scooters

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Aug 23, 2010
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pa
looking to get a scooter for local putting + economy. i have motorcycles but looking to sell my too big for me at 74 YO Vic Hammer 13 vintage with 11 thou on it. been shopping on line + trying to learn as much as i can + it seems a smaller model about 300 cc plus or minus would do me. seen some good lookin nostalgic royal alloy models but no storage, so the suzuki bergman 200 or maybe better yet the kymco X-Town 300 I leads my research for now. i would appreciate any experiences from scooter owners + thanks in advance
 
Depends on what speeds you need to maintain. PCX 150, in my opinion, is the best scooter on the market currently. Top speed around 65mph depending on conditions. Over 100 calculated MPG.
 
Depends on what speeds you need to maintain. PCX 150, in my opinion, is the best scooter on the market currently. Top speed around 65mph depending on conditions. Over 100 calculated MPG.
Yes on everything. PCX150 is the ultimate economical commuter at the moment. Used ones are often available in $2500-$3000 range, at least in my area.

ADV150 is slightly better overall, mostly suspension-wise, but is more expensive. Too new to be on the used market, and with MSRP of $4,299 the actual out-the-door price end up being ~$6000.

Honda Reflex is older, but still very reliable and gets 70mpg at 70mph. Honda Helix successor. Tops out around 85mph. Great scoot, 250cc, can be had cheaper than PCX150 on the used market. I met a guy with over 120,000 miles on his Honda Reflex scooter. Still rode like new. I ended up buying myself a Honda Ruckus soon after, with less than 20,000 miles.
 
the first thing to ask is what kind of riding will you do with it? Just around town, some 55 mph highway or will you need the occasional 70-75 mph freeway jaunt? Solo or carry a passenger? I have a 163 cc scoot (Kymco People S200) and a 244cc scoot (Honda Helix - awesome scoot) plus a small motorcycle. The 150 cc class of scoots are great all around but most won't like 55 mph highways. The 300cc class of scoots is a sweet spot as you can do highway or some freeway with them. I'm a big fan of the Kymco scooters...quality units, very reliable, but spotty dealer network. Also be aware of top speeds....just because something can reach a certain top speed doesn't mean it will be comfortable at that speed or even be able to maintain it on grades...and you don't want to be wide open throttle with nothing left while cruising.
 
I've always liked Yamaha scooters. I use to ride motorcycles, never had a scooter however. If I were to buy a scooter today, I'd probably get a Yamaha XMAX.
 
Have had a Suzuki Burgman 400 for thirteen years. Very reliable, capable and can cruise at highway speed all day even two up. Suzuki has a good dealer network and parts are available. Strong forum following, https://www.burgmanusa.com/.

The burgie is not a small scooter but will manage 62+mpg and the ladies love a burgie;

Burgman.jpg
 
I agree with @Passport1, if I had to get back on a scooter for commuting the Burgman 400/650 are where I'd put my money.
Efficient, powerful, reliable, roomy storage and stable when doing highway riding...but also great for around town.
(y)
 
I have a Honda Forza NSS 300 and, well, it's a Honda! It just goes and goes and goes with only routine maintenance. Anvil reliability. Perfect for two up riding around the state. Will handle interstates as well as any 300cc scooter, but that's not where they're at home by any stretch.
 
I had a Honda 250 Reflex. It kept burning up belts, I never did determine the reason. I did a few mods and that seemed to help. The belts were not hard to change, but at $75ea, that got expensive fast. Aftermarket belts would last 5 miles at highway speed. The Honda belts were best and would make it about 1000 miles, but often squealing when the thing would "shift".
 
I'm out of two wheelers now, but in past, have owned several Burgman 400's, Yam 400, etc. Very reliable. Had a friend with a Kymco and he run it hard with never an issue. The 400's will easily do interstate speeds. Make sure you have a dealer in your area just in case.
 
I had a Honda 250 Reflex. It kept burning up belts, I never did determine the reason. I did a few mods and that seemed to help. The belts were not hard to change, but at $75ea, that got expensive fast. Aftermarket belts would last 5 miles at highway speed. The Honda belts were best and would make it about 1000 miles, but often squealing when the thing would "shift".
Honda recommends changing belts every 12k miles on the Reflex. On Reflex pages seems like most people stick to that 10k-12k belt change interval (5k with an aftermarket belt). A few tried to push their luck, and their belts shredded in 15-20k range. All this leads me to believe you had something going on alignment wise. Variator/drive faces could shred belts, as well as clutch assembly. Worn variator weights get sticky and cause misalignment too. And my friend improperly put the variator guides in a Honda Ruckus once. That caused a sticky variator engagement too, shredding the new Kevlar belt in 7 miles of riding. Were variator and clutch stock on yours or aftermarket? Some aftermarket options seem to be a hit or miss, while full OEM combo gives ranges I listed above. Weird issue you had there... But thank you for the reminder to replace the belt on my Reflex. Just crossed 12k miles on factory 21 year old belt.
 
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