How to choose a scooter

H

Hosehead

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So I've drawn the war line in the sand. The missus is verboten to drive into the city where the cost of parking is astronomical (if she can find a spot) She has a 5km commute to the office. She has been gently advised to consider a scooter- even in winter.

I took a look at scooters. Now, understand one thing, I don't care for these pieces of shiit for lack of a better word. Give me a proper motorbike any day. However, prices dictate and cheap Chinese imports are aplenty. But are they worth the plastic they are built on?

I drove around looking at various models under 15K and the cheapest can be had at aprox 8k. Do any of our Scooter Rats here have anything to say about the reliability or lack of any particular brand. This includes service frequency, costs and overall experience.

Of course if I were rich I would consider a Vespa I suppose, but for that kind of money (R50k) I might as well buy her a proper bike rather than a revived Gay Italian marketing experiment which is unchanged since oh 1950...

So without further ado.

Italjet- these were about 12K and looked fairly solid of all I saw.
Jonway- didn't see these
Vuka- see them everywhere, but they are not exactly as pretty as a picture.
PGO- Korean made, the most expensive pushing 14k-15k and limited stock - no baby PGOs til April
Big Boy- nice cross section of models and the cheapest at aprox 8K. The others were sort of Vespa Clones with oodles of Chrome. My worry is what will happen to this chrome after one Cape winter?
Well...What else is there out there?
 
My dad has a Kymco - nice and solid little bike. He has the 125cc but I'd recommend looking at the 200cc (I think, maybe it's a 180cc) for a little more power.
 
I'll tell you how...

Step 1:
Don't EVER LOOK AT A SCOOTER!

simple!

Lol..no seriously dude, I've heard you must stay away from the cheapo stuff...and just like cars, stay away from stealerships when servicing. Also be very vigilant and people don't respect bikers/scooterers as they do cars on the roads.

Its a very economical way of living...good luck!
 
Honestly I'd never allow my gf to use a scooter, not because I don't have trust in her ability to use one, but because of all the other idiots on the road.

If money was an issue then I'd consider a small, cheap 2nd hand car.
 
Smooth Criminal said:
Honestly I'd never allow my gf to use a scooter, not because I don't have trust in her ability to use one, but because of all the other idiots on the road.

If money was an issue then I'd consider a small, cheap 2nd hand car.
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I tend to agree with you on that one. The thing that other road users (in cars) do when close to a scooter is enough to make one shudder in dread anticipation. Like driving too close, not seeing the scooter at all, or ignoring the scooter totally. It's driving me crazy (I do ride on a scooter).
 
Smooth Criminal said:
Honestly I'd never allow my gf to use a scooter, not because I don't have trust in her ability to use one, but because of all the other idiots on the road.

If money was an issue then I'd consider a small, cheap 2nd hand car.
Click to expand...

Well it's the lesser of two evils. Parking costs in the center city if you are out and about missioning all day long can add up to R50 per day or more easily. As for the other idiots on the roads well it is only aprox 5km. It's not like 100km each way you know.
Cheaper cars are not going to solve parking problems. I also offered her the Taxi and Bus options which she stared daggers at me.
 
Hosehead said:
Well it's the lesser of two evils. Parking costs in the center city if you are out and about missioning all day long can add up to R50 per day or more easily. As for the other idiots on the roads well it is only aprox 5km. It's not like 100km each way you know.
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Never base it on distance man, anything can happen whether it's 1km or 100km. Again it's your choice though, happy shopping!
 
One word of advice - if she want to ride a scooter/motorcycle, do send her off on an advanced driver's course. That will help a lot.
 
+1 for the Kymco - but the People's 200S is too big for a woman.

The Gomoto 125 my GF scoots around in perfect for a girl, and has not given us even a little bit of trouble.

BUT - on the Gomoto 125, it comes with a box on the back for putting stuff in, that is a terrible piece of work. The left hinge rusted shut and of course she broke it trying to force it open, but, besides that issue, the lock mechanism keeps getting loose. Other than the stupid box, the rest of the bike behaves as it should.

All these scooters seem to go through an exhaust every 2-3 years because of rust. It simply corrodes away, and there is near nothing that you can do to stop it.
 
davemc said:
All these scooters seem to go through an exhaust every 2-3 years because of rust. It simply corrodes away, and there is near nothing that you can do to stop it.
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On the KZN coast, sure. Elsewhere mebbe not so much.
 
davemc said:
All these scooters seem to go through an exhaust every 2-3 years because of rust. It simply corrodes away, and there is near nothing that you can do to stop it.
Click to expand...

It's just poor quality. Replace it with stainless steel and it will last ages but they cut corners and go for crap metal.
 
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