Hey guys and gals. I am thinking of getting a moped/scooter as petrol prices are so high, as well all know and the cost of public transport per day for me is killing me. So I was thinking of getting a 125cc scooter to go to and from work. Now I am around 100kg in weight so I need it to support me. Have any of you guys ever had one or currently use one and can offer me some advice.

I won't be riding it on any freeways so it only needs to do 80km/h comfortably. I have a budget of 3-4K. Is it risky to buy second hand.Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Meg man

Learn how to ride a motorbike! A scooter would be too underpowered and a 250cc bike (not a sports bike style) would still have ample power and the equivelant comfort of a scooter. Fuel costs are negligable. I can get about 200kms to a tank of about $13 on the Harley including thrashing the daylights out of it.
Once you get used to being vunerable on the road (more so than in a car), you will definately become a better driver as you will see risky situations that people take for granted when protected by steel.
Eitherway, welcome to the 2 wheeled brotherhood.:thumb
- Adam

biggest risk with secondhand is that alot of people are alot slacker servicing scooters and bikes cos they are so much cheaper to buy (and therefore to replace)

What about old postie bikes? I heard they go for about $1900 and are fun to ride. I wouldn't mind getting an old vespa and repainting it. Anyone know of a vespa dealer that deals in second hand scooters?

You cant beat the PX200 Vespa. Manual gearbox, 200cc 2 stroke and piss easy to work on.

A great scooter resource site !

http://www.scooterhelp.com 

Only an incomptent fool would leave bike maintenance to chance. The consequences for having a puncture, chain breakage or other sort of failure can potentially be fatal. I wouldn't think it is any less risky than buying any other sort of second hand vehicle. So long as it is checked thoroughly by someone with a good knowlege of what they are looking at I beg to differ.
- Adam

I agree with Notch Nut. It's much better to ride a small motorbike. They are safer, faster when needed, have better acceleration and they are no more expensive to run. Being tailgated on a scoooter is no fun. On a bike you can get out of the situation quickly and safely.

Another thing with scooters is that they are fashionable now and so you will pay over the odds for that, wheras a motorbike will not have that problem.

I rode a Honda CB125 for a year when I was a student. I lived near Bungendore about 30 miles out of Canberra and it was a very pleasant experience. I'd suggest a small motorbike of about that size. It will keep up with the traffic easily. . It will be a good commuter.

Postie's bikes are under geared and have automatic gearboxes, as they are designed to go from house to house at a slow pace. You would need to alter the final gearing for commuting.

Speaking of posties bikes. In 1998 when I was driving my buggy from Canberra to Perth, I met a young man in Port Augusta who was riding a postie's bike around Australia in a month as part of a promotion for a Sydney radio station. The low gearing was driving him crazy as he had a top speed if 55 mph. I suggested to him that he have it changed at a bike shop before he tackled the Nullabor.