Am I lost? Learn me scooters...

Are scooters even allowed to be talked about here?

Long story short, I bought SWMBO a Chinese electric pit bike scooter years ago and she loves it. I've been thinking it would be nice to "upgrade" her to a real scooter. I know she like the classic looks of a good Vespa, but has zero idea what a Vespa actually is.

I know she doesn't have a motorcycle license, and doesn't want one. The ride to work is ~4 miles each way, all on 2 lane roads, 45MPH max speed limit (and most are 35). Electric would be awesome, but not opposed to a gas.

IIRC the law was 50CC or less = no MC endorsement?

Anyway, any help or advice is greatly appreciated. I tend to crash anything with less than four wheels almost immediately, so my knowledge is precisely nil.

49cc AND 35mph max speed is usually the cutoff (picky, picky I know).

Michigan does require registration on mopeds as well. I think it's $35 a year.

No MC endorsement for less than 50 cc. I personally would stick with the major brands and recommend a Yamaha Vino or Honda Metropolitan.

The ad at the top of the page is for scooters. Coincidence?!

Regulations vary by state...

washington state..

It looks like <50cc is all considered the same, required that the top speed is 30mph.

You will need to tag it. http://www.dol.wa.gov/driverslicense/mopeds.html

Ruckus.

In my opinion (and experience), 50cc is not enough even for 35mph roads. My wife started on a 50cc scooter and after one too many white knuckle experiences with tailgating horn honking jerks she moved to a 150cc and was much happier. I then bought her a fuel injected Honda 125cc scooter and she loves it. 35mph roads involve actual speeds of up to 50mph and if the vehicle isn't capable of or comfortable with going that fast the rider most certainly won't enjoy riding.

If she's not willing to get a motorcycle endorsement - which in any state that I know of involves passing a very simple test - then she isn't ready to ride on the street.

Aprilla Scooters

A friend has a SportCity 250 for a pit bike. It is a hoot to knee drag off it in the paddock.

BTDT with 50cc machines. Wouldn't do it again if you paid me. Far too slow to do anything beyond crawling along on the shoulder, enjoying all the rage normally aimed at bicycles.

Oh sure, they might do 35mph...on level ground. Add a hill or wind, or both, and you can easily be down in the 20 mph range.

I also think life would be better in the 100-150 cc range. At that size, you start being able to successfully go down the road at acceptable speeds.

I (actually bought it for my wife, but she never rode it) had a Yamaha BWS 50. I think they're called Zuma there. It would very easily do 35 MPH, until I modified it. After the pipe, springs and weights, it would do 50 MPH on level ground, 45 up hills, and get up there real fast for a 50 cc scooter. For that commute, a Zuma would be fine. Also have a look at the Kymco super9. liquid cooled 50 cc scooter, generally considered to be one of the best 50 cc scooters.

I actually did my 90 km commute on it a few times. I took secondary highways, and city streets. I wouldn't want to do it every day, but it was a blast. Now that my commute is shorter (35 km) and all the roads I take are 80 km/h, I've been thinking about buying another 50 cc scooter. All the big 50 cc scooters have big bore kits available, too

The details of the 50cc laws, and how they apply to mopeds and scooters vary greatly from state to state. You will need to check your state's MV regs for that.

I think scooters are a perfectly acceptable form of urban transportation, and I've been toying with the idea of getting one for myself.

Woah fellas, this would be for cruising the pits at the races, bombing around the neighborhood, and taking back roads to work on a summer day. She won't be anywhere near a major road, let alone an interstate. There's a big difference on the insurance fronts for a 49cc or electric versus anything bigger, yes, even a 125.

In Washington a 49cc scooter needs no motorcycle endorsement and can't ride on highways. She has a helmet. Tag and insurance are no sweat for the little scooters like that.

Looks like Kymco makes some offshore 50's that might work, they can be found around $2K. A real Vespa is $3K. The Honda and Yamaha are about $2500. Some real no-namers are between $1000-$1500. (all new) I can't find any electrics to save my life (but plenty of "mobility" chairs...).

Looks like there's a decent used market as people move up to a 125/150 as well. There's a very nearly new Vespa for $1100 locally. I'd be over the moon if I could find a gently used any brand around $500.

I'm not sure what electric scooter you have, but some of them can be modified for some pretty decent speeds - for an electric scooter.

Keep your eyes open. Yamaha's and similar can be had for a lot less than that here, so I would imagine you'll be able to get similar deals.

I understand where you're coming from, but I have to second everything that Foxtrapper said. I owned a Ruckus and wanted to love it but couldn't. You don't ever want to be anywhere near a car on one. Ever.

I also had a Tomos Bullet moped. The front fork was scary flexible at speed, but it was way better than a 49cc four stroke in traffic.

In reply to Woody:

What about an electric then? WA's law is funny and dumps all electric scooters in with the 49ccers. Torque is useful.

In reply to Woody:

And a real 50 cc scooter would be far better than both.

I'd think any of the 49 cc two strokes would be the best bet. De-restricted, they won't meet the letter of the law due to a higher top speed, but I'm guessing there is some slack given on that. I'd suggest looking for a Genuine Buddy 50 or a pre-2012 Yamaha Zuma 50. Though, if you happen upon an Aprilia SR50 at a good price, I hear they're extremely fun, and pretty much in a class of their own.

I agree with the above posters recommending against a Ruckus, unless you are planning on sticking to a top speed of 25-30. I have one, and love it, but the only time it gets out of the neighborhood is really early in the morning when there's no traffic. That'll change once the mods begin, though

I would second eastsidemav's suggestion of a Genuine Buddy. I used to do reviews of scooters, and that was always one of my favorites. It's light, nimble, has tons of storage under the seat, and is a hoot to ride.

Your profile says your in Washington, and these are apparently the regulations for a "moped". No insurance required, and no need for endorsements beyond a regular drivers license.

Most of the restricted 2 stroke 50cc scooters should meet those requirements. You can derestrict the scooter pretty easily. It's usually a matter of removing a washer from the CVT, clipping one wire on the CDI, and/or removing a plate from the exhaust. If you do that, most of the 2 stroke 50cc scoots will do about 45, max. You will no longer be in compliance with the law, although that's not outwardly detectable unless you get pulled over doing 45 in a 25mph zone.

For the journey you mention, I'd still personally be happier with at least a 125cc. It requires insurance (I pay $75 a year for my 150), and a motorcycle license (not hard to get). You can actually kill 2 birds with one stone doing the MSF course. With a 125+cc scoot there would be no trouble keeping up on a 45mph road.