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Which Bike? Comments and Questions on what is the best bike for YOU, for YOUR trip. Note that we believe that ANY bike will do, so please remember that it's all down to PERSONAL OPINION. Technical Questions for all brands go in their own forum.
Photo by Hendi Kaf, in Cambodia

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Hendi Kaf,
in Cambodia



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  #1  
Old 24 May 2006
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How about a scooter

Hello I just got here and thought with the price of gas why not travel on a scooter?

Like maybe a vespa! Gt200 or lx150 me thinks it would be fun. anyone here travel on a scooter? thanks
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Old 24 May 2006
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Scooter

If you poke around here a bit you'll find a few scooter riders- some of them on (or planning) some pretty ambitious trips as well!
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Old 24 May 2006
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hook
If you poke around here a bit you'll find a few scooter riders- some of them on (or planning) some pretty ambitious trips as well!
cool, This is my kinda place then. I love it when a plan come together!
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Old 24 May 2006
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Look for posts by Wheelie, he's planning a big trip on a vespa and sidecar
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Old 25 May 2006
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Smile

Why not? Guys have riden around the world on Cub 90s and crossed continentals on 50cc scooters. A big scooter would be fine.
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Old 25 May 2006
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Check out this recent thread.

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...-courage-21095


These are a couple of links from the above thread:
http://www.cobrasales.com/news/cobra...orts112004.htm

http://www.scootercannonball.com/
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Old 26 May 2006
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Don't opt for a scooter to save money on fuel. In fact, don't opt for a scoter to save money on anything, period.

My Vespa PX200E EFL for instance uses 5.3 litres per 100km on mixed riding, unloaded (eventhough the brochure says something like 2.2 or 3 or something). Loaded, it uses an average of 5.5 litres on decent roads, and 8.5 on horrific roads (mud/sand/washboards. If I remember correctly, a BMW GS650F Dakar uses about 3.5 Litres (somebody corret me if I am wrong). The Vespa PX200E EFL is a two stroke of really old design, and newer four stroke scooters would offer better mileage. Still, the underpowered engine and the heavy loads you would be hauling, would translate into high revving and increased fuel consumption. Small engines have to work hard to move you along fast, move you up hill, move you in head wind, move your heavy loads, etc., using lots more fuel than a bigger bike doing the same job.

Other issues, take for instance tyre wear. A scooter's small tyres will wear a lot faster than that of motorcycle equivalent.

Small scooters are simply not designed to haul heavy loads, travel fast for long durations and distances at a time, or travel under harsh riding conditions in general... meaning that you are more prone to having things go bad, maybe really bad.

If you want to take the pragmatic and financial sound route, then trading in your scooter for a small motorcycle is the way to go. For the same price of your used scooter, you could likely get a decent 250-350 used offroader.

You choose a scooter for the same reason you would choose a chopper, Tuk-Tuk, moped, trike, or any other silly ride, because you just feel like it.

My wife and I will during June/July be riding two Vespas from Cape Town, South-Africa, to Kenya, Nairobi, a distance of about 6.000km. With everything that can likely go wrong, I will be carrying allmost half a scoot in spare parts. For the cost of all my scooter, my upgrades and modifications, spares, tools, etc., I could just about have purchased a stock BMW Dakar which would need very few mods, spares and tools. Well, this might be an excaggeration, but only a slight one.

However, if you have the time to wait for parts to be sourced and couriered to you in some desolate corner of the world, then you won't need to fork out lots of money for parts you will likely never use. But if you plan to go fast like me, then you need to be prepared for anything that have any significant probability of going wrong, and with a Vespa, that inludes just about everything you can think of, as well as just about everything you cannot think of.

If you have some special kinky and perverse relationship to classic rides or scooters, like I do, then go for it, if not, then reconscider.
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Old 26 May 2006
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Yea thanks for the advice, I bought my vespa for the same reason you said i want one! and so far i love it, took it to the mountains last weekend loaded with gear and it's only a 150. 2006 lx150 is sound smooth and maintance free so far. I love the ride on the scoot and it's so easy to ride does 60mph all day and 65+ mpg why ride anything else.

I guess your telling me vespa does not offer roadside ast,like bmw!lol
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Old 27 May 2006
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SCOOT

I guess your telling me vespa does not offer roadside ast,like bmw!lol
There are a lot of us in here who travel routes where we at times will cover vast distances where there isn't much assistance to be had for anything...

But, if you were to cruise arround southern Europe for instance, travelling fairly light, scooters would be great (from an acceptable level of pragmaticism that is).
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