Motorcycle And Scooter News

[kz1000st]

IT all sounds complicated to me but maybe a hydrogen bike is really coming.

https://www.rideapart.com/features/7...s-powersports/

[kz1000st]

If you happen to be in Rome with your Vespa here's something for you.

https://www.motorcycle.com/bikes/new...-2026-44645254

[sc00ter]

Rome does look interesting but I would have a hard time getting someone reliable to house sit the cats, fish tank, possums, raccoons and birds. Plus I really dread flying now. I may still look into it though....

Oh, kz, I learned something interesting. I keep seeing CFMoto motorcycles pop up around my area. Weird I thought. Then I realized that my local Suzuki KTM Kawasaki Triumph dealership is carrying them now. My main contact at this dealership doesn't keep up with anything motorcycle, even though she's worked at this dealership for around 20+ years. I would love to know about reliability and support. Now I would never go near another CFMoto after my experience with them but it is strange to see so many of them on the roads. If I was to ever buy another motorcycle I'd seriously consider a ZX400RR. I don't care about the fact that its over $10k OTD and its not the "fastest" bike in that price range, I just like it for what it is.

[kz1000st]

Originally Posted by sc00ter

Oh, kz, I learned something interesting. I keep seeing CFMoto motorcycles pop up around my area. Weird I thought. Then I realized that my local Suzuki KTM Kawasaki Triumph dealership is carrying them now. My main contact at this dealership doesn't keep up with anything motorcycle, even though she's worked at this dealership for around 20+ years. I would love to know about reliability and support. Now I would never go near another CFMoto after my experience with them but it is strange to see so many of them on the roads. If I was to ever buy another motorcycle I'd seriously consider a ZX400RR. I don't care about the fact that its over $10k OTD and its not the "fastest" bike in that price range, I just like it for what it is.

A few years ago I bought a 50cc Bashan with a Cub Clone engine. While I had to screw around with my Bashan scooter, and maintaining it, the bike ran flawlessly. I mean zero troubles. Valve adjustment took ten minutes, oil changes were a breeze and if I needed to get at the spark plug it was right there. Now I only did about 4500 miles in nine years but the bike was easily Japanese reliable. Chinese bikes are not Chinese scooters. Or scooters in general.

I rode a pair of CF Moto 450's at Americade and they were eye opening. J Juan brakes, solid handling and under $6k for MSRP. Both also had spotless fuel injection. The NK 300 is under $4k or less than a Vespa 50 while the 450's are in the same MSRP range as a 155cc Vespa.

I know your Commuter was a problem child and my Fashion has had its share of niggling faults but it's still running. But that was 16 years ago. I like the Kawasaki ZX 400 but it costs as much as a Z900 and the 400 is a crotch rocket in every sense of the word.

I just wish there was a Moto Morini dealer around here. The styling of their bikes is more to my liking.

[sc00ter]

You mentioned Bashan! A friend got given one for free. The owner got knocked off by a car and was scared of it after that. Only damage was a cracked panel on the impact side, and the bars were a tad off center. That Bashan was nice! Ran great for a 50cc. Quality feel to the controls and fit and finish was great as well. It, Bashan, ended up getting sold.

[kz1000st]

Originally Posted by sc00ter

It, Bashan, ended up getting sold.

Do you know to who? I hadn't heard that.

[sc00ter]

Oh, sorry, not Bashan the company but the free scooter my co-worker got. He sold it for $400. I was offered it for $200 (He had a gas drinking truck at the time and had to drive quit a way to pick the free Bashan up.) and I'm not gonna lie, I was tempted to buy it.

The guy who purchased it was gonna swap a China trike rear end on it but last I heard it was rotting on the side of a apartment building. I would have kept it on 2 wheels and enjoyed it as is.

[kz1000st]

Originally Posted by sc00ter

The guy who purchased it was gonna swap a China trike rear end on it but last I heard it was rotting on the side of a apartment building.

The sad fate of too many scooters and motorcycles. Last week I took the '91 Honda Nighthawk to a local shop to have the front directional signals replaced. One plastic stalk dry rotted and fell off hanging by the wires. I was glad I did.

They had to remove the headlight shell to install them and told me some wires in the shell were twisted and taped together. I wasn't surprised. When I bought it the bike wasn't running, the carb was in pieces and there were things screwed with that should never have been touched. The shop guys thought that maybe there were auxiliary lights or something else on it once but were removed...maybe.

[kz1000st]

Like it's a new idea. Does anyone remember the CF Moto V-5? A bike with a scooter engine. I almost bought one.

https://www.rideapart.com/news/77113...pecs-features/

This.

https://www.topspeed.com/motorcycles...o-v5-cruz-250/

[kz1000st]

I think the message here is that Chinese scooters actually do the job.


https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/techn...e4f7c572&ei=11

[kz1000st]

And Amerivespa had a whopping 300 attendees if memory serves.

https://www.motorcycle.com/bikes/new...cords-44648227

[sc00ter]

I forgot about Amerivespa. I don't even know where it was hosted this year. I heard that Piaggio didn't even show up or offer sponsorship. Oh well....

Concerning Sturgis, that sounds horrible in every way! Loud bikes, overpriced everything and tired old people everywhere. I did read somewhere that Sturgis had a unusually high accident count this year. Not sure about deaths but just overall crashes. I quit going on group rides a long time ago. I'll humor you with the story.

Our car club got invited to ride with a local motorcycle club, to raise awareness for the holidays coming up and to raise money. I didn't want to go but got talked into it. Mistake number one, not standing my ground. I'm walking around the parking lot waiting to leave for the ride-out and notice these guys trying to show a woman how to ride a chopper! I made the remark that they shouldn't put her on that bike and the whole crowd of bikers wanted to kick my ass. Second mistake, showing concern. So while pulling out for the ride-out the cars went last. At the Portsmouth tunnel we got stuck in gridlock, on a Saturday? TWO HOURS later we start moving again. The lady crashed the chopper in the tunnel and they had to carry her to the end so the hospital helicopter could air lift her! F' those idiots. I just turned around and went home, tossing all our car club donations in a thrift store bin. Third mistake, everyone got mad at me for that as well. Never again will I waste my day going on one of their death rides.