More musings:

I rode with 2 of my friends last weekend, one who also has a GS500F and one has a Kawisaki EX500. The Kawi rider has talked with me in the past about how great his gas mileage is on his bike and it has always been a little better than my GS's and I was wondering why that was, since the bikes are pretty similar in terms of power. But, after riding with him I found that my friend (the one on the other GS) and I were repeatedly outpacing him and needed to slow up. I think he rides maybe a gear higher than we do at any given time, keeping him way low in the rev range. This would save him fuel (explaining why his mileage is usually a bit better than mine), but it makes it harder for him to keep up with us when we speed up.

RE: scooters:

I've always kinda wanted to try riding a scooter for some reason. Maybe the same reason I'm slightly tempted anytime a Grom shows up on craigslist...

I would LOVE a Grom!  Total hooligan bike right there.

Quote from: qcbaker on February 23, 2017, 01:42:44 PM


RE: scooters:

I've always kinda wanted to try riding a scooter for some reason. Maybe the same reason I'm slightly tempted anytime a Grom shows up on craigslist...

Here's the thing about the scooter. It doesn't replace your bike. It replaces your car. All those little errands that were such a drag in the car? Scooter time, baby!

And it actually saves money. People say they're buying a bike to save money. As we all know, that's a freakin' lie. First you have to buy the bike. then gas, oil, tires, maintenance. Then tickets, lawyers, time off work for court appearances, and on and on. But you buy a scooter for a grand, then use it for all those errands, next thing you know, you've paid it off with gas savings. It's like free money.

RE: The Grom. I'm not in love with the Grom like everyone else. Looks like fun for an afternoon, but then what?

Quote from: Suzuki Stevo on February 23, 2017, 01:08:19 PM

Quote from: Jim Moore on February 23, 2017, 12:27:21 PMI'll never understand why every motorcyclist doesn't also have a scooter. They're just so damn convenient. And they pay for themselves. And they're fun as hell.

I still have my Burgman 400, it goes a little over 100 Mph indicated (an honest 95 Mph for arguments sake) and gets 65+ Mpg all day long, it's also my go to bike when it rains, Tupperware is easy to clean...I hope the Internet Police can handle a little off topic

Real Men ride scooters, I have nothing to prove to anybody 

I'm more a fan of the small scooters, but that looks pretty cool!

Quote from: Jim Moore on February 23, 2017, 04:35:08 PMI'm more a fan of the small scooters, but that looks pretty cool!

I have had a few scooterz over the years, my first was an Elite 50cc 2-Smoke, fastest thing across an intersection...where at that point it hit "The Wall". Second was the red Elite 80cc 4-Stroke posted earlier in this thread.



3rd was a Honda Big Ruckus 250, bought to be the ultimate commuter...but under powered enough on the interstate  to be a target  to any 18 wheeler in the slow lane on the slightest incline. That bike was traded in on the Burgman 400 that now holds the spot as Ultimate Commuter and Rain Bike.

 

I also had a Honda SH150i for a while, with 16" wheels EFI and water cooling, I really kinda regret letting that one go 



My scooterz are always on topic...

A fellow scooter aficionado! Right on!

Quote from: Jim Moore on February 23, 2017, 04:33:38 PM
...
RE: The Grom. I'm not in love with the Grom like everyone else. Looks like fun for an afternoon, but then what?

This is the main reason I haven't actually bought one. I'm not sure what I would really do with it after the novelty of it wore off.

Quote from: qcbaker on February 24, 2017, 01:36:21 PM
I'm not sure what I would really do with it after the novelty of it wore off.

You'd sell it on Craigslist

Actually, they had GROMs for my MSF class and they were a blast to ride. Super easy to handle and ride and I think they'd be perfectly usable (like a scooter, actually) for around-the-neighborhood rides or in fact for my wife or daughters to ride. Might be just about the easiest possible way to teach someone to shift, brake, turn, etc. etc. on a street-legal 7/8 scale motorcycle.

But really, it's kind of a toy, and quite an expensive one at that. A 150cc scooter is way more practical and usable. And cheaper. You can get a Vespa or a Genuine Stella all day long for $1500 and you'll do well to find a GROM for much under $2K. I'd rather have a Stella, and it's even easier to just get on and ride than a GROM, plus my wife is likely to ride one.

Quote from: qcbaker on February 24, 2017, 01:36:21 PM

Quote from: Jim Moore on February 23, 2017, 04:33:38 PM
...
RE: The Grom. I'm not in love with the Grom like everyone else. Looks like fun for an afternoon, but then what?

This is the main reason I haven't actually bought one. I'm not sure what I would really do with it after the novelty of it wore off.

Exactly...just bought a Subaru, started by looking at the WRX/STI, then I realized that after the initial rush wore off with that model I would be far better off in the long run with just an Impreza 5-Door Sport 2.0 

Quote from: mr72 on February 24, 2017, 01:55:16 PM

Quote from: qcbaker on February 24, 2017, 01:36:21 PM
I'm not sure what I would really do with it after the novelty of it wore off.

You'd sell it on Craigslist

Haha, probably. Unless I got addicted to the hoonery

Quote
Actually, they had GROMs for my MSF class and they were a blast to ride. Super easy to handle and ride and I think they'd be perfectly usable (like a scooter, actually) for around-the-neighborhood rides or in fact for my wife or daughters to ride. Might be just about the easiest possible way to teach someone to shift, brake, turn, etc. etc. on a street-legal 7/8 scale motorcycle.

But really, it's kind of a toy, and quite an expensive one at that. A 150cc scooter is way more practical and usable. And cheaper. You can get a Vespa or a Genuine Stella all day long for $1500 and you'll do well to find a GROM for much under $2K. I'd rather have a Stella, and it's even easier to just get on and ride than a GROM, plus my wife is likely to ride one.

Getting closer to spring, maybe time to revive that scooter thread in Odds n Ends lol.

In the case of me I'd commute on a Grom, maybe hooligan around on it, potentially put knobbies on it, and use the Buell for highway, distance, and fun on Twisties.

It's a little urban assault vehicle.  I'm sure it gets great gas milage and it's super maneuverable.
While it potentially doesn't do anything better than a scooter, and some things potentially worse, the drive for me is it's a MOTORCYCLE.
You toss a leg over it, it has proper brake controls (rear on your foot), it has a clutch and a real transmission instead of an automatic or those weird cases where you twist the left handgrip, and I'll bet it has a higher top speed than comparable 125cc scooters because it's a 4 speed.
Plus they just look awesome/hilarious, and I'm sure you'd get a lot of attention on one.

Maybe it would get old fast as purely a toy, but with Honda revamping the design last year and Kawi making a competitor it's clear there's demand for them.  You'd probably have no trouble selling it off for the same or comparable money.