Scooter advice

[bodminman]

Hi there,

A new job means getting an additional mode of transport as I'll now be working 20 miles in the opposite direction from where the missus works. I won't go into the ins and outs of this but if we were to stick with the one car, I'd end up spending nearly 2 hours a day driving which is not what I want.

Anyway, we have decided that I should get a scooter for the normal daily commute of around 18 miles and then only share the car when the weather isn't good.

So firstly, do any of you peeps commute on a scooter? And secondly I'm looking at a Sym Jet Euro scooter on a 56 plate. It is taxed and tested and has been serviced regularly and has only done 4k miles! I think this is all great for £365 and looking the web parts etc are available and cheap too.

Does anyone have any opinion of the Sym scooters?

Thanks in advance.

[Chris_Cook]

I recently got a scooter (nearly a month ago now). I got a Honda PCX new on zero % finance. I don't go very far (about 4 miles each way). I would recommend taking a test ride before buying, make sure it runs ok and that the brakes etc work. It sounds like you've done your research though which is good.

What sort of roads are you going on? You might find a 50cc is a little underpowered, but if its only local roads, then you probably won't need to go very fast. Its nice to have the extra power of a 125 though.

You might want to think about reliability, what will you do if and when it goes wrong? Also, if your not going through a dealer, it would be good to do one of those background info checks to see if its stolen or written off.

[EduTech]

I remember having a Sym Jet Euro scooter when i was like 16! i never actually done my CBT by the time someone robbed it and decided it would look better being out of my back garden and in a ditch somewhere!..

In the end i just used public transport until i could learn to drive lol!

But from what i used of the scooter, it was very good!

James.

P.S. Be Safe when on you scooter! we all know how some road users seem to head for motorcyclists.

[laserblazer]

I don't think the "Chinese" scooter/motorbikes have much of a reputation for reliability. A lad I know bought a new SYM 10 plate and that is already causing him grief. I'd be inclined to look at a better known name, there are some good deals and the residual is going to be much better. @Hightower posted about this a while ago http://www.geton.co.uk/content/whats-it-all-about

[DAZZD88]

Well I haven't used a scooter for commuting but have used my ZX-6R and I find that if I use the dual carriageway I can nip through traffic like a right smug (insert expletive). Most fo the time however I commute using the back-roads, where there is no traffic or generally very little. Peronally I've thought about getting a scooter due to running costs being so low but don't really think it'd be worth it for me unless I got rid of either the car or the bike.

[bodminman]

I recently got a scooter (nearly a month ago now). I got a Honda PCX new on zero % finance. I don't go very far (about 4 miles each way). I would recommend taking a test ride before buying, make sure it runs ok and that the brakes etc work. It sounds like you've done your research though which is good.

What sort of roads are you going on? You might find a 50cc is a little underpowered, but if its only local roads, then you probably won't need to go very fast. Its nice to have the extra power of a 125 though.

You might want to think about reliability, what will you do if and when it goes wrong? Also, if your not going through a dealer, it would be good to do one of those background info checks to see if its stolen or written off.

I wanted to get a cheap as chips job to make sure all is well. If I find that I like this scooter business then I'll definately look at getting a new one. At the mo if anything does go wrong then I'll have to do the silly milage in the car for a period. Not the end of the world though.

It'll only be used on local roads.

[pshuttle]

I don't think the "Chinese" scooter/motorbikes have much of a reputation for reliability. [/url]

Actually Chinese motorbikes are excellent when it comes to reliability. Whilst the initial build quality is often not amazing, the reliability and longevity of the equipment is. My father has a Chinese 125 scooter and has been driving it for three or four years now and the mechanicals are a direct copy of a popular Honda model. Certainly he has had absolutely no problems with the scooter and yet it only cost him four hundred pounds imported on ebay.

People are often quick to put down Chinese based items, but I have found over the years of buying RC Model electronics and Airsoft components (and even military clothing), that the products and services are excellent, particularly for the money.

[laserblazer]

Actually Chinese motorbikes are excellent when it comes to reliability. Whilst the initial build quality is often not amazing, the reliability and longevity of the equipment is. My father has a Chinese 125 scooter and has been driving it for three or four years now and the mechanicals are a direct copy of a popular Honda model. Certainly he has had absolutely no problems with the scooter and yet it only cost him four hundred pounds imported on ebay.

People are often quick to put down Chinese based items, but I have found over the years of buying RC Model electronics and Airsoft components (and even military clothing), that the products and services are excellent, particularly for the money.

Sorry but I'm only going by my own experience. Many of these bikes are brought in by "Fred in a Shed" operations and as you say, the build quality is poor. It doesn't matter how good the individual components are, if they fall off then that surely is poor reliability. I've also looked at forums and reviews and for every one person who says how good they are, there are two who have tales of things going wrong, dealers not wanting to know and parts hard to come by.

[pshuttle]

dealers not wanting to know and parts hard to come by.

I am sorry, I am not sure what you mean here. The majority of models that are being imported from China are exactly the same but under a different brand, also most mechanical parts can be bought direct from Honda for these scooters as they are direct copies. Admittedly, one cannot expect the same support as you would expect from a leading brand, but that is why you are only paying a quarter of the price.