Advice: Buying a used scoot

Difficult as it may be to believe, the success of scooters in this country is relatively recent. They went through a sales summer in the 1960s, but were a really tough sell in the period from the 1970s to the 1990s.

Despite the recent financial downturn, the sales numbers they’ve enjoyed over later years were unimaginable two decades ago.

We spend most of our time here talking about and testing new toys, but given the sheer volume out there, it’s worth taking a quick squiz at the used market. It’s a theme we’ll no doubt revisit over time.

GROUND RULES
Let’s establish some ground rules for buying used. Condition, a recognised brand and a proper service record are critical for recent models. The owners vary wildly from the knowledgeable to the haven’t-a-clue, and mechanical sympathy is not necessarily high among the people who’ve bought new in recent years.

Fully auto scooters are designed to run strictly within certain performance parameters so, if they’re serviced, they should be fine, assuming they haven’t been to the moon and back.

Mileage scares people, but a larger (200cc and up) well-engineered and constructed scooter should manage 50,000km without any major work. From there, you might be looking at a transmission refresh before the engine needs serious work – which is likely to happen closer to the 80,000km mark.

Here are my top picks in a variety of classes.

Super scooter – tourer
No argument here, it’s the 650 Suzuki Burgman twin, which is the most powerful and roomy thing you can buy. It is, however, quite heavy and takes some experience to throw into tight turns with confidence. Treat this as a serious alternative to a touring motorcycle, with less stress. See Smith’s ‘Hindsight’ article on the big Burger on page 50.

Value guide: $8000 – $9500

Super scooter – general use
Here I’m torn between the Yamaha TMAX and Honda Silverwing. The Yamaha (I’m talking about the first-generation rather than the upgraded current version) is the sportier of the two models and is remarkably quick, though the Honda has a particularly sweet engine and a little more room.

Value guide: TMAX $5500 – $8000; Silverwing $7000 – $9500

Man Friday (do anything)
Again, no argument here – Vespa’s injected GTV250ie, or GTS250ie. They are well-developed, can do anything from city duties to an overnight trip and have the considerable cache of the brand.

Value guide: $6000 – $7500

Light and cheap
Bolwell’s 125s and 150s have earned a reputation for being tough little units, and I lean towards the 150 Arriba as being a more realistic mount in traffic thanks to the slightly larger engine. This is basic little-wheel transport at the right price.

Value guide: $2000 – $3000

Classic
The 1960s through to 1970s Vespas are the go here, because they are relatively plentiful and parts supply is good. This is one for the enthusiast partly because they have a manual hand-change rather than auto. Here comes a top tip: look for a restored unit, preferably at a car auction. We saw two very tidy examples sell at Shannons Melbourne summer auction recently for $3750, which is well below restoration cost.

Value guide: $3500 – $6500