Qs about Scooters

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duckmoon, Aug 4, 9:43am
Greetings,
I normally hangout in parenting or general.
Hope I can ask a couple of questions here.

We are a one car family, and not quite coping, with that.

We are thinking of buying a motor scooter.

I would never buy a car brand new (because of the impact of depreciation).
So, I assume a second hand scooter (I assume this is a wise move).

What does one look for in a second hand scooter.
What are the possible risks to look for (and avoid) in a second hand scooter.

Is there anything I should look to avoid?
What questions don't I know to ask.

Thanks folks!
kazbanz, Aug 4, 9:50am
1) ONLY buy a Jap scooter NOT a scooter from China.
2)if the rider doesn't have a bike licence then ensure the scooter is under 50cc--ie 49cc
3)Ask if it has been dropped (crashed)
4) Get a full PP inspection carried out to ensure it is mechanically sound.
whqqsh, Aug 4, 9:50am
Scooters have always scared the crap out of me, I'd think more of a small motorbike. bigger wheels that ride over bumps & potholes better, more tyre contact with the road, better brakes, more power to get around (even if you dont want 'speed') & for some strange reason scooter riders think they dont need protective gear, a crash with a car does the same damage at no matter what description your bike is
tamarillo, Aug 4, 10:07am
Op, scooters are far cheaper items, so if you expect to use it for say 5 years it is well worth buying new.
Japanese is best and not expensive as mostly made in cheaper places like Thailand. There are some good makes from elsewhere like Italy, France (Peugeot) and Korea, just look for main common brands.
Question; does it need to be for car license drivers only? If so it must be 50cc moped. Small and gutless.
If you need bigger, Yamaha have a tricity 125 that is extra stable with two front wheels and is ok on car license. $4500 new. Yamaha also have smaller scoots and good prices.
If you must have second hand go for an NZ new machine, or at least one that was common here. Too many get wrecked due to lack of supply of small parts.
Look for low miles gentle use by owner who kept it in garage and serviced. The 50cc ones have to revved like crazy and kids thrash them. Little engine does quickly like that.
tamarillo, Aug 4, 2:59pm
Piaggio 50 for $2200 new!
xs1100, Aug 4, 7:27pm
scooters are very scary out in the real world when you have a top speed of 60k personally I couldn't think of anything worse get a cheap corolla or Nissan pulsar
geoff_m, Aug 4, 7:53pm
Second the advice of getting one with good local support - yamaha Jog, Suzuki, Hyosung, etc. Given the new prices are around $2.5k, is it worth buying second hand if you are going to keep it for a while?
Get one that can be derestricted easily - yes it is dodgy for the strict wording law, but the improvement in life safety makes it worth while. A derestricted 50 will do 55-60, so keep up with traffic.
My old Hyosung SF50 it was cutting the black wire in the ignition box - good bike written off by car. Other brands it is removing a washer in the clutch or a restriction in the exhaust. The scooter mechanic should be able to do it for you.
Allow $500 for a good full face helmet, gloves, Cordura jacket and pants and wear good closed shoes or boots. Do not wear an open face. A skate along the road will hurt, and being wet is not so good either. It will come in handy if you step up to something bigger than 50.
franc123, Aug 4, 8:02pm
You've got to weigh this up carefully, OK the fuel use is small and small scooters don't require WOF but as soon as you go bigger than 50cc you get socked for a lot more license fees and need a new licence too, they are still a motorised device that needs maintenance, and in a world of much larger vehicles being driven by distracted drivers you are pretty vulnerable on the road, and of course you need helmets and appropriate gear and weather protection. I looked into this myself and was surprised at the high price of used Jap scooters, even last century models, it did make you think twice about second hand when a new one with a warranty could be had for $2200 plus plate and rego. What's a cheap car going to cost?
quickbuck, Aug 4, 8:38pm
My advise to everybody who asks me "what is a cheap motorcycle" is that you should never buy a motorcycle if you are low on cash. And also a scooter is the dodgiest form of motorcycle you can buy.

To give you an idea of what I would spend on gear:
Helmet $400 (retails for $700), Gloves $360, Boots $400 (also retail for $500), Leather Suit is $1800. But jacket and pants, I wouldn't spend less than $700 for the pair. One piece leathers aren't so trendy on Scooters (nor road bikes either actually, but are the best. ) I Don't ride on the road anymore. so maybe that speaks volumes in itself.
sr2, Aug 4, 8:38pm
Scooters rock, buy jap and under 50cc and treat it as a motorised bicycle, i.e. local trips only and no motorways.
Safety gear is a must, pudding basin helmet (strap undone), T shirt, shorts, and jandals is the approved standard. My favourite is the Honda Today, a 49cc power breathing 4 stroke monster that uses no gas and goes and goes and goes and. !
beno, Aug 4, 10:08pm
scooters are for men who like to ride motorbikes but prefer to feel the wind on their vaginas.
they're all assembled in china now especially the jap and Italian ones.
sr2, Aug 4, 10:38pm
LOL; for years I always kept a scooter (for short trips) parked beside my Blackbird in the garage.
Let me guess, you sound like a GN250 rider?
tamarillo, Aug 5, 5:48am
beno, Aug 5, 6:44am
sifty, Aug 5, 6:57am
I'm about to ride an old FA50 from Bluff to Queenstown.

Now THAT takes balls.
kazbanz, Aug 5, 7:02am
Those numbers are pretty much top end of the scale.
More realistic would be
Helmet $100-$150
Boots $150
Gloves $50
Jacket $200
trou $150
You are talking a 50km/h vehicle here
quickbuck, Aug 5, 10:41am
All due respect Kaz, the accident that put me out for the longest time was at the lowest speed. Read Sub 40k!
In fairness no amount of gear protects the chassis from breaking.

Yes top of the line, but I would get up for sure. And $150 Helmets are so uncomfortable I would never wear one again. Did enough of that when I was a poor broke student (Great brands like Pro and FFM. ). I was lucky I didn't have my first big off until I got a real helmet (Okay, Nolan, but it saved my head).

I have been around long enough to realise $50 gloves don't hold together at 50k too. Like my head, I work with my hands, so value them (and all my fingers) greatly.
tats63, Aug 5, 10:51am
Any motorbike gear will be better than a Lycra tee shirt and shorts, a thin bit of plastic on the top of your head and a pair of strange shoes you can't walk in.
quickbuck, Aug 5, 10:58am
Well, sort of. It is darn hard work cycling in Leathers, boots, gauntlet gloves and full face helmet. More likely to die of heat exhaustion. ;)
tamarillo, Aug 5, 2:31pm
Things have changed, no longer is an ffm all a budget buys, there are good safe comfy helmets in budget price range.
Rather a $250 helmet and $250 of training any day.
Your comment makes it sound like you've had quiet a few offs?
thejazzpianoma, Aug 5, 2:48pm
Rather than "Japanese only" you would be better serviced in my opinion to just avoid Chinese scooters. There are some great Japanese models but there are also some fantastic Italian (and other European models). Piaggio mentioned above may not mean anything to you, until you are told that they are the company that makes "vespa".

The Europeans invented/popularised the scooter, they have been doing it the longest and know what they are doing.

Personally, if it was me in your shoes, I would go with a Piaggio Liberty. Big wheels are a huge advantage in my opinion and I would go with as large an motor as I could afford to run (from a tax perspective).

Having owned and ridden a range of scooters. The safest and most practical ones for me have had large wheels and enough power to exceed the speed limits of where I ride regularly by at least 10km/h.

The best way to be safe in my opinion is to have enough power to be able to "take command of your lane" like you do on a motorbike. The last thing you want to be doing is being pushed left in to a line of parked cars where a door could open at any minute. DO be prepared to speed somewhat, when you are on a scooter some people will tend to bully you unless you are clearly exceeding the speed limit by a decent margin.

Having a scooter can be a load of fun and very practical. Just choose wisely. Also, don't write off brand new or older models based on pre-conceived ideas about depreciation etc. It pays to actually grab a calculator and do the math because it doesn't always work out as you might think.

Best of luck with it all.
thejazzpianoma, Aug 5, 2:52pm
There is a lot to be said for the old FA and the big wheel Honda and Yamaha equivalents (I had the brilliant Honda 2 stroke with the "wind up" start). I think people assume newer is always better, when a lot of scooter tech has not really advanced that much. So older and better built is not necessarily a bad thing.

Best of luck with your ride, I am sure you will have a blast. Not quite the same thing but I have ridden most of the north island on a Vespa, it's a fantastic way to see the countryside and engage with the locals in my opinion.
thejazzpianoma, Aug 5, 2:56pm
Actually, now that I see you are in Wellington. Go for power!
I have ridden scooters daily down there and being able to deal with hills and the motorway is a must in my opinion. I had a Vespa 200cc, but would recommend the Piaggio Liberty 150 for your purposes, or any other large wheel scooter of at least 150cc.

It's going to be totally worth the cost and hassle of getting a bike license and the extra registration fees for where you live. I actually sold my car in the end and just used my campervan and the Vespa because it the car didn't really get used. Given the easy of finding a park and the massive saving on parking costs the extra vehicle license fee is nothing.
sifty, Aug 5, 3:02pm
Got a Vespa too (and an Nzeta project). I think I have more fun on a scooter flat out than on my other bikes sometimes. Generally ride smiling.
thejazzpianoma, Aug 5, 3:09pm
I passed a beautifully restored Nzeta just out of Te Puke yesterday, can't remember the last time I saw one on the road prior to this!
I had a blast on my PX, it's so much fun being the underdog. Wheel stand away at the lights, have cars try and keep up with me on the really twisty stuff etc. Took a while to get my head around the handling when really pushing it after a motorbike though. Did some serious mileage on my vespa and it was completely reliable.