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From: gnu@l5.uucp (John Gilmore)
Newsgroups: net.bicycle,net.cycle
Subject: Re: requesting advice about motorscooters for 16 yr. old daughter
Message-ID: <62@l5.uucp>
Date: Mon, 2-Sep-85 21:49:26 EDT
Article-I.D.: l5.62
Posted: Mon Sep  2 21:49:26 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 5-Sep-85 01:02:38 EDT
References: <2036T3B@psuvm> <494@spar.UUCP>
Organization: Ell-Five [Consultants], San Francisco
Lines: 29
Xref: watmath net.bicycle:1581 net.cycle:1202
Summary: Scooters are relatively cheap and safe.

I looked at Vespas abut 5 years ago and decided on a Honda motorcycle
because the Vespa cost the same and had lousy brakes, lousy mirrors,
lousy acceleration -- in general, a lot less control.

These days my opinion has changed, and if I wasn't into long distance
touring, I'd have a scooter for around town.  The local Honda shop has
about 3 new scooters out and they look pretty good; I've seen other
Japanese motorcycle mfrs also making scooters now.  These mfr's know
how to engineer a good machine, unlike Vespa.  Watch out for cost-cutting
measures like no mirrors or only one side mirror though -- it lowered
my already low opinion of Yamaha when I found them selling bikes that
way to reduce the sticker price.  Jeez, somebody might have been dumb
enough to actually BUY it and RIDE it that way...

If you're concerned about safety, ride it yourself, or get a friend to
ride it.  Check the brakes, mirrors, controls.  Make sure that you can
stop it, turn it, etc quickly without its going out of control.  (Your
daughter will need to do that when a little old lady pulls out of a
driveway right in front of her.)  DON'T get a moped; if you want that
class of machine, get a good bicycle (where she'll have to WORK to get
up to a speed where the bike won't handle well).

The other big thing is:  get good riding lessons for her.  Most of the
accidents occur in the first 6 months of ownership.  If you get her past
that stage in one piece, she'll be OK for a long time.

My impression is that a scooter offers more protection in case of an
accident (and certainly more weather protection) but I have only test
driven them.  I've ridden motorcycles for about 80,000 miles over 15 years.