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Originally Posted by Miri12
he's looking for something that will last at least a few years - not something cheap like a Tao Tao.
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Well, for what it's worth, my 2012 TaoTao 50 has over 6,300 on the odometer now and it's lasted just fine and all I've had to do to it was normal wear and tear and age related maintenance. It's outdoors 24/7 as I don't have a garage, and it's used to commute to work and do shopping, every day.
I only just last month replaced the original battery which is still holding a charge but I decided to replace it anyway due to being 7 years old.
I never replaced any of the bulbs even except the headlight, other than the plastics deteriorating due to the constant exposure to sun and weather, and replacing things like the muffler, the right mirror and brake handle because the wind blew the scooter over, it's been reliable and held up just fine, I have NO regrets whatsoever not spending $2,000 plus for a Honda or Genuine Buddy, in fact, I can get my $700 TaoTao started and ride it to work all winter, in the snow, and down near zero temps when my local NAPA store owner who HAS one of those expensive Honda Metropolitan 50 cc scooters said he can't get his started and if it does start it doesn't run well in the winter, so he stores it away all winter go figure!
In Boston however, you are going to have to contend with things like theft- how do you plan to secure the scooter at night and when you are at work in a city like this where car and bicycle thefts are common, and a scooter can be lifted up by two guys easily and put itn the back of a van in 5 seconds and gone? thieves would definitely go after a $2,000 Honda or other expensive make scooter!
Can't tell you how many bicycles I had stolen in NYC, they cut the chain, break padlocks, or just hold you up at knife point.
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According to the latest FBI Uniform Crime Report, from 2007 to 2011, bicycle theft in Massachusetts rose 3.1% each year on average. Over 4,500 bicycle thefts are reported stolen each year in Massachusetts, a statistic that in itself is staggering when one also considers the number of bicycle thefts that go unreported. Bicycle thefts in Cambridge have steadily increased the last 5 years (from 2005 to 2010, thefts increased a whopping 97%). Some Massachusetts cities are starting to fight back against bicycle theft. In Boston, MBTA Transit Police created two-life sized cardboard cutouts of police offers and placed them in two busy bike rack cages at Alewife Station. "It's amazing how easily a bike can be stolen," says Audrey Hanken, President of Markel Personal Lines Insurance. "We hear stories about bicycles being stolen from locked bike racks, cars, or even directly outside of their homes. We have also heard about thieves targeting hotels during bicycle road races, looking for opportunities to grab expensive bikes and run."
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