first time moped - vespa 2nd hand ?

Gavin

Hi,
I'm looking at getting a scooter/moped for getting through Dublin, from Dundrum to Santry/DCU. After a bit of looking around, and a fair bit of reading, a vespa et2, 50cc looks to be my best bet in terms of appearance and total cost.

Buyandsell have em from around €950 for a 00 reg one with 4k miles, up to a brand new one from southside skooters for €2750. Is buying second hand a bad idea ? I can't really afford 2750 for a new one, along with insurance. (quoted 750 from hibernian, tpf&t. Down to 550 with a full class m license)

Should I absolutely take lessons or is driving around on private roads for a few days enough to get me used to it ? I've cycled through the city center often enough so I'm confident that I'm aware of what's around me when I'm on the road, what lane to be in, best position on the road etc. Am I over confident ? Is a scooter totally different ?

Locks and stuff like that. If I get a decent chain, and lock the bike to a wall/bolt how secure is it ? How hard is it for a scummer to get through the chain with a bolt cutter ?

Anything else ? Cheers,

Gav

Saruman

I never had lessons when i had one years ago... So just be careful when you get it especially when breaking and going around corners/roundabouts etc.

Second hand is fine but you should bring someone along who knows about engines and stuff to make sure. Just like buying a car.

Krusty_Clown

Lesson will always improve your chance of survival on Irish roads. You're just as susceptible to being hit by another vehicle on a Vespa as you are on a 1.3 litre super-bike..

The IRTA are a good, relatively inexpensive group of trainers who cater for all sorts of powered two-wheelers..

A couple of lessons certainly wouldn't hurt ya. They'll teach you things like:
Correct road position when making progress/turning
Observation skills
Performing life-savers
Avoding hazards
etc..

Well worth the investment..

As for the ET2, these get dropped quite often by beginners, so look for signs that it's been down, e.g. scraped handle bars, replaced brake levers, scratched indicators, repaired fairings/plastics. Also some Vespa owners tend not to carry out routine maintenance, so look for signs of this too (rust, dirtly oil etc.)

Well, best of luck with the purchase!

giftgrub

vespas are great...i had a PX200...and like a lot of people i never had any lesons before i bought it...as was said here, 50cc or 1300cc it doesnt matter there are still some basics you need to know when on a bike as opposed to a car

for me buying second hand is always the way to go...i prefer to buy off dealers.... even though its more expensive you do get a limited warantee

IRTA is very good ....the lessons i took really helped even with small things....the more you know abut your bike and how to control it the more you enjoy it

Gavin

ok cheers, thanks for the replies. I've been pointed at an mbk ovetto as another possible one to get, so I'll start looking around.

I'll pick up a motorcycle book next time I'm in easons too methinks !

As regards the engines on the bikes, how modular/repairable are they ? I like DIY, so will probably try and learn how to maintain the engine or at least fix common problems. Is this practical, or too dangerous for a newb to do ?

Gav

garthv

Ok,if you get an Ovetto dont buy second hand,
Ovettos are very cheaply made mopeds and the engine will only last a year or so before they go all funny. Et2 is a very nice moped,and second hand they are usually in very good nic,one of the most stylish mopeds out there BUT because of the layout of the engine,rollers,belt etc your avergae mechanic will not touch them. Anytime somethings goes wrong you will have to go back to your vespa dealer and thats gonna cost a pretty penny.
As regards security,a nice big(and i mean big) chain wrapped around your back wheel and a disk lock on the front wheel should help your chances of not parting company with your beloved moped.
If I was you id go with the et2!

Gavin

okdokey, thanks a lot for all the replies. Another question. If I get my full class m license, do I have to wait two years before being legally entitled to pillion passengers ?

Gav

garthv

wtf is a class m license?
a provisional moped license is class A afaik

Gavin

Class m is for machines under 50cc. Class A is for all motorbikes, and A1 up to and including 125cc. It's in the guide to driving licenses posted above.

And I since read that you can carry pillion passengers on a full m license. But I reckon I'll probably avoid that, enough things to be wary about.

Gav, who was up quite late last night reading up on licenses/rules of the road/moped engines, vespa et2's & ovrettos

giftgrub

if insurance is an issue...i remember hearing that bikeworld out near the red cow have a deal with one of the insurers...basically theyre selling a scooter thats been modified so theres no back seat...meaning you cant take a passenger...but your premuim is lower, i dont know what kind of scoot it was though

www.bikeworld.ie

OLDYELLAR

I have a ped and an A1 license , when i went in for my test the guy asked me did i ever hear of an M license , i was likke what the hell , aparently if your ped does more than 45k/hr or something your an A1 and anything under that is M , should get more than 45 out of it anyway when its de restricted.
yea a big chain should be a priority , having had my ped knicked , its some hassle , so yea a big chain.I would`nt be too bothered about the needing a full license for passengers , nobody really obeys that , the guards dont seem to be too bothered either.

Krusty_Clown

OLDYELLAR wrote:

I would`nt be too bothered about the needing a full license for passengers , nobody really obeys that , the guards dont seem to be too bothered either.

Nobody will be too bothered until you have an accident. Then you will find that your insurance policy does not cover your pillion passenger (or you to carry one). This is unfortunately one of they key reasons why bike insurance premiums are so costly these days.

If I get my full class m license, do I have to wait two years before being legally entitled to pillion passengers ?

As soon as you have your full license you can legally carry a pillion. You don't have to wait untl the two years are up. Strange that they trust you to carry a pillion, but they still make you wait two years to get a more powerful engine..

Go figure..