Serious question. I’ve just come over from Thailand where none of the Thais will even touch those small wheel things. Most of the engines are still 100 to 125cc, and the models are step throughs, but they have wheels of a normalish circumfrence.
Is there a big price difference? Expensive parts/maintenence? I’ll likely get something around 125cc once I can afford to, and would rather have something more along the lines of one of those old-man-transporting-propane cycles than those Vespaesq deals that abound here…
I’ve wondered the same thing, and I have a theory. It’s not the size of the wheels, it’s the scooter vs. step-through motorcycle issue. In Taiwan, the roads are generally better than in Thailand, so smaller wheels is no big deal, bump-wise. Also, it rains a hell of a lot in Taiwan, so a scooter makes more sense than a motorcycle, because you can stay drier on a scooter… Also, scooters are easier for the old ladies/men to drive than motorcycles, which have gears, and footbrakes, and the like. It’s just a theory, though
I think it has to do with western toilets. The position that you must take to ride a scooter is quite like the one you must take to use a western toilet.
Scooters are easier to carry things on. Under the seat, between your legs, in baskets on the front.
I think a major factor is the utilitarian aspect of the scooter.
Hard to get your 3 children, wife, dog ang pig yo go shopping on a small motorbike.
Basically Taiwan style scooters are just a lot easier to drive and basically better than Thailand style ones. They just use the big wheel manual ones in Tahiland becuase they’re cheaper and you need big wheels on a lot of the roads. In Taiwan those are thought of as farmer’s bikes.
One of my ex-girlfriends told me that among women, only fishwives and the like knew how to operate bikes with gearshifts. So, no way would a young lady who imagines herself as having any class be seen dead riding one.
bike with gearshift = orange rubber boots + coolie hat
[quote=“TainanCowboy”]Scooters are easier to carry things on. Under the seat, between your legs, in baskets on the front.
I think a major factor is the utilitarian aspect of the scooter.
Hard to get your 3 children, wife, dog ang pig yo go shopping on a small motorbike.[/quote]
Note that the following is probably the most popular bike in Thailand: .
Aside from under the seat storage, it has just as much capacity as the scooters around here. I’ve seen families of five on those things before.
But from my first post I can see where the confusion arose.
So, like, would I get a bargain on a “farmer bike,” as far as a foreigner can, anyway?
[quote=“Bu Lai En”]Basically Taiwan style scooters are just a lot easier to drive and basically better than Thailand style ones. They just use the big wheel manual ones in Tahiland becuase they’re cheaper and you need big wheels on a lot of the roads. in Taiwan those are thought of as farmer’s bikes.
Brian[/quote]Better in what way? Obviously big wheels give more gyroscopic stability and soak up the bumps better as well (of which there are plenty here as well). One point for step-thrus. Then there’s speed. Well, they have quite a number of 150 2-stroke step-thrus in Thailand and they looked none too sluggish to me (and there was the one I saw with a 250 engine shoe-horned in!)
And if you’re thinking of economy and the environment, the latest models of 4-stroke step-thru have fuel injection.
Plus they’re very, very reliable. I had an old Honda C50 in the UK and it just wouldn’t break down, no matter what abuse I gave it.
In the end, though, I’d still choose an automatic scooter. More storage space, more comfortable for rider and pillion, smaller wheels mean quicker turning (well, so do the narrow, narrow tyres they put on the bikes in Thailand but I wouldn’t want to have that little rubber on the road). The ride can be a bit harsher but the other factors outweigh this IMO.
Mostly for the reasons you outlined in your last paragraph.
You can carry a lot ore stuff - under the seat, on the ‘board in front’. They’re very easy to drive - no gear changing necessary, easy centre of balance. The seats are wider and more comfortable. I think they’re more maneuverable.
I’ve ridden several bikes similar tothe one picutred above in Thailand, Vietnam etc and my scooter herte (150cc 4 stroke) is much nicer to ride.
It seems to me that with those Thai style bikes you may as well get a real motorcycle. Otherwise you’re getting most of the disadvantages of a motorcycle with few of the benefits of a Taiwan style scooter.
And if you’re thinking of economy and the environment, the latest models of 4-stroke step-through have fuel injection.
In the end, though, I’d still choose an automatic scooter. More storage space, more comfortable for rider and pillion, smaller wheels mean quicker turning.[/quote][/quote]
Mine has digital fuel injection (Yamaha majesty) but not a lot of storage under the seat. Makes me wonder why? The Grand Dink has a huge storage under the seat.
I also can’t put stuff between the legs because it’s not flat as with other scooters.
The wheels are little bigger though.
It drives nice, is pretty stable, low center of gravity, it make’s me almost want to by a 400 or 600cc scooter in the future.
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