...bought one of these?

http://powersports.honda.com/assets/images/model/model_hero_shot/Scooters/2005/small/Reflex_Sport.jpg Honda
http://www.yamaha-motor.com/assets/products/mcy/general/media_content_unit01360fa910.jpg Yamaha
http://www.vespa-scooters.biz/images-vlb-1967-blcksilver/7.jpg Vespa
http://i5.ebayimg.com/04/i/04/e2/f6/df_12_sb.JPG
Not sure what this one is, I think it's another Vespa, definitely Italian...

:hide:

naw, i think a scooter would be cool, just wouldnt be my number 1 form of transportation.

My office is 3.7 miles from my house. It seems kinda stupid to fire up the Expedition every time to just go back and forth. Most days I go in at 8:00, home at 11:00 for lunch, back to work at 12:00, home at 5:30 or 6:00. 15 miles a day.

Doesn't Stoney have one?

hell yeah man, those scooters are cool!

right now my commute is 16 miles *each way* to work... ugh....

Stoney has a pocket bike. I would be scared to take one of those on the road.

My commute is half 45 mph, and the other half is 30 mph. Good visibility and I'd only do it when the weather was nice.

If I do this it wouldn't be until springtime anyway. Gotta save up the mad money. I'd start small and try to get something for around $1500. If I really like it and stick with it I would eventually trade up to the nice Honda at the top of the thread. Maybe the Yamaha.

Get one of the Aprilla ones and mod it so you can ride ill wheelies down the road.

Road Hawg, hell yes!

You'd be a wuss, yes, but it may be necessary in this $3 a gallon gas world.

For a journey of that distance?

Go for it

I like it. They look kinda cool. A lot of people will want one with the way gas prices are. Julie

YES....yes you would.......

for short rides like your transports to work, id say itd be comepletely cool. im on an hour and a hlaf break between classes right now, and i didnt go home just cuz i dint want to waste the gas.

Definitely wuss-looking.
How do they compare to a street/trail bike for mileage and cost? I used to ride a Yamaha 250 Enduro in high school. I think that a real bike would be more stable and manueverable (translation: safer) in traffic. Those small diameter wheels scare me!

Total flamer! j/k! :)

Total flamer! j/k! :)

SERIOUSLY!!! :o I'd be afraid to go cruising around town in plain sight for fear I'd get my ass whooped! We just got a really cool Harley dealership here. The "real" bikers are represented here in full force.

The thing that has always scared me about a "real" motorcycle is the weight and the power. I see these people on the interstate zipping through traffic and I think they're suicidal.

A scooter seems harmless for the commuting I do most of the time. It probably would run 5000 miles a year. That's a cost of about $200 for gas as opposed to $1000 for the Expedition. In a couple years it pays for itself and I have a little fun in the bargain.

Seems like a good idea

go for it

Hell ya! Get it! A buddy of mine had one year ago...we were just kids, but it was great fun...get a used on that's not so purty so you can beat it up and jump it and take it through mud, and you'll have a helluva time! :):):)

Nah, you wouldn't be a wuss, it sounds like the perfect thing, actually, for your type of driving daily. No wuss here.

Brian

SERIOUSLY!!! :o I'd be afraid to go cruising around town in plain sight for fear I'd get my ass whooped! We just got a really cool Harley dealership here. The "real" bikers are represented here in full force.:histeric: Just make sure to bring the "peacemaker" with you. But I think that would be a good idea. If I was that close to my job, I'd do it.

I used to use one for commutes! Fantastic.
I liked it over my other motorcycles for 3 main reasons:
1-comfort (who wants to bend over and crane your neck to look at signals that early in the morning)
2-storage space (I left my ride at the station and didn't want to carry my helmet with me, so I needed covered cargo space)
3-no shifting (Traditional pedal shifters scuff your shoes everytime you upshift....can;t have that everyday)

As for safety, I think you are just screwed as all the other "real bikes" out there....IMHO. Its pretty hairy to be 'out there' without a structure to hold you in.

I'm considering going to a motorcyle too, but memories of laying it down on a highway onramp still remains fresh.

As for safety, I think you are just screwed as all the other "real bikes" out there....IMHO. Its pretty hairy to be 'out there' without a structure to hold you in.

I'm considering going to a motorcyle too, but memories of laying it down on a highway onramp still remains fresh.

That part I have no trouble admitting I'm a WUSS! I would never consider driving something like that in traffic, only on the back roads I take to work.

Thanks for all the input, people!

The "real" bikers are represented here in full force.

Harley made a scooter in the '60's. Buy one of those, and the hog riding lawyers won't sue you to death. :duck:

And if you don't want the Scooter community laughing at you, buy the Vespa. :)

DO you need a bike license to ride one?
In Ontario you need a bike license to ride one, and full helmet

I have no idea what kind of license I would need!!! I should probably look into that!

Vespas just seem overpriced to me. I'll probably look at them first because they have a very nice, well-run dealership.

If you wany low maintenance/reliable/vibration-free I don't think Vespa has a strong reputation there.....I've had a lot of luck with Honda scooters (reliable and smooth and lasts forever), Yamaha and Suzuki scooters were ok too but they seem to fall apart quicker. The Vespa was a nightmare, nothing worse than trying to get the damned thing to start, when its early and you gotta go to work....plus they are so heavy its a nightmare to push.

You are more of a wuss for asking than for riding a scooter. (J/K)
Anywaay.... Get the vespa. It has what none of the others have.

As for the license/insurance and simiral stuff, it varies from state to state. In most cases, an engine equal or smaller than 50cc does not require one. I am not in the States right now, so I can´t give you the proper info links right now (they are bookmarked in my desktop). I´ll be back on Tuesday.

My advice? get the license, get the biggest engine size available and buy insurance for the thing. It is extremely cheap.

If you wany low maintenance/reliable/vibration-free I don't think Vespa has a strong reputation there.....

The old ones are easy to fix, and are popular because they (and Lambretta's) were the most reliable of their day. I own an obscure mid-'60's Agrati-Garelli Monaco that is rare because of their poor quality that lead to poor sales.

The new Vespas are plastic and they also use auto transmissions, just like the Asians. I'm not sure of their reliability, but the cool factor can't be ignored.

If LA wasn't so huge, I'd get one too for tooling around.

Hi Elvis et al.,

It brings to mind an 'orange juice
from concentrate' analogy.

Sensible, easy, cost effective
;and, fruity.
:Poke: :elvis2:

Best Regards,

TomDeville :cool2:

Actually i did have a moped at one time ....had it before i got my chrysler ....it wasnt exactly stock .....it would run 60 mph .....

wish i could build one fo those motors for the pocketbike ...it was a much more "buildable" engine

as for the sccoter ....i dunno ....a neat alternative is the 1:2 scale indians , they have full automatic trannys and from even 20 feet away you have to think about it to realize it isnt a old indian ...
http://www.ridleymotorcycles.com/Dynamic/main.htm