a friend of mine graduated in december and moved san francisco...he got a scooter for riding around town and when i visited him it was a lot of fun, but i know nothing about them

costco has a vespa (a fairly well-known name brand, i believe) scooter for something like $1400 (i'm sure it's nothing great)...i don't know the model

how many people on here know about them? i think underPSI and P Nis have one, but i was just curious as to whether anyone knows enough about them to give me some general information (best for the price, where to get them around here, etc)

2/4/2006 8:03:07 PM

^most likely a vespa look-alike. or maybe even a clone, made somewhere in asia. i doubt costco is dealing real vespas. also you are probably better off gettin a 110-150 cc instead of 50, they look and cost about the same, but are noticeably faster. those are classified as a motorcycle under dmv provisions, and supposed to have tags, insurance and all that jazz, but the cops usually dont pay attention to scooters in general. even if they would, once you take the stickers off, most of the time it would be hard to tell a 50 from 150 just by looking at it.

2/4/2006 8:55:29 PM

honda

[/thread]

2/4/2006 9:00:50 PM

^^ it says "vespa" on the side, and it looks like their logo...i mean, i suppose they could be selling fakes, but i would have thought they wouldn't be able to get away with it

that said, i noticed that vespas are around the $3k range, so it would make sense that they weren't really vespas

i am considering a 150cc (they seem like they would probably be more reliable, and definitely more powerful)...but i don't really know anything about them

2/4/2006 9:16:12 PM

eton, cheap and damn reliable

2/4/2006 11:01:40 PM

honestly, if you live around here just get a decent used motorcycle for that price. a scooter is pretty useless functionally around here for the most part. i promise you a true motorcylce will provide loads more fun and usefullness in this area. san francisco is a different story.

2/4/2006 11:37:23 PM

terminate

2/5/2006 1:20:36 AM

I will sell you my gs500 (perfect starter bike) for a lot less than that vespa. pm me if you're interested.



[Edited on February 5, 2006 at 6:19 AM. Reason : cooler than a scooter eh?]

2/5/2006 6:18:26 AM

Quote :

"but the cops usually dont pay attention to scooters in general"

unless you are with me and P Nis and we are running 70 in a 45.



^you'll sell that bike for less than $1400?

Quote :

"i am considering a 150cc (they seem like they would probably be more reliable, and definitely more powerful)...but i don't really know anything about them"

a 150 is not going to be more reliable than a 50. powerful, yes. reliable, no. actually, i would be hesitant to call any china made copy reliable. if you are going to get something to use as actual transportation, i'd get name-brand. if you want something to fuck around on and modify, then get china-made but ya better learn about small engines cause you gonna be working on it.

[Edited on February 5, 2006 at 2:23 PM. Reason : -]

2/5/2006 2:14:51 PM

I've been pondering selling my Rebel 250 for an upgrade... It's a hell of a lot more fun than a scooter, still gets great gas mileage (65-80mpg), and it can hold speed on I40 just fine. If you're interested, send me a PM and we'll talk about it. If you're actually looking for a scooter, sometimes you can find them listed under the motorcycles section on raleigh.craigslist.org or postaroo. Good luck.

2/5/2006 2:22:11 PM

^what's that top out at?

2/5/2006 3:16:29 PM

yes I'll sell my bike for less than $1400, pm me

2/5/2006 9:29:59 PM

I own a vespa 150 sprint... Amazingly fun...I rode a 50cc look alike a while back...fun also. Just look around and ride a few and make a decision based on your budget.

The newer vespas are automatic, older ones are manual. I can say that any scooter with a clutch is treated the same as any vespa over 50cc.

2/5/2006 10:34:31 PM

i have a honda ruckus (50cc). It does about 40 with my ass on it (185) but it's fun to ride drunk.

2/5/2006 11:30:54 PM

now i don't know what i want...a scooter or a cheap bike

i actually had a honda cb650 that needed some work that i sold a while back, but i never actually got to ride it...i'm still interested in SOMETHING

2/6/2006 2:02:16 AM

^get a real bike, scooters are for china-men

2/6/2006 10:28:30 AM

2/6/2006 11:09:03 AM