Moped/scooter

Bucket

Sniff Petrol said it best.

http://www.sniffpetrol.com/Mopedcampaign.jpg

http://www.sniffpetrol.com/Mopedcampaign2.jpg

http://www.sniffpetrol.com/Mopedcampaign3.gif

http://www.sniffpetrol.com/Mopedcampaign4.gif

http://www.sniffpetrol.com/Mopedcampaign5.gif

http://www.sniffpetrol.com/Mopedcampaign6.gif

koneguitarist

So because I don't want a penis extension of a super bike, just to ride back and fore work each day, you post this, grow up child!

Sambostar

Yeah.

Bucket

koneguitarist said:

So because I don't want a penis extension of a super bike, just to ride back and fore work each day, you post this, grow up child!

Ah come on man, where's ya sense of humour

I just remember reading it and it making me laugh. I have no real opinion on mopeds, I don't really like bikes as a whole. Not to the extent that I'd kick one over or whatever, but I might consider rubbing dog shit on the saddle

Sambostar

Damn right you fucking vegan.

Mkjackary

50cc, no. Ideally go for something that can comfortably do 70 (not a 125). Maybe a 250 or something.
A 125 would work, but after switching from a 125 to a 500, I wouldn't feel safe going back. Although the kind of roads I ride are national speed limit twisty roads with big 4x4s doing 85mph everywhere, and being overtaken by them on a blind corner is nasty.

In short, don't get a 50, get a 125 and after a week you will get bored, so book yourself a full test

koneguitarist

I have seen so many people who are in their 50-60's thinking lets get back into biking again. Bikes are so much faster now than they used to be, and I have seen a lot of them hurt as they have gone too big with bikes.

My reactions are nowhere near the speed they were when I was in my 20's, now I am almost 54 myself, I don't want to fall into that trap. From my house I have a mile to get onto a dual carriage way the main A30 into Yeovil, that road carries all the usual nutter drivers and Lorries you could want in 4 miles, including a steep down hill bend to a mini roundabout. 

I won't be riding a bike for fun just the commute, and certainly do not intend to go full Barry Sheene mode the minute I get on. However I know biking can be addictive hence, I would prefer to go a little automatic type scooter, to probably save me from myself as well as other road users. 

So any pitfalls about buying s/h or better to buy new from a dealer?

sinbaadi

Xl125 varadero

RobDavies

You can get some seriously cool 125's these days.... http://www.thescooterwarehouse.co.uk/Sinnis-Heist-125cc-0-Finance-Only-L83-Per-Month.html

Phil_aka_Pip

Trust me you DON'T want an automatic scooter. Or a moped. You want as near to a proper bike as you can get. If that means riding a speed restricted 125 until you've passed some kind of test then so be it, but get used to the controls of a proper bike while you're learning to ride, and then get a 'proper' bike even if it's a 250 (but by then you'll be wanting a 500 I promise you).

boogieman

koneguitarist;1099132" said:

I have seen so many people who are in their 50-60's thinking lets get back into biking again. Bikes are so much faster now than they used to be, and I have seen a lot of them hurt as they have gone too big with bikes. My reactions are nowhere near the speed they were when I was in my 20's, now I am almost 54 myself, I don't want to fall into that trap. From my house I have a mile to get onto a dual carriage way the main A30 into Yeovil, that road carries all the usual nutter drivers and Lorries you could want in 4 miles, including a steep down hill bend to a mini roundabout. I won't be riding a bike for fun just the commute, and certainly do not intend to go full Barry Sheene mode the minute I get on. However I know biking can be addictive hence, I would prefer to go a little automatic type scooter, to probably save me from myself as well as other road users. So any pitfalls about buying s/h or better to buy new from a dealer?

I had big bikes as a teenager and was still happy with a twist & go for commuting in my 40s. I've since gone back to biking, but not because I didn't like the scooter: don't let people put you off, they serve their purpose just fine. If you get the biking bug out of it, you can move up to a geared bike. The scooter will still teach you road craft.

If you can afford new, I would go for it. You'll get a warranty plus the dealer support if anything goes wrong. Plus sometimes dealers will do you a deal on finance or offer incentives like free gear or insurance. Scooters are popular with first time riders and kids: they tend to get dropped and/or thrashed, so maybe not such a good idea to buy used unless you can see there's no damage and it's been previously owned by someone sensible.

strumjoughlamps

there are some peeps that are happy on 125s, I am one of them, everyone I spoke to said I will get the but and soon be on a bigger bike, and I have had lessons on a Diversion 600 but 4 years on I am still more than happy on a 125(Yamaha YBR)..

as mentioned there are some uber cool 125s, I had a Suzuki Van Van which was so SOOOOO cool but hard on the arse due to the oversize back tyre, I had that and the YBR at the same time and the YBR won for comfort...

still a great looking bike, the best IMO

gubble

For a simple commute that's simply a way of getting from A to B without enduring sitting in a traffic jam listening to Steve Wright's Serious Jockin' (no G) on a Friday evening then a 125cc Scooter is a great idea.

Yes they're not as fun or sexy as normal bikes and you can't really go out for a blast on a sunday (unless you're a Mod on a Lambretta). But they're cheap to run, off a little bit of weather protection and have luggage space for your bag, helmet, butties, chain and padlock.

Scooters are really nice and practical especially in towns and cities - just ask the Italians or the French.

Hertz32

Small/mid capacity bike if you can.
Otherwise 125, i'm at the awkward age of being restricted but would go for something like a Honda CB500 or Suzuki SV650 if I could take the test.

Phil_aka_Pip

I've never observed a scooter that looks as if it holds the road or handles that well. Frankly a machine with such tiny wheels, squashy suspension, and uneven weight distribution would scare the willies out of me.

It would have to be a proper bike.

gubble

Phil_aka_Pip said:

I've never observed a scooter that looks as if it holds the road or handles that well. Frankly a machine with such tiny wheels, squashy suspension, and uneven weight distribution would scare the willies out of me.

They are hilarious fun to ride though !

One of the most exciting and entertaining motorcycle rides I've had was bringing a 1990 50cc Honda Vision from Andover to Basingstoke. Ok it was really slow but also great fun. 

strumjoughlamps

Phil_aka_Pip said:

I've never observed a scooter that looks as if it holds the road or handles that well. Frankly a machine with such tiny wheels, squashy suspension, and uneven weight distribution would scare the willies out of me.

It would have to be a proper bike.

of course bigger wheels are better but before I moved to gears I had a Yamaha Vity 125cc and it was ace to ride, very responsive acceleration and handled lovely, never felt unsafe on it. only reason I switched to gears was because I got 2 speeding tickets and I narrowed the problem down to 1) not being able to judge speed by gear and 2) the clocks were not very visable whilst keeping the road in view..

apart from that I have no problem with scooters, I loved nipping to the shop on my wifes Honda Vision and I had to bring a Peugeot Speedfight 50 back from Rugby(about 25 miles) and a Gilera 50cc from Coalville(about 17 miles) for friends and I found no problem at all with them.

boogieman

strumjoughlamps said:

Phil_aka_Pip said:

I've never observed a scooter that looks as if it holds the road or handles that well. Frankly a machine with such tiny wheels, squashy suspension, and uneven weight distribution would scare the willies out of me.

It would have to be a proper bike.

of course bigger wheels are better but before I moved to gears I had a Yamaha Vity 125cc and it was ace to ride, very responsive acceleration and handled lovely, never felt unsafe on it. only reason I switched to gears was because I got 2 speeding tickets and I narrowed the problem down to 1) not being able to judge speed by gear and 2) the clocks were not very visable whilst keeping the road in view..

apart from that I have no problem with scooters, I loved nipping to the shop on my wifes Honda Vision and I had to bring a Peugeot Speedfight 50 back from Rugby(about 25 miles) and a Gilera 50cc from Coalville(about 17 miles) for friends and I found no problem at all with them.

Scooters aren't like the old days of 60's Vespa's and Lambretta's with dodgy 10" crossplys. They have bigger wheels, grippy tyres and adjustable suspension these days. I could lean my Runner into corners without any problems, even in the wet...I would run out of courage way before it grounded or ran out of grip. Yeah, you can trash them if you hoon about like a moron, but that applies to anything on two wheels

The OP has said he's only wants something for a short commute. A bigger capacity geared bike really isn't necessary for what he needs.

BenSirAmos

I've got a 650 Bandit which takes me and Mrs SirAmos everywhere we need to go at weekends and is plenty fast enough.

But when we go on holiday, we always get something small. I don't really notice that much difference between a 50 and a 125 scooter for the shorter runs, even two up - unless I get an urge to burn away at the lights (which I don't). I'm thinking of a moped for commuting myself and I will go for the lightest I can find. I'm not sure I feel safer on a 125 than a 50 for commuting - they are all out to get me anyway so I have to look out for myself. 

Phil_aka_Pip

I still wouldn't want to commute on anything less than the CB125 ohc single