What does clean mean? Quest for perfect scooter

[ericalm]

Probably far from perfect... but I noticed that nobody's mentioned the Blur 150. Handles great, 4-stroke and since the world is waiting for the Blur 200 dealers are willing to discount the 150s they have. I ride the Rattler 110 (which is definitley cleaner than my 89 GMC K1500). Happy New Year everyone!!!!!

There will be no US Blur 200. Or any US Blurs at all. It's been pulled from the Genuine roster for '08. Which still means there may be some good deals on the 150s. But the Buddy is faster and performs better overall—one of t he factors that undermined the Blur's sales. I don't know if any discount will make it worth buying a Blur over a Buddy 125 or Buddy 150.

[snoutmeat]

I know you've all been waiting on the edges of your seats over the past five months to hear what I ended up buying/riding....

I mentioned earlier that my wife wasn't thrilled with the looks of the Buddy I test drove, so I didn't get it. Instead, I picked up...

--a Bajaj Chetak. It wasn't on my short list, but it is a 4-stroke and its 4-speed tranny is getting me great mileage. Found it on the local Craigslist for a good price, went out and bought it.

After riding it for 5 months, I realize that my quest is not yet over. The Chetak is not the perfect vehicle. It has small wheels, its metal body makes it heavier than it needs to be. Its handling isn't great...probably because it's running on 50 year-old technology and is top-heavy.

I've gotten far more comments from the Chetak than from any other modern scooter I've owned. I park it at the grocery store, and people walk up to tell me about that Vespa they had in college or that romantic summer as an exchange student in Rome. I don't have the heart to tell them the scoot was made in India.

The Chetak is fun, but I think its days are numbered...if I want to ride a manual-shift metal-bodied scoot, I can hop on my old Fuji Rabbit. Besides, a Chetak is not a scooter -- it's a lifestyle. I've never owned a Harley because so many people buy Harleys to be "Harley people". Based on comments I've gotten, the Bajaj makes me a "scooter person". I should apparently be wearing a half-helmet and an anorak, be decorating the bike with superfluous mirrors, and be listening to ska bands.

I think my "daily driver" should be twist-and-go, and probably have plastic panels for lower weight.

I've recently picked up one other vehicle -- not sure whether it's technically a scooter or a motorcycle. It's a Honda Cub (sold later in the US as a Passport) -- the little step-through bike with the white fairing that Honda has been making since 1959. Last month, they built their 60 millionth Cub. They stopped selling here in '83 or '84, but sales are still strong around the world, and many Chinese clones have also been made. My wife had one in college and loved it. The one I found is a 1968 Cub 90 that's been parked for 10 years. I cleaned out the carb and it now starts on the first kick, but it still needs a tune-up. We'll see how I like it. Top speed is supposed to be 55ish and it has big wheels for more stability. It's a semi-auto 3-speed (no clutch, heel-toe shifter). It's lightweight, very simple (no turn signals, no electric start, no gas gauge), and it's supposed to get monster mileage. We'll see how it keeps up with 21st-century scoots. Once I got it running and hopped on for a ride around the block, I was surprised to realize just how SMALL the thing is.

I am suspicious that the vehicle that comes closest to my desires will either be a Piaggio LT150 or a Kymco People 150. They both look pretty similar, have the big wheels I like, have similar performance, and good reputations for reliability. With the Piaggio, I'd have the LEADER engine, which means lots of modification options (like ericalm did with his LX150). Unfortunately, the last one that came up for sale on craigslist here in Seattle was more than a year ago when I was out of town for my wife's birthday. By the time I got home, the bike was sold.

So...I don't think a Buddy is on the list anymore, and it looks like PGO doesn't offer any big-wheeled scoots, so Genuine is probably off the list altogether.

[ericalm]

Interesting that your search goes on.

I really love the Honda Passports, and have seen some go pretty cheap around here. I'd love to pick one up someday as an extra/backup/fun little scoot.

Which Rabbit do you have? If you ever feel like selling it, I have one more kidney than I really need (especially if it's a Superflow).

There are, of course, a lot of rumors about future Geniune models. Past rumors have usually been off the mark—some way off the mark (rotary engine, direct injection, etc.). But I wouldn't be surprised if they came out with something in the 200-250cc range.

Something interesting about the People 150: A recent review in the LA Times found that it was less stable on the freeway than a Vespa LX because though the tires are bigger in diameter, they're much narrower and wobbled more.

[snoutmeat]

Re: Fuji Rabbits...I have a variety in various states of (dis)repair...I have one 601 (Superflow) runner, 2 in need of restoration, and 1 in pieces. I also have a few S402s (Touring 150s), and 1 S301, which is very unusual in the US -- it looks like the 402, but has a torque converter/automatic and was never imported here. Here's a pic from last time I was cleaning out the shed:



The one on the left is the 601; the one in the middle is the 301 (which also bears Superflow badges because of its torque converter), and the one on the right is a 402.

Interesting news about the People 150. Every time I'm driving past the local dealership it's raining, so I haven't been able to take a test drive. There's an LT150 on Craigslist about 300 miles away...it would be nice to test drive one without driving 300 miles. Even with a truck that gets 30 MPG, it's harder to justify getting a fuel-sipping scooter if you have to burn 20 gallons of fuel to retrieve it.

[Christy]

I'm curious why you haven't tried out the Aprilia SportCity? it's a 250cc engine. has large wheels is small compared to the Scarabeo (though is bigger than the buddy). It weighs a lot less than the Scarabeo, too.

I almost bought one and I'm sure I would have loved it, but decided I didn't need a 250...I live in the plains and a 150 will do absolutely fine for me.

I'm also not certain about the cleanliness of it, but I still think its one to consider...

[snoutmeat]

I hadn't considered the SportCity because I'd never heard of it until you mentioned it. I did drive the Scarabeo, and you'd think the Aprilia dealer would have mentioned the SportCity to me, but I'm 99% certain they didn't have that model at their dealership. It looks really nice...now where can I get a used one for half price?

Thank you for the suggestion -- another model to add to my list.

[ericalm]

I hadn't considered the SportCity because I'd never heard of it until you mentioned it. I did drive the Scarabeo, and you'd think the Aprilia dealer would have mentioned the SportCity to me, but I'm 99% certain they didn't have that model at their dealership. It looks really nice...now where can I get a used one for half price?

Not a chance!

I'm excited because the local Vespa boutique is going to start carrying Aprilias—MCs and scoots. I doubt I'd buy one, but I really like them. Much nicer than the Piaggio branded line, IMHO.

[Christy]

I hadn't considered the SportCity because I'd never heard of it until you mentioned it. I did drive the Scarabeo, and you'd think the Aprilia dealer would have mentioned the SportCity to me, but I'm 99% certain they didn't have that model at their dealership. It looks really nice...now where can I get a used one for half price?

Thank you for the suggestion -- another model to add to my list.

I have a friend who rides one and she is absolutely nuts about it. I think if you test drive one, you'd like it too. It really is a pretty bike as well as tight and zippy (as she describes it, i've never ridden one). once again, no idea about the cleanliness of it......

I recommend the Buddy Internationals, as it's what I ride.

[k1dude]

snoutmeat:

Yamaha is coming out with a new 125cc Zuma. It's a 4-stroke, 4-valve, fuel injected beaut.

It was profiled in this thread: topic4776.html