Moped Purchase - Please help

connundrum

Hi,

In the market for a moped/scooter.

50cc-100cc max for insurance purposes.

Budget of anything up to €1200.

Main purpose is to get me to work and back (DCU to Sandmount).

It will only be for 1 person usage.

Ok so basically can someone suggest a decent bike to suit the above needs? When I go looking at them should I be on the lookout for anything in particular (apart from the obvious external damage)? What mileage is a no no - ie. is 5000 miles a year ok? Would I be wasting my time even going to garages with my €€€'s limit?

I have been scanning the buyandsell and there are a good few '04 bikes within my range but I don't know if they're decent.

Much appreciated!

mikemac

I'd recommend GP Motorcycles on Amiens Street beside Connolly Station as I've dealt with them a few times.
Far better than that shower I bought my scooter from who will go unnamed.

Was in there yesterday and they had an attractive Honda 50cc scooter for €1200. I forget the model number but it was 2004 with 3400km and Honda have a good name.

If you do buy from a dealer be sure to haggle hard if you're buying the helment and chains/locks from them also. They're bound to give you a discount.
I come from a farming background so haggling comes naturally to me:)

Mrs_Doyle

I have been thinking about getting a little scooter too.

Traffic is killing me in the mornings, and I would love a little scooter/moped for getting in and out of work (bout an hour journey to work by bus, sometimes even longer, but should honestly take no longer then 30mins).

I'll be honest, I know very little about scooters, and would love some advice as to what would be the best kind of scooter for me.

I would also have a budget of no more then €1200, and would ideally want something with a 50cc engine.

Where is the best place to look to ensure a secure, well priced deal? Dealers? Buy and Sell? CBG? Carzone?

Is there anything I should look out for when I am shopping around?

Basically, if there is anyone out there who has experience in buying, and selling scooters/mopeds, I would really love your help.

robinph

I have been through a few 50cc's now but have only ever bought new ones though.The current I got for €2000 and is a yamaha mbk which was one of the few models that do not come with the daft styling and go faster stripes on them.

colm_c

Other 50cc mopeds that have got a retro look at Vespas and Aprilia Mojito/Habanas.

It's worth going to a dealer for - they'll also be able to sort you out with insurance, warranty, helmet, locks etc.

Mrs_Doyle

• Yamaha ovetto 2003
• 49cc
• silver
• 7200miles
  

For €800, what you reckon?

comer_97

I have a 2006 Yamaha Aerox for sale but it is over your €1200 limit.

The Aerox is a good bike.

I'd get a biker type mate to go through the buy and sell with you. I was looking just now for a new bike for myself and there seems to be good value out there.

a garage will offer you about 500 less for your bike on trade in so that's why people sell at good prices!

Mrs_Doyle

Hey, I finally got a little scooter!
Yamaha Ovetto, 50cc, 03.
I love it! Best Purchase Ever!



What do you guys think? (a lot of exclamation marks, I know, but I am very excited)

Idleater

well done, enjoy it.

Two recommendations - wear proper safety gear all the time and get some training, it could save your life.

oh and watch out for cagers...

L.

comer_97

Watch out for pedestrians, they will walk out in front of you from every direction. And Cars will try to run you down, get used to it and be prepared!

Dr4gul4

and please be weary of other bikers out there, i nearly plowed this kid out of it in his ped this morning cos he decided his moped could move faster then my hog and take me on the outside.

Other wise enjoy and remember...car drivers never bother to look out for you so look out for them all the time

Mrs_Doyle

Hey, thanks Guys!

I swear to God, I feel like a kid at xmas, with a brand new toy.
I honestly wish I had got one of these years ago.
Can't even think of a good reason as to why I didn't.
All those years tracking from Whitehall to Ballyfermot to college, stuck on the smelly 78a! What a fool I have been

DtotheK

Basically i'm a noob here i've been doing some research and basically i plan to buy a aprilia RS50 some time in the hopefully not so distant future for college.

I am uncertain on a thing or two tho... If i get an RS50 (sometimes i see it called a moped, othertimes a sports bike...) I presume a Moped licence would be sufficent?? And if i decide to tune it slightly to 70-80cc would i need a A1 lisence? I just don't know if a 50cc is powerful enough , but insurance wise it would be more on my side... could someone point me in the right direction? When does a moped(RS50?) become under A1 catagory?

And apologies for the possibly(probably) dumbness of my question(s)!!!

CHEERS!

colm_c

DtotheK wrote:

Basically i'm a noob here i've been doing some research and basically i plan to buy a aprilia RS50 some time in the hopefully not so distant future for college.

I am uncertain on a thing or two tho... If i get an RS50 (sometimes i see it called a moped, othertimes a sports bike...) I presume a Moped licence would be sufficent?? And if i decide to tune it slightly to 70-80cc would i need a A1 lisence? I just don't know if a 50cc is powerful enough , but insurance wise it would be more on my side... could someone point me in the right direction? When does a moped(RS50?) become under A1 catagory?

And apologies for the possibly(probably) dumbness of my question(s)!!!

CHEERS!

up to 49cc = Moped License (M)
up to 125cc = A1 License
up to 250cc for a provisional and the first 2 years after passing the test, what ever you want after that = A license

I'd go for the A license anyway, saves reapplying and the test is pretty much the same test just a slightly bigger bike.

As for the RS 50, I'd go for the RS 125 instead, has the extra power that you WILL need. A 50cc bike of that size is bound to be sluggish.

DtotheK

Thanks for that colm_c . "A" license it is!

i'll be 19/20 when i get it.. a few months away, i just want to have an idea of what to look out for.

insurance wise i don't think i wanna know what a 125cc will cost me... any very rough ideas? they're in group five i heard. And lets just say i'm not minted!

EDIT: just googled for a RS125 and i'm impressed with the price, Tallaght bikes have one at 1,500 second hand i think(and thats sot much more than a RS50 i was lookin at!).

Looks sweet!

colm_c

DtotheK I got my first scooter when I was 24 and the insurance was around 800 euros for Third Party Only with a provisional A license.

So be prepared! Also if you modify the bike you have to tell the insurance company that it's above 50cc - as they'll need more cover for you and your premium will also go up.

Hotblack Desiato

DtotheK wrote:

EDIT: just googled for a RS125 and i'm impressed with the price

Cheap to buy, NOT cheap to run (synthetic 2 stroke oil costs a fortune and cheaper oil kills the engine rapidly) and they were not reliable when new never mind a few years old
Avoid

DtotheK

hmmm thanks guys! i'll go off and do more research now ...

no doubt i'll be back here soon!

Dr.TV

Hey Guys, I actually have a bike to sell myself. It's a Yamaha Neo's. which is actually the same as an MBK Ovetto (they changed the name in 05). It's a 49CC moped, Blue and 3.7k Miles (6000 KM). I bought it new in August 05, so it's a year and a half old.
Got a new job and they gave me a company car, hence the need to sell the moped.
I'm looking for about 1300 euro for the bike so lemmie know if you want to check it out.
I have attached a photo.

Lonan

Biker.ie/forum
scooter section, you will get all the help you need here.

j@utis

DtotheK wrote: »

Thanks for that colm_c . "A" license it is!

i'll be 19/20 when i get it.. a few months away, i just want to have an idea of what to look out for.

insurance wise i don't think i wanna know what a 125cc will cost me... any very rough ideas? they're in group five i heard. And lets just say i'm not minted!

EDIT: just googled for a RS125 and i'm impressed with the price, Tallaght bikes have one at 1,500 second hand i think(and thats sot much more than a RS50 i was lookin at!).

Looks sweet!

I'm afraid your insurance would be something like 3000eur if you want to get on rs125 when you're 19/20.
I just sold my honda nsr125 few weeks ago which was my first bike and I enjoyed it a lot. I didn't find it very expensive to run as it mention above. you buy 1litre of 2-stroke oil for 8.5euros in the bike shop and it lasts you for 30 tanks of petrol.
scooters are little funny thigs but they're for city driving only in my opinion. you can't take one on motorway or go for a mighty spin in wicklow mountains with your biker friends

p.s. honda nsr125 year '02 onwards falls into ins group 2 and aprilia rs125 goes into group 7 when honda cbr250 is group 5.

Lonan

Quote:scooters are little funny thigs but they're for city driving only in my opinion. you can't take one on motorway or go for a mighty spin in Wicklow mountains with your biker friends

Who says, iv had mine on the motorway and for spins up the mountains.

colm_c

Lonan wrote: »

Quote:scooters are little funny thigs but they're for city driving only in my opinion. you can't take one on motorway or go for a mighty spin in Wicklow mountains with your biker friends

Who says, iv had mine on the motorway and for spins up the mountains.

You can't legally ride a moped (under 50cc) on a motorway, it's much more fun riding a proper motorbike in the mountains.

lord lucan

Lonan wrote: »

Quote:scooters are little funny thigs but they're for city driving only in my opinion. you can't take one on motorway or go for a mighty spin in Wicklow mountains with your biker friends

Who says, iv had mine on the motorway and for spins up the mountains.

i had an aprilia gulliver about 10 years ago and used to do a run from leixlip to bray every day on it,poor thing fell apart after a year. moral of the story:mopeds are great for short commutes,lousy for long ones:cool:

Hotblack Desiato

lord lucan wrote: »

i had an aprilia gulliver about 10 years ago and used to do a run from leixlip to bray every day on it,poor thing fell apart after a year

Italian engineering at its finest

Alkers

+1 for getting a scooter or bike less than 125cc..
Just applied for the learners permit there so im gonna be buying in the next week or so.
Is anything more than 50cc gonna cripple me insurance wise?
Think I'd like the simplicity of a twist n'go but I wouldn't mind a geared bike either.
Want something a bit sporty looking though.
Any ideas?

rockstar_91

Im in the market for a 50-125cc bike of some sort for going to work and into town. The max distance id be travelling would be about 20 miles. Im seventeen and have about E2200- in total. Please help!

mikemac

rockstar_91 wrote: »

Im in the market for a 50-125cc bike of some sort for going to work and into town. The max distance id be travelling would be about 20 miles. Im seventeen and have about E2200- in total. Please help!

Do you live in a city or is your commute on high speed roads?
Is your €2,200 budget just for the bike or does it have to include insurance, helmet, tax and gear too?

rockstar_91

i live just outside dundalk so it'd be natioanl routes. The E2200 in cludes de bike and insurance (Hopefully)

mikemac

You seriously can't take a 50cc scooter onto national roads.
Well you can, but it's dangerous and people will push you into the ditch if you let them.

colm_c

rockstar_91 wrote: »

i live just outside dundalk so it'd be natioanl routes. The E2200 in cludes de bike and insurance (Hopefully)

Your insurance will be more than that on pretty much any bike at your age.

Alkers

Just to put things in perspective for you I'm 21 with a full car license and I got quotes of 850ish for a 50cc and over 3k for a 125, this is for insurance alone.

lord lucan

micmclo wrote: »

You seriously can't take a 50cc scooter onto national roads.
Well you can, but it's dangerous and people will push you into the ditch if you let them.

never a truer word spoken:cool:

sd123

micmclo wrote: »

You seriously can't take a 50cc scooter onto national roads.
Well you can, but it's dangerous and people will push you into the ditch if you let them.

How fast will a 50cc scooter go?

Hotblack Desiato

Depends on how high the cliff is...

Hotblack Desiato

Okay... if you don't intend to re-enact the closing scene from Quadrophenia, a restricted moped (if you have a class M licence) is limited to 45km/h, I have clocked unrestricted 50cc mopeds at 80km/h, and more is possible with tuning although probably at the expense of much reduced engine life. But smaller bikes are very much affected by hills and headwinds. On my first bike (100cc) top speed was 65-70mph but it would struggle to get above 40mph into a strong wind.

With 2-stroke sports bikes in the 80s the answer to "how fast can you make my bike go" was basically "how long do you want it to last before it blows up?" some very extreme power outputs were possible if you were willing to spend the money.

robinph

I used to be able to get 80km/h out of my scooter on a flat road with no wind, but it's now lost a bit of it's oomph and starts to struggle at about 65/70. With a head wind and going up hill it can really struggle though, especially if I've had a big lunch.