Motorcycle And Scooter News

[sc00ter]

My helmet story. When I was 14 I had a moped. A pedal start 49cc. A bunch of us moped owners used to meet up and do death races thru neighborhoods at night, with check points and pre-mapped routes. These mopeds only hit around 35mph max but that was plenty fast. Best part? Helmets on mopeds were not required. No plates/tags either. So my helmet story:

Five of us are blasting thru this 'hood at night and go screaming into a blind turn. One friend hit a patch of pine needles and went down. I see sparks as his moped slides down the road while the rest of us are trying to avoid it. I turn back to find Stinky (his street name) and he's out cold with blood on his head. This was well before cell phones but we banged on a random door and the homeowner called the paramedics. Stinky was in the hospital for a month with brain swelling! I bought a used glitter blue open face at a yard sale the next day on the way home from school. That was our wake-up call for helmet use. And yes, Stinky made a full recovery.

[kz1000st]

I have always worn a helmet when I ride. My Dad always did and he impressed it on us. I raced dirt bikes in my youth and was glad several times I had one on. I get the personal choice mantra but I won't ride anywhere without one.

[kz1000st]

Pretty compelling stuff.

https://www.revzilla.com/common-trea...%7C%20Combined

[kz1000st]

Interesting article but there are other considerations. What you want to do with it for one.

https://www.motorcycle.com/features/...pros-cons.html

Consider this.

"I do 95% of my riding WOT. My commute is over a mountain highway (okay downhill throttle is only open enough to keep oil flowing) and other than that it's mostly big chunks of I5. I love getting to places and having people go "wait you drove that from WHERE?" but it's also hard on the poor thing. I wear through the 'consumables' fast. Not helped by being a heavier rider. Spending so much time on the interstate I am starting to look at 600-800cc rides longingly."

https://modernvespa.com/forum/topic190428

Years ago I commuted heavily on a 1000cc motorcycle on a parkway on Long Island. The motorcycle went though "consumables" regularly but wasn't straining doing it. It was used more like a car than a motorcycle in that way. I had big saddlebags and big diameter tires but things wore through that surprised me. It lasted 125,000 miles for me with oil changes and some maintenance but I wasn't overly zealous about it.

Compare that to my 250cc scooter. I used that for a while pretty heavily but mostly on State Highways. Rear tires almost annually and, since it only holds a quart of oil, changes every 1,000 miles. Not to mention belt changes every 9k miles. Side by side with my late Wife's Honda Rebel the scooter was a maintenance headache. If I had the need or the option which to use as a heavy commuter the Rebel would have been the winner.

Around town or for less serious use the scooter was a Champ.

[sc00ter]

I feel vehicle blessed to have a scooter that fits my needs so well. Yeah, it has a few faults like a crappy rear rack and a tight floorboard, but everything else is perfect for what I use it for. Added bonus is I can fully service it myself. Sometimes I think about picking up a motorcycle again but I know in my heart that I wont use it enough to validate the purchase. This includes new and vintage era motorcycles as if I like it I'll buy it, price isn't a issue to me.

I also have another reason for not owning more than one powered 2 wheeler. Garage space is a issue. My garage is on the smaller side and it always seems to be bursting at the seams. 2 analog bicycles, 2 ebikes, yard equipment and 2 big tool boxes. Oh, and around 3000 CD's on racks, as in compact disc. I can squeeze a car in if needed and be able to shut the door but movement in the garage gets extra tight!

[kz1000st]

I did use the CF Moto for about a half dozen round trips of 300 miles and it survived. On the Interstate it was a little overworked and acceleration above 55 mph was not impressive. Four months later I had to ride my collection to my new home on the same Interstate and the motorcycles, even the Rebels, were much more comfortable accelerating at speed.

My point is that the original intent for a scooter was to replace an automobile on the bombed out roads of Europe after WWII. Materials were scarce so a scooter was perfect. The 400cc plus scooters can handle all around work like a motorcycle and I hear the Yamaha XMax can too. As the OP in the thread above has found out his 300cc Vespa is working pretty hard doing the job a motorcycle, even a new 300cc Rebel, can do handily.

Between us kids I watch Steve Williams "Scooter in the Sticks" videos on YouTube. He had his 2006 Vespa 250 reconditioned recently at 45,000 miles. One of his shocks was totally collapsed and one of his steering head bearings came completely apart at removal. Yes, 45k is up there for a scooter but none of my motorcycles was that used up at those miles. The mechanic even replaced the head gasket as a precaution.

[kz1000st]

For those seeking the Italian scooter look without the reliability issues.

https://www.rideapart.com/news/73401...hemed-scooter/

[kz1000st]

They may be coming for your cell phones next! It almost makes me want to buy a CF Moto bike.

https://www.rideapart.com/news/73594...ommerce-rules/

[sc00ter]

As much as I don't care for CFMoto products this "proposal" is crazy dumb. I guess the only thing that saves me from idiotic product bans like this is because I'm a Luddite and will never own a "modern" vehicle with communications tech, be it GPS or any other software that can track or broadcast. Having a modern phone is bad enough BUT if a thief gets my phone they will be so bummed. I have no banking apps, cash transfer apps or any money related apps on my phone. Nor do I do FaceBook, TikTok or any other social media sites.

[kz1000st]

I saw a video road test of the CF Moto 650 Adventura. The guy doing it showed some of the functions on the instrument cluster and the phone interface. Crazy. I would set the cluster to speed, tach and odometer and never touch it again if it were mine. Then wait a few years for the panel to fail. Too much stuff on bikes these days for my taste.

[kz1000st]

Coming here soon?

https://www.rideapart.com/news/73676...-ev-indonesia/

[kz1000st]

The Kawasaki E Ninja.

[sc00ter]

Interesting... I test rode a Zero awhile back. Fun for what it was but I'm not that customer. Can-Am also just released a electric motorcycle(s). I discovered we have a Surron dealer by my work and the sales guy basically said "Bring your helmet and take one out for the day, or for as long as the charge last." I'm tempted just because I'm curious to see what a Surron is all about. I've seen a bunch creeping around at night. Suspect the owners are riding them like ebikes, as in illegal.

Ebikes are just right for me. I'm getting more seat time on my Lectric One long range, plus I can steal an extra battery from my Lectric Xpedition. Max speed of 28mph does just fine. I might take that offer up on the Surron test ride just to see for myself though.

Thanks for posting the Ninja video. I've been wondering about that ebike release but I watch shortwave radio videos at work.

[kz1000st]

My last job was seven miles from my home and an e scooter would have been perfect. Instead I mostly used the CF Moto 250 for its cargo space and ease of movement. Even the little 150 Bashan was a good tool. I could see an e scooter as a train station trip transport. This Ninja is just too expensive for my taste for what it does. There are a couple of online 250 DP motorcycles that cost much less and go farther on a small tank of gas.

This for instance:

https://cscmotorcycles.com/2024-sg250-cafe-racer-black/