Hello! I am a college student in CA, and I've recently become very interested in scooters. I am very excited to meet y'all! Just to be very clear, I'm not going to be getting one any time soon - I won't even be able to get my M1 license until June or July at least.
However, that doesn't mean I can't ooh and aah over gorgeous scooters that would be nice to have someday. I'm having fun researching right now.
Of course, I have to ask; what are your favorite scoots? What are the things you couldn't live without?
I know personally, if I ever get one, it'd have to go at at least 55mph uphill (you need to take freeways to get ANYWHERE here), and have enough space that I could rig something on the back to take my cat to vet appointments. So, what about the rest of you?

Welcome! Where abouts are you in CA?
First off, if you want to get on the freeway you will need to get something that goes above 55MPH. You will also want something that feels stable at higher speeds. Don't disregard smaller scoots that aren't capable to freeway speeds though. If you are in a city you might find you can get through traffic quite quickly on a scoot. You may also find some nice parking advantages.

I live up in Arcata, vaguely close to the Oregon border. However, I do spend about three months a year in the San Francisco Bay Area at the moment. Around here the 'slow lane' usually goes at about 50 - 55 on the highway/freeway (same road), which is why I mentioned that.
I do think that I might like a less powerful scooter, but if I get one at all, I really can't afford more than one vehicle, so I'm more inclined towards one that'd let me get to the town that actually has useful stores in it.
The public transit here is truly wretched - weird schedules, rude drivers, and very little weekend service whatsoever. I admit that it might be ever so slightly possible that this might be feeding my current scooter obsession...
I am interested in any favorites or recommendations, even if they aren't what I particularly want. Right now I'm kind of fascinated with anything to do with scooters; I'm just trying to figure out what more experienced people like (and why), so I can kind of get a feel for it.

Welcome to Scooter Diva! My best advice to you is to take a motorcycle safety course, it teaches you road smarts and what to do & not to do in traffic. I started out on a 50cc Yamaha vino, loved it, but wish I had a bigger scooter. I ave since moved onto a motorcycle, but still love scoots.

I think what you need to do is go around to different dealers and sit on them, you will quickly find out what fits. If you are tall it's not an issue, but if you are short like me it is an issue. Maxi scoots like the Yamaha Majesty are no goes for me. Honda has a nice new scoot the PCX 150 or the Honda Elite 110. A Yamaha Vino 125 is an awesome scoot. Vespa's are always beautiful and good scoots. Sym and kymco have great little scoots. Genuine Buddy's are nice too.

Look for a used one, you can usually pick up a scoot for a reasonable price.

One other thing I would advise is getting motorcycle gear to protect yourself, never wear sandals, shorts, dresses or skirts, pavement hurts when you hit it no matter what the speed and you don't have to be going fast to skin yourself or really hurt yourself. I know this because I wiped out doing 40 kilometers an hour and that was 2 years ago and my leg is still wrecked.

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Dar ~ I was born to ride!

my blog: Princess Scooterpie http://scootermayhem.blogspot.com/

You've found a great place to snoop around and get some of our impressions on scooters and gear. And you've already gotten some good advice. With women, size, especially height, is often an issue with the bikes. So just wandering around and looking at some in shops is a good idea.

I'll toss out a couple of very quick answers. For what you're looking for, I would not go below 150cc and not above 250cc. I would consider a 200cc an ideal all around machine to start with, and know many long time scooterists who stick with that size period, traveling both locally, as well as on multi-day trips that run into the thousands of miles.

I would say stick with a known brand. In other words, a major brand with a dedicated dealer network. Names like Vespa, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Kymco, Sym, etc....you will have much better luck with parts and service. Don't be afraid to buy used, but keep doing what you're doing, and educating yourself ahead of time.

AND, most importantly, if you have a bicycle with a rear rack, start that cat of yours out right now training to ride cupcake!

Whoops! You forgot Genuine!

_________________
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
-Leonard Cohen

If you want to be able to ride at 55mph I would say look for a scoot that is capable of going at least 65-70. Keeping your throttle pinned and constantly riding with your engine maxed out isn't good for it. It is also good to have a little speed in reserve.
Maybe a personal preference but I like big wheel scoots for higher speed travel. The small wheels aren't as smooth at high speeds but give you better handling in tight areas.
A feature I like in many small to medium scoots is a flat floorboard and bag hook. I carry all sorts of groceries that way. The maxi scooters tend to have more under seat storage, benefit there is you can lock stuff in there and leave it.

Sorry about that, Etak! I knew I'd forget and leave out a couple of good possibilities. Genuine does make some nice scoots. The Buddy is a very popular scoot, and many women especially find the lower seat height a positive.

125-150cc is the most versatile range. Big enough to get you up to 55-60 mph, take hills, and still small enough to maneuver in town and haul stuff.

Stay off interstates and highways and learn to ride the back roads. You'll be a happier scooter rider.

Here's my list of contenders. You can go to company websites and read more. Google the brand name and find discussion forums. Look on the websites for local dealers to visit:

Genuine Buddy 125 and 150cc plus other models they make
Yamaha Vino 125 (no longer sold new) and Yamaha 125 (still sold new)
Honda Elite 110 (2010, no longer sold new)
Honda PCX 125/150
Kymco Agility 125, People 125 S, People 150, People 200 S, Like 200i
SYM Fiddle II, HD200

I am getting ready to upgrade to one of these this season. I've been on 49cc too long. Not enough power for my, or your, needs.

Good luck!

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2009 Monzo Honda Met "Squirt"
My scooter blogs:
http://www.49ccscooterlife.blogspot.com
http://www.ohioriverramblersscootin.blogspot.com

Good list, RG! I would add a couple of machines:

Sym Symba....if you consider the Honda Elite 110, the Symba is also worth a look. It's a clone of a Honda Cub, which is the single most popular motorcycle EVER. Cubs are bomb proof, and the Symba is a great clone. They're capable little devils:
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=716979

Genuine Stella; a copy of the P series Vespa, which has a reputation as the workhorse of the Vespa line. WIth both the Symba and the Stella, you have to appreciate the vintage lines, the history, and be able to shift. The Stella uses a clutch on the left handlebar, the Symba uses a lever on your left foot, with no clutch handle to worry about. Shifting may seem intimidating at first, but honestly, it's not as hard as a regular motorcycle, and it's FUN.

And speaking of Vespa, yeah, they are expensive new, but you can find very good deals on something like an LX150 or GT200. Vespa is the oldest company still in the game.

Forgot to mention...also factor in dealer support in your area in case you need repairs, etc.

_________________
2009 Monzo Honda Met "Squirt"
My scooter blogs:
http://www.49ccscooterlife.blogspot.com
http://www.ohioriverramblersscootin.blogspot.com

I'm totally head over heels crazy about my Yamaha Zuma. They come in ranges from 50-250cc and I would take a 250 in a New York Minute! What I like most about them is their big tires which equals smoother ride along with their responsiveness.

And I have to agree. You don't want to go too low in the cc bracket although if you have never ridden before and are out to learn, I would advise 1)taking a safety course and 2) try to borrow a lower cc scoot...50 or 70cc to learn on if you don't take a safety course. If you have never ridden before a 250cc scooter is going to feel like a lot of scooter under you at first. If you are going to be riding in a lot of traffic you are going to want more cc's under you. Four wheeled drivers have the advantage and can be very unsympathetic to two wheeled riders who are bogging down traffic.

Welcome BTW to scooterdiva. I hope you find what you are looking for and please don't hesitate to ask questions.

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There are two types of people in this world, people who ride scooters and
people who wish they could ride scooters.

Can't believe I forgot the Zuma!

But I only know it as a 49 or 125cc, so I need to snoop around. There's a guy who is sometimes at dirt bike events that uses one as a pit bike. I've always thought the ones with the two headlights were cool.

In the used market, I suppose you shouldn't discount the older 125/150cc Elites, either. The body style is sort of unique, but they are another bomb proof series.

My husband just corrected me on that. Somebody dropped a Bergman 400 engine into a Zuma. Duh.



I guess from what he is telling me what I am thinking of is a China Mart dirt bike that is called a Zuma 250.

Teach me to do fast searches at the office while the phone is ringing.

Happy Camper, how does the 125 Elite compare to the 50 because the 50 is like riding a washboard on a bad road. I wasn't much more impressed with my 150 although it was older. It handled sluggish although the ride was much smoother than the 50.

_________________
There are two types of people in this world, people who ride scooters and
people who wish they could ride scooters.

I bought a 125 to use for the summer because I saw a good deal on one. I've also ridden a 250. The 250 ran like a scalded rabbit. It packs a LOT of power into a compact scooter. I was perfectly happy with the 125, especially for what I paid and what I needed to do. I wouldn't describe it as sluggish. I would not hesitate, if I needed another scooter in the $500-1000 range, to hunt down another one, the 150, or a 2 stroke Aero. I've never tried the 50 or 80. Attaching a pic of the little 125 I had.

And here's another brand we technically omitted. Piaggio is the parent company, and they make Vespa, Piaggio, and Aprilia scooters.
http://humboldt.craigslist.org/mcy/3557179574.html

Some other examples: a Genuine Buddy...
http://humboldt.craigslist.org/mcy/3492202496.html

And a retro Stella. Winter is usually a quiet time for bikes to sell. If you live near a major college town, you can catch good deals on students graduating or moving...but have to watch out for Chinese scooters, or scoots that have been beaten to death. Students are often on a tight budget and their choices in what to buy and how to maintain it aren't always the best. But if you know what to look for, you might find a great deal.
http://humboldt.craigslist.org/mcy/3423807325.html