Suggestions for a new scooter (125-150)

I am in the market for a new scooter. I want something in the 125-150 range or up to 250 if the price is right.

I’ve been doing a bit of looking around but I can’t seem to see much of a difference between scooters. They all look the same to me.

I need one with a flat floorboard so I can take my dog along with me on rides.

Price range is up to about NT60,000

Any suggestions?

Stick with Kymco or SYM for reliability and service costs. A scooter is a scooter at the end of the day and so dreaming about performance and coolness, what have you, is simply silly; So get something practical that you feel comfortable handling and that carries your stuff without hassle.

i had a 250cc bike living in the states and it was not slow, but nowhere near the 600 sportbikes. i havent ridden a scooter but would recommend a bigger one (~250 ish)…they are more fun he he

LBT -
In that range they pretty much are all competitive. Kymco, Yamaha, Suzuki all offer good quality and dependability.
Two recommendations:
Locate a well-run shop that can & will do the follow-up maintenance and has the right tools and equiptment. Eyeball the place and go for the one that looks the most professional and will take the time to talk to you about what you want.

Get fuel-injection instead of carburation on your 'scooter. It will pay-off in the long run with less maintenance and better over-all dependability.
This goes hand-in-hand with finding a shop that knows how to service FI and has the right equipment (computers) to do the work.

I like Kymco, but I’d buy one of the new Yamahas in a heartbeat if I had to. I like their build and looks.
Kymco offers a 'sccoter with a larger floorboard with more space. You might be interested in that model.

Good luck, its a good buyers market in that range.

I bought a Hartford Magic 125 second hand for NT40 000…new they go for NT53000

It has the biggest floorboard available…you can fit a coke crate in there. My dog loves it… it has fat tires so it’s great on the bumpy road, but no plastic body so it’s really thin and easy to park.

Downside is that mine doesnt have a storage box under the seat, but if you buy it new I think it comes with a bag that seals the bottom.

I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE mine!!!

check here for photos

forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.ph … 3&start=20

[quote=“TainanCowboy”]LBT -
In that range they pretty much are all competitive. Kymco, Yamaha, Suzuki all offer good quality and dependability.
Two recommendations:
Locate a well-run shop that can & will do the follow-up maintenance and has the right tools and equiptment. Eyeball the place and go for the one that looks the most professional and will take the time to talk to you about what you want.

Get fuel-injection instead of carburation on your 'scooter. It will pay-off in the long run with less maintenance and better over-all dependability.
This goes hand-in-hand with finding a shop that knows how to service FI and has the right equipment (computers) to do the work.

I like Kymco, but I’d buy one of the new Yamahas in a heartbeat if I had to. I like their build and looks.
Kymco offers a 'sccoter with a larger floorboard with more space. You might be interested in that model.

Good luck, its a good buyers market in that range.[/quote]

Fuel injection at this time is hit and miss. Injection will be come a statutory build regulation next year, but at this time injection models are often more unreliable than simple carburetor models. Injection does offer better fuel economy however, when it works, unless you compare with 125cc motorcycles such as Night Wolf, which are better by far.
I wouldn’t put Yamaha on my shopping list as the parts are WAY too expensive and are often not as reliable as local Kymco and SYM brands.
You can ask Bikefarm Jeremy’s idea on this, but his numbers speak for themselves. Kymco and SYM far outweigh the few Yamaha bikes he has and even those tend to be old two stroke motorcycles. He has said many a time that Yamaha and Suzuki fail to build a profitable bike for him, in that they fail more regularly and Yamaha costs too much for parts. He had also invested in no fuel injection models. Even bike technicians have told me not to look into injection for another two years until they work out their problems a little better.

[quote=“Lo Bo To”]I am in the market for a new scooter. I want something in the 125-150 range or up to 250 if the price is right.

I need one with a flat floorboard so I can take my dog along with me on rides.

Price range is up to about NT60,000

Any suggestions?[/quote]

I don’t think you get a 250 scooter. 150 is the highest no?

[quote=“Battery9”]
I don’t think you get a 250 scooter. 150 is the highest no?[/quote]

Oh you can get a 250cc scoot, you can even get a 500cc now in Taiwan.

I’ve seen red-plate scooters here.
But surely not for NT$60k. Maybe you could get a well-used Majesty 250 for that, but it’s doubtful I think.

That Hartford looks sweet Battery 9.

Any word on: reliability, can most mechanics repair them, are parts cheap, do they have balls?

I’ll look at SYM and Kymco. I had 2 Kymco 150 Xing’s in the past (Lowrider style motorcycle). The first one was awesome and lasted me 3 years driving the crap out of it. Around the island three times. The second was a real lemon.

[quote=“Lo Bo To”]That Hartford looks sweet Battery 9.

Any word on: reliability, can most mechanics repair them, are parts cheap, do they have balls?

I’ll look at SYM and Kymco. I had 2 Kymco 150 Xing’s in the past (Lowrider style motorcycle). The first one was awesome and lasted me 3 years driving the crap out of it. Around the island three times. The second was a real lemon.[/quote]

The Xing motorcycle was a disaster in terms of reliability, so ignore it, but you were talking about scooters right?

Most mechanics can repair very simple faults like blown bulbs, but beyond that are largely incompetent. It is for this reason that there are a few topics on Forumosa regarding motorcycle and car technicians that can be recommended. It is for this reason that I suggest the more reliable brands so as to avoid such problems as much as possible. Having a motorcycle fixed here can be as painful as pulling one’s own teeth out, and only to try and get the simplest of repairs done properly.

Do they have balls? Well regarding any 125cc to 150cc motorcycle or scooter that isn’t a two stroke then the short answer is emphatically NO!
Which is why again I revert to the principle of getting something reliable, comfortable and suitable for your needs.

If you need a machine to do anything different than taking you to and from, and picking up shopping with little fuss, then don’t consider a scooter. If these are your only requirements however, then please refer to my suggestions.

I remember being a bit younger and all the thought that went in to how it looked, what colour I could get it in. Did it have 5HP more than any other. Would a girl be interested in it and so forth. But then I got old one day and realized none of that means a damn. In terms of scooters you’ll get more respect from girls if you are less of a boy racer and more responsible and you’ll get more from your bike if you choose a practical one, that isn’t pretending to be something it isn’t and wasn’t designed to do.

To re emphasize what to look for in a bike in Taiwan:

  1. Fit and comfort
  2. reliability.
  3. Cost of service and repair.
  4. Purchase price vs running costs.
  5. Least likely to be stolen.
  6. BRAKES!

I’m old in Taiwan terms though, so I won’t take it personally if you choose to ignore me.
I’m sure there are plenty of people abound that will tell you how to wire all your lights up together. How to fit Christmas tree bulbs to it. How to put a big bore exhaust on it and how to get it to perform past its 105kph limit all the way up to 110kph, as well as how to zig zag across the road in an unnecessary fashion in order to prove to everyone how much larger your penis is.

I, on the other hand respect anyone that can ride properly and that can live past the ripe old age of thirty commuting through Taipei traffic each and every day, that doesn’t constantly piss me off. I’m sure those people who accomplish that have a very big penis indeed!

I want something that I am comfortable and that looks good as well. I’m not out to impress “girls” with it cause that is pretty silly.

“Hey check out my 150cc scoot…brooom brooom” :loco:

I like the look of that Hartford. I also like the new BWS but it’s like 75,000 so forget it.

I went to the scooter shop today as they were closing and took a look at a couple of Dinks

One was a 250cc for 67,000 and the other was a 150 for 43,000.

I’d like to have something a little more powerful so I can pass up in the mountain roads but am not sure if more than 20,000 would be worth it for an extra 100cc.

So what are others’ advice as far as fuel injection goes?

Something I have been thinking about as well is what bikes are more desireable for theifs? For example, since that Hartford sticks out a lot would it be less likely to get stolen do you think?

Thanks for the advice everyone

I’m feeling pretty safe with my Hartford…of course i lock it, but I do think it will be spotted too quickly, because it does turn heads.

It is very comfortable and quite powerful…I often go over 60 without even noticing…and it doesnt feel like Im going fast either. I feel a lot safer on it than I did with any of my bikes that had thin tires…it feels solid. I’m not very happy with the brakes…another scooter i tried had disc breaks and they STOPPED right away. These are good, but not as good. Also, when Im going down a steep hill with a passenger I cant stop dead. (Not that I need to but I like testing these things for worse case scenarios)

My favorite part is that its so easy to park…its very thin…and I think it’s powerful. I had problems with mine (oil leak in the front) but it was second hand. THe mechanics fixed it…I have no idea how expensive fixing other parts will be. But I dont care…I love love love love love it. Seriously. I leave clubs to go hang out with it rather than my friends.

and it’s a chick magnet. :slight_smile: Unfortunately the Taiwan meimeis all think its cute…CUTE!!!

I will be at AnimalsTaiwan flea market this Sunday (at Grandma NIttis) from 5pm onwards if you want to take it for a spin. :smiley:

yamahas tend to be really really heavy, which eats into your available power straight away. you simply can’t afford excess kilos on a 10 HP machine. even the little Vino weighs a ton, as does the new BWS.

the kymcos seem to be most reliable from the many local brands. avoid PGO (don’t think PGO make a flat bed scooter anymore). i have an old 2 stroke PGO that goes OK but only with extensive modifications. now it just blows pistons and crank bearings…

I really really have a thing for PGO’s I don’t know why. I think I just have a thing for something that looks a bit more offroadish…

the G-max is very very cool, smoothest ride I’ve ever been on, but insanely impractical and no space by your feet.

The Yamaha BWS is very durable…but smokes a lot…and is heavy yes. The new BWS looks amazing but it has almost no space by the feet. I can’t think that it is worth almost NT30 000 more than the Magic 125.

It’s great for going shopping at Costco:) See the way the seat flips up?

yeahhh I know, I have a good helmet, that day was a photo taking day in the mountain and I wore the pisspot…NOT GOOD.

bad thing is that the seat doesnt lock…it does have a clip that a small padlock can be attached to. The lock that is there is for a helmet (it clips open and you hook your helmet into it, and lock it again) So far nobody has opened it.

The Dink is quite unreliable from accounts of people that I know with them. The worst one so far was my colleague that had the 250 Dink. It wasn’t very good to say the least. It had done around 10,000km and already needed a crankshaft repair as it was scorn and leaked into the transmission case, causing the clutch to slip. It had already been through several sets of tyres, brake disks, speedo cables, mirror brackets as they easily snap off when clipped by something, the dial case vibrated a lot (design fault). And those were just the things I know of in the year I knew him.
He’s in the forums here somewhere though, so perhaps he’ll chip in. He is a very tall person however, so I accept his choice of bike was limited.

I have a Dink 250. There’s just no way to say that well, is there? It’s a 2006 model that I bought with 5000 km on the clock (who knows if that’s accurate or not) and I’ve put about 10,000 km on it.

I haven’t had any problems with it except for what I would call general maintenance. I’ve replaced worn brake pads, tires, rear struts, and a speedo cable. I had that vibrating guage case as well but fixed it with a little rubber jammed in to seal it around where it contacts and vibrates. The clock doesn’t work very well. Hmmm. It does run very well and seems powerful enough, and I’m more than happy with it’s carrying capacity and stopping and going power. If it was a 150cc I think it would be too gutless considering it’s size and weight. Also, the 150’s don’t have the same heavy brakes and other things. I don’t think there’s much difference between a 150 and a 250 engine save a bit of stroke and bore fiddling. The transmission case and clutch/bell housing seems to be pretty much the same on both models. The 150 has a kick start and the 250 doesn’t.

I generally don’t carry much on the floorboards as the seat juts forward and impedes putting a large box there. it’s comfortable for sitting, however. When I want to carry something I strap it down to the rear seat, which is wide and flattish.

I’m not crazy about the mirror placement either but I got used to it. They fold in electrically for parking. They are unfortunately the same height as most car mirrors but I’m careful and haven’t had a problem. I could install handlebar mirrors but haven’t got around to it yet.

So far I’ve been very happy with it and wouldn’t go back to a 150cc scooter, but that’s me.

I think the PGO T-Rex 150cc looks pretty cool, has a big enough floorboard for a dog, and pulls pretty well. Of course, I’m not sure about the maintenance it would need, but it fits the other criterion.

How about the SYM “Facai” which is that one with 50% longer floorboard (for delivering cases of Taiwan beer) and a metal rack at the back for hauling other things. It’s around $55,000 new… I think.