| Author | Message | ||
     Okc99 |
I just picked up my 2009 Vespa 250! She only had 5 miles on her. Here are some pics. I drove her home 65 miles today and here are my impressions: I'm six-two, 195, 32 inch inseam. This sucker is smooth. I didn't go over 55 indicated, but at that speed I truly didn't feel like I was riding on a 12-inch tire. Very stable/smooth. The tall windshield gives you a very quiet ride. I had ear plugs in under my helmet and it was almost too quiet! No buffeting. Torque/pickup at both off the line and at 35mph is more than sufficient. It's confidence inspiring. A 250 cc is really the perfect size and balance for the type of riding I do. Throttle is a little stressing after 20 mins, but the again I haven't been on a bike for 2 years so maybe my muscles will adapt. The seating position is very good for my height and even though I can tell it will hard to sit upright for long distances...that is a good thing! Again, it will build and promote good posture! It's much better than leaning back and putting stress on your tail bone. The Givi E470 (47 liter) is a great match. I thought it might be too big, but it's nice sized and it looks proportional. I'm getting the light kit added to it next week. I did notice a slight burning smell on stops, but thought it must be the new breaks? I did go over 60% throttle because I had to, but I'm not too worried about those hotly contested perfect break-in threads. It's a bike, not a baby  Oh, and guess what I'm doing tomorrow morning? I'm going riding! | ||
| Orangeulius |
Cool. Enjoy your new ride. Think I'll take your advice and go riding too.. | ||
| Eulysses |
Hey...where are those pics? The older Elite from 80's fit my long legs better...kept me upright and knees lower than hips which protects low back. How guys can ride cruisers with knees under their chins with their low backs curved wrong and sometimes on hardtails...wow. So is that scooter a short legger like so many today or for a tall guy? | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
Congrats on the new scoot! They're a really economic and fun way to get that 2-wheeled fix. My 49yo mother just purchased a brand new leftover '09 Yamaha Majesty 400, and has turned it over to me to complete the break-in miles. (yeah - tough job, but someone has to do it!  ) That sucker is smooooth. It may not be cool to be seen riding a scooter, but a couple hundred miles on this thing has me convinced that a medium to large size scooter would be the way to go for a long distance touring rig. Show me a Goldwing that gets 60mpg! Some research on scooter forums shows that the Suzuki Bergman 400 is a lot more popular than its Yamaha counterpart due to increased size - specifically legroom. At only 5'8", I can see why people would want a little more room to stretch. I could use about another 1" between the seat and floorboard to be more comfortable, but I'm sure my mother at 5"1' will fit it perfectly. Really looking forward to getting it broken in so I can go find a parking lot and do my best to train a new rider on some of the basics of staying alive! Also figured out quickly that both the Majesty and my DR-Z400S take the same oil filter element, so that's convenient. | ||
| Uly_man |
Pathetic try Dude now "ease-your-mind-with-your-hand" back to your bedroom. | ||
| Okc99 |
Sorry boys, here she is. http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p213/royalspoil /2012-03-17181039.jpg | ||
| Okc99 |
Files are too big, so all I have are these links. http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p213/royalspoil /2012-03-17145938.jpg | ||
| Hooper |
Oh man. Cue "Quadrophenia"! | ||
| Eulysses |
Made my heart leap! Sick eh? Still looks like a short-er-legged guy ride. Seat could be modded though... | ||
| Okc99 |
I know, I know, she's a beast ain't she? I'm riding her back to DC in July when I move instead of paying $700 to ship her. I might get a Pirate seat to make a more firm seat. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Looks like a nice comfortable serene way to while away the hours. I'd think about getting a scooter if the rear brake was a right foot pedal so that it was like a regular motorcycle set up. As is, I'd be trying to use the clutch all the time through force of habit and that would certainly spell doom for me. Old dog, new trick kind of deal. Do any scooters use a brake pedal? Vespas are works of art. | ||
| Timberwolf |
I've seen some scooters that have no left hand lever and the F/R brakes are linked on the right lever. | ||
| Okc99 |
Check out right foot well on this one and you'll see a pedal. Some vintage scooters do have a foot pedal. You can see it here. I also sat on one in the shop where I bought "Felix". http://www.flickr.com/photos/42236865@N05/5729830915/ | ||
| Tastroman |
" Do any scooters use a brake pedal? Vespas are works of art." 85-88 Honda Elite 250's have a rear foot brake pedal. A great scooter I might add. I commute on a 250cc scooter with a left rear brake lever and use my Buell for weekend excursions and switching between the 2 has never caused me any troubles. Believe me, they ride so entirely different it's almost impossible to get the 2 mixed up. | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
The "Fashions" also have a rear brake pedal. | ||
| Court |
My scooter only has a rear brake and the pedal is on the floor. | ||
| Kenm123t |
Court most here don't know what a Cushman is If they have heard of Cushman they are thinking of the Little 3 wheel trash trucks or security guard haulers lol | ||
| Eulysses |
I had a Cushman. And a Tote Goat and a Mountaineer by Yard Marvel. Before I got my Harley Hummer. Then a Tohatsu Runpet Sport...then 4 80 Yamaha's in a row...then...oops..sorry. Thread thief. | ||
| Tastroman |
I'm surprised for some reason to see so many here with a scooter background. | ||
| Rdkingryder |
I bought a 2001 Scarabeo 150. Unfortunately then engine is bad on it, worst than my Ulysses. LOL! It's my next project. I was hoping it was going to be an easy fix. I was wrong.  I wanted it ready for this, http://www.motorscooterlandspeedfederation.org/eve nts/salton_sea/salton_sea.html but since it's today, I think I'm going to miss it. (Message edited by rdkingryder on March 25, 2012) (Message edited by rdkingryder on March 25, 2012) | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
To those concerned about grabbing the brake thinking it's a clutch: I regularly ride 3 different bikes.. The XT with a clutch and a 1up4down shift pattern, the Suzuki DRZ with a clutch and a 1down4up shift pattern, and a Yamaha Majesty with a left hand rear brake lever and no clutch. I won't say I've never shifted the wrong direction on either of the motorcycles, or that I've never grabbed a giant handful of rear brake while rolling to a stop on the scooter, but it's really not a big deal. Takes some extra focus to remember how everything works, but I think the constant change has made me a better rider in general. I'm forced to pay attention to what I'm doing every time I ride. There is no opportunity to get into a comfort zone and become complacent. The only thing I would recommend when switching like this is to stick to one specific bike for a while leading up to any riding that will push the limits. I plan on attending the S2 gathering in Eureka Springs in June, and will definitely be exclusively riding my XT for a couple weeks prior. The control mechanisms should probably be second nature before I go tearing through the Ozark mountains. | ||
| Motorbike |
PKforbes87, Why did you switch the XT to a GP shift pattern? What is the advantage? Do you race? Thanks. | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
Switched mostly out of curiosity, and fell in love with it quickly. I've never raced, only done 1 track day, and I probably don't lean far enough to run into clearance issues with my boot under a shift lever. It feels much more natural on a bike with a sporting seating position (shoulders forward of hips) to press down during upshifts. On my DRZ, (shoulders directly above hips) it would feel natural either way, but I am currently looking at ways to convert it to a gp pattern as well. In my opinion, the standard 1down4up pattern is used simply because it's the standard that has been used since times when every bike in the world positioned the rider with their shoulders behind their hips. All 01+ air-cooled Buells that I know of can be reversed for free just by flipping the part of the shift linkage that clamps to the shaft coming out the side if the primary. Try it, get used to it for a couple weeks, and I'd bet you won't ever want to go back. |
