Why is nobody using scooter for long trips?

First topic message reminder :

I see hardly anybody using these scooters or any scooters for long trips. Why? Most old farts no longer work, even thought SilverWings are getting old, they still work. Many who have gotten older, may have moved to lighter scooters/bikes that work.

Anyway something to think about. Although I really make no exact plans, I will do several long trips this year to keep busy (Chattanooga really boring and expensive place to live) Some changes to my normal way---no more Motel 6 as many are India owned/managed......and they are terrible Inn Keepers----so they will not get my business.

Plan to go back to camping, less miles per day---motels only in really bad weather. Scooter for this year Kymco XTown 300i ABS---set up to be comfortable and safe----some attemps at lowering load, like lighter rear box (Bestem small but big enough for dog, using only one rubber bag on passenger seat) waiting for small soft saddle bags to arrive, using my Givi hump bag to bring some weight forward, in spite of more difficulty getting on bike.

AND Puig touring shield to bring buffeting down and more wind protection in cold/rain.

Have plenty of bike clothes choices----important to me to stay dry and not get too cold/hot or wet.

Helmet, GMAX 3/4 with long visor.....really handy riding into sun.

I never ask anybody to go with....as they will not or are dead.

So have fun riding.

When you watch a street scene in Asia, you see nothing but scooters, with everything imaginable on them: from pigs to entire families ! Most of those are low cc scooters. I often wonder how so many people of short stature, as they generally are, can ride those beasts.
In the North American market, there are very few rides with low seats:( except for Harleys and cruisers). I think the manufacturers have their sights way up there, ignoring a significant proportion of the riding public, and of both sexes. Even Vespas start at 30" seat height !
We have a short riding season and ride mostly for pleasure. Now, why would someone invest in a toy and be afraid to use it ? A long trip on a ride you are afraid to drop at the first stop sign or in the middle of nowhere is not fun to imagine, let alone set out on.
I'd say a good third of the market is invisible to the suppliers.

Jay.

Bingo, Jay!

There's truth in that for sure remembering G'Wings and all the tippy toe riders I've seen.

The Chinese scooters are not all that bad either. Our daughter had a Roketa 50 that was trouble free. We have a Roketa Bali 150 with matching top box on it that has also been trouble free. The Bali 150 is styled much like the Silver Wing, although lighter weight and not as much leg room. It is great for running around town and gets ~70 mpg. But it struggles to get to 55 mph. We bought it new in 2007 for $1,499 and we now have 27,000km on it (the odometer is km, not miles). Either of us ride it and we use it for running errands and general things that most people use a car for. It has been a good buy, and we like it.

cotetoi wrote:

When you watch a street scene in Asia, you see nothing but scooters, with everything imaginable on them: from pigs to entire families ! Most of those are low cc scooters. I often wonder how so many people of short stature, as they generally are, can ride those beasts.

Most of those in Asia are like our Roketa Bali 150. In Asia that is a "motorcycle", not a scooter. It has a lower seat height than most bikes imported to the US from Europe or Japan.

Even the Silver Wing does not have a real low seat height. My wife has no problem with it, she is 5-11. But I've seen plenty of shorter girls riding Silver Wings with no problem. The step-thru design makes it a lot less intimidating and I've seen a couple girls maybe 5-4 or 5-5 riding them and they will scoot ahead on the seat a bit to reach the ground solid at a stop.

The weight of the Silver Wing is actually quite low CG compared to most motorcycles.

The Forza was another one that had a nice seat height for a shorter rider. But, of course, Honda don't build that anymore either.

Harley-Davidson catered to the girls with the Softail and several other models that have a low seat height. And that's why you see so many girls riding them. They sit on it and try it out for heft, they find they can flat foot it at a stop and they are immediately confident with it. And it's a Big Twin with power, they are actually quite comfortable to ride, can easily keep up with what the guys are riding. And Harley gets 90%+ of the women's rider market in street bikes.

Chris Olson wrote:

The Forza was another one that had a nice seat height for a shorter rider. But, of course, Honda don't build that anymore.

Yes they do, a completely new design for 2019 sportier Forza 300 with a shorter wheelbase has been on sale in the UK and Europe since September last year, and I've owned mine since October.

I bought a NEW Zongshen 125 motorcycle circa 2006. A bigger POS I have never owned. Quit after less than 100 miles, nobody could get parts nor knew how to work on it. Finally sold the heap and went back to Honda. It will be a "cold day" before I try a Chinese scoot again. YMMV

GHM-PM wrote:

I bought a NEW Zongshen 125 motorcycle circa 2006. A bigger POS I have never owned. Quit after less than 100 miles, nobody could get parts nor knew how to work on it. Finally sold the heap and went back to Honda. It will be a "cold day" before I try a Chinese scoot again. YMMV

My son bought a Chinese scooter a few years back. He sold it before the first season was over. He said it was the worst purchase he'd ever made.

Roketa has greatly improved since its 2004 inception, if you are into Chinese. It's all in the standards and expectations. Your IPhone was made in China under high standards. A school teacher with higher standards will get better results. Avoid less known scooter brands. Lessons learned above--the hard way.

bikehiker wrote:

Roketa has greatly improved since its 2004 inception, if you are into Chinese.

Indeed, they have. They are every bit as reliable as a Honda. The engine and drivetrain used in the Bali 150 is a GY6, same design as used by Kymco, SYM and many others. It is the Asian equivalent in engines of the Universal Japanese Motorcycle that changed motorcycling here.

There can be problems with switches and water getting into them. But spraying the switch with WD-40 once a year during servicing the bike prevents any problems with switches that fail to work.

The Chinese paint jobs on these scooters are superior to Honda's paint work - the Chinese ones are absolutely flawless inspecting them closely in bright sunlight. The quality of the seat beats Honda. The covering on the seat remains unworn-looking and does not deteriorate in the sun after several years. Same with the plastics used on the tunnel and dash - superior UV-resistance compared to what Honda builds.

The rubber components like boots, valve stems on the rims, OEM tires, are inferior quality on the Chinese bikes. As are the bulbs used in the headlights and tail lights. Have to order the special bulbs from Amazon or eBay for them.

But overall quality of the frame construction is solid - they do not rust and no cracks ever appear around welds. And mechanically they are solid, and they handle good, brakes are good. The operation of the CVT transmission is flawless in them. They always start and have a carb instead of fuel injection. One downside is that the fuel valve is vacuum operated and it takes a bit of cranking in the spring to get one started to get the fuel pump to get fuel to the carb. But a "trick" is to use a hand vacuum pump on the fuel valve to open it, and then pressurize the fuel tank with a low pressure hose like a shop vac on blow instead of suck. That fills up the carb and it starts with the first press of the button, and remains good for the rest of the summer.

Really can't complain on our Roketa 150 for the price. It's just not suitable for highway riding because it doesn't have enough power to hold 55 mph in a hill.

There's probably a good reason why Chinese goods have cornered the market in their respective categories ! Early Hondas had a really bad reputation for rusting to the ground within a year or two. Now, Honda products are top of the line. The Chinese may have beefed up their quality control from the early days.

Jay.

I recently sold my 07 silver wing And purchased a Honda ST 1300. About the silver wing before I had my hip fixed because I couldn't throw it over a motorcycle. My thoughts on the silverwing are it's a good in town Scooter in some light travel. I know I've read some people Tour On the scooter period from riding it in Houston rough roads beat you to death on it. The small tires and Potholes are not friends. High winds Play havoc with you on the freeways. I would drive it 21 miles 1 way on the beltway I drive 90 to a 100 miles an hour and that's the Max on the scooter. I'm 62 and like speed I don't drive at 50 miles an hour. It was a little sluggish On the offline and I would literally just be burnin it up in the At highway speeds. If you drive 65 or 70 you can get by on it. The maintenance of the little bit of a pain but having an ST 1300 it's really Hard to work on. I know some people put on trailer hitches I can't imagine doing that with the automatic drive system that's on it. I bought it at a good price I sold it for the same amount of money I can't complain. Parts For it are numerous on eBay so keeping it running it's not gonna be a problem for the self mechanic. One things that I did like I picked up 2 gallons of milk for my Grand kids and that fit right underneath the seat with Room to spare. That was a great idea for storage. Using it To tour the country would be a rough ride send again in 1996 I met a British man in windover Nevada riding a Yamaha 125 across the Country. The rear shock is absolutely atrocious you gotta change that out. I would say from 25 to 70 it's very quick. Glad I got the hip done now I Back to riding motorcycles. We got along roads here in Texas and you can run 130 easily. Be safe on the highway and thanks this is a great website

Speak for yourself. I've traversed the USA on my swing twice and I'm ready to do it again soon.

Dale N. wrote:

GHM-PM wrote:

I bought a NEW Zongshen 125 motorcycle circa 2006. A bigger POS I have never owned. Quit after less than 100 miles, nobody could get parts nor knew how to work on it. Finally sold the heap and went back to Honda. It will be a "cold day" before I try a Chinese scoot again. YMMV

My son bought a Chinese scooter a few years back. He sold it before the first season was over. He said it was the worst purchase he'd ever made.

My first 150cc Chinese scooter would not work in the rain. Fortunately it came with a one year free caa card and I got free rides to the other side of town - but it still took a few weeks to fix on warrenty) and noone told me what happened - I became savvy to this and only rode on sunny days or made for bridges when rain came from nowhere. Anyway I sold it on Craig's list for 400$ after a year, and my first question at Honda when purchasing my SWing was 'does this work in the rain?' the dealer looked at me funny. We have been together ever since (the Swing and I).

Hi, I did it

https://nordkapp-en-scooter.blogspot.com/

I still travel with my SW and I want to reutr to NK.

Firefox wrote:

Hi, I did it  

https://nordkapp-en-scooter.blogspot.com/

I still travel with my SW and I want to reutr to NK.

Photos. We need photos. A Silverwing Nord Kapp photo would deserve a place on the forum home page.

Cosmic_Jumper wrote:

Firefox wrote:

Hi, I did it  

https://nordkapp-en-scooter.blogspot.com/

I still travel with my SW and I want to reutr to NK.

Photos. We need photos. A Silverwing Nord Kapp photo would deserve a place on the forum home page.

Sorry, I have no SW photos at NK, the nearest at 12 miles. I couldn't arrive to globe riding 'cos it's close to traffic.
This is the photo:


And NK globe:

I enjoyed my ride to the North Cap about 20 years ago---Honda XBR500S---went early in spring, cold, wet sometimes. I just took time, didn't hurry, slept where I cold,ate MRE's.

Nice ride but not for tennis shoe/cupholder types.

I recall seeing a photo of that crazy rider, José Fernandez, on his Vespa at the Nordkapp globe. Of course that was in the middle of winter when no sane person, let alone some authority figure, was going to get out of a warm vehicle to shoo him away. As I'm sure you know, he rode all the way from Spain as well.

As Mr Grinsel observes, not a ride for the tennis shoe/cup holder rider.

Tim

Cosmic_Jumper wrote:

I recall seeing a photo of that crazy rider, José Fernandez, on his Vespa at the Nordkapp globe. Of course that was in the middle of winter when no sane person, let alone some authority figure, was going to get out of a warm vehicle to shoo him away. As I'm sure you know, he rode all the way from Spain as well.

As Mr Grinsel observes, not a ride for the tennis shoe/cup holder rider.

Tim

Yeah, I don't know him personally, but I followed him in that adventure. He rode to collect founds for investigation in rare diseases. And I can confirm you need a good pair of boots to go there, even in July.
This is Ryfylke road, 2015/07/19, 350 meters over sea level

I'm in SW Florida and would love to find someone that would like to go on a weekend trip. only another issue is to make sure you have it mapped out so that you have gas about every 100 miles or so unless you carry extra.

I'm game

No need to carry extra gas in US! Only place I know in N America where gas can necessary=James Bay Road in Quebec.

MsLinda-FL wrote:

I'm in SW Florida and would love to find someone that would like to go on a weekend trip.  only another issue is to make sure you have it mapped out so that you have gas about every 100 miles or so unless you carry extra.

I'm game

100 miles? Even at my worst; mine can do 160 miles EASILY w/o a fill up. On a road trip I have no problems pushing to 180 miles or more.

GHM-PM wrote:

MsLinda-FL wrote:

I'm in SW Florida and would love to find someone that would like to go on a weekend trip.  only another issue is to make sure you have it mapped out so that you have gas about every 100 miles or so unless you carry extra.

I'm game

100 miles? Even at my worst; mine can do 160 miles EASILY w/o a fill up. On a road trip I have no problems pushing to 180 miles or more.

Agree, 166 miles before the reserve bar started flashing last time out, at lot of those miles were 65+ mph with hills and some level terrain at 50 / 55.

GHM-PM wrote:

MsLinda-FL wrote:

I'm in SW Florida and would love to find someone that would like to go on a weekend trip.  only another issue is to make sure you have it mapped out so that you have gas about every 100 miles or so unless you carry extra.

I'm game

100 miles? Even at my worst; mine can do 160 miles EASILY w/o a fill up. On a road trip I have no problems pushing to 180 miles or more.

Agree, 166 miles before the reserve bar started flashing last time out, at lot of those miles were 65+ mph with hills and some level terrain at 50 / 55.

"I'm in SW Florida and would love to find someone that would like to go on a weekend trip."

Let me know if you find some riders. I'm on the other coast but would love to explore new parts of Florida with some fellow Wing aficionados. I was considering riding down to Key West to get a photo of my Wing next to the big bell at the Southernmost Point in the Continental U.S. That would be my attempt to get my picture on the cover of the Rolling Stone ... er, I mean the home page of this forum.

I bought my first Wing on Christmas Eve 2017 and have not seen another on the road since then. No exaggeration, not one. I've spotted three or four big Burgmans and one BMW 650 GT.

Now, if you're talking buzzy little 50cc scooters risking lives and limbs, they are too numerous to count.