Scooters, I just don't get them??

[Twodogs]

Hi all, I am not writing this to offend anybody but for ages I have been trying to understand the benefits of riding a scooter as opposed to a normal small cc size bike. I cannot really understand the little 50cc things that run on the smell of an oily rag because they go slow and cannot be used by law on highways, freeways etc, they slow up the lane they travel in causing some cagers to over take them very closely, which to me is very scary (at least a the deadly treadly you can chuck up on the footpath if the traffic gets too thick) and given a life or death situation of doing a mercy dash in front of an on coming truck at an intersection ....you just wouldn't make it. The only explanation I see here is that where I am you only need a car license to ride anything 50cc and smaller.

But then moving onto the the larger size scooters..... why??.........Why not just get a normal motorcycle and then you see scooters of 650cc size!!!!!! This then really starts to make me wonder. Fit a fuel tank on these things in the normal place like a real bike and put the controls in the correct place and hey presto you have a normal bike. Is it a storage place thing that appeals to the scooter people because that is the only real benefit I can see on some of the larger ones??

As mentioned I am not trying to offend those that maybe into scooters I am just asking the question because maybe I am really missing out on something here..................once I have this sorted out then I can then raise the same question about those Can-Am things with the dual front wheels...... WTF????

 

[Flaco]

Mod's vs' Rockers...

The first two wheeled motorized bike I built was back in "well in the late '60"...
"Mini bike."
Moped, scooter or whatever... I don't care...
You should see and ride w/ the guy's and gal's from the "Tucson Scooter Club!"
They kick ass and ride w/ the best of all...
Twisties up Mount Lemon!
They always have a win at our "Tucson Vintage Motorcycle Bike Show" in their catagory...

I drive home from work every day right by the University of Arizona...
Damn! Scooter Babes!

Maybe your the one missing something?

FTW....

 

[JimmyR]

Firstly there is the "twist and go" thing. I actually got into bikes because my wife bought a 49cc Vespa to get to work on! She though the Vespa looked cute - and it really did - and I ended up riding it more than her. The slowness got to me though so I graduated to bikes. But that meant lessons, a new license etc. Mt wife was perfectly happy with the convenience of the Vespa. She could put her helmet under the seat, it had a hook in front to put shopping bags on, all she had to do was twist and go. No gears, just go.

The retro scooters I can understand. They look really cool if that's your thing, plus there's the whole mod thing... Then there's the bigger scoots like the Suzuki Bergmann.

There's a Suzuki dealership near me that I have used a lot while resto-modding an '82 GS1100. A guy there is incredibly knowledgable about bikes as he used to race and be a race mechanic. He's a hardcore bike guy. But when I asked him what he rides these days he said the Suzuki Bergstrom! He says it's the most comfortable bike he has ever ridden, has tons of power for long term cruising and shelters him from the wind and elements really well. There is NO WAY I would be seen dead riding one, but he loves his.

Then there is the whole Italian connection. If you have ever been to Italy you might get it. Go to Florence. You will see so many absolutely drop-dead gorgeous women riding scooters there! You might also notice the guys on scooters socialising with them... I know quite a few guys here in Australia who have experienced this and been attracted to Vespas etc purely through misty-eyed romanticism. There is a bit of an inner-city scooter scene here and I would guess that the cafe/scooter thing is part of that. The Italian influence is quite strong here and cafes and bikes/scooters go together well. It's not just Bonneville cafe racers you know! That's more your UK cafe thing, where they drink tea not coffee.

Watch La Dolce Vita or Roman Holiday. That should explain it. But I'm with you on modern scooters. I'd rather ride a bike. And I do.

 

[B06Tang]

Depends on where you live too. Some countries charge a lot of money to put a vehicle on the road as well as a charge in relationship to engine size. A scooter is often a real cheap way to have licensed transportation and can be a rip in a very congested city like Tokyo where you can pay upwards to $8 for a gallon of go-go juice

 

[Kiwi]

Depends on where you live too. Some countries charge a lot of money to put a vehicle on the road as well as a charge in relationship to engine size. A scooter is often a real cheap way to have licensed transportation and can be a rip in a very congested city like Tokyo where you can pay upwards to $8 for a gallon of go-go juice

Yep, that's right. Here's what it costs here - these are the fees for 1 year.

Car - $280.34

Moped - $165.50
A moped has an engine capacity not exceeding 50cc and a maximum speed not exceeding 50km/h and can be ridden on a car licence.

Motorcycle - this includes scooters bigger and faster than mopeds.
0- 60cc - $395.61
61-600cc - $407.11
601cc and over - $521.21

Our fuel is currently $2.10 per liter ($7.95 US Gal).

So, yes it's a lot cheaper to run small scooters here.

 

[Bonafide]

How's the joke go ..??

Mopeds/Scooters are like fat girls, Fun to ride .. but you dont want your friends to see you on them.

 

[mikenva]

How's the joke go ..??

Mopeds/Scooters are like fat girls, Fun to ride .. but you dont want your friends to see you on them.

LOL you beat me I was about to post that.

 

[Lone Trumpet]

Is a Cushman considered a scooter? I've seceretly been wanting one for years.

Oh man, it feels good to finally be out of the Cushman closet... PHEW!! :ghey:

 

[innominate]

I have a 125cc scooter that i keep in NOLA at my friends house. It's great for getting around that town. And parking a scooter on the side walk seems to be accepted but not so with a motorcycle. And it gets 70-80 mpg with me thrashing the hell out of it 2up

 

[Dave]

here in MO, you don't need to register a scooter with the DMV, so you don't pay those fees, no property tax paid yearly, no safety inspections required, no insurance required, no helmet laws, I'm not even sure you need a drivers license to operate one... it's like they fall under the same jurisdiction as a bicycle as far as rules go, but they can still get up to almost 50 mph while getting like 100 mpg. here in St. Louis we have 4 universities and several more colleges and they are very popular on campuses. personally, I think it's bullshit that a motorized vehicle can skate on all the taxes and fees and regulations while I have to pay

 

[whyme]

I had motorcycles...stopped riding for awhile. The I bought this and restored it...then I just couldn't take how slow it was.... bring in the Triumph.

Its still fun. I ride the kids around the neighborhood on it. I also ride in shorts and a 1/2 helmet on it. I'm total AGAT on everything else.

I really don't have much interest in what other people say or think about scooters. That's why we live here...to each his own.

 

[Bonafide]

oohh .. picture time.

I had a 1984 Honda Aero 80 (2 stroke). Primo condition with 800 miles. Started right up with the slightest bump of the starter or kick-start. Bought it for the F.R.O.G. (Fools Ride Over Georgia) charity ride which had a ride stipulation that all scooters had to be 100cc and under. For a scooter .. this thing would haul ass. The charity ride cancelled and I sold it.

I have a buddy who's into Honda Sprees. They even have their own S/C (Scooter Club) called "The Killing Sprees". Lets just say it's a bunch of guys who are just not right in the head.

 

[drlapo]

my son, the one in the Navy, is into moped racing
he and his "gang" will take 100 mile rides to the beach and leave his 675 Street Triple in the garage
if its on 2 wheel its all good

 

[koifarm]

Hell I started riding on two wheels on a tote goat of my dad's, moved into a Lambretta scooter then a Vespa until I was old enough and smart enough to get a Triumph Tiger Cub.
It doesn't matter what you drive, it's basically two wheels, these days you have many options one of which is a supercharged 650 scooter, if ya wanna go there these days then do it, you're still on two wheels and that's all that matters.
Personally I don't think these days I'd drive a scooter and since Triumph doesn't make one that's an easy call. If they did I might have to consider one.
By the way Bonafide, love your icon picture, your old one was scary.....!!! ;-))

 

[drlapo]

I may need to get a scooter in the future so I can hang with the senior scooter gang at McDonalds each morning; Wrinkled Riders?

 

[whyme]

My Dad has this thing, Remember the grace jones and Jim McMahon commercials? Ugliest thing ever made. He got it after sitting outside for 5 years...started right up with a new battery and alll the electronics work still. This thing is where I draw the line!!

 

[britman]

They can move

My Son-in-Law had one for quite a while, Japanese, can't recall the brand. It was a good size three cylinder, but one chamber was empty for ballast. He commuted back and forth to work on it about 60 miles round trip daily for quite a while. That damn thing would fly. He passed me going to work one morning on my TBS. When he went by he was enjoying a Mickey D's Egg McMuffin and a cup of coffee.

 

[Kirkus51]

I'm cool with anybody riding on two wheels. I think rules are very relaxed about those 50cc tiddlers all over this US of A. The bigger ones can kind of coat tail along.

And... those Bergmans are actually good enough to go cross country, so although not my cup of tea I know there's a hard core following and they keep their value for sure.

 

[koifarm]

I may need to get a scooter in the future so I can hang with the senior scooter gang at McDonalds each morning; Wrinkled Riders?

Good one Doc, haven't had a good belly buster in a while !!

 

[Mark]

I met two guys, one on a 400 Suzuki Burgman (scooter) and one on a sport bike, forget which kind. The guy on the scooter had done some long rides and liked the up right seating and ample storage, the guy on the sport bike laughed and said you should see him embarrass the sport bike guys on the twisties and it's only the 400. Different strokes and all that.