firedude
On the road
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Joined: 01/21/2003
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That's pretty cool Larry. My partner on the coast has one on his Road King and it easily moves back and forth between the car. All it takes is a set of handlebars or a little imagination.
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jharrelson
Carson City, Nevada
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Joined: 01/01/2003
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First... I love motorcycles and scooters, so this is NOT a "put-down" on buying a scooter.. it's just something to think about before buying a scooter..
I been riding motorcycles and scooters since 1957... all sizes, shapes and engines... they are great fun ... I have been all over America on a motorcycle.. from coast to coast and border to border..
.... BUT.... no scooter or motorcycle is practical for anything except having fun..
Lets take a closer look at a popular brand of scooter... the "VESPAR".
The "Vespar" scooter cost between $2500.00 and $3500.00... thats a lot of money for most people.
Now for the "the Good,the Bad and the Ugly... 
The GOOD
> gas mileage is fantastic
> maneuvering in traffic is great
> parking is easy
> it can be carried in or on your RV rig... like in a PU truck bed
The BAD
> you cannot do the monthly or even a weekly grocery shopping with a scooter.... how would carry all that food ?
> if you take a side trip with your scooter while on vacation and see things you would like to bring home ... clothes, hats, souvenirs, etc...
can you carry those things back to the RV on your scooter ?
> Scooters, like motorcycles, must have a license tag and insurance to ride on a public street in most places.
In some states a "Moped" does not require this.. but some states do, so check on the laws of the state where you will travel.
> the driver must have a motorcycle/scooter endorsement on their drivers license.
once again a Moped MAY have this requirement in some states
> Both driver and passenger must buy and wear a helmet when riding .. (a good helmet cost over a hundred dollars) Many states have a helmet law that also applies to Mopeds..
the UGLY
> Maneuvering in traffic is great ... but extremely dangerous.. most drivers simply do see a scooter, moped or motorcycle and will pull out in front of you...
> Parking in a regular parking space is legal... but can be ugly when a car whips into what at first appeared to be an empty parking space..
> The typical Scooter or Moped can be easily lifted into the back of a pickup truck and be gone in less than 30 seconds.. so make sure you carry a super strong chain that is long enough to secure it to a light pole or other stout and permanent fixture.
Now... on the other hand
I bought my second hand 1993 Mitsubishi Mighty Max truck for $2500.00 back in 2002.
I paid cash... thus no monthly payments ... and it runs great....
> It has a 4 cylinder engine and gets about 27 mpg (+-)
> I don't need a helmet to drive it
> I don't need a motorcycle endorsement to drive it
> It is easy to maneuver in traffic
> it is easy to park in the typical parking space
> I can carry a whole month's worth of groceries in it
> It has a manual tranny, so it tows behind a motor home without any special equipment except a simple "V" shaped tow bar.
> Oh... did I mention that it has air conditioning..
STOP !!! wait.... go back and read my very first sentence...
I LOVE SCOOTERS AND MOTORCYCLES... I am not trying to discourage anyone from getting one.... I simply want to show the realistic and practical side to owning a scooter...
Scooters and motorcycles are definitely fun...
John Harrelson
Carson City, Nevada
fulltime since 1977
93 Ford 350 4wd Diesel
95 Prowler 30.5 ft 5th wheel w/slide
TWO CENTS WORTH
The story goes that a man died and was approached by the Devil who told him that he could buy his soul back for a dollar. The man searched his pockets and could only come up with 98 cent. While begging the Devil to forget the two cent he was short, an Angel happened by and hearing the Devil laughing, asked the man, "Would you mind if I put in my two cents ?" The Devil got so mad that he exploded in a puff of smoke and the man's soul was saved.
The moral: Sometimes putting in your two cents worth makes a difference.
JOHN "the cook" 1997
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wandering mike
Texas Gulf coast
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Joined: 01/23/2005
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Does anyone know if they make a trailer for scooters? I have one for my bicycle, but it isn't up to what is needed for a scooter at even 35 or 40 mph. And yet even a harbor freight tiny one or a regular motorcycle trailer seems bigger than I would want. Just musing......
Wandering Mike
Coachmen Class C - 22 RK - Full Time
Mazda Miata Toad
Bike Friday
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Serena
US
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Joined: 01/12/2008
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I just use an aluminum bike hauler. Works fine.
Park on the sidewalk in front of the store.
The license, insurance, and helmet laws don't apply to most states. As long as you're under 50cc and the state considers it a moped, federal law prohibits most hassles like that. CA may be a whole other deal. If you look at most of the dealer sites, they make a big point of telling you which models are allowed in CA due to all the emissions restrictions there.
One caveat - do NOT do biz with x-tremescooters.com. It's an x-treme ripoff. Underpowered, overpriced, unsafe, and they may not deliver anything in working condition at all - not that they'd be worth a dime if they did work. These are not roadworthy bikes at all. Check it out at www.ripoffreport.com. (For that matter, check out just about anything there before you spend. It's no accident that the same companies are reported there again and again. I have no connection to the site or its owners, I just appreciate them.)
Serena
I Know Where I Been, Cuz I Was There When I Went.
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countryside2007
utah
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Joined: 07/17/2007
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I just got a 150cc milano delivered to the front driveway 2 months ago for $921.00, registration was $28.00 and insurance for the year was $108.00 it has a 1.5 gallon tank and I can go 145 miles. I ride it now for everything. to work is 5 miles one way. I run all errands, pay bills, post office, bank and grocery shop with it. with the small trunk and a canvas bag and bungee I can get 2 bags groceries and a gallon of milk. It's been costing me just a little over $7.00 a week in gas (this includes just riding for fun because it is so much fun to ride) this versus the over $70.00 a week in gas in my Durango looks pretty good to me, I don't ride it on the hwy as I am afraid of the diesel trucks and we have a lot running the hwy in our area, but for running around town its great.
Him and Me
06 Dodge drw
06 Crossroads Zinger (searching for our dream fw)
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davelinde
Freehold, New Jersey
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Joined: 11/02/2003
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countryside2007 wrote:I just got a 150cc milano delivered to the front driveway 2 months ago for $921.00
That's the kind of scooter and price I had in mind. Who was selling it for that? My quick googling found most 150cc models at least 50% more than that, usually double? Maybe there's more than one brand of "milano" model though
Dave Lindemulder
Tammy, Mark & Kirsten
04 Dodge 2500 4x4 SLT QC/SB
HO-CTD/48RE - Graphite: Raptor SS nerfs, Prodigy, Reese 16K Kwik-slide, BD X-Monitor, PML Trans pan, PML Diff cover, Firestone Airbags
09 Heartland Cyclone 3210
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ronharp
Apache Junction, AZ
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Joined: 06/02/2002
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You can haul more than groceries with this.
Ron
firedude
* This post was
edited 07/05/08 01:31pm by an administrator/moderator *
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ronharp
Apache Junction, AZ
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Joined: 06/02/2002
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Thank You kind sir!
I used to know how to do that, but then, I used to know a lot of things that don't seem to be in my head any more. lol
That rig would get me about 32-34 mpg. "All" my buddies were in the upper 30's to mid 40 mpg with theirs. That little doggie hauler had a good cover with velcro window coverings so Mommy could control the air flow for Mac. It also had a raincoat, also with velcro window coverings. Every time we stopped, he could tell when we were getting ready to go and race to the trailer and give a couple of barks to hurry up. lol Our tent was in the trailer. Some had pop-ups which we bought a couple of years later. They were a lot quicker set up than the tent. Only a little different than the current MH.
Ron
Ron, Linda and Charlie Dog
MADP 4301
Grand Cherokee Toad
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countryside2007
utah
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Joined: 07/17/2007
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Davelinde,
I just did a google search for gas scooters, The place I bought mine was right way ATV, They have the Milano 150 listed now for $1057.00 which is just a little more than I paid for mine. here's the link then just click on Street scooterslink
hope this helps (and there site does still say shipped free to your front door)
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sctusa
Carrabelle, Fl.
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Joined: 07/07/2003
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Triker33 wrote:Serena wrote:In a car, you can mount your GPS on the dash.
On a scoot, it's in your bag or pocket - not so great for getting signal.
A GPS mounts on a two wheeler just fine. And has a better look at the satellites for a signal then a car with a metal roof does.
I have the same SP on my Harley. Works just great...
Scott
2005 Dodge 3500 4X2 HO CTD Dually 6 Speed
2005 Springdale 266RELL GL
Reese HP Dual Cam
Prodigy BC
2 Honda EU2000i's
2 Lifeline 31 Series AGM 12V RV Batts
2006 Harley XL1200R
SP 2610 GPS
26" Samsung LCD HD TV
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