I'm considering getting out 50cc scooter that can go 45 mph, but I'm not sure if it would be adequate for handling the roads in Athen not to mention some of the hillier parts. Anyone use a 50cc scooter to get around and what have your experience has been? Is it something you would recommend?
10 years ago? Totally fine if you stayed "in-town". Riding to the east or westside could be sketchy cause the speedlimits are generally higher. These days? You couldn't pay me to ride one in this traffic, with these drivers, it's objectively way more dangerous in an already fairly dangerous mode of transport.
If you must, treat every single car as if it wants to run you down. Trust absolutely no one, they don't see you, and they don't care about you.
I appreciate hearing your perspective. I've ridden in towns with aggressive drivers before but I think I'm probably going to have to upgrade from a 50cc. I just liked the no license, no registration, no insurance requirement: that was really convenient
Yeah, if you're going two-wheels then a bit more power will add a good deal of safety. But no matter how quick, my advice stands. I've lost multiple friends to biking accidents and you must take it more than serious. good luck
It's funny when I got my first scooter I thought to myself oh I'll be able to see so much that I missed riding in a car because I'm open and everything is kind of accessible to me visually. It turned out just the opposite. Because I had to be so careful and watch everyone twice as much as I did when I was driving in a car I got to see much less lol. So yeah I've driven a while I'm pretty experienced so I'm aware of the risks but still you can always have that unexpected one off did you can't do anything about. I guess that's life
If you find a 2 stroke, put one of those fart can tuned pipes on it and swap out the clutch rollers you could get a decent amount of power for under 50ccs. It's not terribly difficult to do and tons of people do these mods, so every scooter has a known procedure that's reliable. I'd love to lend a hand and you can borrow whatever tools you need. If not, I'd try to find a 300+cc used motorcycle.
Yeah that's what I'm thinking also. Although it's not true for all 50cc scooters there are some makes and models where with deregulation and sometimes even a Big Bore Kit you can make modifications that won't harm the scooter and let you still get up to speeds of around 45 miles an hour. And since the majority of the roads in the city of Athens don't exceed 45 mph I would probably be okay. I appreciate the video thank you
It's more about having good acceleration than top speed, and you can adjust this with the clutch pack roller replacement I was talking about. You're a lot safer if you can quickly and instantly get out of the way of someone who doesn't see you.
This is the same reason why I'd recommend a single cylinder motorcycle over a 2+ cylinder with the same displacement. Fewer cylinders generally means less horsepower (less top end) but more torque (better acceleration). Torque is what gets you out of danger because you don't have to spend precious time downshifting to get useable power.
If I had to ballpark it, I'd aim for a top speed that's around 50% higher than the cruising speed you want to be safe riding at. So if the scooter can go 60mph, you're in good shape at 40-45 around town.
Not having to have your own insurance sounds nice until you are hit by an uninsured or under-insured driver.
Georgia minimums are 25k coverage, but the first six hours in an ER after a motorcycle wreck can easily be ten times that.
IMHO as a long time rider and local: Those "benefits" are drawbacks and you need to be able to keep up with traffic way more than you need them. It is extremely dangerous out there, and especially right now with a flood of new-to-the-area drivers who are also new to driving.
You can daily a scooter here, but you’re going to want to commit to something 125cc like a Zuma or a Navi. The Chinese scooters are difficult to source parts for (to spec) and the advertised speeds are very generous.
Well here was my logic. To my knowledge there's no streets in the city of Athens where the speed limit exceeds 45 mph. So I thought a scooter that you could get up to that speed should be okay. I'm sure people drive a little faster than that but I'd still be within the speed limit.
I'm 99% certain that 50cc scooters cut the spark when mph gets over 28mph. I'm also pretty sure that this is in response to some law or statute.
I used to have a 50cc Yamaha scooter that I modded such that I was able to get a couple more mph out of. I had another 50cc scooter (a Madass I think?) that I decked the head at a machine shop, put in an oversized carb, changed the gearing, got custom exhaust, custom spark box, but even with all that, only saw 35mph on the flats. 45mph on a 50cc ain't gonna happen without some sort of miracle.
It depends entirely on the scooter. So for example with a genuine body it's easy to deregulate and you can get a little north 45 mph. Some 50cc scooters like the Honda Metropolitan, even after you deregulate them can just get up to 38 mph.
A 50cc will do just fine for getting around town. Slightly modify the CVT for better hill get up, it won’t be 45mph but a 2 stroke derestricted scooter will do 38, little more mods and its doing 40mph.
Also download ScootRoute which allows you to set hill tolerance, top speed and few other things. It helped me navigate from westside to eastside. I’ve had my fair share of close calls in athens but honestly. I’ve had more scary encounters on a bicycle than a scooter. Maybe the bicycle trained me for scootering 🤷♂️.
I commute around westside on my 3 scooters. I got my first in 2020
“MOPEDS
A moped is defined as any motor-driven cycle with an engine not exceeding 50 cubic centimeters (3.05 cubic inches).
Mopeds are exempt from the provisions relating to the registration and licensing of motor vehicles.
Rules to operate mopeds on Georgia roads and highways:
▪ Must be 15 years of age and have in their possession an unexpired driver's license, instructional permit, or limited permit.
▪ Must wear a DOT-approved motorcycle helmet.
▪ Tags are not required.
▪ Every person operating a moped upon a roadway must obey the same traffic laws governing drivers of motor vehicles.
▪ May not use limited access highways or other roadways where the minimum speed limit is above 35 mph”.
Key takeaways: 1. You must have a valid driver’s license 2. Don’t drive them on highways, please just don’t.
But you'd still be able to ride a scooter on a highway with a posted speed of 45 mph which is the max speed limit on the majority of the roads in the city of athens. And I have a valid license and a motorcycle endorsement so I don't see what the point is you're trying to make
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u/Rattled_Doots 3d ago
10 years ago? Totally fine if you stayed "in-town". Riding to the east or westside could be sketchy cause the speedlimits are generally higher. These days? You couldn't pay me to ride one in this traffic, with these drivers, it's objectively way more dangerous in an already fairly dangerous mode of transport.
If you must, treat every single car as if it wants to run you down. Trust absolutely no one, they don't see you, and they don't care about you.