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Should I buy a scooter?

post #1 of 23
8/4/09 at 1:10am
Thread Starter 
Ok I live in a mid-small city under 100k pop. Major university. Being brainwashed by SF groupthink into rejecting any subpar products I just don't see myself riding in a rusty '99 Corolla. And spending 20 grand on an OK car is just not in my budget being a junior and all; especially since I'm moving in 3 years at the most.

I don't really want to ride a motorbike since Harleys have too much negative stigma and Kawasakis should be left to Japanese kids. Besides they don't work so well when wearing a suit.

I was pondering buying a scooter since 95% of my commutes are within 10km, and the city is pretty green and clean in its most parts. Something that goes up 70-80km on gas, 2 seats. I can just borrow one of my parents' cars for longer road trips.

As I understand they cost next to nothing at around 2-3k new and cheaper used. Insurance aparently is like 300/year (compared to 450/month when my dad added me to his insurance.)

What do you think, are there dos and don't to pull it off? Or can't it be done alltogether?
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post #2 of 23
8/4/09 at 2:06am
Do it, and remember to wear your pink seersucker suit while riding it around town. j/k. I think it's a great idea, if you don't have giant SUVs driving around your area at 80 mph.
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post #3 of 23
8/4/09 at 2:10am
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post #4 of 23
8/4/09 at 2:50am
Following your logic of "Kawasakis should be left to Japanese kids", then scooters should be left to SoCal chicks and men with cheesy mustaches.
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post #5 of 23
8/4/09 at 3:16am
Regardless of whether you're riding a scooter or a bike, you shouldn't be wearing a suit while riding. You should be wearing jeans and a leather jacket designed and rated for crashes. I've seen people go down on both bikes and scooters without wearing proper safety gear (padded leather jacket, leather riding gloves, full face helmet, and boots) and the results are not pretty. I used to ride one of those Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6Rs and I crashed coming around a corner. Long story short, if I wasn't wearing my leather riding jacket, my kevlar/leather gloves, and my full face helmet, and my boots I wouldn't be here to tell you about it, or I'd be a lot uglier than I already am. So if you're going to start riding a scooter or a bike, get your head on straight and invest in the right safety gear. If you're not willing to forego looking chic in favor of safety, then get a car or use public transit. Just speaking from experience.
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post #6 of 23
8/4/09 at 5:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by acidicboy View Post
ahh Vespas....I love 'em, but I don't trust 'em.

I now use one of these as my daily runabout...I'm happy with it:



Suzuki Epicuro.
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post #7 of 23
8/4/09 at 8:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ozymandias View Post
As I understand they cost next to nothing at around 2-3k new and cheaper used. Insurance aparently is like 300/year (compared to 450/month when my dad added me to his insurance.)

????

Do you have like 3 DUIs or something?
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post #8 of 23
8/4/09 at 8:30am
My main ride was a Vespa GT200 for over a year. Absolutely loved it, and would have loved it more had I lived in a city like the one you're describing. Toronto isn't the best or safest town to be riding on two wheels.

I say go for it, but make sure you've got at least 150 CCs under your belt. Don't fall for "50 CCs is all you need, mannnn!" It's not. And if you can afford one, buy a Vespa.
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post #9 of 23
8/4/09 at 12:41pm
its like getting on a fat chick man.... fun to ride but dont let your friends catch you doing it
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post #10 of 23
8/4/09 at 1:03pm
I are you aiming for irony?
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post #11 of 23
8/5/09 at 2:42am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dakota rube View Post
I are you aiming for irony?

not at all
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post #12 of 23
8/5/09 at 3:05am
Its certainly possible to buy a nice used car for under $3K out the door.

Its much easier to buy a really nice REAL motorcycle for $3k out the door. The scooter makes sense if you live in a very congested city (ex Rome) with draconian car ownership laws.

The reason Hondas and Kawasaki's are so popular is because they are durable and fast. A cafe racer is much more impressive then some Roketa from walmart (or wherever those wretched things come from).
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post #13 of 23
8/5/09 at 3:47am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ms244 View Post
Its certainly possible to buy a nice used car for under $3K out the door.

Its much easier to buy a really nice REAL motorcycle for $3k out the door. The scooter makes sense if you live in a very congested city (ex Rome) with draconian car ownership laws.

The reason Hondas and Kawasaki's are so popular is because they are durable and fast. A cafe racer is much more impressive then some Roketa from walmart (or wherever those wretched things come from).

Well what I'm really wondering is can you ride a motorcycle while wearing nice clothes? The few times I've been on one as a kid I remember them being pretty messy with oil everywhere and parts which are 80 deg if you touch them. It was a while ago but I'm not the denim stained jeans and thick leather jacket kind of guy.
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post #14 of 23
8/5/09 at 4:33am
I'm gonna say it again: It's not worth it to run the risk of riding a motorcycle while not wearing the appropriate protective gear. If you're going to start riding, make sure you're ready to invest about $800 in quality safety gear: A quality full face helmet, a good leather jacket designed for riding, riding gauntlets, and good boots. If you go down, you're going to lose a lot of skin without the proper safety gear. I've seen people go down without wearing the proper gear, or wearing cheap gear, and the results are not pretty. Regardless of how good a rider you are, shit happens, and when it does, you're better off wearing all that "ugly" gear that's not GQ chic and saving your skin. Safety is a hell of a lot more important than style when it comes to riding bikes. This is the gear I wore: http://www.newenough.com/protective_...le_jacket.html http://www.newenough.com/helmets_eye...le_helmet.html http://www.newenough.com/boots/racin...ace_boots.html http://www.newenough.com/gloves/stre...le_gloves.html If I wasn't wearing this gear, I'd be a much uglier/deader person today. $1000 in gear is a lot better than $20,000 in medical expenses. I see too many idiots riding these days in improper gear. Don't be one of them, because if you're not wearing the right gear, then if you crash, it's going to be very bloody and very expensive. This goes for riding a scooter too.
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post #15 of 23
8/5/09 at 6:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ozymandias View Post
Ok I live in a mid-small city under 100k pop. Major university. Being brainwashed by SF groupthink into rejecting any subpar products I just don't see myself riding in a rusty '99 Corolla. And spending 20 grand on an OK car is just not in my budget being a junior and all; especially since I'm moving in 3 years at the most.

I don't really want to ride a motorbike since Harleys have too much negative stigma and Kawasakis should be left to Japanese kids. Besides they don't work so well when wearing a suit.

I was pondering buying a scooter since 95% of my commutes are within 10km, and the city is pretty green and clean in its most parts. Something that goes up 70-80km on gas, 2 seats. I can just borrow one of my parents' cars for longer road trips.

As I understand they cost next to nothing at around 2-3k new and cheaper used. Insurance aparently is like 300/year (compared to 450/month when my dad added me to his insurance.)

What do you think, are there dos and don't to pull it off? Or can't it be done alltogether?

I say go for it but...

Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkNWorn View Post
Do it, and remember to wear your pink seersucker suit while riding it around town.

Quote:
Originally Posted by intent View Post
Following your logic of "Kawasakis should be left to Japanese kids", then scooters should be left to SoCal chicks and men with cheesy mustaches.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Davidko19 View Post
its like getting on a fat chick man.... fun to ride but dont let your friends catch you doing it

...if a bunch of strangers on a fashion forum are calling you a sissy, you should already be well aware of how much flak you'll get IRL.

Which, I never understood, since they are so popular in Europe but then again, crocs are popular in the States.
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