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Would you buy a scooter to save $?

SandRdr

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It's an interesting argument, buy a scoot, get great gas mileage vs a car or even a motorcycle, save some money.

The Honda PCX 150 I have gets 100 mpg easily, speed limited to 62mph.
 
It all depends on your needs, use case. As a short distance commuter, in mostly ridable weather, sure. I know many without cars that use scooters and motorcycles for primary transportation. Some I know even use electric bikes and scooters.
 
Back in 2008 when gas was higher than it is now I was getting a bike serviced at a BMW dealer that also sold some high dollar 3 wheeled scooters. I seem to remember they were in the $12k-$15k range. I overheard a man and his wife in a salesman's office trying to arrange financing on a his & hers pair. They were very keen to spend $25k-$30k to save money on gas.
 
I bought My KLX300 to commute on, Versus my Bronco, it paid for itself pretty quickly, 80$ a week in savings adds up fast.
What were you driving before and how many miles a week? $80/week @ $4/gal = 20 gallons saved. So if the KLX was getting 50 MPG more than your previous vehicle that means you're driving 1000 miles/week or 200 miles/day. That's quite a commute on a KLX. I had a KLX250 and it was surprisingly good on the road with its 6 speed gearbox, but I wouldn't have enjoyed over 200 miles per day, 5 days a week on it.
 
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I daily a 3/4T pickup. Any bike out there is a massive, massive improvement. :D
^that
My worst mpg bike is 45, my best bump 100. My Jeep gets 15 @ 65 mph.
Range on the jeep is typically 180-200 mi from 15-16 gal.
Fast bake goes 150-180 on 4 gal
Slow bike goes 110-130 on 1.7 gal

Then we can talk insurance cost, tires and oil changes....it all adds up to being more economical on 2 wheels.
 
Nope.

I have a 650cc and a 450cc both plated. a KLX300 would be the smallest bike I'd ever consider on road.

We have 75mph roads around here.


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Nope.

I have a 650cc and a 450cc both plated. a KLX300 would be the smallest bike I'd ever consider on road.

We have 75mph roads around here.


1647184279670.png
I had a KLX250 and it was actually not as bad as you'd think at highway speeds, although it wouldn't be my first choice. The KLX has a 6th gear so doesn't sound like you're ringing it's neck. I previously had a DRZ400 and I hated it at anything above 50 MPH because it's a 5 speed and sounded like it was ready to explode, especially if it was geared for offroad. The KLX is an absolute hoot on a twisty road. Back when I had the KLX I'd trailer it and a street bike to eastern TN and switch off days between street riding and forest service roads. I took the KLX through Deal's Gap several times and was smoking sportsbikes even on knobbies. But when I was working I had a 40 minute highway commute each way and the narrow seat and light weight meant I had much better bikes in the stable for commuting. If my commute was mostly county roads and/or in town I'd have ridden the KLX to work a lot more.
 
What were you driving before and how many miles a week? $80/week @ $4/gal = 20 gallons saved. So if the KLX was getting 50 MPG more than your previous vehicle that means you're driving 1000 miles/week or 200 miles/day. That's quite a commute on a KLX. I had a KLX250 and it was surprisingly good on the road with its 6 speed gearbox, but I wouldn't have enjoyed over 200 miles per day, 5 days a week on it.
Full size Bronco, 408 stroker, C6 with loose converter, 35's and 4.88's. Around town it got like 6ish? In Baja it was a blast, commuter, not so much.

One thing you are probably not taking into account is SoCal traffic and the ability to lane split. While the Bronco would be creeping light to light the KLX would be doing 50MPH down the middle.

While not the best highway bike, i did ride in from San Diego to Cabo a couple times. Gearing up helps, I ran 15/41 most of the time. Riding Palomar mountain was a hoot, no problem catching sport bikes going down the hill. Going up was harder due to power deficiency.
 
I did exactly that back in 2010. I bought a Kymco Super 8 150 as an around town commuter. My truck got around 17 MPG overall but much worse around town. the local Kymco dealer had a bunch of NOS stock in the showroom. I picked up a brand new 2009 Super 8 for around $2,200 OTD. Besides getting 70 MPG and being an absolute blast to ride, it saved a lot of wear and tear on my truck. I still have that 2002 Chevy Avalanche because it mostly sits in my driveway while I use my scooters for transportation.

Buying a scooter was one of the best decisions I ever made. I no longer have that Super 8. I sold it to a friend with over 33,000 miles on the odo and he still rides it. I am now riding it's replacement, a 2018 Kymco Like 150i. Just like the Super 8, it gets 70MPG or better and is a blast to ride. My scooters are much more fun to ride around town than any motorcycle I have ever owned. They are also fun to take out and ride on the back roads. If the roads are twisty enough they are even more fun than my motorcycles.

My Super 8 at Deal's Gap:

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My Like 150i on a twisty road in NC.

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I still own two motorcycles but I am really glad I bought a scooter(s) to save money.
 
I'm coming from years of big ..top heavy sport touring bikes like the ST1100... For many age related reasons i am downsizing somewhat...I'm hoping to acquire a 2006 Honda Silverwing...It wont get 70 mpg..but i should get close to 50 mpg...and thats more than double the mileage of my old Honda CR-V cage vehicle...
1st scooter ride.jpg
My1stScooterride.jpg
 
The Honda PCX 150 I have gets 100 mpg easily, speed limited to 62mph.

Scooters provide a lot of good vibes. I luv-em!
They're probably good for health too ie lower stress and blood pressure, increase endorphins etc.
All good things.


It's an interesting argument, buy a scoot, get great gas mileage vs a car or even a motorcycle, save some money.

If someone wants to absolutely ride, sure.
But every time I plugged the numbers, riding didn't make sense to me to save gas.
Buy a used Honda Civic or similar. Get great gas mileage.
Require way less regular maintenance.
Way lower total operating costs.
More practical, used in all kinds of weather. Way more carrying capacity.
Way easier ie don't have to gear up in any way.
Hop in and go.

If looking strictly at operating costs, a Honda NC750-X is hard to beat.
Likely lower operating costs than a scooter.
75mpg+ on US gallons, 90+ on Imp gallons. Consistently.
Ridden like a motorcycle at motorcycle speeds. Not 60mph limits.
If ridden like a scooter, even better mileage.
Front trunk for storage that fits a helmet.
Very low operating costs and maintenance.
Rides and feels like a modern BMW airhead.
Ie not exiting. Just dependable.

But the fun factor of scooters is undeniable.....
 
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