General scooter questions.... By larsliederhausen (Read 921 times)

[larsliederhausen]

I currently have the2012 jonway yy250t 54b scooter. Does anyone know what the avg lifespan of the drivetrain is...provided it has diligent proper maintenance?

Is it possible to take a larger drivetrain from like a burgman or silverwing 450cc's and place it in this scoot? (provide the opportunity presented itself). If it is possible will there be a instructional in the mod section here at the university? ;D

I told the dealer i wanted to go larger than 250cc's the other day and he recommended a good starter would be between 450-650 cc's. I looked at the silverwings, burgman's, aprilia, and the new bmw scooter . I've never ridden a motorcycle before and this scoots my first motobike. Can anyone tell me their personal preference who has ridden a motorcycle and a larger scooter and why the prefer their selection.

thanks.

On a side note I was itching my eye when it started burning...I forgot I was dicing some ghost chili's earlier today. **OUCH!!!**

[richardthescooter3]

There is some that suggest the lifespan is 20,000 miles. I believe if you change your oil and gear oil regularly and keep up on the maintenance on a of your scoot you can get a lot more miles, I think it was JR told us that he seen a scoot that had over 40,000 mile I have a mc-54-250b and right now I'm over 13,000 mile and going strong

[whid]

I'm approaching from the opposite direction. I have lived on motorcycles since my teens. Dirt bikes.. to sport bikes then cruisers. This is my very first scoot. My most recent bike was a Kawasaki 1600 Vulcan I owned since new. With a recent major ele. system failure and approaching 60k in miles. I opted for the brand new yy250t. the cost was the same as fixing the Kawi... With it approaching rebuild time... etc. Figured it was a sound decision.
What I love about the scoot is the cost of ownership... Gas, Insurance, maintenance.... And no shifting. Stop and go traffic, like with a stick shift car can get brutal. Even the metered entrance ramps to the freeway.

The stopping power on the scoot coming from a big bike and even remember on my R1 sport bike is mind blowing. This thing stops on a dime.
That is a big concern in the motorcycle world is getting the things stopped in bad situations. Like coming up on everyone locked up on the highway because of an accident ahead or something in the road. I've had to swing to the service lane or even between lanes cause I just didn't have the stopping power without locking the wheels. BAD BAD on a big heavy bike.

Front could slide out and you bite the pavement, or back could and does fishtail out and if you let go of the locked up brake, it will swing back in line of travel and buck you right off the bike.

Also scoot is real agile. It takes a lot of real estate to turn the bike and if you pull in to a parking space sloped downward, even a bit, it is like power lifting at the gym to back out all that weight with your feet. You learn quick to back into those spots so you can drive out of the slope.

I am certain when I am financially sound again. I will pursue a large scooter vs. a motorcycle again. or even a car. I drool at the thoughts of a 600-650cc Burgman or high end scoot. I do miss the incredible acceleration of the 1600 but hear the 600 scoots will smoke most any cruiser.
I knew from the start Chinese vs. Japanese was going to take some TLC to get it solid. But my wallet dictated my only option that could be taken on the Freeways legally.

Weight is a key factor. You won't get tossed around by the passing semi or dump truck. And road surface won't have the same influence on your line of travel. As you are well aware of our road conditions in the valley of the sun.. the pavement topography resembles water more than pavement. Like at the intersections... OMG... the surface looks more like my pool after some just did a canon ball than a path for vehicles .

Dude, how can you see to type. I made the same mistake using a pepper of some sort.... Ghost makes Habinaro look like a bell pepper... LOL Try milk... it works in the mouth... why not the eye... LMAO.

[richardthescooter3]

whid, I agree with you, my dream machine would be the 400cc to 650cc burgman but I do love my mc-54-250b roketa scooter so easy to work and I know higher maintenance but I enjoy working on this scoot, plus they have a well built frame and I love room I have on it

[whid]

For sure Richard... I love tinkering and such... My RC Heli addiction kept that satisfied until now. I'm sure my neighbors have to double check at night.... "Is that guy trying to steal that bike" I'm out there with my LED headlight on my head.... messing with everything from mirror vibration dampening to the trunk that sounds like a marching bands drum line.. got all these things fixed over the couple weeks I've had it. And yes.. the room is Awesome. I had two pretty good sized hard bags on my Vulcan. I could fit 3-1 gallon milk/water jugs on each side. and an 18 pack of brew fit perfect in the hard bags. But would still find myself stuffing items in my jacket or backpack when shopping.
The scoot fits everything.... with under the seat, glove box, and mega trunk, I can do all my grocery's for the week without double trips. LOVE IT!
Another neighbor came out as i was fiddling to check it out.... He had a big burgman and told me stories of its power and reliability. I'm scared to go really check one out or I will be selling everything I own to get one. That's my vote.... Big Scooter Lar's

[kz1000st]

I've done both in my lifetime. I hear all the knocks on shifting but I think it's overdone. I lived on Long Island with some of the worst traffic jams in the world and never suffered on a bike in it. My best bike went 125,000 miles and was all original when I sold it. Since it was shaft drive it never needed a chain, belt or replacement of either.

Now I have a 250 scooter just for something different. My wife has a bike I can use if I feel the need to shift. It's a 250 too and gets identical gas mileage. My wife smokes me all the time on takeoff, so I guess it depends on the rider.

The problem with any scooter, large or small, is side drafts. Using the Interstate on one is an exercise in control. Much more than a bike.

A Wise Man here once said, "Scooters don't belong on an interstate. You're just asking for trouble if you do." So you have to ask yourself what you plan to do with it.

[whid]

I've yet to ride on the freeway... that could prove to be a bad idea. There are quite a few variables...
Surface area even. I could tell an enormous difference with the windshield on and off the vulcan.
It is just a big "sail" in a way.... my gas mileage went up and not near the impact of passing huge trucks
on two lane streets with the windshield removed.
Shifting never bothered me cause it's all i knew. Just really enjoying not having to shift now. I don't see that a CVT trans. could ever take on a real transmission I call it....of equal cc's. but hopefully the slider mod will help when I'm past the break in.

[larsliederhausen]

This is all good information. Whid thanks for sharing both sides of your experiences. When i was showing my father in law the new bmw 650 cc and the aprilia SRV 850 he was telling me I should just go with a mc instead of a scooter. But he's never ridden a scooter. I'm thinking about leaning more towards the larger scooter based on your experiences. Besides..I'm happy with my ride, how much better could it be if I have to shift?
I drive from about AMC 30 I17 & 101 to Downtown phoenix m-f. I started off taking 7th st down until I reached the 500 mile marker. Since then I take the I17 everyday. I hop in the carpool lane and its smooth sailing, I've reached top speed at 79mph w no mods but I try to keep it around 65 now that the dealer told me I need to take it easy on it lol. I personally dont find it difficult to maintain control except the couple of times I rode too close to a big rig w box trailer. My scoot was shakin everywhere, clearly not a smart decision, so now I avoid them and keep my distance when i'm behind them. If they pass me on the side I don't really notice a draft.

Thanks for all your help. BTW...I put my eye in the kitchen sink w cool water running over it and blinked often. Pain went away after about 20 mins. Again not another good decision from me lol

[whid]

Hehe... There are other sensitive areas I've made the same mistake.... Not good.
Man, wow, an 850.... That would b awesome. We gotta go riding and see how bad you leave me in the dust...

[whid]

Good to hear about your I 17 experience. I must venture up to 101 and Tatum once a month. That would take forever on interior streets. When I bought it, had to get it home from 51 & Cactus taking interior streets because of break in... 2.5 hours.... This was at 5pm tho. Bout the worse time to drive anywhere huh.

[bobf]

Hmmm, 51 and Cactus. Isn't that close to a dealer? Maybe a half mile west of 51 and north a tad?

Interesting reading these posts as I was looking to get relocated into the Phoenix area somewhere. We had looked from Mesa, Gilbert, east to Apache and Queen Creek areas. We also looked at some Chandler areas and all the way out west to Buckeye. Spent parts of a year and a half but actually ended up down in Casa Grande. I do miss all the availability of entertainment and activities with lots of restaurants too. But down here it is a lot quieter and I do get out and ride once in a while. If I really want to do something it is about 45 minutes in a car to get to Chandler and Tempe for the malls or Ikea. Or if I go up a different road I end up in Gilbert or Mesa for what ever reasons I may have. Still wish I had stayed closer to Phoenix though.
.

[whid]

Correct Cactus and North on Cave Creek road to the dealer on the left...That's where I bought her. But as a Major cross street Ref. for people not so familiar with the area.... Trust me the added 1.5 mile extra to the precise pickup location was nothing compared to getting home south of South Mountain...Ray and the I-10.

This is the beauty of the scoot... is its about a 2 mile commute to just a bit north of Ikea....On Elliot and Harl. No time at all. But the once a month run all the way of to my Dr. on 101 and Tatum used to take me 30 min in the HOV lane, fracturing the speed limit just a little.

[fflintstone]

It seems to me that our 250 scoots are the optimum selection between a big motorcycle and a small ride--it can run at 65 mph on most roads and is easy to maneuver in traffic in the burgs ..and easy to find a parking place most of the time--and no gears to mess with is a plus with a lot of start and stop city traffic...and now I am having a little trouble with my eyes as the tears are beginning to burn them,from laughing at the pepper in the eyes remarks above--mind you ,I am laughing with you,not at you ,guys--have a Merry Christmas,ride safe,fflintstone

[prodigit]

My dream machine would be a V-cylinder engine, 2 pistons, 500cc, fuel injected.
One that does 3000 RPM cruising at 60MPH instead of 6000RPM like most other bikes, and can peak over 90MPH (probably 100MPH would be nice).

One that has ~60MPG, depending on the speed (75MPG @ 45MPH would be nice).

Anyway, 20k miles is a rough estimate on chinese engines.
Their steel is of much lower quality, however most of the time, their bikes are much lighter in weight too. (less drag, less power necessary on acceleration)

Usually by 20k miles, most bikes have had 2 to 4 large maintenances, and they'll need a much larger maintenance. When you pass 20K miles, you could still possibly go on, however some have had luck, others didn't.
It all depends on how you use and maintain your bike.
If you're a careful driver, slow in acceleration, preferably never drive at the top speed, and keep speed around 45-50MPH; keep a rigid maintenance routine, your bike may last longer.

[larsliederhausen]

Now...when my motor or drivetrain eventually dies, can i acquire a larger one like from a 400 cc and retrofit it in this body? Has anyone here ever done such a thing or known someone that has?