scooter ?

[sleasyrider]

Not sure what bike I want................( when and if I pass my test )mainly as I have no idea about them.
Basically will only use it once or twice a fortnight to travel about 15 miles each way. It's to take myself and a pillion to a football match and hopefully not be sat in traffic as I am in the car.
I have been looking at scooters for a bit of comfort (heated seats lol) but am hoping some of your experiences will point me in the right direction.
Tbh I can't see myself looking for a bigger bike in the future..........I'm too long in the tooth, and it's simply a way to get to the ground quicker with less hassle. Thought's ????
Thanks in advance.

[someotherguy]

[sleasyrider]

[quote="Surbitom"]

[wr6133]

You could actually ride a 50cc with a pillion with no more than a cbt pass if you got your cat B licence before a certain date. For reference though my wife won't pillion on my shite-ped or take me pillion for more than a couple of miles because it's uncomfortable and slow.

A 125 would fit your job but to haul a pillion you'd need a licence (A1) and if you do that you may as well get a full A licence.

[Rogerborg]

You'll be hard pressed to find a training school with category A scooters, so your practical options are:

CBT take your pillion on a 50cc moped. Unless you're in congestion for 15 solid miles, I'd skip that.

CBT buy (e.g.) PCX 125 scooter, do theory test, book and do your practical tests on the scooter, get an A1 license to ride 125 scooters with a pillion.

CBT theory test, do 'A' training and tests with a training school on a geared 600cc+ bike, ride anything you want for any purpose you want.

There's no right or wrong answer, except that the moped is the wrong answer. Millions of people can and do take pillions on a 125. Pillions, kids, shopping, pigs, sideboards, <overloaded-scooter.jpg>
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[sleasyrider]

[Teflon-Mike]

Carts & Horses spring to mind... UNTIL you actually have a full licence in your pocket, this is all pretty academic.

Personally, the idea of doing tests and buying a bike 'just' to save a little conjestion & maybe parking fees? once a fortnight to go to a soccer match? Sorry, I just cant wrap my head around it?!?

Lets say, you can get a full licence reasonably quickly in a three day DAS course.... and it only costs you £750.... what's the return on your investment? 15 miles, a half hour journey.. if you 'save' ten minutes, after togging up and togging off to ride the bike, and faffing with locks either end, you'll be doing well.... so 20 minutes a trip... you would have to do that trip, what? seventy or eight times, before you 'saved' the time it took to get the licence! Once of twice a fortnight... presumably during 'the season', so it would take you FIVE YEARS or more, before it could actually 'save time' over what it took to get the bike licence.. IF you get it in a hurry with bare minimum of training and first time tests!!!!! What's the parking costs? Again, £750.. even if they charge a tenner a time to lodge your mota, that's seventy five games, another five years or so, before you are saving pennies on what you have invested!!

And THAT is just off the top 'reckoning'!

Parking a SCOOTER, presumably in a city, in close proximity to an awful lots of pissed up soccer louts?!?!? No, sorry, I just cant wrap my head around that idea neither! Be like parking a whisky Lorry in the middle of Glasgow!!!

I just do not see this being in any way shape or form a real, genuine and useful 'solution' to the suggested 'problem'.. if it is indeed even a 'real' problem.

Park & Ride? Train & Taxi? Plenty of other ways to skin this cat that would be far more 'sense' to my mind. But still.

If you WANT a scooter... well, carry on... you don't NEED a an excuse for it... But still. UNTIL you have a licence to ride one... all pretty academic.

Go get a licence.

When you have gone through the hoops to do that, who knows what your ideas will be... you might want a Hyabusa-turbo, or a Hardley with tassles... OR want a bike just like you did your training on (which is common enough).

For the heck of it, though, indulging the fantasy, I'll offer a 'classic' Metal-Fender Vespa PX200, four-speed. Personally, IF I were to go for a vagina-dryer, the Lambretta GT200, is more appealing as it's 'almost' a motorbike with small wheels and a step-thru frame, and I think more aesthetically appealing; but they are expensive, and the Vespa, defying ALL the sensible engineering principles of making a 'stable' powered-two-wheeler has a certain appeal.. mostly "WHY?!?! - WHY did any-one ever think this was a good idea! WHY would any-one want to ride one? WHY does it even WORK?!" But still.. other one would be the Honda C90... the biggest selling motor-vehicle of all time... and inspired by the Vespa and ALL the underlying design flaws that horrified Sochiro Honda, after one woke him up every morning being revved under his hotel room window! But possibly a tad TOO sensible.. if a step-through can EVER be so described!

Anyway.. your call at the end of the day.. WHEN you have a licence to ride anything.
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My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[DottyDuck]

didn't read Tef's post... so apologies if he has stated this suggestion! but Suzuki Burgman is meant to be plenty enough for rider and pillion. Temeluchus has one!
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CBT- 2012 Theory- 18/12/13 Mod 1- 07/01/14 Mod 2- 15/01/14
Old Bike: Zontes Panther 125cc - wrote off Current Bike: Kawasaki ZR7

[sleasyrider]

Personally, the idea of doing tests and buying a bike 'just' to save a little conjestion & maybe parking fees? once a fortnight to go to a soccer match? Sorry, I just cant wrap my head around it?!? " Quote "

Appreciate the time you took to reply, so thanks. But.................it's not just to save a little congestion and parking fees, I haven't got enough time to "park and ride" or catch a cab as they can't avoid the traffic any more than I can in my own car. I simply need to get from work to the ground inside 45 minutes. A bike should allow me to achieve that. Maybe it won't.
And as for the license....................no, I haven't got it yet. But after driving hgv's for 30 yrs and riding bicycles for a lot longer, even if it takes me a few goes at it.........................I will eventually pass. The cost is irrelevant to me. I would rather not have to pay it, but it is what it is.

[Commuter_Tim]

[M.C]

I thought it was one of his more concise offerings.

[talkToTheHat]

The big bmw scooters can get something of a shift on. I recall following one in the hills north of otley, rider was going a bit slower than i wanted to but it was a bastard to get past as it launched out of corners quite well.

I have a friend who used to do a long commute on a burgervan, claimed it was the best thing to be on in yorshire weather.

Kymco downtown 300i or its kawasaki dopoleganger may be just the thing.

Do tests. Get licence. You might find during training that you really want a geared 600.

Also, i'd want a really good place to park if you are going anywhere near large crowds of sportsfans. Like a different city to the one they were in.
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Bandit. does. everything.

[temeluchus]

If you want a big scooter I can vouch that the honda silverwing 600, Burgman 250/400/650 are good machines.

If you are a fat bastard like me the silverwing and burgman 650 are a good bet, particularly if you will be taking a pillion, not really down to lack of power on the part of the smaller ones-the CVT makes them feel far pokier than they are- but more substantial suspension and comfort.

TL:DR buy a burgman 650 exec so you have heated everything, as much storage as a small car and a POWA button.
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Some shite cruiser. Now with guns and FREEDOM!

[andyscooter]

I have a burger 400

I love it

also not sure where this wind on your vagina comes from as most scooters have fairing so don't feel any wind at all
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gilera runner vxr200 (chavped)
if its spelt wrong its my fat fingers and daft auto correct on my tablet

[Taught2BCauti...]

Just a couple of thoughts -

If your 'pillion' holds a full motorcycle licence, you can legally carry them on 'L' plates - or they could get a big-engined scooter, and take you as a pillion.

You and your pillion could get a 125cc scooter each

There are 300cc and 500cc scooters (Piaggio MP3, Gilera Fuoco) that can be modified so that they be ridden on a full car licence - if you aren't worried about looks and price, you can use motorways and carry passengers.

Depending on your connections, you might be able to park it in the staff/players car park.
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Honda Varadero XL125(V8)
www.TheFutureIsHere.eu

[Northern Monkey]

[c_dug]

It's not a thing in the slightest, somebody is ever so slightly mislead.
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[M.C]

Wasn't that a thing (which they stopped) years ago?

EDIT: Found it https://www.lightningmctraining.co.uk/changes-motorcycle-learner-law

1990 - Learners can no longer take a passenger

Up until 1990 a learner could take a passenger on the back of a motorcycle as long as the passenger had a full motorcycle licence.

[sleasyrider]

Cheers for all the replies and suggestions. Researching some burgmans and silverwings at the moment, they look to be best value and seem to get good reviews. The more I see them .............the more I like em. Will probably end up using it more than I thought I would, nipping of to shops, or work every now and then. Now.............to get cracking on that licence

[Taught2BCauti...]

[Teflon-Mike]

[sleasyrider]

Teflon-Mike
It would take me forever to do a post as long as yours, so I can only say thanks for taking the time to offer your advice.
I do take on board what more experienced people have to say, and I kinda get what your saying. Maybe my idea was a bit unrealistic and naive.
I only know that what should be a drive of about 20 mins normal driving, can take up to 60 mins on a match day. And thats parking about a 25 minute walk away from the ground.
The traffic is mostly stopped at the 10 or more sets of traffic lights on the main route, even taking side roads through estates you can get caught up behind the long line of stopped traffic.
Whilst I don't pretend that I can whiz in and out of traffic risking an accident................surely I could get to front of the traffic at the lights while the cars are all stopped ?
I reckon on a bike I could get from work to the grounds in 30 mins, with a 5 minute walk into the ground.
Not sure what you mean by "match more important than taking a week off work to do DAS", as I had already decided to go for my full licence regardless of whatever bike I choose to buy.
Anyway.................I thought it was a good idea at the time lol. Maybe I should rethink my plans, feck the bike and stick to my car.

[pdg]

Stop being a ponce and get the test done.

Makes not a fuck's worth of difference what bike you get after that if it fits what you want to do (if you can stand being called names for having a scooter, get a scooter...)

As for 'you won't save time on a bike' crap, well, you'll probably save time on a bike. I used to commute 7 miles. For reference, in the middle of the night the route took just under 15 minutes by car and maybe a minute less by bike (a fair few 30 limits etc.) At 'rush hour' it could be 1:15 easily in the car, or 20 ish minutes by bike with no significant 'risk taking'.

Also, this whole 'week long DAS course' bollocks. Bollocks. The test is (so I gather) no more difficult than it was when I took my test, but now it's split up a bit with a second CBT (MOD 1 - it's a fucking CBT with a different coloured certificate). Grab a lesson if you want - if nothing else to get use of the bike - and do the test. Failing it 10 times is still cheaper than a course, and if your experience is what you say it is you really should walk it in under 5 tests

tl;dr: take test, get bike, save time, stop fucking around.



(Oh, and football? Really? Wanker. A scooter will suit you )
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Any and all advice given should not be followed - if you have to ask it means you don't know so get a man in to do it for you.

[sleasyrider]

(Oh, and football? Really? Wanker. A scooter will suit you Thumbs Up )

Ha Ha Ha I know............no hope for me. Must remember not to nod when I see a real biker if I'm on the scooter wearing my scarf and rosettes.

[pdg]