Scooter FAQs

Scooter FAQs

Here at Moto Richmond, it is incredibly important that we help you choose the right scooter for you. You have different needs than the next person, and that means that the right scooter for you may not be the right scooter for someone else. Here are a few things that are important to consider in conjunction with your individual set of scooter related needs. If we missed something that is important to your decision, please contact us! We’ll happily help you sort through the myriad of options.

And please keep this in mind: It’s super duper important to visit our showroom and actually sit on some scooters! This point cannot possibly be stressed enough. Your individual needs in terms of comfort and weight are impossible to evaluate online. If I had a dollar for every time someone sat on a scooters and was baffled at how large/small/heavy/light/etc a particular model was, I would have enough money to take every one of you out for pizza. True story.

Engine sizes

Every scooter at Moto Richmond goes down the road thanks to a gas-powered combustion engine. The engine’s size is important both in terms of licensing as well as the routes you intend to take. We cover the various legalities of scooters with 49cc engines vs larger scooters here, so that’s a good place to start your research.

If you wish to get a scooter that does not require a motorcycle license, then check out the various 50cc scooters that we carry. You can find details on the Buddy 50, Roughhouse 50, Fly 50, Vespa LX50, and Vespa S50, and we’ll have other helpful tips and hints in the remainder of this article.

If you are comfortable with obtaining a motorcycle license, then the best way to figure out what engine size is best for you will depend on how you plan on using your scooter. What roads do you intend to travel, and what are the speed limits on those roads? Just as importantly, how fast do you want to go?

If you intend to use your scooter mostly for in-town travel on roads with speed limits of 25-55mph and you are interested in a quick, responsive, and light ride that is both economical and fun, a scooter with an engine in the 125cc to 170cc range might be the best choice for you. Moto Richmond carries a number of scooters that fit this bill, from the Buddy 125 at $2799 to the Vespa LXV150 at $5399.

All of the largest scooters that we carry at Moto Richmond are capable of speeds of at least 70 mph, and in some cases considerably more than that. These large engine scooters are best suited to a variety of purposes, which makes it difficult to pigeonhole this class of bike. From the air-cooled 220cc Genuine Blur to the liquid cooled 3 wheeled beast that is the Piaggio MP3.

Styling

It’s not always about the performance when it comes to picking the perfect scooter. Let’s face it: looks matter! Whether you have decided that the ideal scooter simply must be red OR have a classic look OR look fast even sitting still OR must match your favorite boots OR…you get the idea.

We’ve made a handy list of all of our new scooters by style. Some of these classifications are open to interpretation, of course.

Now, if you’d like to know which scooters come in red, that’s probably a question best asked to us directly. Contact us here.

Wheel size

We answer a lot of questions every week in regards to the size of the wheels on various scooters. Each scooter that we carry has a specific wheel size for its specific purpose, and it’s not particularly easy (nor desirable) to put a larger tire on a scooter such as a Stella. It’s good to know the particular positives for the variety of wheel sizes that are available on the scooters that may suit your needs, as it may help you choose the perfect scoot.

Large tires are fantastic when you are doing a considerable amount of highway driving (which includes local highways such as the Downtown Expressway or the Chippenham Parkway), as well as if your daily commute involves lots of straight shots (think Broad Street for miles and miles). Those big wheels can tackle potholes and imperfections in the pavement without missing a beat, and your scooter will have steering that feels measured, steady, and solid. If you plan on riding this scooter every day rain or shine, you may want a big windshield to keep the wind and precipitation off of you, and big wheeled scooters tend to be a great combo with a big windshield. Fast scooters with lots of displacement will go through rear tires on a fairly regular basis, and big wheels mean more longevity and miles on an individual rear tire.

Folks that are used to riding motorcycles may find that they are more comfortable on a scooter with big wheels. It will simply feel more similar to your bigger bikes, which may be important to you.

Small wheels, on the other hand, are quick and nimble and maneuverable, and therefore they can be better suited to drivers who have an urban landscape to navigate on a daily basis. You can react faster to the bad decisions that other drivers make, as well as to potholes that seem to appear out of thin air. Of course, you’ll need to react to more in terms of potholes, as small wheels don’t have the stability of large wheels, but the ability to quickly evade an oncoming road crater will serve you well. Small wheels can be a huge help when you are trying to beat vehicles that are considerably faster in traffic, both off the line and winding through traffic.

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  • riding with a passenger, brakes, air cooled vs liquid cooled, customization, etc
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