As I have mentioned before, I'm returning to grad school (or to completely revamp my degree, depending on how next semester goes) and we have decided to take out a student loan to get it all done. In that, I've been considering a 2nd mode of transportation. My wife is all for me having another bike because she knows how much I miss riding. But, at setting myself a budget of $4k, it really doesn't leave much room. I'm a huge fan of small bikes, so that helps. And, for once I don't want to buy a used bike. Nobody ever seems to follow proper break-in procedure, there is always damage and when you like the smaller displacement bikes, it always seems that every bike has been dropped at LEAST once, and for once I don't want to deal with that.

Well, after getting upset at the whole "Freight, 'handling', and paperwork" racket dealers stick buyers with, I may of found the best small bike for the money. And damn is it a hot rod!



Genuine Scooter Company 170i. 168cc 4-stroke fuel injected ROCKET that weighs less than 320lbs! The test bike they had hit 72mph in the PARKING LOT (I would say less than 75 yards), and still had room to go. My wife swears that when I cranked on the throttle the front wheel gained air for a good distance but I was too busy concentrating on the speedo. It's "technically" freeway legal, but way too damn light and with 10" rims, that would be a scary ride. But, otherwise....

DAMN

The quality is pretty awesome too! Way better than the current Hondas in my opinion from what I rode, and a ton more features such as a built in AIR HORN, 12v power adapter for charging cellphones, tons of kit to boost the engine power over the stock 125cc (which isn't bad at 60 to 65mph). And, it is WAY faster than anything on offer from Vespa or Yamaha in this size.

We are going back tomorrow to put a deposit on it. It's $3300 MSRP, and the cool part is that Genuine Scooter Company is a pretty respected brand with actual dealers, and they DON'T charge Freight or 'Handling' fees! That and the 2 year, unlimited mileage and 2 years roadside assistance thrown in for free doesn't hurt. If for some reason we can't get this one, the standard 125cc buddy is only $2800 and aside from being carb'ed, it can accept all the performance kit that is on the 170i. So, even if I can't get the shiny, I'll still get an awesome bike and save 500 in the process. The 125 was a nice bike too. But, I just LOVE the 170i.

I'm more excited about this than the chance of getting three new guns in September How crazy is that!?

I was too busy concentrating on the speedo

I had to reread that before I understood what you meant. Congrats on the wheels! You'll have to name it, of course.

Cool.

Ain't you like 'sposed to be spending some of that money on, like, going to school, or something?

masonalannz wrote:Cool.

Ain't you like 'sposed to be spending some of that money on, like, going to school, or something?

Actually, this is exactly what the money is supposed to be for.

I live in Mesa, about 28 miles away from the school I am attending for my audio engineering degree. The time it took for me to walk to the train, take it from Mesa to Phoenix, and then walk from the train to the school, was 2 hours. Arizona is notorious for having a severe lack of mass transit (voted down to "remove socialist 'progressives' from changing the identity of our fair state" as one politician put it). It's getting better, but still impossible to get around. Add to that the 120+degree temps in August and early September and without wheels, it just plain sucks in Arizona.

And, this price is for a new machine. There is no way I could find any form of car with that kind of warranty ant 75 to 90mpg. While it happens to be one of the best scooters in the US market, it also happens to be one of the best transportation deals.

Along with this, my shopping list includes: Computer, mixer, mics, amps, software, hard drives, books, food, rent, utilities, emergency medical and tuition. Stafford loans are quite clear what is and is not allowed. But, I've known students who spent their loan money on CASES of Vodka, tattoos and blow. And funny enough, they never got cited. At least I'm trying to follow the law (and have a bit of fun at the same time )