I’m considering getting a scooter for a new commute that’s too short to drive, too far to walk, and too much of a hassle to cycle every day.

Been looking at a Yamaha Neo’s 4 stroke thing which seems OK, sufficiently “grown up” and not too ruinous second hand or nearly new. Anyone on here ride a scooter? Any recommendations? Anything to steer clear of?

TIA 🙂

Honda c90, cheap reliable great fun to ride

Think 90cc is a bit too powerful for me… Will have to stick to 49cc for now!

don’t get a 50cc

Why not?

Too underpowered in traffic on a 50cc In my experience. Well, that was an ancient PK50 Vespa that went like Araldite off a shovel…

Do it.

I did the same 6 months ago as my commute is 3 miles each way. I bought a NOS Yamaha Giggle/XF50 and i love it. 120mpg, free to park, great fun, etc, etc. Never ridden a scooter before. Don’t regret buying a 50cc at all. Remains to be seen how far into the winter i keep commuting on it as the car is also an option each morning. No brainer financially as it pays for itself vs the car.

Anything more than a 50cc and I’d have to pass tests and the like though, shirley?

My commute will only be short, being underpowered shouldn’t really be an issue to be honest.

I’d look it up to be sure but I think, if you’ve got a car licence, you can do a CBT (one day course, lasts for 2 years) and ride a 125 on L plates. In terms of cost, I wouldn’t think a 125 would be much more to buy and run, but I would imagine that it’d be a lot more fun to ride. I had a Piaggio Typhoon 125, that was genuinely good fun in traffic round town.

Hmmm, a quick look suggests I’ll be paying significantly more for a 125 vs a 50 (certainly at the dealer I’m considering) of comparable age. Think p7rich’s scenario is pretty much the same as me, my new commute will be 2 miles(!) each way. While I’m not averse to doing the CBT (and may well do so anyway) I gather I can ride a 50cc without having one at all which makes it all much simpler.

Thanks for thoughts.

I struggled with this last year. CBT no CBT, 125cc or 50cc. After test driving both I ended up doing the CBT (which was VERY good and I’m glad I did it) and I bought a 125 Honda PCX. Cannot be happier with the decision. Its a 4mile commute to the station but the 125 allows me to use it on the weekends for all kinds of things (the extra power allows confident travel at greater distances i found). I use it more than the car and at 100mpg its been great for saving some pennies in that regard (assuming we ignore the actual cost of purchase etc but lets keep things simple)

Another vote for the PCX. The OH has one and it used to do her a 30 mile round trip commute without breaking sweat, 100mpg and could easily motor along at 65 for dual carriageways etc. Nice size as well so people tended to give it room rather than squeezing it like a bike. CBT well worth it to teach/remind you of road positioning and things like that.

could easily motor along at 65 for dual carriageways etc

See now, that holds *no* appeal for me whatsoever so think I’ll keep it nice n’slow with a 50 😉

I might be wrong but I *think* you’ll have to do a CBT to ride a 50 anyway, if that makes a difference. If if you didn’t, I’d still recommend it as a very useful course to do. 🙂

Depends when you got your driving licence, I can ride a 50 with no CBT and no L plates, I could even carry a passenger if I was dumb enough. It would still need to be restricted to 30mph though so I’d be better off riding my bike for local trips.

CBT or no CBT depends on WHEN you got your car license. Have a look on DVLA website. 2001 rings a bell, but i can’t be certain. I passed before the year in question so i can jump straight on a 50cc and/or drive a 125cc with L plates. No test or CBT required.

Link to gov.uk website on cbt
https://www.gov.uk/cbt-compulsory-basic-training

Basically, my reading is, you can ride a moped (50cc and under, restricted to 31mph) without plates or a cbt if you passed car test prior to 2001. Anything bigger or faster requires cbt pass as a minimum, no exceptions for having full car test.

I had a 125cc Aprillia scooter ridden on a cbt certificate before I passed by full bike test. Wouldn’t have wanted anything smalller, but had 15 mile each way commute.