What scooter is most reliable?

[oldwhizer]

Looking for reliable easy to work on moped (doesn't really need peddles) under 50cc.
Want to be light weight (to get over guard rails) and off road capable?

Any idea's?

[Rebel]

oldwhizzer, welcome to the forum

for dependability, get yourself either a Honda Ruckus or a Yamaha Zuma. Both are 49cc the Zuma is a two stroke and will go faster, both are "off road" style scooters that are street legal. To save some money you can buy a Chinese clone of the Ruckus if you want but you will have less reliability, but if you can work on it yourself it may be a good option.

There are not real off road scooters that will keep up with a motorcycle off road, the suspension is not much if any different than a on road scooter, so another option is just finding a used Honda or Yamaha 50cc scooter and use that, or again any number of Chinese 50cc scooters could do a similar job but a loss of reliability is always a possibility.

Chinese scooters can offer a great bargain if you go through it and make sure it was properly prepped. There are PDI tutorials available for that.

[jmkjr72]

the zuma even though a 2 stroke will get you over 10,000 miles before you need new rings if you use a good full synth 2 stroke oil
i will say the down side to any of the scoots off road is the LACK of suspension as the zuma has less then 3" of travel
i ahve taken my zuma off road many times but i dont jump it and just cruise around gently

there are a ton of after market parts for the zuma so if its not exactly what you need or you decide you want more out of it they are easy to come by and some of the bbk when set up properly will get as many miles as the stock bore

[Rebel]

After looking at the post again no full scooter is going to be light enough to pick up and lift over a guard rail, for that you are going to need one of those motorized skate board type scooters.

[jmkjr72]

well it will take 2 people to get a regualr scooter over a guard rail

if you want something that you can lift up alone try looking for a tomos arrow they are like a bike some come with pedals and some without
they are about the lightest around with a dry weight of 140 lbs now the lx will be lighter but it has tires like a bicycle

[jmkjr72]

i will warn you though tomos did have some issues with there autolibe system and most people were disabling it and running premix
i persoanly have a tomos from the 70s that i am restoring but it is the kind with bike tires

[Rebel]

You know what I'd do is to convert a mountain bike to a front hub electric motor and just use that.

[jmkjr72]

www.gasbike.net/

they have all sorts of gas conversion kits

plus they sell the izip ele mt bike

[Rebel]

I installed one of those on a bike a few years ago and gave it to my kid, who was about 20 at the time and without a car. It ran great, was fun, but broke the chain a lot. If they have one that uses a motorcycle chain it might be a good option.

[oldwhizer]

OK, Thanks guys. Looks like I got some research to do. I am kind of familiar with the Ruckus and like the look of them. But, for awhile here in Maryland there was some issues about what class they were in. Maybe the confusion has subsided. I'll check it out. If I can even find them. I haven't seen any in the stores lately.

The motorized mountain bike would definitely be the choice way to go (for me), especially with a gas motor. Some mountian bikes have decent shocks front and back. And, if I needed extended range, I could carry a spare gas can. Wish I could find a manufacturer that had a preassembled version.

Now, if I have to assemble a machine myself; does any body have any opinion as to a nice reliable engine? And what type of drive train and transmission? I mean what are my options:
Chain / Belt / Friction roller on front or back wheel / Direct drive shaft?

[Rebel]

the conversion kit I got was a little 2 stroke motor, I have no idea as to the long term reliability and don't really think many of these kits are made from high quality components. These things are rated for about 80 - 100 miles per gallon and you can get a one gallon tank if I remember correctly, so how far do you want to ride one of them in one day.

you might consider one of these,
www.americanmopeds.com/scooters-mopeds-50cc-150cc-180cc-250cc/moped-scooter-50cc-electric-start-air-cooled.html

[kz1000st]

I second Rebel's motion about the mopeds. Americanmopeds.com appears to have gone out of business. I wrote this evaluation on another site with the name of another seller in California. Read all the way down.

www.motor-scooters-guide.com/bashan-bs48q2-moped.html

I love the things. They're well made, run well and are a kick to ride. Plus they're pretty light.

[Rebel]

Now, how hard do you think it would be to slip a 125cc motor into that little gem. I've seen some offered on some web pages that look like they are the same kind of honda horizontal clone.

[jmkjr72]

that looks like it is based off the tomos and if that is the cast ir will be a pia
but have welder can do anything
the engine mounts should be stamped steel (no tube chassie on them)