Buyer's Guide - 2016

Standard Features:

Most scooters have the same standard features, whether economy or high quality:

• Electric Start
• Fully Automatic
• Underseat Storage, Steering Column lock for security
• About the same speed (eg. 49cc - 30/40mph, 250cc - 75mph, etc.)
• Front Disk, Rear Drum Brakes
• Speedometer, fuel gauge, turn signals, headlight/stoplights, etc.
• Similar fuel economy (eg. 49cc 70-100mpg)

Our Advise:

We sell both economy and high quality scooters, so you can choose what is best for you. Here is our advise:

Freshman/Sophmore's/Long term buyers - Buy a high quality bike. It is often cheaper in the long run because of the much, much lower maintenance/repair cost and higher resale value when you graduate. And, it will be in the shop less as it gets older.

Juniors/Seniors/Short Term Buyers - Buy high quality if you can afford it. If not, you can usually get by with an economy scooter. While these bikes are usually pretty decent for the first year or so, there is a higher possibility of getting one with cronic problems than with high quality scooters.

High Mileage/Primary Transportation Drivers - If you are going to lose your job, drive more than 5 miles each way/everyday, or lose your scholarship for missing practice or class....Buy high quality...period!

Economy Scooters - Best for short drives, recreational users who have alternate transportation, or drivers that can be without their bike if it needs servicing. If you are a perfectionist, don't buy an economy scooter.

High Quality Scooters - Best for long term owners(more than 2 years), drive higher miles or longer distances, daily drivers who depend on their scooter to get to work or school.

Break Even analysis - High quality scooters that are around $1400-$1700 tend to have a lower cost of ownership than economy scooters after about year 3. This is due to being more reliable, higher resale value, and lower routine servicing costs. This break-even point tends to be around year 3-4 for high quality scooters around $2k. For example, a typical High Quality KYMCO for $1699 in four years will require about $700 in maintenance(1st service, 4 tuneups, valve adjustment, 1 rear tire, belt change) and maybe $150-$200 in non-warranty repairs. Then the resale value is about $500-$700. Net cost of ownership $2k, or $500/yr. A typical economy scooter for $1000 in four years will require $980 (1st service, 6 tuneups, 2 belts, 1 battery,2 rear tires), and more likely $300-$500 in non-warranty repairs, resale value of 0. Net cost of ownership $2400, or $600/yr.(plus much more down time while being repaired).

Beware of "Perfumed Pigs" - There are chinese scooters that are made to look fancy, have fancy Americanized names, bogus warranties that look good but aren't really, and tUF Parking

Online Sales

High quality brands are rarely if ever sold online. That is because legitimate manufacturers care about product liability and their dealer network. They require a local dealer assemble and inspect their bikes for safety before delivery to a customer. And, they want a local dealer to be there to service the bike in the future.

Economy brands are often sold online and in stores. It's all about price and numbers, not so much about liability or maintaining a dealer network to service their bikes after the sale. They will usually come in a box, and usually require significant assembly. Even after the assembly, they very often require servicing to make them run. They are not usually hot tested at the factory before shipping, therefore, you don't know if they are going to run out of the box. For example, carburetors often have to be cleaned or changed, wiring harnesses will have bad connections, parts are missing, batteries don't have acid in them, front wheels aren't attached, etc. If you have a problem, the company you bought it from may send you parts, but you may have to diagnose the problem yourself or pay someone to do so. If you are not a mechanic, Do not buy a chinese bike in a box! Pay $200 more and get it fully assembled and tested from a local dealer.

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Here is a more in depth look into scooters:

Information below:

• MSRP
• Out the Door Price
• Country of Origin
• Engine type
• Weight
• Average top speed
• Derestriction
• Performance parts
• Cooling system
• Displacement
• Transmission
• Tire size
• Rims
• Brakes
• Warranty
• Theft Prevention

Dealership

Buyer beware. There is a legal difference between a place that sells scooters and a "Dealer". Florida regulates any motorcycle dealer who sells bikes larger than 50cc in engine size. This is for consumer protection. Anyone can sell a 50cc scooter with just an occupational license in Florida. A "Motor Vehicle Dealer" in Florida must not only have an occupational license, they must also be licensed by the State of Florida. This requires Garage Liability Insurance, a background check, usually a credit check, and a bond or surety deposit. This ensures that money is available to reimburse consumers for fraud and/or damage to their property. A licensed dealer must also have a physical location with regular business hours, not a roaming van, not a "virtual site", nor a temporary flea market booth. They must also complete your tag and titlework by law. If a seller is giving you the documents to take to the DMV, they aren't a Motor Vehicle Dealer. beware!!

A "Franchised Motor Vehicle Dealer" takes this one step further. A Franchise dealer has a state protected territory to sell a specific brand in their market, over 50cc. That is why you never see two Honda Dealers right next to each other, or two KYMCO dealers next to each other. The State of Florida provides for protected territory. In exchange, the dealer must meet and maintain high standards.

Solano Cycle is a Franchised Motor Vehicle Dealership for KYMCO, Genuine, SYM, CFMoto, TAO TAO, Bashan, and several others!

MSRP

The MSRP, or manufacture's suggested retail price, is the target price the manufacturer or distributor would like their dealers to ask for their vehicles. This price does not usually include tax, tag, title, registration, processing, assembly(PDI), freight, etc.

Out the Door Price

The final selling price including all shipping fees, assembly fees (a.k.a. Pre Delivery Inspection), tax, tag, title, registration, tire tax, battery tax, and other dealer fees and government required fees. Government fees should all be the same between dealers in Florida, and must be itemized on your bill of sale by law. Dealer fees vary from nothing to sometimes as much as $600 or more. Always get the "out the door" price including tag, title, registration, and dealer fees when comparing prices. Ask for a written quote! We will gladly give you one, and we will match any competitors written, out the door price, within reason.(not below cost and on the same bike with comparable warranty, etc.)

Country of Origin

Chinese - Budget Scooters - VIN# starts with an "L"

Pros:

• Low Price, Low Price, Low Price!
• Lots of features for the money
• Parts are generally easy to find if you pick a popular model

Cons

• Low quality
• Squeek and Rattle
• Bolts tend to vibrate loose
• Low reliability
• Rust quickly due to few rust inhibitors
• Paint fades/peels quickly due to low UV inhibitors
• Plastic cracks easily
• Fit and Finish is generally low
• Dash/Headlight lenses yellow quickly

This is a good choice if you are on a budget, only need a scooter for occassional use or short term use, have back up transportation, and/or can maintain the bike yourself. These bikes typically last 2-3 years, but will become increasing less reliable after year one, and the normal wear and tear parts wear out faster than on better quality scooters. You will almost always pay a lot more in maintenance on a chinese bike than a higher quality scooter.

Don't be fooled by glitz, glamour, or a fancy name. Bikes such as Bentelli, Andretti, Fly, Gorilla Motor Works, Peace, Tao Tao, are all chinese scooters. You may also see the same bike or manufacturer selling the same scooter under multiple names. For example, a Bentelli and a Gorilla Motor Works are both made by ZNEN. The name on the bike is rarely the actual manufacturer. If you have $50k in your pocket, you can get a container load with John Doe Scooter Company printed on the side. Chinese manufacturers will sell to just about anyone, with little regard for long term market sustainability, product support after the sale, safety training, or liability insurance. You are at the mercy of the distributor and/or dealer if you have a problem. This is why you see chinese scooters for sale on the internet, but not the major brands.

Warranties on chinese scooters generally only cover parts, not labor. A dealer may opt to give you a longer, in house warranty, but it is rarely valid at other dealerships.

You can tell a chinese scooter by its VIN. All bikes made in China will start with a "L" on the VIN!

Engine parts are generally very easy to get from multiple suppliers as China tends to only produce a couple of engine models.

Hybrid Scooters - High Quality (Major Brands that build a few models in China)

Virtually everyone builds in China from Apple to GM. The difference being that the major manufacturers are utilizing the lower labor cost, while maintaining high build quality and standards that chinese owned manufacturers above do not.

Some examples are: Piaggio/Vespa Fly, KYMCO Agility 50, SYM/Lance Cali Classic, and the CPI Oliver, to name just a few.

These bike tend to give a good bang for the buck. With the KYMCO Agility 50, for example, is one of our best sellers because it gives you a two year warranty, excellent quality, the KYMCO brand name and dealer network, at a very reasonable price.

Pros

• Mid range price
• Backed by major/non-chinese manufacturers
• Better warranty, valid at a network of dealerships
• Good build quality and reliability
• Much Better UV/Rust Inhibitors

Cons

• A little more expensive than the pure chinese scooters
• A little lower quality than the best scooters(sometimes)

Taiwanese, Japanese, European, Korean Scooters - Highest Quality - VIN# starts with a J- Japan, R-Taiwan, K-Korea

These brands are very well build, very dependable, and generally have 1-2 year parts and labor warranties. Examples of these brands include: KYMCO, Genuine, SYM, Hyosung, Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Vespa, Piaggio, Herchee - Adly, TGB, CPI. However, some are bigger than others. The best established scooter brands in the US are: Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, KYMCO, Genuine, Vepsa/Piaggio, with SYM growing rapidly.

Pros

• Very good warranties, valid at a network of dealerships
• Less likely to need the warranty
• Unique designs that the Chinese manufacturers haven't copied or stolen yet.
• Excellent UV and Rust Inhibitors
• Most last 4+ years with no major mechanical failure
• High resale value
• These are the ones you see from the 1980s that are still on the road!

Cons

• Higher out of pocket price(but much, if not all, of this is recouped in lower maintenance and higher resale value)
• Large depreciation hit if you try to sell it within 1-2 years of purchase.(Just like a new car)

Engine Type

2 Stroke Engines

These are glorified weed eater motors! They burn oil, rather than being in an oil bath like a 4 stroke engine. There is no messy mixing. There is a seperate oil tank that just needs to be filled once in a while and a very good warning system should you get low on oil. There is far less smoke as well than in the past. This is due to new emmission standards. Two strokes will slowly be making an exit from our world as emmission get tougher. The advantages of a two stroke is that they are slightly more powerful than a 4 stroke, have lower maintenance cost than a 4 stroke since you don't have to change the oil or adjust valves, and they are easier to modify should you want to high performance parts. Almost all are air cooled which will be discussed in another section.

4 Stroke Engines

This is a small version of your car engine. They are in an oil bath that must be changed periodically, and they have valves to regulate the intake and exhaust that need to be adjusted from time to time. 4 Strokes are typically quieter, have better fuel economy, and usually last longer than 2 strokes if the manufacturing quality were the same. Almost all large engines are 4 stroke. Small 4 strokes tend to be air cooled, while larger ones over 200cc tend to be water cooled.

Weight

A lighter bike is easier to control than a heavier one at low speeds. Heavier bikes are more stable at higher speeds, but more difficult to operate at lower speeds.

Top speed

The term "average top speed" can be misleading. Even though two bikes have the same size engines it doesn't mean they will go the same speed. The type of transmission, bike weight, quality of the engine, and the weight of passengers have a large influence on speed. When comparing the top speed of two bikes you should keep in mind potential top speed. See "de-restriction" below. As a general rule, you may expect the following speeds:

• 50cc 35-45 mph
• 125cc 55 mph
• 150cc 60-63 mph
• 200cc 68-75 mph
• 250cc 75-80 mph
• 300cc 85 mph
• 500cc 100 mph

Derestriction

Most 50cc bikes come with a 30mph limiter. When these limiters are removed(aka de-restricted), the bike may go from 30mph-50mph, depending on the model. If want to go faster than 30mph, you should consider how difficult it is to remove the limiters before purchasing the bike. Restrictors are most commonly found in the exhaust pipe, on the transmission/front variator, and on the CDI (electronic controller). De-restriction can be as simple as cutting a wire, or removing a washer from your transmission/variator. Before de-restricting a bike, you should check to see if it is legal in your state, if the bike is built well enough to handle the speed, and if it will void the manufacturer's warranty. In Florida, as of 9/4/12, it is commonly accepted that you may remove the limiters to go faster than 30mph, and still not require a motorcycle endorsement. You only need a motorcycle endorsement in Florida if your engine size is greater than 50cc.

Performance parts

Performance parts are also available for many bikes, such as exhaust pipes, cylinders, carbs, etc. You can typically get a good quality 50cc scooter to 55-70mph with performance upgrades. Popular bikes typically have performance parts available. Some popular manufactures of performance parts are Malossi, Technigas, Motorio, Polini, and LeoVince.

Cooling system

Most 50cc scooters and mopeds have an air-cooled engine. It is inexpensive and works well on small engines. High performance 50cc scooters and larger displacement scooters tend to have water cooled engines. These are more expensive to build and maintain. They provide more power and longer life. This is because the engine temperature fluctuates less and the manufacturer can make the engine parts more precise since they don't have to be able to expand and contract as much.

Displacement

The displacement of a bike will tell you how large the engine cylinder is. For example, a 49cc engine has a piston inside its cylinder that displaces 49 cubic centimeters of fuel and air for every stroke it takes. The larger the displacement, the bigger the engine, the faster and more powerful it is. Most scooters are 49cc(aka 50cc) because the federal government is less restrictive on emissions and other approval requirements, and many states are don't require motorcycle licenses for these smaller engines. Once they exceed 49 or 50cc, most states classify them as motorcycles, which brings many more regulations and expense to buying one. As of 9-4-12, you only need a driver's license to operate a 49/50cc scooter in the State of Florida.

Transmission

Almost all scooters are automatic and have a CVT, or Constant Velocity Transmission, that continously shifts gears as you speed up or slow down. It is a rubber belt drive with two pullies and you should not feel it shift gears. Only a handful of scooters, which often try to look like motorcycles or old fashioned scooters, use a manual transmission, such as the Genuine Stella and the SYM Symba. Some mopeds, such as Tomos, use a two speed automatic transmission.

Tire size

Height: Taller tires will give you increased stability at high speeds. Shorter tires will usually offer you better acceleration, cornering and control at lower speeds.

width: Wider tires typically increase your stability at high speeds and have better corning and stopping traction.

Most scooters have 8-12 inch tires. 8 inch is common on small Chinese bikes, 10 inch is average, and 12 inches are often found on better quality or faster bikes. A few scooters are now available with 14-17 inch tires. These are referred to as "high wheel" scooters by some scooter magazines.

Rims

Steel rims are a cheaper alternative to aluminum ones. However, they usually don't last as long or look as good because they are prone to rust and the paint chipping over time. They are also easier to bend if you hit a pot-hole or when changing tires. Aluminum rims are typically found on better quality bikes.

Brakes

Most commonly found on mopeds are drum brakes front and rear. Scooters typically have disk brakes in the front and drum brakes in the rear. This is the standard for almost all scooters, just like cars. Cheaper bikes will have front and rear drums, and more expensive/high performance bikes will have front and rear disk brakes. Disk brakes provide better, more controlled stopping power than drum brakes. Large displacement scooters capable of going over 65+ mph will typically have disk brakes in the front and the rear.

Warranty

In this category you get what you pay for. In general, lower end bikes come with a 3-6 month warranties and may only cover parts, not labor. Bikes with a superior quality have a 1-2 year parts and labor warranties. You should also consider whether it is a "manufacturer's" warranty, or a "dealer" warranty. If it is a manufacturer's warranty, do they have at least 200 dealerships in the US?

There are a few chinese scooters that try to pass themselves off as better by giving you a better warranty. It is nice that you get a better warranty, but don't be fooled. Remember the "Country of Origin" information above. If we could give you one piece of advice when picking out a scooter it would be this: judge a bike by its warranty.

Theft Prevention

Most theft we've seen is for joy riding.

Thieves usually go after the bikes that aren't locked...The soft targets.

All bikes include a steering column lock integrated into the ingition...use it.

Bikes that are recovered from theft generally sustain $300 - $700 in damage. They are often totalled.

Buy a good quality lock from Onguard, Masterlock, Kryptonite, or similar. Get at least a 15mm braided cable, but a chain or armored cable is better. 6 foot is the most common length.

Our best seller is the Masterlock Armored Lock for about $35.

Put the lock through the rear wheel, or through the front wheel and the frame. Lock it to a fixed object if possible, locking two bikes together is also effective.

Alarms also work, but have a tendency to drain the small batteries on scooters.

You can get insurance, usually cheap. But a good quality lock is the cheapest insurance you can buy!

In short, get a good lock, use it, and always lock your steering column when you get off your scooter.

Who's Who?

Highest Quality Scooters

KYMCO, Genuine, SYM, Herchee-Adly, Daelim, CPI, Vespa, Piaggio, Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Aprilia, Hyosung, Lance(post 2010), MZ, Eton.

Chinese Brand Scooters

Bintelli, Gorilla Motor Works(GMW), Red Streak, Bashan, Peace, Tao Tao, Eagle, Jonway, Linhai, Tank, Twist&GO(TNG), QJ, Keeway, Sunny, and most anything else that isn't listed in the Highest Quality category.

We strive to provide unbiased, accurate information from our experience. Therefore, these are our opinions only. If there are any errors, please don't hesitate to contact us and we will correct them. This information is current as of 2015.

Copyright Solano Cycle, Inc. This may not be reproduced without written permission from Solano Cycle, Inc.