Horror thread: Mopeds

Obvious statements are obvious

The cheaper end of the market will need constant maintenance, as much as I like my bike for 2 miles I'd rather just cycle, I do 35 miles each way and sometimes after i've dried my gear, sorted out winter & summer gear, sorted out wet and dry gear, got changed at work, fixed 6 punctures in 2 weeks, filled up every other day, oiled and adjusted the chain, changed fan switch, change coolant, got stuck in Balham with a sheared off gear lever, faffed around getting it MOTed riding to get tyres at lunch, dropping it off to get head bearings done, serviced a brake caliper, ordered service parts.

I wonder if the saving of 10 - 20 mins each way is worth it

TBH yes it is, I don't grin every day to work driving my car :D
 
Just to go against the general consensus of the thread, I was in a pretty similar position to yourself and ended up getting a 125cc Vespa to commute into Manchester city centre everyday. It helped that I had always wanted a Vespa though.

Reason I ended up going for a twist & go over a geared bike is because I'd never had any experience of riding before and just wanted to not have to worry about gears as it would give me more time to worry about being killed by other road users. I commute 365 days a year and just throw over some waterproof pants when it's raining which keeps me pretty much bone dry. I average about 85-90mpg and insurance / road tax are dirt cheap compared to the car I had before.

Even though I am now bored of the lack of speed and am craving a motorbike, I would still ideally like to own both as the storage capacity of a scooter, although it may seem comparatively small, is extremely useful and I would find it almost impossible to sacrifice. I can't imagine going back to 4 wheels any time soon.

I say go for it.
 
maccapacca said:
Obvious statements are obvious

The cheaper end of the market will need constant maintenance, as much as I like my bike for 2 miles I'd rather just cycle, I do 35 miles each way and sometimes after i've dried my gear, sorted out winter & summer gear, sorted out wet and dry gear, got changed at work, fixed 6 punctures in 2 weeks, filled up every other day, oiled and adjusted the chain, changed fan switch, change coolant, got stuck in Balham with a sheared off gear lever, faffed around getting it MOTed riding to get tyres at lunch, dropping it off to get head bearings done, serviced a brake caliper, ordered service parts.

I wonder if the saving of 10 - 20 mins each way is worth it

TBH yes it is, I don't grin every day to work driving my car :D
Click to expand...

how is a £900 piaggio 125 on an 08 plate with 8k miles is going to need constant maintenance.?

In terms of running costs, a 125 4-stroke scooter is going to be a world apart from anything at all that requires more than a cbt.
 
I bought a Honda SH125 to commute 12 miles each way between Warrington and Northwich (no driving licence at the time) and I've not been disappointed in it. Twist and go, 70-80mpg, plenty of storage space with a top box.

As a cheap reliable form of transportation it's great. I have since passed my driving test, but with the scooter costing £15 a year in road tax and £60 a year in insurance I still try and use it as often as I can (instead of the car) to keep fuel costs down.

Don't forget that the scooter itself isn't the onlly outlay, budget for a lid, gloves, boots, jacket and trousers.
 
I use to ride into London everyday on a scooter. A 100cc Peugeot Speedfight.. Semi POS, left it anywhere and everywhere. Had a blast weaving in and out of traffic every day.. I could see the frustration of all the Frank Thomas's on their bigger bikes stuck inbetween traffic cos their bikes were just that little bit too wide to nip through, where I just zipped in and out... They just hated and I mean absolutely hated being beaten by a scooter and had to do their utmost to get the better of you on an open straight.

Went through pads every other month, but other than that had very little go wrong with it.. I rode it like a stole it too. Getting a nice bike for London is a fools game, it'll only get stolen or knocked over in the over cramped bike parks. Buy something you can lock up and not worry about all day long.

That being said, and as said above DO NOT BUY ANYTHING CHINESE...
 
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