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Scooter Options

TVgod

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Location
Boerne, TX
My wife got her M endorsement and a Honda Rebel. After a few trips through the neighborhood and a 0 mph fall, she's decided she'd prefer the twist and go simplicity of a scooter. She's a bit vertically challenged so 28" is the max seat height she's comfortable on. So far the only one I've found like that is the Burgman 400. I think an MP3 would work as well since she won't have to put her feet down. She wants to ride the Hill Country with me so it'll need to do highway speeds. Does anyone have any suggestions of other scooters to look at?
 
I think an MP3 would work as well since she won't have to put her feet down.

This is untrue. There are times that you can lock the suspension and not have to worry about falling over but that is while the engine is off or you are not moving.

The ability to slow to a stop and engage the suspension lock (under 6 mph) with feet up and not fall over, or even start up with feet up is very tricky and takes a lot of practice. It is not for the beginner.

Where my wife used it was stopping, feet down, lock suspension, and then get off and roll the scoot to a parking position. Most of her mishaps were in a parking lot at 0 or slow speeds, trying to park.
 
I have a 650 Burgman and I can tell you the 400 Burgman is not that much smaller, I'm 6'1" and the scooter fits me just fine. There are several small scooters on the market today, but I would personally stay away from the China made ones, no resale, replacement parts can be good or bad, and most dealers are small and may or may not be there tomorrow. All the Japanese ones are good along with the Kymco and Piaggio scooters. One small motorcycle that I would always recommend for a shorter person is the Yamaha TW200, check it out. Safety is important and being able to get both feet flat on the ground is important. Plus riding the hill country can be dangerous, experience is needed here, too many blind corners, up and down hills, deer, other riders riding too fast, are just a few things to lookout for. The scooter forum on ADV is very good and talks about all scooters, http://www.advrider.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=36

John
 
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Sorry! :) She needs to sit down on a bunch of different manufacturers to try them out. No small wheel scooter will be able to do much more than about 40mph. They sell big bore kits that might get it going a bit faster. (You wouldn't want to go much faster on them, though.)

FYI, here are some motorcycles with automatic transmissions:
http://powersports.honda.com/2014/ctx700n.aspx
http://www.ridleymotorcycle.com/motorcycles/

Don't know anything about that Ridley, but I'd probably opt for the Honda with those 2 choices and I'm not a fan of the Hondapotamus. ;)
 
Seat height is not the only thing to consider on scooters, seat width is also important. Because of the under seat storage the seats can sometimes be quite wide. I own both a 650 and a 400. The seat on the 650 is only 1/2 inch higher than the 400 but it is a lot wider. That extra width makes it seem about 2 inches taller because your legs have to spread out before they can go down.

You might also look at the Honda Forza. It's is called a 300 but it's actually 279 cc. Reviews say it can handle highway speeds just fine. Seat height is 28.2 inches and it is fairly narrow. Kymco also has a couple of 300 but I think the seats are a little higher than the Forza.

Past that, boots with thick soles help those vertically challenged. Since you don't have to work a shifter you can get away with thick soles when riding a scooter. I've seen ladies with what amount to platform shoes riding scooters.
 
She needs to sit down on a bunch of different manufacturers to try them out. No small wheel scooter will be able to do much more than about 40mph. They sell big bore kits that might get it going a bit faster. (You wouldn't want to go much faster on them, though.)

FYI, here are some motorcycles with automatic transmissions:
http://powersports.honda.com/2014/ctx700n.aspx
http://www.ridleymotorcycle.com/motorcycles/

Don't know anything about that Ridley, but I'd probably opt for the Honda with those 2 choices and I'm not a fan of the Hondapotamus. ;)

Either my 400 or 650 scooters will run rings around that Ridley and the 650 will keep up with the CTX700. Your thinking of the little around town scooters and he's talking about maxi-scooters. They are larger and much more powerful, fully capable of running highway speeds all day long.
 
The Burger 400 or a Honda 250 scooter Reflex might be worth considering?

The Rebel sits low so was she uncomfortable with shifting after the MSF class? I ask cuz dropping plastic can get pricey. My Burger650 is a pig but weight sits low so it ain't bad paddling it around.

Also might try Kymco. Don't know their models but they make decent too.
 
Either my 400 or 650 scooters will run rings around that Ridley and the 650 will keep up with the CTX700. Your thinking of the little around town scooters and he's talking about maxi-scooters. They are larger and much more powerful, fully capable of running highway speeds all day long.

Yeah, I was thinking the big scooters were "tall" (or more accurately, as you say, have a bulbous seat), but if they work than that's a great option.
 
The Burger 400 or a Honda 250 scooter Reflex might be worth considering?

Honda doesn't offer the Reflex anymore so would have to go used on it. The Forza is it's replacement. A little bigger and more powerful engine in the same basic size bike. That makes it a better highway bike,
 
Thanks for the input. She sat on a Burgman 400 over the weekend and she can get the balls of her feet on the ground. The 650 lists the seat height as about 2" higher so we haven't even looked at those.

Thanks for setting me straight on the MP3. Obviously I've misunderstood what I've read.

She did fine shifting in class (when the shifter was properly adjusted, those bikes have been rode hard and put away wet) but I think getting off the tarmac and into real street added another element and she'd just like to be able to stop without worrying about down shifting and then getting going again feathering the clutch. She knows it takes practice but the operating mechanics of motorcycling are not what's interesting to her about riding. She'd like a little easier way of doing it for now.

I've even considered a DN-01 but I can't find anybody who likes it. :lol2:
 
She did fine shifting in class (when the shifter was properly adjusted, those bikes have been rode hard and put away wet) but I think getting off the tarmac and into real street added another element and she'd just like to be able to stop without worrying about down shifting and then getting going again feathering the clutch. She knows it takes practice but the operating mechanics of motorcycling are not what's interesting to her about riding. She'd like a little easier way of doing it for now.

My wife did the same during the class - she has an additional problem with her left hand (nerve damage), so the continuous transmission & no clutch is all she has had on the scooters she has owned: Hondo Metro, Derbi 150, Aprilia Atlantic 500, and Paggio MP3 500.
 
... She did fine shifting in class (when the shifter was properly adjusted, those bikes have been rode hard and put away wet) but I think getting off the tarmac and into real street added another element and she'd just like to be able to stop without worrying about down shifting and then getting going again feathering the clutch. She knows it takes practice but the operating mechanics of motorcycling are not what's interesting to her about riding....

Mrs. SwampFox is similar -- all that shifting & clutch work infringes on the enjoyment -- particularly multiple downshifting. However, reaching the ground is not an issue for her:

get-photo.asp
 
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I forgot about the scooter with probably the lowest seat, The Yamaha Morphous. Seat height is 25.8 inches. It's a 250 which is about the smallest engine size I would consider for highway riding. I believe the last year they sold them in the US was 2012 so it would have to be a used one.

Now if you want to get industrious a guy on one of the boards I frequent pulled the engine and final drive out of his Morphous and replaced it with the 400 from a Yamaha Majesty. Said the result came out well. Handled and performed just fine.
 
I believe there is a new scooter coming out from Yamaha. It has twin front wheels. There should be news on the 4th or so about it.
 
Kymco makes a decent scooter, they are reliable and inexpensive.
Set a price range and see what you come up with, the scooter is dang near indestructible other than crashing them. Avoid the Chinese brands all others are pretty decent, it more a choice of color and mileage.
 
Don't know your price range but there is always the, take the seat height out of the equation with the can am spyder.
 
Thanks for the ideas. After sitting on a few she's decided to ride on the back of my bike until she gets more used to being out there without a cage around her. Now I'll be selling her Rebel and my Nighthawk for something a little more substantial for 2 up riding. Gives me an excuse to try another bike. :rider:
 
I recommend a visit to "The Motorcycle Shop" in San Antonio where your wife can sit on a variety of scooters and brands I really like this dealer, no affiliation, since the owner is a scooter fanatic and not a mega dealer. A fun place
 
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