Need transportation, considering an Elite or Spree

[Blastoise]

Hey... I'm about to get my first job and I'm gonna' need some transportation to work and school. I've seen pictures of the Elite 50 and the Spree 50, and I really like their designs, plus they seem to be something I could probably afford on minimum wage. Now, before I dive into this, I have a few questions.

1) Will a 50cc carry 300 lbs + a backpack full of textbooks?
2) What kind of maintanence does it take to keep one running?
3) Is it really a good idea to use one as an every day vehicle?

Thanks in advance!

[sum-azn-kid]

it would help if you told us how far/ road conditions(up hill/flat/down hill) and speed you want to reach.
1. the 50cc will prob be very stressed. no office but i never had some one come in who needed their 50cc moped to pull 300+ lbs of wieght. for sure you wont be going anywhere fast.
2.spark plug-$2 to $3, oil around $10 to $15 for decent stuff, roller weights $6 to $15 for decent stuff
3. everyday use is fine, i use it everyday it isn't pouring rain

[Blastoise]

I'm not exactly sure of the road conditions because I'm supposed to be moving from Georgia to Louisiana soon.. D:

1) Ah... That's what I was afraid of. I was thinking of maybe getting a bigger one, but I'm unsure as to the laws about getting a liscense for them.
2) Well, that doesn't sound too costly. ^_^
3) Awesome!~

Do you know of anything that could be a good alternative? Whatever I get needs to be under $500 preferrably. D:

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

Axt Blastoise:

Do you know of anything that could be a good alternative? Whatever I get needs to be under $500 preferrably.

I dunno, dawg, maybe a bus pass?
Seriously, any scooter you pick up for $5C might need some work.
A pretty nice Spree can appear for that money occasionally, especially in winter. It is very reliable in stock form. However the Spree is the lowest-performing of the Honda 'smokers. It'll chug along all day long faster than you can pedal your Cannondale unless your name is Lance. But 30 MPH may not be all that safe on some roads in traffic.

Once you decide (and you will ) to improve its performance, the reliability can decrease.

One thing many will tell you is to avoid the shiny new-looking Chinese off-brand scooters like the ones at Pep Boys. They can be cheaper than $500 with 100 miles on them, but consider why the owner is selling it. Quality is often abysmal.

[808BMW]

I have many friends at 300+ that ride daily, but they are on modded 94+ elites. A stock bike probably wouldn't work too well in a hilly area.

[sum-azn-kid]

^ i agree aviod those chinese bike they are crap quality sucks... we see those in the shop alot most times the repairs are more $$$ than the bike is worth. im part chinese and its sad to see how crappy those bikes are...
taiwan bikes are alot better.
cpi hussar(bigger than a honda 12in rims) it is an ok bike i had one and did some mods to it but i perfer honda/sym bikes
sym dd50

[killerpancake]

i actually know of a guy that weighs close to 300 and can do about 25 on a stock honda spree, and about 10000000000mph downhill. but my 87 honda spree i had gave me no problems and maintenance is easy on it also. though an elite has better take off so for a bigger guy it may be better uphill.

[Blastoise]

Awesome!~ ^_^

So, about how much would it cost to mod an Elite (Or possibly a Spree with an Elite engine swapped in, is that even possible?) to do this? I'm willing to buy a stock and mod it as I go along, so it won't really matter if the end result is a higher amount than my original budget.

I remember one time I could've had a lime green Spree for $80 if I could've just scraped up enough money to ship. It was a close to running 1985 model, I think. I really regret not begging my parents to help me, because my Christmas money would've covered the main cost. D:

[KINGÔäó]

I bought my 94 elite rolling for 400$
bought a af16e block-100$
everything for the engine-700$
all in all I can hit 90+ mph with 190lbs (160-me,30-equipment)
so I suggest you do it yourself as it is more cheaper.
shops just love to rip off.
Mods would make it faster and easier to pull your weight

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

No hills (except bridges) in NOLA. If you need to get up and go every day, modding may not be the way to go. Staying up 'til 03:00 cuts into Study Time, and you still need to test and often re-do.

Now if you bought TWO Sprees...

Seriously, a stock Aero engine will run a reliable 40 with modest mods. A later Elite will approach 50 with a Vario and 9:1 gears.

I recommend you read up here what others have tried - and sometimes Failed - to see if 50cc is enough for your needs.

[Spreetard]

Awesome!~ ^_^

So, about how much would it cost to mod an Elite (Or possibly a Spree with an Elite engine swapped in, is that even possible?) to do this? I'm willing to buy a stock and mod it as I go along, so it won't really matter if the end result is a higher amount than my original budget.

I remember one time I could've had a lime green Spree for $80 if I could've just scraped up enough money to ship. It was a close to running 1985 model, I think. I really regret not begging my parents to help me, because my Christmas money would've covered the main cost. D:

Build Thread: http://www.hondaspree.net/phpBB3/viewto ... 16&t=14013

Ta-Daaaaa! Elite "SR" engine on a spree. With some shiny bits. The body panels require some trimming and the engine mount needs modified. A new shock mount needs built. From there, you can do alot more mods to the af16e engine, referred to on this forum as a "dio" after a Japanese Domestic Market scooter, the Honda Dio, which uses the similarly engineered af18e. The af18e has a larger boost port than the american market's version of the engine, an obstacle overcome by many here by case-porting, essentially creating a clone of a true JDM Dio and allowing for big bore kits for JDM bikes to be used. A dio can be built to go faster than you would probably trust the spree's flimsy single-tube frame to carry you. Very fun

[Bear45-70]

IMO, you would be better off getting something in the 80 to 125 cc class. Like either the Aero 80 or 125 and then the Elite 80, 125 or 150. At least they are rated for 300 pounds. None of the 50 cc scooters are rated that high.

[Blastoise]

KING: That's perfect, actually! I could totally do that. ^_^
Wheelman: Hmm... Okies. I guess 40 on a normal guy would be about 20 with me? That could probably work.
Spreetard: That... Actually looks really awesome! I'll really consider that if I do go the 50cc route!~
Bear45-70: Yeah... I thought about doing that, but sadly I'd have to get a motorcycle license to ride anything over 50cc, and I really don't know how difficult their tests are. I already have my learner's permit, and I read that you can drive a 50cc with those with practically no added on restrictions, that's my main draw to them.

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

Top speed is limited by the formula Power/Mechanical Drag + Wind Drag.

Everyone always says that heavier riders will see slower top speeds. To the extent that rolling resistance is increased by rider weight, that is probably correct.
However I'm not sure that doubling the mass will halve the top speed. In fact I'm pretty sure it won't.

Surely the rate of acceleration will decline, but the top speed won't be much different beyond the increased wind drag of a larger rider. At 40 MPH, that'd be maybe 1-2 MPH tops, if you ask me. You could partly correct for the increased rolling resistance by putting tire pressures up to the sidewall maximum pressure at both ends. I gain a couple miles per hour when I do this on mine. However the ride quality declines along with traction in corners.

[Blastoise]

Really? Well, that's even better! : D

Thanks for all the info everyone. ^_^