[Closed] Knowing what's coming....Tell me about scooters.

You want one of these, Kevin wishes he had never sold his

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Personally I'd get a proper bike, they have more road presence and the acceleration can be handy for getting out of trouble or away from idiots in cars.

What else do I need to buy? Beyond a helmet, obviously!

Lots and lots of chrome mirrors.
Lots and lots of lights
A NATO parka
An RAF roundel
A pair of nice suede Hush Puppies
A Wiggo suit & tie and a pork pie hat.

Somewhere to store your self esteem. 😀

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No need/want for a proper bike, flaps. I know the arguments there. Just looking for super cheap, easy, low involvement transport. Scooters seem the best option to handle what I need. (And besides, I know that if I started with a proper bike, it would all escalate and before you know it I'd have some loony tunes r1200 GS or something!)

Domino's Pizza Delivery Driver Cap'n? 😉

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😆

STW never fails to deliver! 🙂

Seriously, you want Mr Poddy cos he knows about them. 🙂

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HTH

You should take a look at [url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EVT-electric-scooter-/230859809817?pt=UK_Motorcycles&hash=item35c0512419 ]EVT[/url] electric scooter's too. No road tax no license. Limited to about 20 miles a charge though.

How about this for being a bit different:

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Apparently you get the scooter thrown in for free 😉

I'd get a CBT under my belt and then you have access to a 125cc scooter that will let you get up to 50-60mph easily. A 50cc scooter will be like riding a childs bike.

[url= http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/Newrider/newriderresults/2009/June/jun1209-5-great-learner-legal-scooters/ ]mcn 5 great scooters[/url]

[url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motorbikes/9444621/125cc-scooters-and-motorcycle-buck-the-sales-trend.html ]torygraph article on scooters and 125s[/url]

You moving to HK to corner the Asian paperclip market flashy?

[b]How you think you'll look....[/b]

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[b]How you'll actually look.....[/b]

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What distance are you looking at?

You need to do a CBT (takes a few hours, cost about a £100), this will license you to ride up to 50cc with L plates. Remains valid for 2 years unless you do your full test.

Lid (legal requirement unless you wear a turban), waterproof jacket and pants with armour, don't need full motorbike boots but something solid with ankle protection. Decent gloves. Hi-vis also helps. Don't be a ninja and dress head to toe in black.

Would suggest doing your CBT on 125cc instead and get a bike, my first was a Honda CG, bulletproof bike and great to learn on.

I saw oodles of those three wheeled jobbies in Germany. I'd definitely be getting myself one of those. Especially for wet roads. You can't be dropping paper samples in the wet. 😯

Does look quite nifty (the three wheel thing). Apparently you can lock and unlock the tilt thing, so can have it upright to park / go slow (never put a foot down at junctions) and then unlock it for bends. Plus less likely to wipe out on Diesel spills etc.

http://www.bikeexpert.co.uk/vespa-piaggio/mp3/advice/three-wheel-oddball-great-fun-to-ride/

Thanks, labsey. Useful stuff.

Those three wheel things look damned clever. Will research more!

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got this around a year ago , 2005 px125 disc with electric start , can honestly say it the best thing , should have got 1 years ago , i use it on dry days for work trips 20 mile round trip , it does struggle on the hills , stick it in third and full throttle and will do just about 50 ish flat out but in windy conditions it gets interesting , i drive it with a cbt and a full car licence , think i got a bargain at £1000 dont see many around that price , let me know if you need anymore info cheers

If you get am mp3...

Giz a go
Giz a go
Giz a go
Giz a go
Giz a go
Giz a go
Giz a go
Giz a go

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😯

They corner as well:

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If you want a sensible answer, email me. I've been using scooters to commute on for years now. In a nutshell, stick to Italian made ones. They're the best b

They corner as well:

Nice! Are they any good as a 125? Or woefully wheezy? Am thinking a 125 on a CBT looks the right approach here.

Distance - Just too far for an easy bike trip, sadly, but no desire to be on public transport! 😉

They're pretty nippy: 125, 250 and now 500cc versions!

"The twin front wheels married to electro-hydraulic suspension give exceptional roadholding and beg the rider to corner fast. With twice as much rubber gripping the road at the front, it's virtually impossible to slide the front end, let alone lose it! Emergency stopping distances are also 20 per cent better than on two wheels.

But if 250ccs still aren't enough, Piaggio's sister brand Gilera launched the Fuoco 500 IE at the 2007 Milan show.

It's a whacky-looking MP3-style scooter with a whopping 500cc engine. It works exactly like the MP3, with a hand-brake lever at the front and a toggle-switch that locks and unlocks the suspension."

Ok, it's the only 125cc I want - looks a scream:

If you're over a certain age your car licence allows you to ride a 50cc without L plates, without the CBT, and with a pillion.

How about something with a roof?

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Put BMW C1 into the search engine of your choice...

Don't think that's the case anymore. I could be wrong but check this out from the direct.gov website...

When CBT is not needed
You don't have to take CBT if you have a:
full moped licence from passing a full moped test after 1 December 1990
full motorcycle licence for one category and want to upgrade to another

You will also be free from taking CBT if you live and ride on specified offshore islands. However, if you ride across to mainland UK you will need to complete a CBT course.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/LearnerAndNewDrivers/RidingMotorcyclesAndMopeds/DG_4022430

That direct.gov page and one of the links from it would support what I said.

In the 'If you have a car licence' section on that page and the same section one of the linked pages - information for moped riders.

I've got a Vespa gt250 for riding round That Town. Bought it from the Vespa dealer just off the Farringdon Rd, It's an 07 and done 5k, best thing ever for getting about on, beats the fixie on most days and I get MrsBouy on the back too.
I've also got a PX125 but that stays in Florance, you really can't beat a scooter.
Done short and long distances on both, around town only then you'll be happy with a 125, longer and the 250 is much nicer and smoother and way quicker.
I've got a windshield and leg covers, it's all you really need.

And a pair of wayfarers obviously.

Those three wheels things are expensive and costly to service, popular though.

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Flashy, whatever you get, make sure you leave strava on. 😈

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The Piaggio LT400 can apparently be ridden on a car license in the UK (wheels are far enough apart to count as a 3 wheel car)
Presumably no need for a helmet either.

Kenny Senior - Member
That direct.gov page and one of the links from it would support what I said.

In the 'If you have a car licence' section on that page and the same section one of the linked pages - information for moped riders.

Right you are sir. Hadn't read that far. Would still recommend doing a CBT even if you don't need to. Really good introduction to riding.

No doubt.

I have a Honda PCX which is great. Couple of grand brand new, 120mpg, cheap to insure and does 65mph. I have had mine for a couple of years. Learn to do the service yourself as that can get pricy. I do about 6000 miles a year. 40 mile round trip commute.

Still on L plates and will just re-take the cbt when it runs out

Must admit i have been looking at the Fueco and MP3's as well though.

Same as monkeyp just got a Honda pcx...

Solid as a rock, quick for what they are and typical Honda quality and ride... can pick one up brand new with 0% finance at the moment too!! Use it when not cycling into London.. 40mile rounds trips no problems 🙂

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I have a Daelim S1 fuel injected.

In my experience - repairs cost as much as car. They do not mix well with council employees and can be broken by wheelie bins controlled by swimming pool attendants.

Ideally They need to be stored indoors.

A Good Motorcycle trainer is hard to find. "I just came up your inside to demonstrate" Piss off you are not a car and most bikers wouldn't be so fing stupid.

MP3 LT's can be ridden on full car licence. Their Suspension bushings wear out quicker than a Specialized epic covered in sand on mars. Hugely overpriced but beginning to fall and appearing second hand. Conversion kits for ordinary MP3's to LT exist.

Great Fun you should get one and ignore all my advice. I did.

Serious advice - visit a Honda dealer and a Vespa dealer.
Have a sit and a play with the scooters you like the look of.

If you want style and class and a metal bodied machine, buy a Vespa.
Still extremely economical and reliable, original and best.

If you want sheer reliability and don't particularly care what the bodywork looks like or is made of, buy a Honda.

Buy this. 1971 Lambretta TS1 fast-as - carbon bits too!!

http://bit.ly/SvQCk0

I used to ride around on this (ride on a car licence)

[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8315/8068664897_28d5b46c1b.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8315/8068664897_28d5b46c1b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/51529898@N08/8068664897/ ]Mi cod boike 004[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/51529898@N08/ ]Dancake2010[/url], on Flickr

a really silly way to get around but I liked it

I'm 32 and last year bought a Peugeot speed fight 2 50cc. It's a fantastically cheap way to get around. The scooter cost me £400 for a 2003 reg with 4000 miles on the clock. Insurance was just over £100 and road tax was a snip at £16 per year. It averages around 90mpg and it tops out at around 45mph. It's a bit slow really but great fun. I bought it as an alternative to a second car which is necessary for us but used rarely. The only problem I have had with it is due to lack of use. The battery has died so it needs kick starting but normally starts on about the 3rd kick.
Overall I would highly recommend trying a scooter whatever model you choose.
Andy

Scooters are excellent commuting vehicles, I used various ones for years, classic Vespas and Lambrettas and also modern twist and goes like the Gilera Runner, Piaggio Typhoon, Peugeot Speedfight. The modern autos are so easy to ride and so reliable and economical I'm surprised there aren't loads more of the on the road.

If I were you I'd be looking at a 100cc or 125cc twist and go, avoid anything Chinese though, poor quality and poor dealer network. If you're looking 2nd hand then out of all the ones I had I'd recommend the Typhoon, not sure what age/condition/cost you'd be looking at as I've been a company car driver now for ten years and don't know the current market! (Scootering and Twist and Go magazines would be a good source of info, lots of Scooter specific dealerships out there)
Don't be seduced by the though of getting a 'proper bike', an auto scooter is the ideal urban/comuting vehicle, so easy to ride it leaves you free to concentrate on everything else that's going on.
I had an 80cc Typhoon for two years, 80mpg, 55ph top speed, could beat cars away from lights, squeezed through the narrowest gaps in traffic, never broke.

FWIW I'd steer clear of those three wheelers, expensive, expensive to fix, no traffic splitting ability, ugly as sin.

Any excuse to show off my latest one....

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