Is this moped worth 600 dollars?
May 31, 2008 2:43 PM Subscribe
I desperately want a moped/scooter due to rising gas prices. I found this 85' Suzuki Rascal on craigslist. Is it worth $600?
$600? Only if you're making a fashion statement. It looks nice, probably would be fun, but consider that for $1000 to $1500 you can get into something brand new, with a warranty, and probably much less of a maintenance hassle.
If you still have to have this thing I'd definitely low ball the guy.
posted by wfrgms at 3:07 PM on May 31, 2008
If you still have to have this thing I'd definitely low ball the guy.
posted by wfrgms at 3:07 PM on May 31, 2008
Oh and I'm not endorsing the website I linked to or their products... just throwing it out there as an example. You should shop around before you pull the trigger on something you don't know much about. Plenty of "vintage" scooters out there if you let this one go.
posted by wfrgms at 3:09 PM on May 31, 2008
posted by wfrgms at 3:09 PM on May 31, 2008
It is probably better built than anything you can find new for less than 1000.00 That being said my 2003 Piaggio cost me about 2500.00 I now have 9000 miles on it. I've had to change the brakes 3 times, and even though it is a brand name scooter I could not find oem tires for it. FWIW I'd check out some parts availabilty before purchasing.
posted by Gungho at 3:30 PM on May 31, 2008
posted by Gungho at 3:30 PM on May 31, 2008
Response by poster: I'm okay with kickstart. I have some resources in my family for fixing it if it breaks down or needs repair, but parts would be an issue. Where would I go to look for parts availability? Plain internet search?
posted by allthewhile at 3:46 PM on May 31, 2008
posted by allthewhile at 3:46 PM on May 31, 2008
I just went through "early 80s" in motorcycles, and my experience was like Gungho's. Parts not available, tires not available, shops not familiar with them, and next to zero resale market for things that are just "old bikes" and not collector's pieces. And on top of that you get state-of-the-art-for-1980 safety equipment, too.
I'd avoid it myself, but I'd say doubly so for you because you don't have the ability to determine the true condition of the bike.
(Also, it's a scooter, not a moped -- no pedals! -- although licensing in your area might lump them together. And Suzuki stopped making the FZ50 in '83, from what I can see, so it's probably not a '85 either.)
Finally, can I suggest you get a 4-stroke anything? That little 50cc engine will be more of a polluter than the SUVs you're darting around.
posted by mendel at 3:46 PM on May 31, 2008 [3 favorites]
I'd avoid it myself, but I'd say doubly so for you because you don't have the ability to determine the true condition of the bike.
(Also, it's a scooter, not a moped -- no pedals! -- although licensing in your area might lump them together. And Suzuki stopped making the FZ50 in '83, from what I can see, so it's probably not a '85 either.)
Finally, can I suggest you get a 4-stroke anything? That little 50cc engine will be more of a polluter than the SUVs you're darting around.
posted by mendel at 3:46 PM on May 31, 2008 [3 favorites]
Something else occurred to me: if you're after cost-effective transportation, you might find that an electric-assist bicycle could substitute for a scooter like that, but without the licensing and insurance hassle and cost.
posted by mendel at 3:54 PM on May 31, 2008
posted by mendel at 3:54 PM on May 31, 2008
I spent a little extra for something that I knew was reliable and functional - maybe do that until you know if you want to get into tinkering with older models. Much of the time that's what you get with older bikes. It's good to have a working knowledge of how to fix them if you have to.
I drive a Honda Metropolitan as a commuter bike. Nothing fancy, but it's a little work horse and always starts when I need it to (a very green bike too - 80-100 mpg, 4 stroke). I have two older bikes, a busted up 80's honda and a old vespa that sit in my shed waiting for me to find time to tinker.
Some say the Met is expensive ($1000-$2000 depending new/used), but the bike paid for itself in gas savings after about 2 years and with next to no maintenance costs.
Another thing to consider - theft. These things are a hot item now. I had one stolen a couple years ago, luckily I had it insured for theft. Get something you can insure and/or have a secure lock.
posted by dog food sugar at 4:00 PM on May 31, 2008 [1 favorite]
I drive a Honda Metropolitan as a commuter bike. Nothing fancy, but it's a little work horse and always starts when I need it to (a very green bike too - 80-100 mpg, 4 stroke). I have two older bikes, a busted up 80's honda and a old vespa that sit in my shed waiting for me to find time to tinker.
Some say the Met is expensive ($1000-$2000 depending new/used), but the bike paid for itself in gas savings after about 2 years and with next to no maintenance costs.
Another thing to consider - theft. These things are a hot item now. I had one stolen a couple years ago, luckily I had it insured for theft. Get something you can insure and/or have a secure lock.
posted by dog food sugar at 4:00 PM on May 31, 2008 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: It looks like this site has TONS of parts for the model.
You're right, it's definitely not a 1985.
http://www.prosourcemotorsports.com/
When I go give it a test run tomorrow, what are the things I should be looking for, besides cleanliness of parts, a smooth test run, etc?
Thanks, this has all been very helpful.
posted by allthewhile at 4:01 PM on May 31, 2008
You're right, it's definitely not a 1985.
http://www.prosourcemotorsports.com/
When I go give it a test run tomorrow, what are the things I should be looking for, besides cleanliness of parts, a smooth test run, etc?
Thanks, this has all been very helpful.
posted by allthewhile at 4:01 PM on May 31, 2008
Response by poster: Okay I think I've decided to hold off. It seems to make more sense to get something that's going to have parts easily available as well as a warranty. Thanks for the tips guys.
posted by allthewhile at 4:12 PM on May 31, 2008
posted by allthewhile at 4:12 PM on May 31, 2008
Like mendel says, get a 4-stroke; it's more ecofriendly. And get something over 49-50cc. Preferably something over 100 cc, because you can't safely reach or exceed highway speeds with the smaller scooters.
Someone may chime in with "but I can!", to which I reply that it cannot be done safely. If you need a burst of acceleration to avoid a hazard, you can't get it.
posted by ten pounds of inedita at 4:29 PM on May 31, 2008
Someone may chime in with "but I can!", to which I reply that it cannot be done safely. If you need a burst of acceleration to avoid a hazard, you can't get it.
posted by ten pounds of inedita at 4:29 PM on May 31, 2008
Response by poster: I'm not planning to ever take this thing on the highway. I would just ride it around Chicago streets and to work during non freezing weather.
posted by allthewhile at 4:32 PM on May 31, 2008
posted by allthewhile at 4:32 PM on May 31, 2008
ten pounds of inedita makes a good point. Think about where you want to ride your scooter and how fast does the traffic go on those roads then get a bike that can handle that. (Me, I like to and am able to stay on smaller roads where the traffic hits 35mph at most - usually less than that. So the 49cc is alright for me - others not so if they need to go faster). A Motorcycle Safety Course is always a good idea for any speed bike.
posted by dog food sugar at 4:40 PM on May 31, 2008
posted by dog food sugar at 4:40 PM on May 31, 2008
Best answer: Here is a useful checklist for buying a used motorcycle; pretty much everything applies to a scooter. Googling "used motorcycle checklist" gets you plenty of others, some that are painfully detailed.
49cc is perfectly adequate as long as you will never need to go above 35-45 mph (max speed depends on the model -- many modern 50cc scooters will go over 40mph, but not all, and vintage scooters vary a lot in how fast they will go). If you need to go faster, you need a larger engine.
As mentioned, 4 stroke engines (like on the Honda Metropolitan) are far, far more environmentally friendly than are old 2 stroke engines. Less emissions, and better gas mileage. A new, high-tech 4 stroke scooter will get over 100mpg; a 2 stroke will get less, perhaps 60-80mpg, though that varies a lot.
With new and late-model used scooters, your basic choices are between big-name manufacturers (eg Honda, Kymco, Vespa, Piaggio) and a whole assortment of much cheaper Chinese imports. With the major companies, you pay more but in return you usually get good parts and service availability. You can easily buy parts (new and used) for a 20 year old Honda scooter; you may have great trouble buying parts for a 1 year old no-name cheap scooter. Or you may get lucky and get a cheap scooter with a good importer who supports the product -- it is definitely a gamble. Resale is much, much better for the name-brand scooters -- with the current gas prices, people are dragging all kinds of things out of the backs of their garages, as you can see from the Craigslist ad that caught your eye, and people are paying quite high prices for used scooters in any condition.
Since you can buy a new Honda Metropolitan or Ruckus (representing the upper end of quality in small scooters) for around $1800 and new no-name Chinese scooters for around $700 (at the bottom end of the quality spectrum), I'd be reluctant to spend very much on a used scooter unless it was particularly beautiful or otherwise collectible.
Lastly, budget for a helmet and take a safety course -- some places offer scooter-specific classes; otherwise, a motorcycle class will certainly teach you how to ride, even though parts of the course (like the shifting) don't apply to most scooters.
posted by Forktine at 5:07 PM on May 31, 2008 [1 favorite]
49cc is perfectly adequate as long as you will never need to go above 35-45 mph (max speed depends on the model -- many modern 50cc scooters will go over 40mph, but not all, and vintage scooters vary a lot in how fast they will go). If you need to go faster, you need a larger engine.
As mentioned, 4 stroke engines (like on the Honda Metropolitan) are far, far more environmentally friendly than are old 2 stroke engines. Less emissions, and better gas mileage. A new, high-tech 4 stroke scooter will get over 100mpg; a 2 stroke will get less, perhaps 60-80mpg, though that varies a lot.
With new and late-model used scooters, your basic choices are between big-name manufacturers (eg Honda, Kymco, Vespa, Piaggio) and a whole assortment of much cheaper Chinese imports. With the major companies, you pay more but in return you usually get good parts and service availability. You can easily buy parts (new and used) for a 20 year old Honda scooter; you may have great trouble buying parts for a 1 year old no-name cheap scooter. Or you may get lucky and get a cheap scooter with a good importer who supports the product -- it is definitely a gamble. Resale is much, much better for the name-brand scooters -- with the current gas prices, people are dragging all kinds of things out of the backs of their garages, as you can see from the Craigslist ad that caught your eye, and people are paying quite high prices for used scooters in any condition.
Since you can buy a new Honda Metropolitan or Ruckus (representing the upper end of quality in small scooters) for around $1800 and new no-name Chinese scooters for around $700 (at the bottom end of the quality spectrum), I'd be reluctant to spend very much on a used scooter unless it was particularly beautiful or otherwise collectible.
Lastly, budget for a helmet and take a safety course -- some places offer scooter-specific classes; otherwise, a motorcycle class will certainly teach you how to ride, even though parts of the course (like the shifting) don't apply to most scooters.
posted by Forktine at 5:07 PM on May 31, 2008 [1 favorite]
Buy your helmet first, then take a safety course. At least in my case, the school provided a bike for each student; we were required to have our own helmets. Plan to spend at least a few hundred dollars on gear. Unless you find the one-of-a-kind bike that you must have, wait until you’ve passed the safety course to buy the bike. (N.b. the school I attended used a bunch of 250cc Honda motorcycles, but you might be able to find a school that will teach you on a scooter.)
posted by ijoshua at 5:41 PM on May 31, 2008
posted by ijoshua at 5:41 PM on May 31, 2008
nthing the suggestion to avoid a two stroke engine. they're horrible polluters, on par with gas-powered lawn mowers or leaf blowers. I was out running the other night, was passed by a two stroke vespa, and was choking on its awful blue exhaust for literally four blocks. Plus your neighbors will appreciate the comparative quiet of a four stroke engine-- two stroke engines make a lot of racket!
posted by hollisimo at 7:42 PM on May 31, 2008
posted by hollisimo at 7:42 PM on May 31, 2008
I read somewhere where mowing a lawn with anything but the newest low pollution engines creates more bad pollution than driving a car [some large amount] of miles. These small engines, especially old 2 cycle ones, are very bad.
On the other hand, 2 cycle engines have an excellent weight to power ratio. It is within the realm of possibility that dragging around a heavier 4 cycle will pollute more (and use more fuel) than a well-tuned 2 cycle.
posted by gjc at 11:02 AM on June 1, 2008
On the other hand, 2 cycle engines have an excellent weight to power ratio. It is within the realm of possibility that dragging around a heavier 4 cycle will pollute more (and use more fuel) than a well-tuned 2 cycle.
posted by gjc at 11:02 AM on June 1, 2008
2-cylce engines = Bad for the environment. Very bad.
2-cycle engies = good for wallet.
Old vespas are great, but if we all drove them, we'd be screwed!
posted by zpousman at 2:32 PM on June 1, 2008
2-cycle engies = good for wallet.
Old vespas are great, but if we all drove them, we'd be screwed!
posted by zpousman at 2:32 PM on June 1, 2008
A little late to the party but here is something to consider. Are you licensed to drive a motorcycle? In my area, you have to be licensed for motorcycles to drive any size of moped or scooter. This includes the pocket bikes that were so popular a few years ago. I would take the time find out the laws in your area.
posted by CuJoe at 1:55 AM on June 2, 2008
posted by CuJoe at 1:55 AM on June 2, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by gjc at 3:01 PM on May 31, 2008