Scooter vs. motorcycle

wschmechel · Post by **wschmechel** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 3:38 pm

So I've finally gotten my wife to ride a bit (I've got a Buddy 125, last year we picked up a Vino 50 for her), and her confidence has grown a bit more. She commutes on country roads, and although I commute mostly in city driving, I can't stand the Vino as it is just painfully slow and underpowered. I'm thinking we should ditch the Vino (duh!) and she can ride my Buddy to work.

For my commute, I've been eying up one of two options: Rattler 110 or an older cycle. Craigslist is full of low-priced "good running" cycles. I like the look of the old school basic bikes like the Honda Twinstar 200, Yamaha xs400, Suzuki gs450, etc. I understand that the biggest issue with the old bikes is going to be finding parts and you can find yourself spending far more than you bargained for!

My biggest issue with my Buddy is that I'm 6'1" and I feel cramped and too big for the bike. I'm fine with the power of the Buddy, and love the reliability and fuel economy, but would simply like more room. I'm thinking that a mc would also have a bit more suspension as well, but maybe that's not true. There is also a very reasonable Stella in my area too that is intriguing.

Thoughts or tips?

skipper20 · Post by **skipper20** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 5:09 pm

wschmechel wrote:So I've finally gotten my wife to ride a bit (I've got a Buddy 125, last year we picked up a Vino 50 for her), and her confidence has grown a bit more. She commutes on country roads, and although I commute mostly in city driving, I can't stand the Vino as it is just painfully slow and underpowered. I'm thinking we should ditch the Vino (duh!) and she can ride my Buddy to work.

For my commute, I've been eying up one of two options: Rattler 110 or an older cycle. Craigslist is full of low-priced "good running" cycles. I like the look of the old school basic bikes like the Honda Twinstar 200, Yamaha xs400, Suzuki gs450, etc. I understand that the biggest issue with the old bikes is going to be finding parts and you can find yourself spending far more than you bargained for!

My biggest issue with my Buddy is that I'm 6'1" and I feel cramped and too big for the bike. I'm fine with the power of the Buddy, and love the reliability and fuel economy, but would simply like more room. I'm thinking that a mc would also have a bit more suspension as well, but maybe that's not true. There is also a very reasonable Stella in my area too that is intriguing.

Thoughts or tips?

How does your wife feel about commuting with your Buddy 125? Maybe she's OK with her Vino 50 which you don't like but it's doing exactly what it was designed to do: 35 mph tops for inner city riding and back country flat 2 lane roads with light traffic. If she's OK with that maybe you should be too.

Bill in Seattle
'09 150 Blackjack
'12 170i Italia

wschmechel · Post by **wschmechel** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 5:39 pm

Certainly a valid question! I must've poorly phrased my initial post. She was the one who brought up the lack of power to me as she didn't like the cars buzzing passed her. She didn't feel like she could keep up or get out of harm's way if need be, so that's what started my wheels turning.

She's good with driving the Buddy and enjoys the extra power in the uphill climbs. The Vino uphill is a miserable experience as the speed drops to 20ish. She likes the look of the Vino better, so we considered getting a Vino 125 as an option as well. But there's a pretty significant price jump from a 50 to a 125 and she doesn't want to invest the extra at this point.

BeefSupreme · Post by **BeefSupreme** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 6:29 pm

If you like the classic MC look, but want available parts, you might consider looking at a Sym Wolf 150 if you have a dealer near you. I got the change to ride one a few weeks ago and it was a blast. They're comfortable, light and easy to ride, can do around 60-65 mph, 2 year warranty all for around 3k.
http://www.alliancepowersports.com/models/wolf.html

KrispyKreme · Post by **KrispyKreme** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 7:43 pm

The Buddy is a small scooter, so I can understand it being cramped for you. You say you're eyeing a Rattler, but have you sat on one? The floorboard is high. Your knees will be up to your chest. There are bigger scoots out there. The hooligan for example.

For a commute MC, I would be weary of getting an old standard like the ones you mentioned. As you said parts may be an issue and I'll through in reliability is an issue also. The Sym Wolf 150 is a good option. Suzuki has the TU250. Yama has the SR400. Maybe you could find a good deal on one of them used. Good luck in your search.

wschmechel · Post by **wschmechel** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 8:03 pm

Great suggestions! Unfortunately the budget would be whatever we get for the Vino, so maybe a grand. We'll likely just hold off until I can expand the budget a bit more.

No, I havent sat on a Rattler, so that is good to know about the floorboards.i was envisioning my feet being further in front of me as it has the more open cowl by the footrest, so I didnt think about eating my knees!

KrispyKreme · Post by **KrispyKreme** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 9:16 pm

I would try to hold off until I had 2k. You can get a nice daily commuter for that on CL.

Christophers · Post by **Christophers** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 9:23 pm

I suggest that you check out the Stella that you mentioned. The Stellas are quite a bit bigger than the Buddies. It might be the perfect solution for you.
The SYM Wolf frame is very small. If you feel like a Buddy is too small for you, you'll likely feel the same way about a SYM Wolf.

KrispyKreme · Post by **KrispyKreme** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 9:30 pm

Christophers wrote:I suggest that you check out the Stella that you mentioned. The Stellas are quite a bit bigger than the Buddies. It might be the perfect solution for you.
The SYM Wolf frame is very small. If you feel like a Buddy is too small for you, you'll likely feel the same way about a SYM Wolf.

A Stella? He needs something reliable.

New2Scoots · Post by **New2Scoots** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 10:33 pm

Another possible option; Honda CBR250R. I think they came out about 5 years ago so used ones might be decent values by now. There's also the Kawasaki Ninja 250 that's been around since Abe Lincoln so used ones are everywhere. I hear they're gutless much below redline but make decent power when the engine's screaming. My personal favorite is the Suzuki TU 250 already mentioned. Cool looking retro style like the Sym Wolf & it's a simple air-cooled single like our scoots.

KrispyKreme · Post by **KrispyKreme** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 11:03 pm

^^^Good call on the Ninja250 and the CBR250. The fact that new ones are 300's will help the buyer.

A little off subject, but I saw a review of the new Yama R3 and I am drooling...like the Ninja300 it is a twin, which is a plus.

http://www.cycleworld.com/2015/03/20/20 ... fications/

JohnKiniston · Post by **JohnKiniston** » Fri May 01, 2015 12:26 am

KrispyKreme wrote:
Christophers wrote:I suggest that you check out the Stella that you mentioned. The Stellas are quite a bit bigger than the Buddies. It might be the perfect solution for you.
The SYM Wolf frame is very small. If you feel like a Buddy is too small for you, you'll likely feel the same way about a SYM Wolf.

A Stella? He needs something reliable.

Well hey, As long as he doesn't get an Automatic one he should be fine

KrispyKreme · Post by **KrispyKreme** » Fri May 01, 2015 1:02 am

JohnKiniston wrote:
KrispyKreme wrote:
Christophers wrote:I suggest that you check out the Stella that you mentioned. The Stellas are quite a bit bigger than the Buddies. It might be the perfect solution for you.
The SYM Wolf frame is very small. If you feel like a Buddy is too small for you, you'll likely feel the same way about a SYM Wolf.

A Stella? He needs something reliable.

Well hey, As long as he doesn't get an Automatic one he should be fine

The Stella is a fine, if quirky, scooter. No offense meant.

sc00ter · Post by **sc00ter** » Fri May 01, 2015 2:05 am

Suzuki S40, aka Savage 650. I like them even though everyone calls them a girls bike. Fun to ride and cheap to own/operate. Scooter would be a Honda Helix, but they hold mean resale values for newer ones, so you will be in the 90's year range. That's what I would consider for newer options at a affordable buy in price.

wschmechel · Post by **wschmechel** » Fri May 01, 2015 3:51 am

I checked out the twinstar as it was just around the block from my house. It really wasn't any bigger than my Buddy! I fear the Wolf would be the same size. I'm thinking I will wait and look a bit later. People will be wanting to ditch their bikes towards the end of the year so maybe I can score a deal!

GregsBuddy · Post by **GregsBuddy** » Fri May 01, 2015 4:48 pm

Kawasaki EX 250's are very available used for very little $.
They are reliable and fun.

skully93 · Post by **skully93** » Fri May 01, 2015 5:12 pm

There's a lot of subjective info on this type of thing. I have different scoots and a motorcycle, all for different purposes. I'll describe my experiences and you can take from it what you will.

Buddy 125/150 are our daily commuters. They're reliable, gas efficient, and good for anyplace 40mph and under with gusto. Not as comfortable for 100 mile rides, but we're both 5'7"

Honda Helix 250: not fast for a 250 but super comfy and very capable up to 60mph. The tiny rear wheel keeps it from being super awesome, but a 250 is still very capable.

Honda CTX700 is great, 2 up, up to about 85 or so. If I need to go any faster regularly I'll re-evaluate my life. Makes a decent commuter too, but I prefer my scooters in the city. Still gets 65-70mpg even when ridden with gusto.

I've had a host of other things inbetween. If you need more room, need to go over 55 with headroom regularly, and don't tend to work on your own stuff, you'll probably be happier with a 500cc motorcycle. I love the charm of scoots, and many maxi-scooters are incredible machines. My biggest gripe is that you have to do a lot of service, more frequently, and it's more of a pain to get to. However, I don't have a garage, and am not familiar with a lot of mechanical work.

YMMV

Syd · Post by **Syd** » Fri May 01, 2015 5:56 pm

wschmechel wrote:I checked out the twinstar as it was just around the block from my house. It really wasn't any bigger than my Buddy! I fear the Wolf would be the same size. I'm thinking I will wait and look a bit later. People will be wanting to ditch their bikes towards the end of the year so maybe I can score a deal!

I tried to sit on a Wolf once; at 6'3" it wasn't a pretty site. I also tried a TU250, a Ninja 250 and the Ducati Scrambler. Forget it. Waiting till the end of summer, if you can wait, is a good idea. There's lots of spouses wanting that dam scooter out of the garage, and owners just not wanting to go through the winterizing process again. And if you can save a couple thousand your options are widened tremendously. I can highly recommend the SYM HD200, even if there is no dealer nearby. You could get parts from GoMoto in Minneapolis, when needed, and the HD200 is a solid, fast 170cc scoot. I happily put 16000 one one. There's even two in the area now for less than 2k.

Modern Buddy

Scooter vs. motorcycle

Scooter vs. motorcycle

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