Scooter girl wanting advice.

[jack_hamma]

Hi, am new to driving anything with a motor (i have my car learners and i usually cycle). Wanting to buy a 50 cc scooter to get me around town (flat-ish, couple decent hills). From looking around kiwibiker and the scootling forum, it seems the way to go is 2stroke with a disc brake?
So the scoots Im looking at are:
Keeway Goccia
Yamaha Jog
Hyosung Super Cab
SYM DD50

What im wondering is - weight limits for these bikes? Im 120kg, am I going to be able to get up hills without looking incredibly silly?
The Keeway is heavy-113kg vs the others 80ish kg. Is this going to be a huge drawback? The whole bike feels bigger and more in proportion to say, the SYM. I do like the feel of the keeway, but the weight and the fact that its a chinese brand (?) put me off a bit. the jog gets glowing reviews everywhere, but ive read that it has a max weight limit of 66kg? is this true, if so, it completely rules it out for me.
Im looking at new, and all of these come from a good dealer, apart from the jog, which id have to get in dunedin. is it still worth it?

finally, are there any other models i should be looking at/things i should know/just plain recommendations?

thanks so much for any advice you can give!

120kg is you and the scooter?

[Jantar]

Its good that you mention your weight as it helps with the advice. As a general rule the rider shouldn't weigh more then the bike. Yes, the wee 50 cc scooters will carry your weight OK, but remember they are designed to carry much less and their handling and stopping power will be reduced if they are overloaded.

Don't worry so much about going up hill, its when you're coming down Tyne St and that idiot pulls out in front of you that want your brakes to work. If you weigh 50% more than the brakes are designed for then they won't pull you up in time.

Look for a second hand Vespa or similar instead. You'll apreciate it in the long run.

[Spearfish]

Its good that you mention your weight as it helps with the advice. As a general rule the rider shouldn't weigh more then the bike. Yes, the wee 50 cc scooters will carry your weight OK, but remember they are designed to carry much less and their handling and stopping power will be reduced if they are overloaded.

I don't think its to much of an issue most use the same engine/trans in different frames with loadings up to 150kgs but the scoot only weighing 65-75kg.

[Gibbo89]

yeah, max scooter loads are the 150kg mark

[br0kenbutterfly]

120kg is you and the scooter?

haha i wish! as i said, im kinda a big chick.

thanks geoffm for the tips, and handy reviews! are all keeways top speed 45kmh? cos that would make the keeway suckkkkkkk. and is it really important that the helmet fits under the seat? i cant seem to make it fit in any of the ones ive tried (keeway, hyo)

so, sorry, but derestricting- does it void the insurance/mean youll get pulled up and get a ticket? like not for speeding, but cos of the mods?

jantar, spearfish, gibbo? whats the final verdict-am i too heavy to have a scooter that weighs 80ish kgs? i just thought, the lighter the scooter i get, the less total weight the motor has to pull around = faster

you mention that you are looking at scooters because of your budget, some bigger cc bikes are nearly as cheap to run as a wee scooter i.e a gn125 must not cost alot to run.

yeahh, its more the fact that if i go over 50cc, i have to get my c6 learners + WOF + heaps more $$$ for rego. so if i did that, id prob just get a 250 bike. *no offence*

it suprises me the person is a bit anti test drive though

probly just cos its my first scoot, and i dont have protective gear etc? (though im definitely going to get some! finding a jacket could be fun for my size though )

once again, thanks so much for helping me out guys!

[Smifffy]

My advice:

If the dealer won't let you go for a test ride, when you're serious about buying, find another dealer. I bought my bike from ppl an hour and a half away too.

You need to ride to decide.

The guys I bought from gave us the bike and ALL of the riding gear necessary for 2 people. We signed an insurance waiver and hit the highway like battery hens.

We rode, stopped for coffee, rode some more and signed up, including paying for most of the gear.

[Jantar]

...
jantar, spearfish, gibbo? whats the final verdict-am i too heavy to have a scooter that weighs 80ish kgs? i just thought, the lighter the scooter i get, the less total weight the motor has to pull around = faster .....!

In my opinion you are on the heavy side, unless the scooter is rated for your weight. Back in prehistoric times when I was a Uni student I knew a young lady who rode a Honda 50 step through. She was also a bit heavy and was right on the limit for the wee Honda. It wasn't the normal riding that she had any trouble with as Salmond Hall to Uni was all flat, but when riding on some of Dunedin's steeper streets she did have to be careful with the brakes on the downhill sections.

In Oamaru, as long as most of your riding is on the flat then you should be OK, but I would be very careful on places like Tyne St, Derwent St or Eden St.

[DangerMice]

Don't worry so much about going up hill, its when you're coming down Tyne St and that idiot pulls out in front of you that want your brakes to work. If you weigh 50% more than the brakes are designed for then they won't pull you up in time.

Well I can vouch for the disc brake on the Jog, saved me a nasty crash it did..

Stop I say! Stop!

[geoffm]

haha i wish! as i said, im kinda a big chick.

thanks geoffm for the tips, and handy reviews! are all keeways top speed 45kmh? cos that would make the keeway suckkkkkkk. and is it really important that the helmet fits under the seat? i cant seem to make it fit in any of the ones ive tried (keeway, hyo)

so, sorry, but derestricting- does it void the insurance/mean youll get pulled up and get a ticket? like not for speeding, but cos of the mods?

jantar, spearfish, gibbo? whats the final verdict-am i too heavy to have a scooter that weighs 80ish kgs? i just thought, the lighter the scooter i get, the less total weight the motor has to pull around = faster


yeahh, its more the fact that if i go over 50cc, i have to get my c6 learners + WOF + heaps more $$$ for rego. so if i did that, id prob just get a 250 bike. *no offence*


probly just cos its my first scoot, and i dont have protective gear etc? (though im definitely going to get some! finding a jacket could be fun for my size though )

once again, thanks so much for helping me out guys!

I have 3 road going "real bikes" but the 50 does more miles than any of them, putt putting to work every day rain or shine. Can't beat 30km/l and twist and go in the traffic for convenience, not to mention a disposable bike I won't cry over with the next car driver


Getting the helmet to fit under the seat isn't the end of the world, but it is nice. Most, as you notice, won't take a full face helmet, and some won't take flip front fullface ones as they are wider. I have a large Cnell top box ($75, Trademe) which could take my whole house, so the helmet sits in the corner of that :-)

Protective gear - try 1tonne or put the heat on the dealer for a package deal

As for newer Keeway restrictions - I don't know about the current lot -I would ask the question veery carefully. Get the dealer to derestrict it as part of the sale. Scootling said it was $65 for their Adly scoots.

Other ones to look at: TGB101S - $2k from a deal er in Warkworth on TM ($2.4 elsewhere) with a small top box. Good scooters and anything that can handle delivering pizzas and being thrashed every night must be tuff.
Adly SF50 for Scootling. Handled well when I tested one and has 13" wheels. Nearly got one, and wihs i had instead of the Keeway (except the Keeway was $800 SH vs $2k for a new one. )At least Scootling will support scooters rather than saying you should get a "real bike.

[br0kenbutterfly]

As for newer Keeway restrictions - I don't know about the current lot -I would ask the question veery carefully

sorry, what do you mean? is derestricting a bad thing?

after lots of thinking, ive kinda decided that as much as i love the look of the $2500 goccia, im better off getting a second hand scoot and using my money for some decent gear/saving up for when i can afford a bigger bike

so theres an 08 jog going in dunedin atm, going to testdrive on thursday. its got 600kms on the clock, still restricted, had a panel replaced but no other damage. been in storage and rego on hold. they want $1800 ono for it, is that a good price? i dont wanna get cheeky with them, but i dont wanna pay more than its worth...

or, theres an 07 hyo supercab up for sale, bout 5000kms on it, and ive driven it, was cool. it has been "dropped" twice and had the back brake lever replaced twice, they want about $900 for it. i know this ones been ridden hard (its my ex's), but it is cheap?

so, decisions, decisions!! can you help? thanks for being patient.

[Spearfish]

sorry, what do you mean? is derestricting a bad thing?

after lots of thinking, ive kinda decided that as much as i love the look of the $2500 goccia, im better off getting a second hand scoot and using my money for some decent gear/saving up for when i can afford a bigger bike

so theres an 08 jog going in dunedin atm, going to testdrive on thursday. its got 600kms on the clock, still restricted, had a panel replaced but no other damage. been in storage and rego on hold. they want $1800 ono for it, is that a good price? i dont wanna get cheeky with them, but i dont wanna pay more than its worth...

or, theres an 07 hyo supercab up for sale, bout 5000kms on it, and ive driven it, was cool. it has been "dropped" twice and had the back brake lever replaced twice, they want about $900 for it. i know this ones been ridden hard (its my ex's), but it is cheap?

so, decisions, decisions!! can you help? thanks for being patient.

Compare prices on trade me taking into account the cost of transport to settle your mind on the price.
Another thing to consider is going for your 6L, big changes in the licence are on the way. Only mention it because your talking about moving up later.

de restricting the jog is fine all they do is take a washer out of the exhaust, you wont go faster but will climb hills better.

[br0kenbutterfly]

testdrove a jog today, and went to mcr in dunedin. its so cool! i definitely think, if i get a 50 cc (which im now debating, thanks spearfish!) ill go for a jog.
though quite seriously, i dont know how you guys do 100kph on a bike, i was scared s@#$less going 45! (yeah, it was my first time riding, apart from going 15kph on a scoot around the backyard) do you get more confident quickly? it was an adrenalin rush but crap i dont know why some ppl ride scooters with just a hoodie and an openface on!!

[Scouse]

Hi, am new to driving anything with a motor (i have my car learners and i usually cycle). Wanting to buy a 50 cc scooter to get me around town (flat-ish, couple decent hills). From looking around kiwibiker and the scootling forum, it seems the way to go is 2stroke with a disc brake?
So the scoots Im looking at are:
Keeway Goccia
Yamaha Jog
Hyosung Super Cab
SYM DD50

What im wondering is - weight limits for these bikes? Im 120kg, am I going to be able to get up hills without looking incredibly silly?
The Keeway is heavy-113kg vs the others 80ish kg. Is this going to be a huge drawback? The whole bike feels bigger and more in proportion to say, the SYM. I do like the feel of the keeway, but the weight and the fact that its a chinese brand (?) put me off a bit. the jog gets glowing reviews everywhere, but ive read that it has a max weight limit of 66kg? is this true, if so, it completely rules it out for me.
Im looking at new, and all of these come from a good dealer, apart from the jog, which id have to get in dunedin. is it still worth it?

finally, are there any other models i should be looking at/things i should know/just plain recommendations?

thanks so much for any advice you can give!

Dont buy a scooter, Scooters are for Nana's and Homo's just ask insane1 he's a bit of both

[br0kenbutterfly]

sorry if im being rude, but um, why are you reading a scooter thread then??

[skinman]

I started on a 50 & if was doing it again would get L (its easy) and ride a 125 or 250 either scoot or M-bike. They probably wont cost any more & will be able to leave cars off the mark (very important) maybe not to you now but in a very short time as you get used to it you will want to filter to the front and then do 100km, go on trips etc
By the way
welcome to riding
good on ya