Motorcycles/Scooters?

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Ok so I've decided to get a Bike/Scooter at some point in the next year or so for a whole multitude of reasons

Thing is I've been out of the whole bike scene for almost 4 year's now, so I'm a little out of date with regards to the state of play where new bike/scooters are concerened


But what I'm looking for is a bike that has the following...

At least 80mpg (I'm still an ardent greenie after all)

It has to be able to sit at, at least 55mph, preferable 2 up.

A lowish saddle height, as I'm thinking of having my boy on the back

Preferable 4 stroke, but seeing as I'll probably be doing less than 3k miles annually (I'll still be cycling the majority of the time) 2 stroke's, preferable direct injection would be Ok-ish. Likewise Diesel and LPG would be considered.

Reliable, and simple to work on by your average home mechanic (I want to keep speSmurfpillst tool's and garages out of the equation as much as possible)

Should be capable of being loaded up with touring/camping stuff.

Preferable a Manual or Semi Auto, but I'm not ruling anything out

And available new or used for 2k which I know is a bit of an ask

Thanks in advance guys

[Mr. Whippy]

I don't think there are any legal 2 strokes left in the UK.  They're almost extinct in the US.  For 80 mpg, you're limited to the Vespa, Kymco, ?Aprillia scooters in 125cc size.  I have a Burgman 650 which gets 50 mpg and is extremely comfortable, tons of storage and will travel at 90-95 mph quite happily.

In the 250 cc size, you'll be lucky to hit 75 mpg (ie you'd have to ride judiciously)

[Whoey]

There was a scooter/bike I saw in Quebec once called a Harley Pedalson (where-ever did they think that name up lol) that was essentially a bike with a motor as well...

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Well the Burgmann's about 6k over here so well out of my price range

I thought I'd be pretty much confining myself to a 125 with those requirements, but I really don't want an automatic (I like feeding gears, and I like having control over the engine)  but that would seem to be the only option available really, as geared 125 motorbikes just don't fit my other needs as well as a scooter would

You can still get stroker's, but they are getting to be a rare sight.

Nice ride btw

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

There was a scooter/bike I saw in Quebec once called a Harley Pedalson (where-ever did they think that name up lol) that was essentially a bike with a motor as well...

Yeh there's a lot of similar thing's coming out of Germany/Holland at the moment, but there not really practical for what I need a bike/scooter for sadly

Still want one though, as it'd be perfect for the cycle to work and back

[Whoey]

enough to make those steep hills a little more bearable...

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

enough to make those steep hills a little more bearable...

Just ask Ben how steep the hills are around here

It's be nice to hear an electric motor whiring, it might even drown out the sound of my creaking knees

[Mr. Whippy]

Ninja 250 may be close.  Gas mileage in the 70-75 mpg range.  Stone reliable.  Super easy to work on and if you go for 2007 or earlier, they'll be much less expensive since the 2008s have changes to the tupperware.

I bought one a few years ago for $1200 USD and sold it for $900 USD.  5K miles put on it and nary a problem.  2up is doable.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Well there not available in the UK, but I'll try with the grey importers

[Mike]

I'd think about an enduro on/off road bike of some kind, something at least at 125cc. They are light, easy to maneuver, good ground clearance, good low end torque.

Scooters are kind of limited as far as suspension goes and they normally have smaller diameter wheels which makes them a little too "twitchy" for my liking in the steering department.

Just my opinion,
Mike

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Well I've ridden all sort's and I never found scooters to be too twitchy until you got over 70-80 mph

I'd quite like a trail bike as I'm 6'2 so i'd like the space , but i need a low saddle height so as not to intimidate my 6 year old son

[Mike]

You won't intimidate your son. He's with dad, so it's all good. Get something that you will be comfortable on and he will follow suit. I mean, he isn't going to stay little forever so you're both going to need a little more room probably sooner rather than later.

What I will say is this, scooters tend to have compartments for carrying small items and their exhaust is generally out of the way so your little guy won't get burned.

But I still say scooters are twitchy and the small wheels don't handle bumps as well either. So there. 

Mike

[Mr. Whippy]

The nice thing about enduros are they're super light.  You'd have no trouble keeping it steady at stops despite a bit of wiggling about.

Over here, Enduros are the hot ticket for commuter bikes 'cuz they can get banged around a bit without expensive plastic damage, they're narrow, they sip gas and you can roost anybody who pisses you off. 

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Don't get me wrong I love Enduro's/trail bikes, about the only bikes I've not had was a big single

But (and I should have made it clear, sorry) I'll also need to load it up with camping/holiday gear too, hence the scooter as you've got underseat storage on the newer ones, and on the old style scoots you could get racks front and rear for them, and i used to load my PX200 down like you wouldn't believe

You can't do that with a trail bike without resorting to expensive topbox systems, at least over here anyway

For example...

[Mike]

I got nothin'. 

Mike

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I got nothin'. 

Mike

I appreciate you help though mate

[Mr. Whippy]

Don't say I never did anything for you:

Wolfman Tailbags, saddlebags and tankbags

I have a Beta bag for my Multistrada.  It is freakin' awesome!  I use the tankbag too as a daily commuter. It'll hold 3 burritos and a six pack of beer, no problem!

Roost, roost, roost....

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Thanks for that mate, there's some damn fine looking rigs there

And nice choice on the Multistrada , they we're never too popular over here (we're all obsessed with sports bikes ), but I always thought they were a damn good idea

[duckman1975]

We have a 2 honda Dream (I think this model was replaced already) in the farm, those motorcycles are indestructible! Its design for city road but we are using it off road! Its been 5 years, it doesn't look pretty but still very usable! Check this one out:
http://www.hondaph.com/products/motorcycles/cubs/beat-alloy-wheel

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

That look pretty handy to me

[phil.gas]

My lad passed his cbt 2 months ago and bought a yamaha cygnusx scooter which came with free insurance paid just over  £1900. there was a cheaper scooter a yamaha vity for £1600 but did not not have the build quality and size of the cygnusx. maybe worth a look.

phil

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

My lad passed his cbt 2 months ago and bought a yamaha cygnusx scooter which came with free insurance paid just over  £1900. there was a cheaper scooter a yamaha vity for £1600 but did not not have the build quality and size of the cygnusx. maybe worth a look.

phil

Funny you should say that, my bro's got one on an 07 plate

A word of warning about the brakes, the seals have gone twice on his, despite regular servicing, and last time they had to be heated up to get the pins out

[phil.gas]

will keep an eye on that ,is it a known fault do you know,and does he still like the scooter..
i guess it got repaired under warranty..

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

The dealership claim it isn't, and as such they charged him for the labour, but not the parts, so I'm guessing it's a grey area.

[phil.gas]

what was his mileage when he first got the fault..

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

what was his mileage when he first got the fault..

All this txting is costing me money

Right he can't remember the first time, but the second was between 12-13k miles. But bear in mind that he rides all year and in all weathers, so the bike subjected to all the crap our roads can provide

[Rob]

I don't have much to add that hasn't already been discussed but here goes my 2 cents anyway.  You'll most likely be looking at a scooter if you want to get close to that MPG figure, guess that's already been ironed out though.  The 55mph deal with two up sounds out of the question from most everything I've been around.  I ride a multitude of under 250cc bikes when I teach and many of them have issues even getting one good sized adult up to highway speeds let alone two people, going to have to up the displacement quite a bit if this an important criteria.  One comment on the low saddle height comment in regards to a passenger.  Instead of seat high look at the seat to passenger peg distance.  My son can easily fit on my wife's SV650 but his legs are at full extension on my Tiger.  He is the same way on my V-Strom.  Of course as they get older the longer distance actually makes for a more comfortable ride.  And I've packed a ton of stuff on dual sports in the past.  Look for some cheap soft saddle bags and a cheap rear rack.  I think small dual sports are the most underrated bikes available.  Great mileage, super easy to work on, neutral handling the list goes on.  I think a good small dual sport is the best beginner/cheap bike you can buy in most cases.  Sorry to ramble but bikes are a huge part of my life so I like to talk about them.

[Mr. Whippy]

I don't have much to add that hasn't already been discussed but here goes my 2 cents anyway.  You'll most likely be looking at a scooter if you want to get close to that MPG figure, guess that's already been ironed out though.  The 55mph deal with two up sounds out of the question from most everything I've been around.  I ride a multitude of under 250cc bikes when I teach and many of them have issues even getting one good sized adult up to highway speeds let alone two people, going to have to up the displacement quite a bit if this an important criteria.  One comment on the low saddle height comment in regards to a passenger.  Instead of seat high look at the seat to passenger peg distance.  My son can easily fit on my wife's SV650 but his legs are at full extension on my Tiger.  He is the same way on my V-Strom.  Of course as they get older the longer distance actually makes for a more comfortable ride.  And I've packed a ton of stuff on dual sports in the past.  Look for some cheap soft saddle bags and a cheap rear rack.  I think small dual sports are the most underrated bikes available.  Great mileage, super easy to work on, neutral handling the list goes on.  I think a good small dual sport is the best beginner/cheap bike you can buy in most cases.   Sorry to ramble but bikes are a huge part of my life so I like to talk about them.

...and roosting.  Don't forget roosting! 

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I don't have much to add that hasn't already been discussed but here goes my 2 cents anyway.  You'll most likely be looking at a scooter if you want to get close to that MPG figure, guess that's already been ironed out though.  The 55mph deal with two up sounds out of the question from most everything I've been around.  I ride a multitude of under 250cc bikes when I teach and many of them have issues even getting one good sized adult up to highway speeds let alone two people, going to have to up the displacement quite a bit if this an important criteria.  One comment on the low saddle height comment in regards to a passenger.  Instead of seat high look at the seat to passenger peg distance.  My son can easily fit on my wife's SV650 but his legs are at full extension on my Tiger.  He is the same way on my V-Strom.  Of course as they get older the longer distance actually makes for a more comfortable ride.  And I've packed a ton of stuff on dual sports in the past.  Look for some cheap soft saddle bags and a cheap rear rack.  I think small dual sports are the most underrated bikes available.  Great mileage, super easy to work on, neutral handling the list goes on.  I think a good small dual sport is the best beginner/cheap bike you can buy in most cases.  Sorry to ramble but bikes are a huge part of my life so I like to talk about them.

Well I've owned a Hornet, ridden a Fazer, and borrowed my dad's SV650 (lovely streched out riding position ) so I know exactly what your talking about with the peg position  and I have looked long and hard for a decent XT600 or Dominator, but there pretty hard to find and the Transalp is just the wrong side of complicated/expensive for me to consider

But there out of my budget, unless I buy a VERY used high milage one £2-2,500 really is my limit, and a decent used example usually go for more than that