Yeah, I’ve heard it’s like a fat chick: lots of fun but you don’t want your friends to see you on it.
I had a random Chinese scooter for college commuting as well and I loved it. That was, until it broke and real replacement parts were a real pain to get a hold of. Being a college student I just made do with random junk yard parts but I wouldn’t recommend it to other people who can’t figure out the engine on their own.
I always wanted a Ruckus though, its kinda cool looking!
Many of us have nostalgic memories of the Honda CT90 and CT110, which were (are?) very successful in the niche between scooters and 125 cc off road bikes.
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That’s what I was thinking. In less than a minute I found a craigslist page full of used Honda Rebels (250cc, +100lbs on the Grom) between $1500 for old ones and $2500 for barely used 2-5 yr old models.
Exactly. I think I paid $1500 on CL for a Suzuzki TU250 several years back - and while it might not sing on the highway, at least it could hit 50MPH without struggling too bad. And then I flipped it for essentially the same price when moving on to a larger bike.
Exactly, you can find a pretty good 250cc – 750cc used bike for $3k.
And then go find a local Motorcycle Safety Foundation course to get trained and comfortable.
If you’re determined to be the slowest thing on the road, get an electric-assist bicycle (for about the same cost) and get some exercise as well.
I’ve never been able to find any advantage to a small motorcycle over a scooter. The steering’s too heavy for lane-splitting, you can’t carry stuff under the seat (which is narrow, high and apparently bolted directly to the engine block), the engine’s too peaky for effective crawling in slow traffic, there’s not enough bodywork to keep wind, rain and mud off your legs and I get sore knees after half an hour! 
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You meet the nicest people on a Honda.
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For anything under about 55 mph scooters win. They are more maneuverable and quicker, their weight makes them less tiring to ride, the full bodywork keeps you clean and (in the case of older full leg shield models at least) dry. The bumps you take on a small motorcycle you would miss completely with a slight shift of your butt on scooter. The low center of gravity and small wheel size means you have much less gyro effect to counter. After 10 years of being “bike only” (motorcycles and scooters) I take a scooter almost every time, the only exception is when I need to be on the highway for an extended time.
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Rob, DO IT! Buy it IMMEDIATELY! they are hilarious fun. Yes, a Ninja 300 is faster, yes the CBR250 is faster blah blah blah. the Grom captures EVERYTHING about the 1960’s “meet the nicest people” ads.
Pals in Austin, who I will intro you to, if you want, are up to about 9 bikes. they go for group rides on weekends. http://www.hondagrom.net/forums/33-southwest-grom-owners/2531-austin-grom-gang.html
insanely fun bike. as long as you remember, it is what it is.
Buy it!
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I’m currently in a situation where I could use one of these: 4 mile commute, speed limit for most of the trip is 35mph. But Murphy’s Law dictates that if I got the bike, my job situation would change and I’d have the 25-mile freeway commute (again).
Having said that, when I did make the long commute, a scooter once passed me on the interstate – and I was doing 65 or 70. I have no idea what kind of scooter it was, or if they modified it to go that fast, or how long it took to accelerate up to freeway speed.
Honda and Piaggio (includes Vespa, Aprilia and Gilera) have a whole range of “300” scooters (closer to 280cc) that are quite capable of highway riding. There are a few 500cc or bigger scooters, but they’re usually quite pricey compared to a manual bike the same size.
I’ve had my 150cc Honda PCX up to about 60mph (speedo said 110km/h, but I think it was optimistic) and it wasn’t pleasant, at the very least you’d want a windshield and lower bars to get further forward, but it’s just not built for highway riding. For my city commute I’d pick it over any other bike I’ve ridden.
I say buy the mini-bike and enjoy it, even if you have to sell it a year later it can’t depreciate that much!
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Suzuki Burgman 650 MEGA scooter. http://www.suzukicycles.com/Product%20Lines/Scooters/Products/Burgman%20650/2013/AN650A.aspx but I can only think “burgerman” when I see one
Single-cylinder, CVT, 12-inch wheels, this is a scooter, right?
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