Buyer's Guide

The scooter market is expanding and manufactures are rapidly becoming more completive.  In this day of age it can seem that two bikes are exactly the same, except in price.  At The Scooter Menace, we believe you should have the opportunity to see the difference for yourself.  We've defined the terms used by dealers to give you a better understanding of what they're talking about.

Information below:
• MSRP
• Final price
• Origin
• Engine type
• Weight
• Average top speed
• Derestriction
• Performance parts
• Cooling system
• Displacement
• Transmission
• Tire size
• Rims
• Brakes
• Warranty
• Theft Prevention

MSRP
The MSRP, or manufacture's suggested retail price, is the target price the manufacturer or distributor would like their dealers to ask for their vehicles.

Final price
The price of a bike after a dealer adds on fees. For example, many dealers tack on a shipping fees, assembly fees (a.k.a. Pre Delivery Inspection), and documentation fees to the price of a bike. Sales tax is usually excluded from this estimate.

Origin
If we stereotyped bikes from different counties it would go a little like this.  China and India provide inexpensive bikes that are typically on the lower end of the quality chain.  They are the least expensive and are usually clones of other well know brands, but with cheaper quality parts.  Taiwan and Korea are large scooter producers.  They vary from average to high quality, depending on manufacturer.  These bikes tend to be your bread and butter bikes.  They run well,  are moderately prices, but aren't as performance oriented as higher end Asian and Italian scooters.   Companies like CPI, E-Ton, and Hyosung are your good basic scooters.  KYMCO and Yamaha of Taiwan are your higher end scooters that compete with the European bikes, kind of like Lexus and Infinity compete with BMW and Mercedes.  These bikes tend to give you the most "bang for your buck".  Western Europe such as France and Italy produce high end scooters, but are often very expensive.   These include Vespa/Piaggio, Aprilia, Malagutti, Peugeot, Italjet, etc.   

There are a few pearls and duds in every category to be aware of.  So, you can often find a reasonably well made Chinese bike for a good price, and a really unreliable one from Italy.  The stereotype is a good rule of thumb, but you should always research a particular brand before buying.  Parts availability and cost of parts is often a big consideration as well.  In general, the parts prices are in proportion to the selling prices.  So, if you buy an expensive bike, expect to pay a lot for parts and service.  The availability of parts depends on the importer and the stability of their company.    Availability of parts doesn't follow this rule.  A cheap bike can have better parts availability than an expensive one.  You should ask other owners on newsgroups before you buy.  If you buy a Chinese or Indian made bike from online auctions, or from someone selling it for less than $1000, beware.  You may have a very difficult time getting parts and service.  For a dealer to sell it under $1000, they are often times importing the bikes direct from overseas to cut out the middle-man(the US distributor.)  You save a few hundred dollars, but the seller may not have liability insurance, DOT approval, warranty, and spare parts that a large distributor typically provides.  You may also have trouble registering the bike if it is not DOT approved in your state.

Engine Type
Most commonly found in scooters and mopeds are two-stroke, air cooled engines. They provide good acceleration, are durable, cheap to maintain and rebuild, and generally cost less than a four-stroke engine.  It is lubricated by burning a small amount of oil each time the engine fires.  It is your basic weed-eater motor on steroids.  A four-stroke engine tends to vibrate less than a two-stroke, gets better gas mileage, has lower emissions, doesn't burn oil, and lasts longer.  It is fancy lawn mower engine.  A 4-stroke is more expensive to rebuild than a 2-stroke, so even though it lasts longer, the actual cost of ownership probably isn't that different over the life of the engines.  2 strokes dominate the 50cc market because they are fast, affordable, and easy to maintain.  4-strokes are typically found in larger displacement bikes due to tighter emission  standards for large engines. 

Weight
A lighter bike is easier to control than a heavier one at low speeds. Heavier bikes are more stable at higher speeds, but more difficult to operate at lower speeds.

Average top speed
The term "average top speed" can be misleading.  Even though two bikes have the same size engines it doesn't mean they will go the same speed.  The type of transmission, bike weight, quality of the engine, and the weight of passengers have a large influence on speed.  When comparing the top speed of two bikes you should keep in mind potential top speed.  See "de-restriction" below.

Derestriction
Most 50cc bikes come with a 30mph limiter.  When these limiters are removed(aka de-restricted), the bike may go from 30mph-50mph, depending on the model.  If want to go faster than 30mph, you should consider how difficult it is to remove the limiters before purchasing the bike.  Restrictors are most commonly found in the exhaust pipe, on the transmission/front variator, and on the CDI (electronic controller).  De-restriction can be as simple as cutting a wire, or removing a washer from your transmission/variator.  Before de-restricting a bike, you should check to see if it is legal in your state, if the bike is built well enough to handle the speed, and if it will void the manufacturer's warranty.

Performance parts
Performance parts are also available for many bikes, such as exhaust pipes, cylinders, carbs, etc.  You can typically get a good quality 50cc scooter to 55-70mph with performance upgrades.  Popular bikes typically have performance parts available.  Some popular manufactures of performance parts are Malossi, Technigas, Motorio, Polini, and LeoVince.

Cooling system
Most 50cc scooters and mopeds  have an air-cooled engine.  It is inexpensive and works well on small engines.  High performance 50cc scooters and larger displacement scooters tend to have water cooled engines.  These are more expensive to build and maintain.  They provide more power and longer life.  This is because the engine temperature fluctuates less and the manufacturer can make the engine parts more precise since they don't have to be able to expand and contract as much.

Displacement
The displacement of a bike will tell you how large the engine cylinder is.  For example, a 49cc engine has a piston inside its cylinder that displaces 49 cubic centimeters of fuel and air for every stroke it takes.  The larger the displacement, the bigger the engine, the faster and more powerful it is.  Most scooters are 49cc(aka 50cc) because the federal government is less restrictive on emissions and other approval requirements, and many states are don't require motorcycle licenses for these smaller engines.  Once they exceed 49 or 50cc, most states classify them as motorcycles, which brings many more regulations and expense to buying one.

Transmission
Smaller scooters and mopeds might have a single-speed transmission, which means it only has one gear.  These bikes are often only capable of going about 30 mph and tend to be the least expensive bikes available.  A two speed automatic transmission will let you accelerate a little faster and may give your more top speed potential.  The CVT, or Continuously Variable Transmission,  continously shifts gears as you speed up or slow down.  It is a rubber belt drive and you will not feel it shift gears.  This is by far the most common type of scooter transmission.  Keep in mind while shopping around that almost every scooter is automatic, whether it is single speed, two speed, or CVT.  Only a handful of scooters (which often try to look like motorcycles or old fashioned scooters) use a manual transmission.

Tire size
• HEIGHT: Taller tires will give you increased stability at high speeds.  Shorter tires will usually offer you better acceleration, cornering and control at lower speeds.
• WIDTH: Wider tires typically increase your stability at high speeds and have better corning and stopping traction.
• Most scooters have 8-12 inch tires.  8 inch is common on small Chinese bikes, 10 inch is average, and 12 inches are often found on better quality or faster bikes.  A few scooters are now available with 14-17 inch tires.  These are referred to as "high wheel" scooters by some scooter magazines.

Rims
Steel rims are a cheaper alternative to aluminum ones. However, they usually don't last as long or look as good because they are prone to rust and the paint chipping.  They are also easier to bend if you hit a pot-hole or when changing tires.  Aluminum rims are typically found on better quality bikes.

Brakes
Most commonly found on mopeds are drum brakes front and rear.  Scooters typically have disk brakes in the front and drum brakes in the rear.  This is the standard for almost all scooters, just like cars.  Cheaper bikes will have front and rear drums, and more expensive/high performance bikes will have front and rear disk brakes.   Disk brakes provide better, more controlled stopping power than drum brakes.

Warranty
In this category you get what you pay for. In general, lower end bikes come with a three month warranty. A medium to high quality bike will usually give you a six month warranty. Bikes with a superior quality have a one year warranty.  If we could give you one piece of advice when picking out a scooter it would be this: judge a bike by its warranty.

Theft Prevention
•Most theft we've seen is for joy riding.
•Bikes that are recovered generally sustain $300 - $700 in damage.
•Buy a good quality lock from Ongaurd, Masterlock, Kryptonite, or similar. Get at least a 15mm braided cable, but a chain or armoured cable is better. 6 foot is the most common length.
•Our best seller is the Onguard Rotweiler Armoured Lock for $30.00.
•Put the lock through the rear wheel, or around the frame. Lock it to a fixed object if possible, locking two bikes together is also effective.
•Alarms also work, but have a tendency to drain the small batteries on scooters.
•In short, good lock and locking your steering column will prevent most theft.

Copyright Solano Cycle, Inc. This may not be reproduced without written permission from Solano Cycle, Inc.