Motorcycle And Scooter News

[sc00ter]

I rarely buy scooters used. Come to think about it I've only owned 3 used scooters.

I bought the old Scooter Rider Magazine shop KYMCO People 250 scooter. It was in EXCELLENT condition with zero surprises.

A powder blue Buddy 125 from a dealership. It was fully serviced at the selling dealership and was also mint. I still miss that scooter.

SYM CityCom 300i off a friend/coworker. The price was really fair but wow, so many annoying "surprises" like stripped screws and such. Prior owner was heavy handed!

I don't count 50cc mopeds as I've owned way to many to count. All of them were extremely cheap to purchase and mostly it was to flip or breakdown for parts.

If I sell a scooter the price is usually low because the scooter will have crazy miles on it. My wife noted that I always replace a scooter every 3 years. That would be 30,000 miles minimum. But now that I'm trying to avoid technology I'll just keep my simple Buddy 125. I don't want/need:
EFI.
ABS.
Traction control (TC).
Bluetooth connectivity.
Keyless ignition.
Anti-theft ignition if it has a chipped key.
Electric adjustable windscreen and/or seat.
Key fob opening seat/trunk/gas cap.
Screaming factory alarm system.
Rider mode selection like rain/normal/sport.
Ride By Wire throttles aka servo controlled.
Push button gear selector (usually servo controlled).
Proprietary ECU computer readers.
I'm older and like simpler.

[kz1000st]

Originally Posted by sc00ter

I rarely buy scooters used. Come to think about it I've only owned 3 used scooters.

I bought the old Scooter Rider Magazine shop KYMCO People 250 scooter. It was in EXCELLENT condition with zero surprises.

A powder blue Buddy 125 from a dealership. It was fully serviced at the selling dealership and was also mint. I still miss that scooter.

SYM CityCom 300i off a friend/coworker. The price was really fair but wow, so many annoying "surprises" like stripped screws and such. Prior owner was heavy handed!

I don't count 50cc mopeds as I've owned way to many to count. All of them were extremely cheap to purchase and mostly it was to flip or breakdown for parts.

If I sell a scooter the price is usually low because the scooter will have crazy miles on it. My wife noted that I always replace a scooter every 3 years. That would be 30,000 miles minimum. But now that I'm trying to avoid technology I'll just keep my simple Buddy 125. I don't want/need:
EFI.
ABS.
Traction control (TC).
Bluetooth connectivity.
Keyless ignition.
Anti-theft ignition if it has a chipped key.
Electric adjustable windscreen and/or seat.
Key fob opening seat/trunk/gas cap.
Screaming factory alarm system.
Rider mode selection like rain/normal/sport.
Ride By Wire throttles aka servo controlled.
Push button gear selector (usually servo controlled).
Proprietary ECU computer readers.
I'm older and like simpler.

I have bought used scooters. My Fashion has been with me for twelve years. My two crate scooters were new and a Lance Charming and Kymco Like 50 were bought used to flip. I had a Big Ruckus for a year but it was a headache. It turned out it was in a flood so i ditched it.

My scooters and bikes are all carburetored. The Fashion is the only water cooled model. I would really like a Royal Enfield 650 if only for the air cooling but it is fuel injected. Yes, simple is better. Ask the Vespa guys with all the failing fuel pumps.

[sc00ter]

Almost all of the new/current Royal Enfield bikes are nice looking! My wife and I stop and look at one every time we see one in the wild. Shame we have zero dealers remotely close to us or I'd seriously consider one. A air cooled 650 would be plenty for me. I LOVE the Continental GT 650! The Royal Enfields always get good reviews as well.

[kz1000st]

Here's a story that supports my claim that it's the owner, not the scooter that's a problem. When bought the Kymco Like 50 it came from a young lady who claimed it had an electrical gremlin and wouldn't start. I bought it for $300 to flip.

After testing every circuit I could find it became obvious the starter motor was burned out. After replacing it the problem became obvious. No compression. It would start after spinning the starter over for three minutes but there it was. Upon teardown you could see the piston was fried and barrel burned to death. Sometime in its life the little two stroke was run out of oil.

Fixed it and sold it a year later for what I paid for it to a mechanic in a local shop for his Dad. A year later he called me to ask where I got the piston and barrel. Blown again, his Dad ran it out of oil.

Which I feel only supports my theory that in too many cases, not yours QLink made some bad one, it's not Chinese scooters that are the problem. It's Chinese scooter owners. Maybe even Vespa owners too, but that's another story.