Which scooter/bike????

[Mel B]

Okay - hubby has been after a scooter/bike for a while now so he's been having a look around for a suitable beast. We've both got our full bike licenses so that's not a problem.

 

It's got to be 100cc/125cc, ideally automatic, not cost a bomb 8-) , and possibly not be too heavy in case he wants to stick it in the back of the motorhome (we do have a garage payload of 180kg) and if we do go that way, we'll uprate anyway as we can increase it by 350kg without a problem (paper exercise).

 

He's quite taken by the Sym offerings but they're coming in at around £1600-£1700. He's also seen Piaggio and Yamaha ones too but they are pricier. Whilst he's looking to buy new he's not adverse to buying a good secondhand one so long as it's been looked after properly (ie serviced as required and not thrashed!), but there aren't alot of them about.

 

Has anyone got a bike/scooter which they can give us their views on, both good and bad, he doesn't want to buy a lemon!

 

:D

[davos]

had a piaggio 125 but servicing was pricey and parts expense but was good bike until some low life nicked it. it was not that heavy so would have been easy for 2 guys to get on back of lorry or truck

now have honda 125 s wing which is heavier, think about 150kgs, and its superb. its quite big and bulky but has great road handling and sevicing and parts, so far, seem cheaper than piaggio.

whatever you go for stick to known brands like sym honda etc as there are a few cheap chinese imports about and you could be okay with one but if they go wrong you are looking at problems getting the parts, so i have been told, via dealers and various web sites etc.

dave

[Earthmover]

Hi There,

If you go into W H Smiths and look in motorcycle section of Mags for "Twist and Go", (Bi-Monthly magazine), in the back of the magazine is a write up on ALL the scooters available, it should help make up your mind.

What about the Honda Inova 125cc , large wheels, semi- automatic heel and tow gearbox. The work horse of the east. 99KG. choice of colours, £1,600 ?.

cheers Em.

[Frankkia]

Have owned a few different bikes over the years but my favourite for many reasons is the Honda SH 125i.

 

Pros:

 

Large wheels giving better road handling

 

Good storage for bringing back the shopping - especially if you add a pair of pannier type bags. I have carried up 65 litres of water in various containers placed in the back box, panniers and front step.

 

Good motor pulls our two "comfortable" bulks up and down dale very well.

 

Honda reliability - Just starts and keeps on going every time.

 

120 kg so not overly heavy

 

both the rider and passenger seat are comfortable - some passenger seats on other bikes are very uncomfortable even for the well padded passenger.

 

Spares available anywhere - only ever needed a battery and that was in the middle of Hungary - no problem - cost me £15 fitted! UK price £50!

 

Twist and go

 

Cons

 

None apart from the price being a bit more than the cheap Chinese versions - I will stick with the original.

[Clive]

I ride a Honda APE and the Mrs a Monkey.

My APE is three quarters size motorcycle with a tuned 115CC engine. 5 speed gearbox and manual clutch. Its a propper little motorbike. I am 6 feet 2 tall and substancially built and it whizes me around quite well. With the tuning bits (big bore kit, carb etc) fitted by the dealer from new the bike cost me £3500 -Ouch! Its only ever been used as auxilliary transport for the motorhome. Weight is 94 kg.

 

But I have just bought another bike which is 400CC so the APE is up for grabs.

 

Any offers?

 

C.

 

[breakaleg]

Hi Melb,

I had a sym city hopper (they had one in emmerdale a while back)

Good little scooter, I am 6foot four and over 18 stone, carried me o.k, although they said it looked like i was floating on air (as you couldn't see the scooter undeneath me) :-D

only kept it a year and took direct access after that and rode kawasaki er5

then aquired my username and not rode since. (lol)

but a good scooter.

Pete

[Philman]

I have a Piaggio Fly 125 scooter which I carry on the back of the motorhome. I've had it from new, just over 3 years. I have it serviced as per the book and as mentioned above the servicing can be quite expensive.

 

It carries the wife and I up very steep hills effortlessly. The top speed on the flat is around 50. There is ample space for shopping, quite a large top box as well as a good space under the seat. Full size helmets fit in easily.

 

All in all we are very pleased with it, we have covered just over 6000km on it so far, sightseeing in Italy and Sicily, Germany and Austria, not a lot of France.

 

If I bought another similar one I would get the large wheel version.

 

Phil.

[Mel B]

Thanks for the info guys. Been doing a lot of thinking, looking around on the internet and researching, reading reviews etc.

 

We saw the Piaggio Fly 125 yesterday, nice bike but a bit too big for me to safely put my feet on the ground which means I probably wouldn’t ride it much (safety first), this is the case with quite a few 125cc scooters. Honda looks a nice scooter again (on the internet) but pricey for the amount of use we’ll get of it.

 

Clive - thanks for the offer, but I don’t think it’ll be in my price bracket and I prefer not to have gears - although I know it’s a lovely bike. :D

 

Anyway, we’ve now decided that we’d actually like 2 scooters - we used to have a couple of Honda NF75s which were great fun so we’ve thought what the heck, why not ... if we can get a couple of decent scooters for the price of a new one, then why not do that instead, it won’t cost much more to keep 2 running than it will for one anyway and I much prefer to be in charge of my own steed (don’t like being pillion).

 

To this end, hubby has managed to find a Sym VS 125 going very, very reasonably priced - only 5 months old with 1700 miles on the clock (1 owner), so we’re going to have a look at it on Tuesday. He was quite taken with the Sym when he saw it yesterday and this is the better version (£1950 new).

 

I quite liked the Yamaha Vity 125cc as it just that bit smaller - I tried a new one of these for size yesterday and it’s just the right height for me with my stubby legs as I can get my tootsies on the ground much better. We’ve just found out there’s actually someone selling one of these only 6 miles away from us, 13 months old with 1700 miles on the clock (2 owners), so hubby’s going to have a shuftie tomorrow whilst I’m at work.

 

Hubby's getting quite 'excited' now ... I think he misses having 2 wheels!

:-D

[Mel B]

Update:

 

We saw the Yamaha Vity on Monday and struck a deal, the chap has just dropped it off tonight for us and it's a very nice bike indeed, it does have a bit of 'scuffing' where he unfortunately rubbed it on his gate getting it down the side passage, but Chris has just had a go at it with some T-Cut and it's coming up nicely ... here's hoping it will all disappear. Lovely little bike and a bonus is that, although the dealers pre-registered in September 2008, it wasn't actually bought by the chap until February 2009, the upshot being that the warranty didn't start until then (he's given us a letter from Yamaha about it), so there's still a year's warranty with it. :->

 

Yesterday, we went up to Morley to get the Sym, what a blooming palaver! We managed to get a van - extra long wheelbase Merc (it was cheap!) and tootled up the motorway, half way there a warning light came on ... bl**dy heck!!!! Turned out to be the cooling system warning that it needed topping up. It had also started to snow ... horizontally! Lovely, just what we needed. Got to the chap's auntie's place where the scooter was kept (he'd moved to a flat due to splitting up with his girlfriend and no longer had a garage), and topped up the water as it was on its minimum level. Anyway, saw the bike, very nice, but it had a small crack on the near side near the front of the rear footpeg and a piece had come off (we knew about this), unfortunately though the lad couldn't remember what he'd done with the ruddy piece! *-) Why he didn't check I don't know - he knew we were coming after all ..... As a new panel would be £80 we weren't best pleased, so he said he'd go home to find it. We sat in the van and had a cup of tea (flask) and waited ... and waited ... even though I had a duvet wrapped round me, which was intended to put on the bike to stop it getting damaged in transit, it was freezing. The snow was getting heavier and it was starting to freeze ... what fun .... :-(

 

After 50 minutes had passed Chris rang him - he'd only just got in to his flat (over an hour to do 9 miles!). Anyway, after leaving him to have a rummage, he rang back 10 minutes later ... he couldn't find the piece .... grrrrrr or should that be brrrrrrrrr. >:-(

 

After some 'discussion' he said we could have his helmet (cost him £180 apparently), gloves and yellow waterproofs as he wouldn't be needing them anymore (he'd bought a car), so we agreed to that but asked him to see if his auntie would let us sit in her house rather than in the now freezing van, so we then waited there for another 30 minutes (pleasant soul but didn't even get offered a cuppa!). Eventually he got back and we did the paperwork, loaded the bike and set off home - no way was that bike getting the duvet off me!!!!! :D

 

When we got in, around 8.15 pm, we'd been out for 6 and a half hours!!! 8-) The dogs were famished but there weren't any accidents thankfully. After having tea, we unloaded the bike and stuck the van on the neighbour's drive for the night. The bike is really nice and hubby is pleased with it - if the lad finds the part he said he'll let us know but if not we can just patch it for now and source a second hand panel, as it doesn't affect its use at all, just cosmetic.

 

Just sorting out the insurance now and then we can have a 'play' ... once the snow that has obviously followed us back from Leeds stops (I don't do biking in the snow)!!! :-S

[Guest JudgeMental]

don't worry about the scuffs, set about it with a can of red oxide paint...make it as unattractive as possible before someone nicks it :-D

[Mel B]

Judge - so that 'you' don't get nicked, do you use the red oxide on yourself then, or don't you need to??? :D

 

Just got the insurance sorted with eBike - both bikes are on one policy (which can have up to 4 bikes on the same policy and 4 different riders, and all can 'ride' at the same time and be fully covered). It cost £236 including legal and full UK recovery, no mileage limit, £150 excess.

 

I hope the weathers nice tomorrow afternoon ......

 

:->

[Mel B]

We is well chuffed!!!!!

 

Had a ride on the scooters this morning (bl**dy freeeeeeezing!), brilliant fun and they go like brown stuff off a shovel! :D

 

Chris took his in to be serviced at lunchtime - turns out he go a bargain - chap in the bike place said it's worth at least £1250 based on one with a higher mileage - we only paid £900 + £60 for van & fuel to collect it. We then took mine back to be checked over and get the handle bars adjusted (slight turn to the right on them), turns out it was an even BETTER buy ... cost £700 locally - worth at least £1295, again for a higher mileage bike.

 

The bike shop guy is dead jealous as he's always getting asked for them and can rarely find good ones so just can't meet the demand for them. Told him to have a look on ebay ... guess what he's doing after work tonight!!!

 

Hubby is now thinking that there's a little business opportunity here .... *-)

[Mel B]

Forgot to say ... hubby is now 'sulking' because he's been teasing me that he had the more 'desirable' scooter ..... the words 'eating' and 'humble pie' come to mind .... (lol)

[bob b]

They are great fun Mel. Wanna buy my fourth best long johns?

Are you going to trail them behind the motorhome?

[Mel B]

Hi Bob

 

Not intending to trailer them but hubby has already decided to see if my Yamaha, being a bit smaller, will fit in the garage .... if it does then I can definitely see that we'll have to uprate the MAM!!! 8-)

 

Personally, I'm not bothered about taking a scooter as I quite like riding my pedal bike when away in the van.

[bob b]

I'll take that as a 'no' regarding my fourth best longjohns!

[kontiki]

I have Yamaha YBR 125 that fits nicely in the garage of my Adria Izola, just have to take off the mirrors, weight is 105 kgs. Carries 2 of us & can usually get it up 50 without difficulty. After having it for just over a year fancy getting something much bigger (a nice cruiser) but realize that we will have to tow it on a trailer. It does give us the advantage then of looking at different vans & not be restricted to ones with a large garage. :-D

[Mel B]

bob b - 2010-02-06 6:40 PM

 

I'll take that as a 'no' regarding my fourth best longjohns!

 

Yup - but if you're offering your 'bestest' ones I might be interested!!!! :->

[bluebail10]

Glad to hear you got fixed up with a brace of scooters, these machines make a aweful diference to motorhoming, especially if you've got an awning & stuff set up. I started with a Honda lead 100cc on the back, great little bike but not nippy enough 2 up, so got a Gilera runner 125 2 stroke via ebay, slightly heavier at 120 kg (kerbside) but boy can she move, 60+ no bother with the two of us on (26 stone?) up hill down dale, & dare i say it, much better build quality & refined than the Honda.

[Clive]

Congratulations Mel. Always rember the "lifesaver" look round before you do anything on a bike.

My APE is also sold to a Monkey fanatic who is going to customise it so it looks like we are all "sorted"

 

Happy and carefull riding

 

C.

 

[Mel B]

Well ... I can report that the brakes work well!!!!! *-)

 

We went out for a little run yesterday afternoon on the scooters when the sun came out between rain storms, we were tootling nicely down the road to where there's a left hand bend with a junction on the right, the car in front of us carried on normally, then hubby, then me except that the idiot at the junction pulled out just as my hubby had gone by him!!!!! I was on my silver scooter with a white helmet and bright red jacket and my headlight on.

 

Fortunately as it was wet I'd slowed down quite a lot to take the corner so was able to stop before ramming him in the passenger door (don't think his wife would've been tooooooo happy!).

 

He continued on but hubby slowed down in front of him and brought him to a standstill. Before you ask no I did NOT swear - I was too stunned at the pillock's actions. I rode to the side of him and he wound down his window and I asked "What the heck was that????" - he "Sorry, I didn't see you! 8-) I was dumbfounded and just said "For goodness sake man .... " and rode off, no doubt leaving him to a right ear bashing from his Mrs. Hopefully he'll be a bit more careful in the future ...

[Lord Raindrop]

Bikes with a large diameter wheel are more stable than smaller wheeled types. The wheels have a higher gyroscpic force so keeping the wheels more in line.

[BGD]

Well, I've at last now just ordered a scooter to go on the just-fitted scooter rack on the rear of our motorhome.

 

I've gone for a Honda Innova 125i (think: updated version of the venerable Honda Cub/C90).

 

Because:

It's a Honda, and thus will work. Consistently.

It's about the lightest and simplest 125cc scooter out there, at only 105kgs wet weight (my scooter rack has a 120kgs limit)

It's fuel injected, so starting should(!) always be easy.

It has a kick start as well as electric start, so you can still start it even if the battery is flat.

A lot of the component parts are interchangeable with the old Honda Cub (which, with over 80 million sold worldwide is by far the biggest selling motorcycle in history), a spares thus cost buggerall.

It's got the big (17 inch) wheels so is much more stable than a small-whell scooter.

At just 2300 euros on-the-road price, it's a LOT cheaper than almost all other 125cc scooters.

It's basic....that's what I want....so home (or on-tour) maintenance/repairs are easy-peasy.

It's so basic and ugly that no young hoody will ever nick it, as they wouldn't be seen dead on it.

Insurance costs about tuppence a year.

Fuel economy is utterly lunatic....about a billion miles on a whiff of petrol.

It's got a properly sized saddle that two people can in the real world actually sit on.

I blagged a rear rack and 35 litre Givi top box as part of the price with the Honda dealer in Alicante.

 

Delivery in a couple of weeks.....form then on we can park up our MH on sites outside of towns/cities and then scoot in to see far more........yippeee!!

 

 

 

:D

[Mel B]

Strewth Bruce, that seems a bit of a steep price ... don't they do cheaper bikes over there? A good second hand one would have cost a lost less, assuming you can get them there of course.

 

Anyway, I hope you're happy with your grandad bike .... as a comedien would say .. "suits you sir"! :D ;-)

[bob b]

BGD - 2010-02-18 11:37 AM Well, I've at last now just ordered a scooter to go on the just-fitted scooter rack on the rear of our motorhome. I've gone for a Honda Innova 125i (think: updated version of the venerable Honda Cub/C90). D

Told you so!