KymcoForum.com
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: Kansas kymco on February 12, 2020, 08:40:58 PM
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I have always owned motorcycles and currently still do. I have a pair of BMW's so if some of my old motorcycle buddies visit we could go for a ride. I think they were intimidated by the bikes. I thought I would get a couple of scooters that were less intimidating. I bought a couple of 500 xciting's and not exactly small or light weight. I took them on a long ride for a ROMEO ride and discovered how smooth and quiet they were with good wind blockage. I ended up purchasing a couple of smaller scooters the People 150 and a Lambretta uno 150 (Herchee )from a person who had them in a garage sitting unused for years. In fact the 2008 Lambretta was last tagged (number plate) in 2009. The smaller scooters are not intimidating and they will probably ride them.
Just curious what brought you to Scooters and how long have you been riding them?
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I had a lot of m/c s over the years but always wanted a scooter, so when I retired I looked into what was available. I liked the idea of the CVT running gear for around town riding as a second "car". My scoot has given me lots of miles of fun as well as a great form of cheap transportation.
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At 82 years old with a bum hip, I gave up my too tall dual purpose motorcycle for a Like 150i.
I can and will go everywhere except the interstates, and the scooter is actually more fun to ride than the motorcycle.
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Visiting Mid-Ohio VMD and Barber Vintage weekend I needed something to get around those venues. Throw it in the back of the truck and I'm good to go. Also, since there's no clutch to worry about I could carry swap meet treasures while riding - or a cup of coffee. Still on a KLR by the way.
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Interesting I owned a 2009 KLR as well. I currently own a Kawasaki Versys 650.
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It started off innocently enough. I have ridden about 60000 road bicycle miles and about 20,000 dirt bicycle miles over the last 40 years. I am very comfortable on two wheels. I decided that I wanted a cheap scooter. At the time, 2013, there were two or three really good GY6 scooter forums with lots of information (all have since died horrible public deaths due to infighting). So with the info available, I set out to find a cheap 150cc scooter. I went to Craigslist, the place to find these things at the time. For cheap (under $300), I was looking at the dregs of scooters. I was persistent, though, and kept looking and kept looking. For me, that has turned out to be the key for getting a cheap deal on a scooter. Finally, there was a virtually brand new 2013 scooter with front end damage and only 300 miles. All of the plastics were perfect
(or so I thought. Turns out there was a front fender that I never knew was there!), it started first time , but he had hit a curb and the wheel was pushed back into the wheel well. I did not know anything about scooter front ends at the time, but I knew that if the frame wasn't damaged, I could probably fix it. It came with a helmet that fit me... so for $300 I bought a scooter with title and everything.
When I got that scooter home, I started taking apart the front end. Low and behold!, this thing has a front end like a 1980's bicycle! I kid you not... ball bearing head set and everything. Only on a scooter, they call the whole thing a "triple tree". and what I saw was a bent triple tree... an easy fix if you can find a replacement. FIRST BIG CHINESE SCOOTER PROBLEM: There are no replacements. Yes, maybe for some of the more popular chinese scoots, but this one is pretty obscure. I took careful measurements and found one that was a 99% match that would work. But before purchasing, I thought I would try straightening this one. Laugh all you will, but I have a 20 ton press and I have straightend rifle barrels! The point is to bend them just past straight in the opposite direction and do this little bits at a time. With a rifle barrel, you can look down the barrel at the pattern the rifling makes and get it surprisingly exact without complicated tools. This triple tree was not much different. After just a few minutes, I was able to get it back to very, very close... close enough to ride it. I put that thing together and went and got my MC learners permit so that I could ride it legally on the road.
The interesting thing about this scooter... and maybe all 150cc class scooters... is that it has a wheelbase almost exactly like a large frame 29er. It basically is small and turns much like a bicycle. I rode this thing around my subdivision for about two months I rode until I could do figure eights in the street in the 22ft wide road in front of my house in either direction without putting a foot down. Then, I started taking it out. I am very fortunate in that the mountain twisties start a mere 4 miles from my house. What I quickly discovered is that this thing does not have the lean that a bicycle (and motorcycle) does. I would scrape the center stand. It also took a while for me to get comfortable leaning into turns at 50mph. All of my previous two wheeled adventures occured at (mostly) 25mph or less, though I did 62mph on some straight away downhills on a road bicycle! Anyway, I rode for about 2 more months, practicing all of the maneuvers that would be on my MC test. I put out rocks and practiced a slalom. I practiced the accelerate and cutaway, accelerate and fast stop... all of the stuff on the test. Then , on the fateful day, I rode 30 miles there and took the test. On this day, I went first ahead of some guy on a HUGE Harley that had failed the previous week. I offered to let him ride my scoot for the test, but he declined. His buddy was pissed because others had also offered smaller and easier to test-on bikes.
I went first, passed all of the maneuvers first time and earned my license.
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Jetta died of cancer.
Went looking for something to ride 365 here in Ohio.....which made about as much sense as driving that old Jetta so long.
Family frowned on a motorcycle for a father of 6 - but a scooter is so un-macho & so "European".
Did combat and have 6 kids - nothing left to prove to myself or anyone else.
So, this LIKE200iLX. No idea it was going to be such a good scooter.
Stig
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rdhood no laughs from me, I'm impressed you have the skills to be able to straighten it. Getting ready to tackle a winter project scooter myself if my bid is accepted. I will start another thread if/when I take it on.
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I rode a scooter on holiday in SE Asia. After using it to get nearly everywhere, I came back home and immediately got one.
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1968----as daily motorcycle rider since 1955, including new Harley (1966) factory sidecar outfit, BMW 500/Steib S350 sidecar for winter----bought my first scooter, a used Sears Vespa 125, then later as Sears was getting out of the scooter business, a vespa 125 (small frame) in the crate for $400----Later PX200 in Denver, riding it to WI without proper MC clothes=cold. When PX in Germany, getting out of scooters, new P150E for $400----All this time using motorcycles as my prime transport. 150 I liked better than 200.
1990 Japan, bought my first new Helix (Fusion in Japan market), followed by 3 more new ones---I liked them covering over 175,000 miles ----there have been Reflex/Daelim/Suzuki/Yamaha along the way.
Last spring my last motorcycle went bye bye---now only scooters, last bike was Honda CB300F, approaching 80 and now 80, My Honda SilverWing became too heavy---with the CB300F gone, bought new Kymco XTown 300i ABS (2019 model), like it, the step over and dry feet thing---if I get older/weaker, etc may try Like 150.
All in all since 1990, 11 new maxiscooters and over 400,000 miles with them----and now no motorcycle and maybe hips like scooters....this is where I am right now....still daily rider.
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I started riding scooters in Rome. Gas was expensive and cars are hard to park in the city. A scooter can fit in most spaces and go down one way streets going in the wrong direction fairly easily :). I have ridden a Kawasaki Ninja before, but my back was getting sore from bending over the tank all the time. I like the ease and simplicity of a CVT transmission on a scooter. When I returned back to the United States I just kept riding scooters by buying a Kymco 300. I wanted the Honda 300SH, but they wouldn't offer it over here. I was very happy with the 300 gti and I love my current 400i. If Kymco were to offer the People 300 People S in the United States, I would definitely get another one.
Dean
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Jetta died of cancer.
Went looking for something to ride 365 here in Ohio.....which made about as much sense as driving that old Jetta so long.
Family frowned on a motorcycle for a father of 6 - but a scooter is so un-macho & so "European".
Did combat and have 6 kids - nothing left to prove to myself or anyone else.
So, this LIKE200iLX. No idea it was going to be such a good scooter.
Stig
When I was younger Scooters were not what I was interested in. I rode a Enduro from when I turned 14 and got a license. Back then Japanese bikes were frowned upon from the HD crowd. Like you I didn't care and I had a blast. I still own some dual sports (Enduro). I was surprised when I rode my first maxi-scooter at how smooth and quiet it was. Now my neighbor a HD owner is considering a scooter because of bad knees and his wife has a bad hip that make getting on a bike difficult.
My Dad use to have a saying ( I'll give a dam what people think when they start paying the bills).
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Wanted a high fuel economy, simple engine that I could build and maintain on my own, with a short learning curve to ride that would let me join my family and friends on their motorcycles.
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Just wanted to feel the wind while I’m holding handlebars. After I sold my previous bike I realized life is way too boring without handlebars.
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All my scooters have been purchased for the convenience of commuting. My first one (50cc) was way back in 1989 while at University. It was the cheapest way to get around as a student. In 2005 I moved to Cape Town in South Africa and purchased a 150cc which I drove for 5 years. Now back in New Zealand and I've graduated to 300cc. I'm doing 100km a day commuting to and from work and loving every minute of it.
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Sold the car and bought my XT300i as my day to day transport. No regrets!
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I owned a number of Triumphs and Harleys over the years but I also always had a Vespa or Beverly for the quick run to the post office or bakery.
At some point... your garage can only hold so many... and you can only ride one at a time.
I sold everything... but missed something big enough for two... but sporty enough to ride alone.
Then.. I just happened to go by a Kymco dealer...and got the AK 550.
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I owned a number of Triumphs and Harleys over the years but I also always had a Vespa or Beverly for the quick run to the post office or bakery.
At some point... your garage can only hold so many... and you can only ride one at a time.
I sold everything... but missed something big enough for two... but sporty enough to ride alone.
Then.. I just happened to go by a Kymco dealer...and got the AK 550.
Then you have the fools that when the garage fills up go out and purchase a storage shed, on my way to Hutchison right now to look at another storage shed.
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Then you have the fools that when the garage fills up go out and purchase a storage shed, on my way to Hutchison right now to look at another storage shed.
Not to be a WA, but do you have any runners in that lot?
Stig
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I have been riding motorcycles for a long time but around 10 years ago I decided to get a scooter for around town commuting to save miles on my truck. I wanted something small, practical, inexpensive and fun to ride. I got a 2009 Kymco Super 8 150. It was a blast to ride and I ended up using it for more than just riding around town. I took it to the TN and NC mountains and rode the twisty roads there including the dragon. I even did a 5 day tour on and around the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Soon after buying the Super 8 I bought an Aprilia Sport City 250 for two up riding and longer trips. I eventually replaced it with a Yamaha Majesty.
I sold the Super 8 last year with over 33,000 miles on it. My current small scooter is a Like 150i.
I still own a motorcycle and intend to buy a small dual sport motorcycle in the near future but since I got into scooting I have been riding them more than my motorcycles.
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Not to be a WA, but do you have any runners in that lot?
Stig
Then only one that doesn't run is my project Kymco 250S. All the rest run great and are in mint condition with some as low as 2k miles up to 6k miles. The project People shows a little over 6k miles but when they changed the belt they didn't tighten the nut that holds the variator properly and it chewed up the spline on the crankshaft. The two 150's were bought by a couple and used one year before being stored away in a garage. The 150 Kymco carburetor was so bad I had to replace. The Lambretta I got buy with a good cleaning and of course new batteries. The 500's were owned by a couple in KC that were low mileage and had sit for a couple of years. Again with the the carburetor cleaning and replacement of the batteries. The 250 xciting was my first scooter and bought from a dealer as a left over.
I take turns riding them on a trip to exercise them except with all the cold weather. If someone that rides from out of town shows up there is always a pair to take on a ride. I use a yellow post it note to indicate when the last time it was rode with the date on it stuck to the handle bars.
You don't know if you don't ask.
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Stig I thought about a couple of BMW 650 scooters but can't justify their 12,800 price tag for occasional riding. The Kymco's are a bargin price wise and good solid machines.
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Klaviator What are you looking at for dual sport, just curious.
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Not to be a WA, but do you have any runners in that lot?
Stig
Just curious why would you think they were non-operational?
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Just curious why would you think they were non-operational?
I've never come across anyone who had 5 Kymco scooters.
And, you only registered here last summer - so still think of you as a new guy.
Thought maybe you were running a recycle center for busted K's, or a chop-shop in Jersey for a gang of misfits with no foreheads 😊...as in the movies.
Your experience is very welcome, in any case.
Regards, Stig
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You ought to see my motorcycle collection, at least they are all fuel injected. That's why the garage is full. LOL
Never been to Jersey although I did go to Cumberland Marland to pick up a BMW Scarver last year with only 3k on the clock.
If I run across a good deal it's hard to pass up. Just seen a 2008 Kymco Grandvista for sale that was part of a estate with only 28 actual miles on it but they are asking to much. The People 250S will be breaking new ground for me in the fact I've never split a case on a motor to change a crankshaft.
I tried to post a picture of it but they said the file was to large so I will have to work on that. I will try to get a picture of the other Kymco's as well in the storage facility with battery tenders on them. That's why I want a shed to not have to pay a storage facility and have them closer to home.
The Lambretta uno 150 is actually a Herchee another Taiwanese company.