Choosing a Scooter

After deciding I wanted a scooter to replace my car, the first step was to get educated. I did not know a damn thing about scooters before then and I was not about to drop a few thousand dollars on something completely foreign to me. So I turned to the internet, researching brands and models. Scooter discussion boards, like the International New Scooter BBS proved extremely valuable at helping me narrow down where and how to shop, what to look for, and what to avoid.

First I determined my needs. This scooter was to replace my car as my singular method of transportation, which meant it had to withstand daily riding. It also had to be able to maintain Los Angeles surface street speeds, which, when not rush hour, could average as much as 50 mph on the big roads. It had to be able to reliably carry two passengers (myself and the girlfriend) at reasonable speeds. Since I have pretty much no mechanical knowledge, I had to have either dealer support or know of a shop that could work on my scooter. The scooter had to be light and maneuverable to get through the parking lot that is Los Angeles traffic.

And finally, though not technically a necessity but enough of a requirement in my mind, it had to be stylish. I prefer the vintage looks of Vespas and Lambrettas over the quasi-motorcycle stylings of some modern scooters (though it is personal preference). And while vintage will always win out for style in my mind, I also like a lot of the modern retro-styled scooters.

My criteria, then, were basically quality and style. I had to have both. Price would be nice, but that was the department I was willing to sacrifice for a stylish, quality scooter.

I suppose the biggest decision was whether to go with a vintage or modern scooter. Since this is my first scooter, and since I don't yet know how to work on scooters, and since I'd need a reliable daily riding machine, I opted for modern. Style does take a hit their, but since I like a bunch of retro scooters, it's wasn't much of a loss. This also removed the danger in buying a poorly restored potential death trap. Let me just say now, however, that if the Vespa PX150 or the Stella were legal in California (they're not because of California's stricter CARB emissions regulations) I would have gotten one of those hands down. They are basically newly-produced vintage scooters.

Next was determining the engine displacement size. Scooter engines in the United States typically come in two sizes 50cc - which can often qualify as a moped (significant for licensing and insurance issues depending on the state) and will optimistically have max speeds of about 40-45 mph, and 150cc - which has a max speed of generally around 65 or 70 mph. The advantage of the 50cc is, of course, that it's cheaper. My need to ride comfortably at at least 45 mph and to ride with a passenger (at whatever speed) made getting a 150cc engine a necessity. There was an exception to this however - the Yamaha Vino 125, which has a 125cc engine. That's not enough to go on the freeways (minimum is 150cc), but enough to get around town comfortably.

I was only going to buy a name brand scooter - no cheap junkers - that a local dealer or scooter shop could support. This meant no internet sale brands like Bandit or Baron (this isn't even considering the possibility that these low-cost scoots are low-quality, though they are competely EPA/DOT and California legal).

So with this in mind (quality, support, a style I liked), I was left with a select few choices (prices based on local dealers):

Vespa GT200: 200cc automatic, out-the-door price (MSRP + dealer fees + registration + tax) around $6000
Pros: Beautiful scooter, plenty of power, Vespa brand name quality, steal frame
Cons: Really big so harder to maneuver, possibly too much power for a novice rider, really expensive

Vespa ET4: 150cc automatic, OTD price around $5000
Pros: Good style though not as good as the GT200, Vespa brand name quality, steal frame
Cons: Price

Vespa LX 150: 150cc automatic, same engine as the ET4, but this model is replacing the ET for 2006. OTD price around $5100.
Pros: Best looking scooter in my opinion - looks like a mini GT, Vespa brand name quality, steal frame
Cons: Price

Piaggio LT 150: 150cc automatic, same engine as LX and ET, but with plastic body and slightly more modern design. OTD price around $4200.
Pros: Price, Piaggio quality (same company that owns the Vespa brand)
Cons: Not as wild about the body design, would rather have a Vespa

Kymco People 150: 150cc automatic, body design similar to the LT. OTD price less than $4000. (They also have a 250cc People, but I don't like the looks of it much at all.)
Pros: Solid quality at the best price value. Backed by a great dealer
Con: Don't like the body design as much as the Vespas.

Yamaha Vino 125: 125cc automatic scooter, OTD price around $3500.
Pros: Good quality. Good price. Good design.
Con: 125cc might not be quite enough power. Also the body is pretty small.

Aprilia Mojito Custom 150: 150cc automatic, I believe it has the same engine as the ET/LX/LT (Aprilia was recently acquired by Piaggio), OTD price of $4200
Pros: Good quality. Nice looking scooter. Good price.
Con: Only found sold at a "powersports" dealer who didn't seem to care much for the scooters. It seems like a lot of motorcycle shops that "happen" to carry motorcycles are like that. Also, Aprilia is apparently going through some rough times so parts supplies and customer support are not assured.

Bajaj Chetak: 150cc manual with an all-metal body and vintage design. OTD price of $3400.
Pros: Solid reputaion (Bajaj used to manufacture scooters for Vespa). Good (though not great) vintage design. Great price.
Con: Manual transmission (though I'd be more than willing to learn manual, it's less convenient in stop-and-go traffic), I couldn't find a dealer in my area until a week ago when I found Burbank Kawasaki. If I had found this dealership sooner, I may have actually gone with this route to maintain a vintage feel.

So after checking out all of these models, I decided to go with my top picks in quality and looks and opted for the Vespa LX 150. Though it came at a premium cost, it was certainly worth it to me. 6 weeks and 1300 miles later, I don't regret my decision at all. It's been putting up quite well with the abuse I've been subjecting it to. My only gripe (and it's a small one) is that I didn't get the color I originally wanted, which was the light blue. I had put a deposit down with the dealer to reserve it, and the dealer called me in when they got their first shipment of two blue LX 150's. I headed over right away to make sure I had it, but when I got there the dealer found that the shipping invoice was mistaken and that they had in fact received one LX 150 and one LX 50. The 150 was already ear-marked for a customer who had paid the full amount. Not wanting to wait a month for the next shipment, I opted for the red instead, which is still a gorgeous color and shouldn't warrant much complaint.

And We're Off - Why I Scoot

First post in a new blog. Though I already have a couple of other blogs, about drinking stories and about everything else in my life, I thought I'd start one on my latest hobby of scootering.

A little background on me first of all. I'm 23. Having been raised in the Seattle area, I'm now living in the city of Los Angeles. I work as a graphic designer, which I'm learning is a rather common thing in the scooter community since the style seems to attract artsy folk.

I ride a Vespa LX150, red, which I purchased from Vespa Sherman Oaks July 15, 2005. It's my first scooter and except for a very little bit of riding I did when I was maybe 12 or 13 on a scooter, a moped, and a small dirt bike, I had never ridden before I took the scoot out of the boutique that day. (Needless to say, it made for a very terrifying, yet exhilirating, first ride.)

I'd always liked scooters, but had never put too much thought into owning one myself until this year. I'd say that started Memorial Day weekend with a day trip down to San Diego with my girlfriend. Walking into the Vespa boutique on University, we were both smitten by their stylishness. Leaving the store, we both talked about how great it would be to own one, but I hadn't really thought seriously about it until a few weeks later when I discovered that my car, after bringing it in for a bit of routine maintenance, needed about a thousand dollars of work on it. Considering that I paid about $3000 for my car, putting in $1000 in repairs didn't quite seem worth it to me.

The alternative then was to get another car... or look into getting a scooter.

It almost seemed like my car's nearing demise coinciding with my recent attraction to the Vespa scooters was a sign of sorts. The conditions all seemed right. With oil prices skyrocketing, I could save on gas. And while that in and of itself isn't enough of an economic incentive, getting rid of my car and insuring only a scooter would save hundreds of dollars as well. The thing would practically pay for itself! I wouldn't need a car anyways - my girlfriend and two roommates each have their own car, and being young I don't have any kids that I need to take to soccer games. I could save time on my commute. I wouldn't have to worry about parking every day (which is an issue in my neighborhood). Plus the weather in L.A. begs for open air transportation. Whereas in places like New York or Seattle, the riding season would be limited by rain, snow, and cold, Los Angeles is sunny year round. On the off days when it is actually to rainy to ride, I can take the bus - paying for public transportation with all the money I've already saved. Furthermore, a recent move in May out of the Valley and into Los Feliz (eastern Hollywood), made my commute to work (in Beverly Hills) completely devoid of freeways.

The more I thought about it, the more owning a scooter simply made sense.

And now if anyone wants to buy a '93 Acura Integra with nearly 200k miles on it, shoot me an email.

Next Up: Choosing the Scoot