Dare I ask?? A What Scooter Question..
Discussion
Hi all,
A mate of mine who currently runs a scooby wants a scooter for his commute to work.
Its about 40 miles each way on Devon A/B roads..(yes a marathon on a scooter) He's in his 30's but doesn't have a bike license so its gotta be learner legal.. 125cc i guess?? and the scooter choice comes from him not wanting any gears....
So, and i cant believe im asking this, any suggestions for a fairly peppy learner legal scooter?
regards,
Nick 'the pizza boy'
A mate of mine who currently runs a scooby wants a scooter for his commute to work.
Its about 40 miles each way on Devon A/B roads..(yes a marathon on a scooter) He's in his 30's but doesn't have a bike license so its gotta be learner legal.. 125cc i guess?? and the scooter choice comes from him not wanting any gears....
So, and i cant believe im asking this, any suggestions for a fairly peppy learner legal scooter?
regards,
Nick 'the pizza boy'
Hah hah....
Last year I got offered a tempting London City based contract and shamefully looked very briefly into the option of the twist-and-barely-go route for commuting.
Aided by advise from an aquaintence who worked in a bike shop that also did scooters.....had I decided to go that route if taking the job, I would have plumped for an Aprillia Sport City 125.
Last year I got offered a tempting London City based contract and shamefully looked very briefly into the option of the twist-and-barely-go route for commuting.
Aided by advise from an aquaintence who worked in a bike shop that also did scooters.....had I decided to go that route if taking the job, I would have plumped for an Aprillia Sport City 125.
aeropilot said:
Hah hah....
Last year I got offered a tempting London City based contract and shamefully looked very briefly into the option of the twist-and-barely-go route for commuting.
Aided by advise from an aquaintence who worked in a bike shop that also did scooters.....had I decided to go that route if taking the job, I would have plumped for an Aprillia Sport City 125.
Hang your head in shame young man.. Last year I got offered a tempting London City based contract and shamefully looked very briefly into the option of the twist-and-barely-go route for commuting.
Aided by advise from an aquaintence who worked in a bike shop that also did scooters.....had I decided to go that route if taking the job, I would have plumped for an Aprillia Sport City 125.
well i cant believe i'm asking.... but i'll forward on this as a potential pizza nuisance bike.
Well the fear of gears is probably because of ignorance (I don't mean that in a bad way) of what is required to change gears on a bike. If he does a few lessons his mind will be changed surely. There are alternatives though - a big Suzi Bergmann thing is a 500cc auto if he really wants no gears.
There is no way you could do a 40 mile each way commute on a 125.
There is no way you could do a 40 mile each way commute on a 125.
hornetrider said:
Well the fear of gears is probably because of ignorance (I don't mean that in a bad way) of what is required to change gears on a bike. If he does a few lessons his mind will be changed surely. There are alternatives though - a big Suzi Bergmann thing is a 500cc auto if he really wants no gears.
There is no way you could do a 40 mile each way commute on a 125.
Well you have a good point.. and personally i've been riding bikes for years so can't see the issue but hey, horses for courses.There is no way you could do a 40 mile each way commute on a 125.
I think he'll need a full license for a 500cc scooter thing??? am i right?
on the commute thing, i used to do the same distance on a highly tuned DT50 when i was 16.. OK.. yes i was 16 and felt no pain..
Fire99 said:
black-k1 said:
The best option for a small learner scooter is probably either the DAS 4 day or the DAS 5 day then something like an SV650 or a Fazer 600! 
Steve_T said:
On the auto gearbox front, I'm wondering how well Aprilia's Mana 850 will work out.
Going off topic on my own topic , i'm not sure either way to be honest. On a bike i find it hard to see much appeal of an automatic as changing gear is so easy and clutches are rarely that heavy.Also bigger CC bikes often have such an abundance of torque compared to their weight you dont have to do much gear changing anyway.
However i'm sure it appeals to some. Just wondering about the reliability of the system and maintenance costs. The last manual clutch i changed cost a grand total of £40 plus about 45 minutes work.
Fire99 said:
What about a Gilera DNA 125? Bit like a scooter trying to dress like a proper bike..
Or the Runner which uses the same motor but in a more conventional (but stylish-ish) scooter style.I have a Runner200 for commuting and local trips, and its fantastic, I'd even go as far as to say fun!
Cruises at 60/65 easily, and still manages just shy of 70mpg. Best thing I've bought this year.
30 miles is gonna be a bit tedious though...
Fire99 said:
EvoBarry said:
30 miles is gonna be a bit tedious though...
thanks for that.. well he can't have it all.. if he aint gonna pass his test and wont ride a manual he's gotta suffer a bit.. 
I only considered the 'twist-and-barely-go' because I'm already in outer London and it's at most 10 miles into the city and would be all in traffic filter mode for the whole journey. On a proper bike, I'd be lucky to get out of 3rd gear on any part of the journey and a twister is smaller and easier to park.
As much as it would have meant holding one's head in shame, it really would have been the most practical choice in terms of time saving and cost saving.
However if I lived further out of London, say beyond the M25, then a proper bike's advantages would come into play.
aeropilot said:
A bit......I'd say a lot with 40 miles each way on Devon A/B roads.....
I only considered the 'twist-and-barely-go' because I'm already in outer London and it's at most 10 miles into the city and would be all in traffic filter mode for the whole journey. On a proper bike, I'd be lucky to get out of 3rd gear on any part of the journey and a twister is smaller and easier to park.
As much as it would have meant holding one's head in shame, it really would have been the most practical choice in terms of time saving and cost saving.
However if I lived further out of London, say beyond the M25, then a proper bike's advantages would come into play.
you're not kidding. I use a 500cc Kwak frequently doing my 16 mile each way trip to work on a v busy dual carriageway and B road, and maybe this says more about my riding than the bike, but it can push 120 leprechauns and still is suffering from being almost flat out most of the time.I only considered the 'twist-and-barely-go' because I'm already in outer London and it's at most 10 miles into the city and would be all in traffic filter mode for the whole journey. On a proper bike, I'd be lucky to get out of 3rd gear on any part of the journey and a twister is smaller and easier to park.
As much as it would have meant holding one's head in shame, it really would have been the most practical choice in terms of time saving and cost saving.
However if I lived further out of London, say beyond the M25, then a proper bike's advantages would come into play.
Well i will continue to try and persuade him to try something with more power than than a wet fart.
need 4 speed said:
Passola is ideal for the knee-down, wheelie style. No L plates needed on a car licence to give the game away?
Eh? The only time you'd get a knee down on a Pi55-hola is as you slide off the 8" trailer tyres made from solid Teflon. And wheelie?! 
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