Motor Scooters Buyers Guide

Scooters have become popular partly because they are an effective solution to urban traffic problems and partly because scooters have changed over the last five years into personal transport that is both fashionable and fun. They range in price from just over £1,000 to over £3,000, and virtually all have simple to use "twist and go" combined throttle and automatic gear control.
Small wheels make for manoeuvrability and a low centre of gravity for stability, and weather and wind protection is provided by a front fairing. Their "step-through" design also means that you can wear a skirt or long coat whilst riding them - unlike a motorbike. A 50cc scooter can also be ridden on a full UK car licence if you are over 21 without the need to take a test. You can expect fuel consumption of between 70 to 100-plus mpg, depending on engine size and whether it is a two or four-stroke.
The type of scooter you choose will depend on what you intend to use it for, the style you prefer and how much you are willing to spend.

Modern scooters can be classified under the following headings:

- Commuter: basic no-frills machines usually of 50cc. Even at this level, futuristic shapes and twin headlamps are commonplace, with features like electric start, under-seat helmet stowage and lockable storage compartments now the norm. Expect to pay between £1,000 and £1,600. These machines are good for general commuting but cannot be used on motorways.
- Lifestyle: add a fashion accessory element with more focus on the design, and sometimes an improved technical specification. Influences range from 60s European retro and American chrome, through to machines which look like old-style mopeds complete with skinny, large diameter wheels. Expect to pay between £1,800 for a 50cc scooter (not suitable for motorway use), and £2,500 for a 100cc or 125cc.
- Sports: often mechanically-identical underneath the skin to a lifestyle scooter, but with more aggressive styling, less bodywork, and grippy tyres. In this class, you are more likely to find advanced features such as centre hub steering and disk brakes front and rear. Expect to pay between £1,900 for a 50cc and £2,700 for a 125cc machine.
- Tourer: these are aimed more at people who already have a full motorcycle licence, and have enough speed for stress-free motorway use, yet offer more weather protection and convenience than a conventional bike. Expect to pay between £2,200 for a 125cc, rising as high as £5,600 for a top of the range 500cc.
- Traditional: scooters made to the same design as the original 50s and 60s Vespa, with manual gear and clutch change. As well as these, a couple of Italian manufacturers still make upgraded versions, which include front disk brakes and electric start. Expect to pay from £1,000 up to £2,000.
- Moped: best likened to scaled down motorcycles, with a 50cc engine driving the rear wheels through a chain and manual gears. They have large diameter spoked wheels, a pressed steel frame and leg shields only, rather than the modern scooter's fairing which is continued into a footboard. This type is still listed by at least one Japanese manufacturer, and cheaper copies made in the Far East also surface from time to time. Expect to pay from £700 to £1,500. Like the commuter scooters, these cannot be used on motorways.

Visit a number of dealers, look at the scooters on offer and talk to their staff. Don't make a snap decision based on colour, type, engine size or price. Chances are that you will not have ridden a scooter before, but depending on your age and driving licence the more helpful dealers may let you make a couple of circuits on your own on a 50cc demonstrator around a car park or forecourt.

CBT - Compulsory Basic Training
The next step is to take a Compulsory Basic Training course (CBT). The test will cost around £100 or less and lasts a day. For this fee, the test centre should also provide a scooter, helmet and gloves. The morning will be spent on learning the basics of controlling a scooter, and in the afternoon, you will go out on the public road for a couple of hours, under the supervision of an instructor.
If you already have a full car licence, and are over 21, a CBT pass is not required in order to ride a 50cc scooter. But a pass will widen your choice of scooter model, since it allows you to ride anything up to a 125cc engined machine on “L” plates for two years without another test (bear in mind that with a CBT, you cannot carry passengers or use motorways).

Restricted Access and Direct Access
If you plan on riding anything more powerful than a 125cc scooter (or you want to carry passengers and use motorways), you must take a further test. You have the option of taking either a restricted access or a direct access test. With the direct access option you will take the test on a 500cc motorcycle and, if successful, can then ride any size scooter (or motorcycle) you want. If you pass the restricted access test, you can also ride any size scooter or motorcycle, but your test will be on a 125cc machine and for the first 2 years of riding you will be required by law to restrict the engine to 33bhp (brake horse power).
If you are still not sure about whether a scooter is for you, consider renting one for a few days to familiarise yourself with local traffic conditions.

Apart from the Japanese and European brand names in motorcycling, more and more Far Eastern scooters are appearing in the UK. These are often based on re-worked designs from Japan or Europe. Though their prices and feature lists can be extremely competitive, you need to satisfy yourself that there is adequate spares and service back up before buying.
For most short urban journeys of up to three or four miles a 50cc engine size should be ample. If traffic on your route is regularly going faster than 30mph - or you need to cover longer distances - a 100cc or 125cc scooter will be more suitable, and give you speed in reserve to accelerate out of dangerous situations. The big 250cc and up scooters now appearing are intended for people driving over dual carriageways into urban areas, but you need a full motorcycle licence to ride one.

Most dealers will be able to offer “on-the-road” packages including a year's tax, delivery charges, number plates and a tank full of fuel. There are also discounted insurance schemes which mean that the first year's cover can be as low as £100 or so. Check too whether there is a family rider option available, allowing everyone entitled to do so in the same household to share one scooter.
Security on scooters can be as basic as an ignition key, or stretch to a proper immobiliser system. One manufacturer at least also provides an armoured cable which can be uncoiled from inside the scooter and locked to a convenient lamp post or railing - ask the retailer for details. If you need to buy something like this separately, budget for £80 upwards. Make sure that it is approved by Thatcham, who specialise in testing devices like this for the motor industry and the insurance companies.

Modern scooters are built on a tubular steel or cast aluminium frame which carries the fuel tank, engine and rear suspension. Drive from the engine goes to the rear wheel through an automatic gearbox, integral with a low-maintenance enclosed belt system.
Front wheel steering and suspension can be by conventional forks, a single strut and separate shock absorber, or on a few sports scooters, a forward-facing leading arm and a central hub pivot. More complex suspension systems may offer improved road holding and steering response for the more serious scooter enthusiast, but can be more costly to repair and maintain in the long term.
Front hydraulic disk brakes are now common on European-made machines. This is good because that's the end where most of the stopping is done. Some Far-Eastern made 50cc scooters still come with cable-operated front drum brakes. The latter type of brake is standard at the back across all scooters, except again for some high-specification sports models which use disks.

Helmets are required by law. Full-face versions provide protection for the jaw, but some people find them claustrophobic. If your scooter has a windshield, you might get away with an open-face helmet - especially on a 50cc restricted machine. Though gloves are not a legal requirement, you should always wear them. Buy proper motorcyclists ones if you can. If you plan to ride at night, either get a high-visibility vest, or an over-jacket with reflective stripes.

When stopping to fill up with fuel on a two-stroke, check the level of the oil tank automatically feeding lubrication to the engine. This needs to be kept topped up with special two-stroke oil, available from most petrol stations. A number of European and Japanese scooters are now fitted with catalytic converters, which must be run on unleaded petrol.
Costs of replacement parts are very reasonable. As a guide, tyres are between £20 to £40 fitted, and should last around 20,000 miles, or between two to three years use. Front brake pads, or shoes - if the machine has front drum brake - are anything from under £10 a set to a little over £20. Rubber drive belts can be bought for under £10, and you will of course only need one spark plug at £5.00 or less. Four-stroke scooters add another service item cost in the form of a litre or so of engine oil.
The only variable is the labour charge made by your dealer to carry out a service or repair - though most will charge a fixed price for standard maintenance routines. You will have to use an approved manufacturer's sales outlet for the length of a new scooter's warranty period. Most such warranties specifically exclude DIY maintenance.
Depreciation tends to be greatest in the 100cc engine capacity class, which in the UK are mostly bought by teenagers, because this is the maximum size they are allowed to ride until reaching the age of 21. Sports scooters can also drop in value quickly, as the enthusiast is still in a minority. Most first-time riders are put off by connotations of speed, and still mostly look for comfort and practicality. So if you plan on changing your scooter after a couple of years, play safe and choose a make and model which will readily attract a buyer - whether as a private sale, or be attractive for a dealer to re-sell after trade-in.

Before going out to buy, remember the following things;

1. Riding position - make sure you can reach the handlebars and operate the twist throttle and brake levers easily without having to lean too far forward.
2. Seat height - check that you can sit comfortably on the scooter and set your feet on the ground when stationery.
3. Weight - check how easily you find it to prop the scooter on its stand with a full tank of fuel.
4. Insurance - check whether this is included in the dealer's on the road package deal and how much this model will cost to insure in the second year.
5. Resale value - think about depreciation. Is it going to be a popular model for the dealer to take back in part-exchange?
6. Service and Spares - find out what is likely to need to be replaced and how much the parts will cost.
7. Security -
· check whether there is an immobiliser fitted.
· think about a way of securing the scooter physically to a lamp post or parking bay.
· consider parking - do you have somewhere secure to park it - at home and at work?