :)
 
I bought a scooter, worst decision.

The drive belt kept on breaking :mad:

Next bike I'll buy will have a proper chain, and not a drive belt.
 
Just a logical question here. If you are buying it to save on petrol, how long will it take to pay off the R10000 x 2 and make a "profit" by not spending more on petrol ? :confused:
 
rakabos3 said:
Just a logical question here. If you are buying it to save on petrol, how long will it take to pay off the R10000 x 2 and make a "profit" by not spending more on petrol ? :confused:
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The $65 000 question - so many people do it, and so few stop to work this one little factor out! :)
 
Fazda said:
The $65 000 question - so many people do it, and so few stop to work this one little factor out! :)
Click to expand...

I use a bike everyday, and it does save me lots, but also because i sold my car
 
My father is on his second Kymco, and never had any issues. Traded his first Kymco B&W 125cc for a new B&W 250cc after close to 40000km just because he was looking for some more power. He also had a Jonway, but it couldn't even come close to the Kymco regarding build quality and power.
 
Add an extra 2000 - 3000 for protective equipment such as jackets, helmets, gloves etc..
 
rakabos3 said:
Just a logical question here. If you are buying it to save on petrol, how long will it take to pay off the R10000 x 2 and make a "profit" by not spending more on petrol ? :confused:
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I see you beat me to it with this argument.
 
DarkImpact said:
It would not save you much money to get a scooter for the distance you are travelling. You can go a long way with R10 000 worht of petrol. The safety gear is also expensive and should definitely not be overlooked. You are also taking an additional risk which you need to think about if it is worth it. Refer to the below link for a thread on cheap scooters:

http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/481860-Big-boy-or-jonway-or-what-what-please-help
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Very good point, to gear yourself out will cost at least 10k on its own, anything cheaper and you arent doing it right
 
For that kind of money everything is cheap china ****.

Save yourself the pain and trauma of going Chinese and get this instead...

http://www.honda.co.za/en/products/motorcycles/scooters/pcx-150/#/model-overview/features/

And you can look for gear from these guys at reasonable prices but also visit TracMac BEFORE buying a scooter to see the reality of what these things cost.

http://www.spiritmotorcycles.co.za

And if you think a helmet/jacket/gloves at the very least are too expensive...then you've got no idea what a hospital bill looks like.
 
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DarkImpact said:
I would also say go Honda but at 30 grand that is not an affordable alternative in my mind.
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Do you want to spend 10k every year to replace the china **** and deal with their crappy service and pay for breakdowns to come fetch you next to the road, not to mention time lost?

Or do you want to spend R30k once off and ride it for 5+ years without any drama.

Big picture.
 
jeremydixon said:
Add an extra 2000 - 3000 for protective equipment such as jackets, helmets, gloves etc..
Click to expand...


More like R2000 - R3000 for the helmet alone.

I personally wouldn't trust my head in anything less than the Bell in that price range.
 
SauRoNZA said:
Do you want to spend 10k every year to replace the china **** and deal with their crappy service and pay for breakdowns to come fetch you next to the road, not to mention time lost?

Or do you want to spend R30k once off and ride it for 5+ years without any drama.

Big picture.
Click to expand...

Well my big picture is that R10k is already to much for the OP short commutes in which case I would rather be a cager.
 
DarkImpact said:
Well my big picture is that R10k is already to much for the OP short commutes in which case I would rather be a cager.
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Yeah, it's that age old logic of "I need to buy a new car because this one is heavy on fuel" then they end up spending R2500 a month to save R500 over the car that was bought and paid for in the first place.

See it all the time.

I certainly wouldn't buy a scooter to go to the shops, I wouldn't even buy it to save petrol. You ride a scooter/bike to save time.
 
A proper bike is always going to be better than a scooter, but I sold my car and motorbike and am currently riding on a small 150cc Zest scooter. (Aside: It's a POS but it gets me from Point A to Point B for R8500, top box & service 1 included). Here are my thoughts:

Don't skimp on riding gear. FULL FACE HELMET ONLY! Don't buy these half-face helmets. I once fell and hit the ground chin-first. If I wasn't wearing a full face helmet, I'd have no lower jaw left to speak of.

Little wheels are evil. They slip and slide so easily on wet roads, wet paint, oil, anything. Rather get a "scooter" that has a large wheel. Less chance of slipping, better grip. Buy quality tyres too.

If you want to go do shopping on a scooter, make sure you get something with a large top box. I do a week's worth of grocery shopping on my 150cc Zest using a large backpack and my topbox.

Make sure the scooter's underseat storage (if it has) can take a full-sized helmet. Mine couldn't, so I had to buy a topbox as well.

This will only be an advantageous financial undertaking if you don't have any transport right now and need to choose between buying a car or scooter, OR if you plan to sell your vehicle. Otherwise the amount of money you spend on the scooter and safety gear isn't justified.

Go get your learner's license first.

Join ThinkBike. Lots of good advice and contacts on there, as well as great perks for a very low yearly membership cost, like road assist and RAF claims cover etc.

Please be careful. Drive as if nobody can see you, dress to make sure nobody can avoid noticing you.
 
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