used scooter advice

[}{arlequin]

a friend of mine wants to buy a used scooter and asked me to help out.... i know nothing of them but it's a machine so my advice so far was to go for a japanese one due to cost/reliability.

while modern vespas may be reliable too (old too i guess), they will not reach the price low enough to be viable... i think

so, any particular feautures, brands i should look for? likes/dislikes?

thanks.

[MotoSook]

Are you sure it's a"friend?" Don't let Pari catch you ridding that thing


I've never owned a scooter that ran, but they are simple machines that shouldn't need a PPI beyond: does it start easily? does it stop? Does it leak any fluids? Is the clutch slipping? (Most scooters use a centrifugal clutch and they too can slip).

And if it breaks down, you can take it apart on your kitchen counter and rebuild it with minimal parts cost

[Jeff Higgins]

Here's a rather well used Scooter. Buyer beware; lots of miles, breaks down a lot, parts are hard to find, hard to start...

[}{arlequin]

har har... no really, it's not for me... otherwise i'd either get the fastest thing out there or a vespa. she's getting it for her boyfriend so i won't be fixing anything...

[Jim Richards]

Originally posted by Souk
Are you sure it's a"friend?" Don't let Pari catch you ridding that thing

ROFLMAO!

[jtkkz]

I am into scooters....

you can fully modify an older vespa scooter with new pistons/cylinder/larger carbs,exhuast etc... for under $1K
parts and labor

lambrettas can get very expensive, especially the SX or TV models

if older vespas is what he wants go for the P200E very relaible...

The newer ones are automatic, fast ..... but pricey...

my vespas



they do race them too.... GTS250 pictured below

[scottmandue]

That GT250 looks way cool!

Haven't looked at scooters but if I was I would consider Japanese just because of there reputation for building hard as rocks utility motorcycles.

[scottmandue]

jtkkz,

Do you need a motorcycle licence to ride a scooter in CA.? I might have a "friend" who is interested.

[jtkkz]

yes you will need a motorcycle license M1


japaneese makes great motrocycles, but not much selection of scooters.....

[Nostril Cheese]

Vespas will be expensive. No way around it. I see them going for $2500+ At that price, I'd rather have a Honda 750 of the same vintage.

A well sorted P200E will be very reliable.

Avoid older Lambrettas. Parts are hard to find

There's some companies making near-perfect copies of Vespas these days. Think they are called Bajaj's or something like that. From what I understand, Piaggio sold all the tooling and licensing to them

[Tim Hancock]

Originally posted by jtkkz


they do race them too.... GTS250 pictured below

My head hurts after looking at that!

[craigster59]

I've got a Vespa P125 and they are reliable, easy to work on scooters. They hold their value well and are a good investment. Try picking up a "Scoot Quarterly" magazine to familiarize yourself with the options available and shops in your area.

[dd74]

Check this out; a race scooter for the street:

Link:
http://www.cobrasales.com/r50x.htm

[scottmandue]

Beware of cheap Chinese (or other) scooters that look like a bargain but are not DOT approved and cannot be licensed to be driven on the street.

[jtkkz]

they handle pretty well, but please folks do not try this at home

http://www.vintagejerry.com/taxi.wmv


also wear helmets properly/correctly....

[jtkkz]

or have the best of both, suzuki 750cc motor w/vespa old school look

you can probably keep up with a porsche.....

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6277413020211442009

[Tim Hancock]

Scooter "racing"? What is next?

[dd74]

More race images in the UK:

http://www.scooterracing.org.uk/bsso10.htm

My favorites so far:

...digging into the turn and...

...blasting out with a little rear-wheel slippage.

[jtkkz]

more pics








my friend makes mini choppers....



[img][/url]http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads9/Photo+591163790439.jpg[/url][/img]

[dd74]

What's next? How about 1/4 scale R/C drag bikes...