Newer rider here, owned a 150cc for about a year but haven't jumped on a scoot for a number of years & looking to buy a daily commuter. Non highway urban well paved streets about 30minutes a day. Southwest USA.
I'm looking at name brands (Vespa, Aprilia, Piaggio, Honda, Kymco, Yamaha, Suzuki) at 150cc & up though ideally 250cc+ solely for the rare highway jump. Would consider a maxi-scooter but 250-300cc would do just as well for me.
Arriving at the budget is a tough question. It's all in what I want from the bike. Reliable, cheap to operate & maintain (parts & labor as I'm not mechanically inclined), good resale & in demand, high build quality. But I don't want to tie up money in a vehicle so I'm working on the low end for budget.
I've set my price point at $2500, I could go up from that if it really warrants it. What I want is a cheap to own & operate daily commuter, hence why I'm buying a scooter over a car. My research & experience both tell me a scooter is cheaper.
I am not mechanically inclined & don't have much knowledge of bikes or maintenance. I expect to own the bike for at least 3-6 months at which time I will have a better grasp on where I want to go from there (might upgrade to a higher CC motorcycle, might even buy a *gasp* car). Or I may very well fall in love with the bike & do just fine keeping her for years.
Looking at a:
2007 Vespa GTS 250ie - 6,000 miles
Spoken with the seller over the phone & planning to see the bike in person in a few days.
- Great condition, had some front fender damage during a tow that was welded & fixed, still need to see in person
- 2nd owner, bought from dealership which sold it on behalf of the buyer, says it was dealership maintained & that they have all the service records - he will get back to me regarding seeing those records
- Seller has only put 15 miles on it, older retired guy & found the bike too heavy for him, wants to downgrade to 150cc (I believe him, even lists the trade in the ad though don't see how a 150 will be much lighter for him)
- And so it sat for 7 months, but he is a motorcycle guy going way back, though he always took to be serviced & never serviced himself, he did say he kept it started up each week for those 7 months
- Windshield & matching trunk mount, front rack
- New tires & battery
- Clean title
- Priced at $2900, Kelly Blue Book is at $3000
On the phone he sounds honest, kept bringing up things he didn't have to, like the fender damage he said we welded & a few other small things so I suspect everything he told me is true to his knowledge.
After speaking with him the only concern is that it sat for so long, 7 months. Has the gas turned to varnish? Weird that being a moto guy he just let it sit there. Couldn't ride it due to age & health saying that it's too heavy for him at 400pds, he wants to drop down to a 150cc (how much lighter is he thinking he can find at 150? maybe a 50cc like a Honda Metro at 180pds).
Regarding Vespas in general, in another forum a user said this to me:
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if you don't have any particular desire to own a Vespa, I would go with something else. Vespas are not a good value proposition, in performance per dollar or in parts cost.
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is that pretty accurate? I don't have a desire specific for a Vespa, but their GTS line looks really appealing given their quality & higher CC. The Honda PCX, for instance (which seems to be regarded as cheap to maintain), I would jump on a 2013-2015 150cc, but feel like after riding it awhile I'm going to wish I held out for a 250cc.
How much $xx can I expect in maintenance per 1000 miles? Parts are more pricey & routine maintenance costs going up by how much compared to the other brands? And for someone going to a service shop, Vespa dealers have higher labor costs by about how much? Is it relatively easy for someone to learn to change oil, air filter, on a Vespa, easy access etc?
Anything I should have prepared before meeting the seller?
Anything noteworthy about the 2007 line of GTS 250s I should check on?
Any & all help appreciate, thanks!