I've often toyed with the concept of owning a nippy moped what with their cheap insurance, high mpg, low maintenance and easy parking, not to mention low VED.
Has anyone got any practical advice to impart regarding which manufacturer makes the best moped and whether a 2 stroke or 4 stroke is best or air or water cooled is quicker, more economical, quieter etc,etc.
thanks
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Not quite sure on the licencing now days though go for a 125, you can ride that on a car licence (though might need a one off training course), a 50cc scooter these days is restricted to 30mph, dangerous in moving traffic where as a 125 will do 70mph.
4 stokes are more economical, dont require the additional 2 stroke oil, longer lasting and less smelly (though I like the 2 stroke smell). Where as a 2 stroke might feel more perky.
Yamaha are IMO the best finished of the mainsteam bikes these days though their scooters are not all made in Japan, some are made by MBK (in Italy IIRC) and badged as Yamaha and are relatively poorly finished. Ask a dealer which ones are made in Japan, likewise with Honda.
I rode an MBK made Yamaha 125 recently and it performed very well, good brakes and handling for a scooter though as I say the finish was not as good as the Yamaha made bikes
Peugeot and Aprilia are worth a look.
There are of course cheap Chinese scooters and small bikes available, look on eBay, though you get what you pay for.
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If you already have a full car driving licence, then you may have full moped and provisional motorcycle entitlement already. This allows you to legally ride a moped (up to 50cc and 30mph), without completing CBT.
However, CBT should be mandatory even for 50cc, as it really is essential basic training.
But ... I'd also agree about going for a 125 if you can. If you're happy to ride a 125 on L plates, then all you need is CBT (which lasts 2 years, giving you plenty of time to do the test).
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PS. You didn't say if you've riden a moped before. Most place which do CBT training will lend you the bike as part of the deal, so if you fancy a taster it would be a cheap way to have a go.
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Kevin Ash, who seems to me to know what he's talking about, did a couple of articles on scooters in Telegraph Motoring:
www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motorbikes/2753638/Bu...l
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My advise would be to go for the biggest engine you can legally ride, a 125cc without a bike test, and the biggest wheels available.
I have ridden a 50cc scooter and have never felt so vulnerable. It was a truly terrifying experience. The small wheels made it feel very unstable and there was not enough power to get you out of the gutter. (And it's not that I have no sense of balance, I have ridden proper bikes for years and can, if asked, ride a unicycle !)
In my day a 50cc moped could do 55mph (My AP50 could) and were styled like proper bikes with big wheels. If you want weather protection go for something like the modern equivalent of a Honda C90 which has the leg shields but with big wheels.
Also it's better to buy a second-hand model from one of the big manufacturers from a proper bike shop than a brand new chinese clone from the local garden centre.
The CBT course is very informative, pay attention and listen hard, it could save your life.
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I would advise against the cheap scooters that are now available from China.
I suspect that the materials used and engineering tolerances are not up to Japapnese standards and their useful life-span will be limited.
In addition I feel the quality of tyres will be below par and the last thing you want on a two-wheeler is poor tyres. In addition I feel that the finish of all the parts will be inferior and the bike will look tatty after only a short time.
I'm a great Honda fan but the only 50cc that seems to be available is the awful looking Zoomer.
However Yamaha have a good range of 50cc scooters and Peugeot and the Italians produce some nice models.
I would always go for a 4 stroke motor for reliability, clean exhaust, quietness and ease of use. I feel that water-cooling is a bit OTT on such a small engine and must add to weight and expense.
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I agree with Stackman, I'd avoid 50cc scooters like the plague... you are far too vulnerable and unlike pushbikes you can't get out of the way as easily - the 90/100cc stuff is ok, though you'll need CBT training - I'd recomend that even if you were only riding the 50cc things - they teach a lot more than just staying upright!
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I fully agree with the comments about going to 125cc. A few years ago I tried a 50cc moped. Dreadfully underpowered and rather cramped feeling. The power to weight ratio is so bad that if you are over 10 stone you impact on performance significantly. Also if you are over about 5' 9" thay are too small to get comfortable. Some people offer to tune them but then they are a) no longer mopeds and b) the insurance premium increases. So go 125cc!
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I rode a Suzuki AP50 from my house in Wandsworth into the City (about 8 miles), 5 days a week for 4 years.
Generally it was rush hour/s, so no open roads, just filtering/hacking. Perfect for those conditions and no CBT required.
If you have open A roads to deal with you probably need something bigger.
Mine ate spark plugs for some reason.
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I too have looked into it, and everyone said don't get a 50cc, they're lethally slow (and noisy). Get a 125cc 4 smoke.
You can a £600 chinese Boatian Tommy etc... to a £4k Aprilia rs125
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If you have a few years experience behind the wheel, combined with the general topic of less than perfect driving which is discussed on here, why mess about with a moped ? Go the whole hog, get some proper training, get a proper bike and enjoy making progress without too much expense.
As someone in this thread has pointed out, a brand new Aprilia 125 costs about the same as an 18-24month old 600cc sports bike...OK, this may not be your cup of tea but bikes are not expensive after twelve months.
Edited by gmac on 15/10/2008 at 23:07
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Hi skorpio,
I have also been considering this - I grow very tired of giving the government lots of tax and then hearing Mr Brown tell the Oil Companies to pass on savings, when all he needs to do is pop next door and slap Mr Darling on the wrist, and get him to cut Duty. (Is it possibly he has forgotted how this works in such short a time?)
Anyway, you don't say how old you are, or when you passed your car test. This affects wither or not you can ride a 50cc scooter with or without a CBT.
As has been said, do the CBT, builds confidence and lets you know if it really is for you. Don't forget that no matter what you pay for the scooter, or 125cc learner bike, you need to keep in mind safety gear - best quality helmet you can get, proper trousers and jacket with body armour in the right places, some places offer 'starter' combos around £300 which will get you going, but if you catch the bug, and have the available money, the sky can be the limit.
Consider doing the CBT on a manual bike, as far as I know, it doesn't impact your decision to drive a scooter later and you might find the increased options when buying appeal to you.
If the Japanese models don't appeal, I found these,
tinyurl.com/3hkv3b
or
tinyurl.com/5yhmkk
Big wheels and 125s for both. ( I'm chunky and six feet tall, I know a 50cc scoot won't get me to work with ease.)
Good luck and enjoy. There is a web site for scooters which have a published magazine as well (search for twistngo) you should find loads of stuff there to help.
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Every morning about 7.15am our neighbourhood is disturbed by a bloke who must be 20 stone trying to get up our 1 in 10 street on a 50cc moped. For the noise generated he should be doing about 70mph (!), he's actually doing about 15!
50cc is great for dodging traffic jams, on the open road they are great for causing them!
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Many thanks for the input MrW and everyone else who replied.
I've held a full car licence for over 20 years so could ride a bigger machine than a 50cc, but I just like the idea of a cheap way of motoring whilst enjoying the freedom of a lightweight bike that's easy to park.
I am more used to cycling to work so the transition to a moped seems to make sense. I would only be travelling on B roads all of which are 30mph limits and usually fairly slow going with morning & evening rush hour traffic. I would occasionally do a longer journey on quiet lanes. I agree safety is paramount (I've had enough near misses on the bicycle to know that!) so I would go with the hi-vis jacket and full face helmet.
I did read on a moped/scooter website last night that some companies can de-restrict them but then they are not classed as mopeds. I guess that would have implications for insurance.
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Strangely the 50cc jobs as well as being dreadfully slow are also not as economical as the 4 stroke 125s which tend to have 90/125mpg and are as cheap to service and buy as the mopeds. The extra power of a 125 (or 90/100cc) bike over a 50cc moped is very noticable even at sub 30mph - you can get the "racing bike" style 50cc stuff (think Aprilla do one) but I feel that they are only really suited to young kids and anyhow who wants to have to change gear 5 times to get to 30mph?!
Edited by b308 on 16/10/2008 at 14:45
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>>I am more used to cycling to work
No-one else has mentioned that you'll freeze from about this time of year.
On a push bike, at least you're generating some heat.
On a scooter, or anything motorised, you're sitting there, doing nothing, in a 30MPH airstream!
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Hi Skorpio,
I'd totally reiterate what has been said about mopeds- they're slow and potentially dangerous as they really struggle to keep up with the traffic and this gives rise to some very dodgy overtaking (everyone is so impatient). I currently ride 125 Vespa, and even on that I feel a bit vulnerable sometimes and feel the need for more power (I'm looking to buy a bike at the moment, trying to find the right one). I have a full bike licence, but chose the Vespa for reasons of economy. A 50cc would be cheaper, but not much in reality. My Vespa does about 80mpg, costs peanuts to tax and insure and is very reliable. I'd forget mopeds and look out a nice 125- lots out there. I'll mention cheekily that as I'm moving up to a bike, I'll be selling mine soon (I'm in SE London).
Agreed re Chinese made scooters- cheap, but consider as disposable. Pay £500, expect it to be dead in 18 months to 2 years. Happened to a friend with a 125 cruiser.
TOTALLY agree re the gear. Buy a good quality jacket & trousers (waterproof & with removable lining). Helmet-wise, a decent full-face is best, although I use a Roof Boxer, which can be full-face and open- find as I ride through traffic full-face tends to steam up as not enough airflow. And good quality winter and summer gloves!
Most of all, take a test ride, see what you think.
HTH,
Alex.
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I second the comments about getting a 125. As well as the extra turn of speed you get noticeably better economy - main reason being that a 50 is running pretty much flat out the whole time.
Case in point - before I did DAS I had a 50cc Kymco Cobra and at the time my Dad had a 125cc Kymco (can't recall the model name). He is about a stone heavier than me - but his machine was achieving nearly 100 mpg whereas mine could not better 78 mpg.
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