[Tfug] [OT] WTB: motorcycle

[John Gruenenfelder]

On Thu, Jul 03, 2008 at 11:09:51AM -0700, Paul Lemmons wrote:
>
>   Hmmmm after the discussion of powerful bikes I hesitate to offer
>   another alternative. If you are a first time rider and are looking only
>   for simple local transportation you may want to go and see what they
>   have at ScootOver on Broadway. They are not testosterone pumping
>   chick-magnets but the scooters they sell are practical, simple to ride,
>   simple to learn with incredible gas millage and just plain fun to
>   drive.
>   I ride a Kymco People 150 (as in 150cc) and it is perfect for me. No
>   clutch-hand aches from riding in local traffic. Plenty of get-up-n-go
>   at city speeds. It will go 60mph but is most comfortable at 50mph. Not
>   any good at all on the highway but that is not what I bought it for.
>   Right now I am spending about $5 a week on gas and I ride it back and
>   forth to work every day (15 mile round trip) as well every where else
>   that makes sense. It has pretty much replaced my truck for local
>   travel.
>   If I were to do it again, I would probably opt for the 250cc. Not so
>   much for the power but for the storage. It has more space under the
>   seat and in the rear "trunk".
>   It is at least worth a gander.

I wholeheartedly second this.  I also drive a People 150 and it's great.
Great milage and very low insurance costs.  I've never actually owned a car.
In Tucson I used it for all of my driving in town.

My first scooter was a Honda 125cc I bought in 2000.  Sadly, it was lost when
my brakes locked up on a freshly paved 22nd street and I bumped the back of a
car.  I say bumped because the car suffered no damage or even a scratch
(somehow) but the scooter's frame was bent.  On the bright side, it was Winter
and I had on my full helmet and heavy jacket.

I purchased a People 150 in 2003, but at the time the only dealer in Arizona
was in Prescott.  It's been a fantastic bike since and I've had virtually no
problems.  I brought it with me to Massachusetts and still drive it, though
its usefulness is somewhat less since it spends the five months of Winter in
the garage.  But for the other seven months it's great.

The milage I get here is a little less than I got in Tucson.  I attribute that
to curving roads, slower speeds, and more frequent stops.  In Tucson it was
not uncommon for me to go from 22nd and Pantano all the way to 22nd and Tucson
without hitting a light.  It's straight and fast and really helps the milage.

Scoot Over was a good place while I was there.  Once they opened I took my
scooter there when it needed servicing.

As Paul said, be sure to compare the amount of storage on each one.  The bag
hook and under-seat storage is almost always enough for me on the 150.  One
complaint I do have is that the back "rack" on the bike is almost useless for
carrying anything.  It has a rounded shape which makes it very difficult to
bungee anything to.  My old Honda scooter had a wireframe rack and it was a
snap to attach boxes or bags.


-- 
--John Gruenenfelder    Research Assistant, UMass Amherst student
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