New to Scooten, in Joliet area

Discussion of the Genuine Buddy, Hooligan, Black Jack and other topics, both scooter related and not

Moderator: Modern Buddy Staff

Post Reply
BlackSheep
Member
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Jul 04, 2017 2:52 am
Location: Joliet Illinois

New to Scooten, in Joliet area

Post by BlackSheep »

Hey everyone,new to riding anything really, but just got myself a Zuma 150cc, waiting for my helmet in the mail...gotta be safe! I live in Joliet, looking for anyone nearby that maybe would like to ride with once in awhile. Hit me up if your interested and nearby please.
User avatar
Syd
Member
Posts: 4686
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2007 6:41 am
Location: Tempe

Post by Syd »

Have you taken the Basic Rider Course from the MSF? It is highly recommended.
The majority is always sane - Nessus
BlackSheep
Member
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Jul 04, 2017 2:52 am
Location: Joliet Illinois

Post by BlackSheep »

No I haven't taken any courses, been driving it around my neighborhood while I am waiting for the title to come in so I can plate it and insure it, my helmet should be in this week, where are these courses you speak of and do you know how much they usually run? I love my scoot!
User avatar
joebug
Member
Posts: 83
Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2017 4:03 pm
Location: Hudson Valley, New York

Post by joebug »

2017 Zuma doesn't come in a 150cc are you sure you don't have a 125 or a 50cc? I
BlackSheep
Member
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Jul 04, 2017 2:52 am
Location: Joliet Illinois

Post by BlackSheep »

Lmbo....chinese Zuma, sorry I know Yamaha makes 125cc as their top Zuma scooter , but they cost like what 3 grand almost...got mine for 1100, looks exactly like the Yamaha, beautiful...if you have an email address or something I can send a pic of it to you.
cummingsjc
Member
Posts: 367
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2015 5:43 am
Location: College Station, TX

Post by cummingsjc »

BlackSheep wrote:Lmbo....chinese Zuma, sorry I know Yamaha makes 125cc as their top Zuma scooter , but they cost like what 3 grand almost...got mine for 1100, looks exactly like the Yamaha, beautiful...if you have an email address or something I can send a pic of it to you.
The quality of the Zuma clone is not the same as the Yamaha original but hopefully it works as long as you need it to work. The same thing can be said about the Mad Dog "custom Ruckus" clones and almost any Chinese designed and manufactured scooter. Regardless, I caught the beginnings of the scootering bug on a Tank Touring Deluxe 150cc before getting into better brands so I probably shouldn't throw stones.
Clydeo
Member
Posts: 183
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2015 11:08 am
Location: Harrisburg PA

New rider

Post by Clydeo »

Oh my, where to begin...
Riding a scooter is really fun, but it can get you killed. Just check out the "who's been in an accident" area. It s a serious issue. But here are some tips:

The Motorcycle Safet foundation provides inexpensive training for riding. They provide bikes and helmetes, you just have to dress appropriately. You will probably have to pay for a new learners permit, as your bike requires you to have a motorcycle license. Check http://www.startseeingmotorcycles.org/m ... urses.aspx
For more information.
Secondly, a helmet is not enough. You need protective gear. At the very least a jacket. Inexpensive jackets are available at motorcyclegear.com, among many other places.
You are required to have insurance. Proogressive usually has good rates for bikers, but you will want to check around.
Finally, take it slow and easy. Scooters are simple and easy to ride, until something happens. Then they aren't so simple at all. There is a lot of physics involved in riding any bike, but especially a scooter. The small tires mean that it is easy to oversteer, easy to lock up the brakes, and easy to get stopped abruptly by pot holes. I actually find riding a scooter to be more complex and demanding than riding a motorcycle, and I have been doing both for decades.
I am not trying to discourage you from riding. Quite to the contrary: I want you to enjoy your new bike even more by riding it skillfully and safely. I know from personal experience how much hitting the pavement can hurt. Learn how to counter steer, brake control, and traction limits before you ride your bike anywhere! Ride safely, wear gear, and enjoy your new ride. Oh, and find a good shop. Chinese bikes often require a lot of "tweaking".
BlackSheep
Member
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Jul 04, 2017 2:52 am
Location: Joliet Illinois

Post by BlackSheep »

As long as I'm not beating the crap out of it,change the oil and gear lube periodically, it should be good, the quality can't be that far separated from the Chinese version being that they are almost completely identical, slight variations...idk...i literally just got it a week ago, I will be doing updates on it from time to time and maybe a video for YouTube, a hopefully informative one. But I love how it looks, how it runs and how it sounds, and 2000 dollars cheaper....as long as it holds up and stays strong, can't beat it...we will see though. But hoping to find others out here that might like to ride with me once in awhile...
BlackSheep
Member
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Jul 04, 2017 2:52 am
Location: Joliet Illinois

Post by BlackSheep »

Thank you Clydeo for your input. Yes ,progressive quoted me about 200,18 bucks a month ...not bad at all, I have been riding it through town, watching my speed and watching the traffic as best I can especially from behind and side streets as I'm approaching, they might not see me and pull out right in front of me....when coming to a stop at a light I always leave space in front and on the sides of me in case I need an escape route quick ,always I not only hold the brake handle at these lights ,I will tap if you will ,slowly so cars that are approaching from behind can see my lights better.and 90 percent of the speed limits here are mostly around 35 mph to maybe 40, so a nice crusing speed.and yes I have a decent jacket to wear on it and good gloves to protect my hands. Still breaking it in, my biggest thing to work on is my turns,feels funny when leaning it for turns,maybe because of the length,Idk so I'm learning,. Don't get me wring,I can turn, just trying to make my turns as smooth and as safely and confidently as possible.
Clydeo
Member
Posts: 183
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2015 11:08 am
Location: Harrisburg PA

Insurance

Post by Clydeo »

Wow, insurance in Illinois is expensive! I pay about $125 a year to insure both my scooter and my motorcycle!
BlackSheep
Member
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Jul 04, 2017 2:52 am
Location: Joliet Illinois

Post by BlackSheep »

I wouldn't expect it to be any cheaper here for anything, governments corrupt, spend all our tax dollars on Idk what, because illinois isn't paying any of its bills, money is being spent on whatever their personal agendas are...and they just approved a 32% raise on our state income tax....looking into other states to move to...nothing here but shootings and taxes ...i see what I was doing wrong turning,I was trying to lean myself and the scooter
Clydeo
Member
Posts: 183
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2015 11:08 am
Location: Harrisburg PA

Turning

Post by Clydeo »

Actually, you SHOULD lean with bike, except when doing a low speed turns. The physics involved with turning a scooter are complex. When going slowly, say 10 mph (every bike is different), you steer a bike like a car: you turn the handlebars right to turn right, etc. At higher speeds, you don't turn by steering, you turn by counter steering: you turn the handlebars slightly left to bank your bike right, actually turning to the right. The transition between steering and counter steering can be difficult at first, but it becomes instinctive after a while. The problem arises during emergency maneuvers. A rider sees a threat, and tries to steer right by turning the handlebars right. The bike actually goes left, or right into the threat. This is a gross over simplification, but it is a good starting point.
cummingsjc
Member
Posts: 367
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2015 5:43 am
Location: College Station, TX

Re: Turning

Post by cummingsjc »

Clydeo wrote:Actually, you SHOULD lean with bike, except when doing a low speed turns. The physics involved with turning a scooter are complex. When going slowly, say 10 mph (every bike is different), you steer a bike like a car: you turn the handlebars right to turn right, etc. At higher speeds, you don't turn by steering, you turn by counter steering: you turn the handlebars slightly left to bank your bike right, actually turning to the right. The transition between steering and counter steering can be difficult at first, but it becomes instinctive after a while. The problem arises during emergency maneuvers. A rider sees a threat, and tries to steer right by turning the handlebars right. The bike actually goes left, or right into the threat. This is a gross over simplification, but it is a good starting point.
And this short explanation actually makes the point of why the OP needs to take an MSF class. All of this is covered in the classroom training and riding portions of the class. I know folks that have ridden for years that learned new things in the basic rider course. Just imagine what it will do for an absolute beginner.
Clydeo
Member
Posts: 183
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2015 11:08 am
Location: Harrisburg PA

MSF

Post by Clydeo »

Agreed.
cummingsjc
Member
Posts: 367
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2015 5:43 am
Location: College Station, TX

Post by cummingsjc »

BlackSheep wrote:As long as I'm not beating the crap out of it,change the oil and gear lube periodically, it should be good, the quality can't be that far separated from the Chinese version being that they are almost completely identical, slight variations...idk...i literally just got it a week ago, I will be doing updates on it from time to time and maybe a video for YouTube, a hopefully informative one. But I love how it looks, how it runs and how it sounds, and 2000 dollars cheaper....as long as it holds up and stays strong, can't beat it...we will see though. But hoping to find others out here that might like to ride with me once in awhile...
Not trying to pop your bubble, but the quality is probably significantly different. There is no way that an $1100 dollar scooter has the same quality as a $3000 dollar scooter, even accounting for brand-recognition mark-up. Some corners have to be cut. I worked in a scooter repair shop for a while and we constantly saw the Ruckus clones, Wolf, Tao Tao, etc that had all kinds of issues even brand new. This includes brand new scooters needing valve adjustments after only 200-300 miles, parts that quickly break (and best of luck finding replacement parts from a non-existent dealer network). There is an old adage in scootering, that "friends don't let friends buy Chinese scooters". There is a reason for this adage.

The irony is that many quality scooter and motorcycle brands have factories that produce their products in China including Piaggio, Kymco, Honda, etc. There is no doubt that the Chinese can build a quality bike when the design, specifications, supervision, and quality control is being controlled by someone else that values their reputation. However, in my experience, almost anything that is a Chinese home-grown product is not quality.

As stated, I hope that your new scooter works out well for you and that you get many, trouble-free miles out of it. When you do finally get a chance to ride and own a reputable brand scooter, you will see that they are not anywhere nearly the same.
Clydeo
Member
Posts: 183
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2015 11:08 am
Location: Harrisburg PA

Insurance

Post by Clydeo »

Wow, insurance in Illinois is expensive! I pay about $125 a year to insure both my scooter and my motorcycle!
User avatar
joebug
Member
Posts: 83
Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2017 4:03 pm
Location: Hudson Valley, New York

Post by joebug »

Be careful with that Chinese scooter. They use very brittle metals and most all chinese scooters will eventually fail when you least expect it. I have had a few experiences with chinese quads etc, none good...although their quality has improved it's still not that great... you should have bought a used name brand scooter that was built in the scooter capital of the world... Taiwan! there is a difference, big difference. But thats my opinion for what it's worth...lol
Last edited by joebug on Wed Jul 05, 2017 4:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Dooglas
Moderator
Posts: 4368
Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2007 2:17 am
Location: Oregon City, OR

Post by Dooglas »

Here is one way to find an MSF basic riders course near you.

http://msf-usa.org/
BlackSheep
Member
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Jul 04, 2017 2:52 am
Location: Joliet Illinois

Post by BlackSheep »

I was just looking stuff up about all this...i see some good reviews, some bad.
yamaha has their scooters built in China and sent here. So they are both being made by the same people same area, if one is an off brand in America, a copy, it's a darn near perfect copy,so what if some things are a little cheaper made, as long as it does the job and safely...if a bolt breaks, I'm gonna replace it with a better one, just riding for fun, only in and through town ....smile EVERYONE and keep scootin!
cummingsjc
Member
Posts: 367
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2015 5:43 am
Location: College Station, TX

Post by cummingsjc »

BlackSheep wrote:I was just looking stuff up about all this...i see some good reviews, some bad.
yamaha has their scooters built in China and sent here. So they are both being made by the same people same area, if one is an off brand in America, a copy, it's a darn near perfect copy,so what if some things are a little cheaper made, as long as it does the job and safely...if a bolt breaks, I'm gonna replace it with a better one, just riding for fun, only in and through town ....smile EVERYONE and keep scootin!
It's not who is building the scooters but to what standards are they being held. And just because it looks mostly the same on the outside does not make it a "darn near perfect copy". Regardless, I hope your scooter treats you well with many, trouble-free miles and gets you addicted to the same scootering bug that so many of us on this forum are. Ride Safe and enjoy the experience.
User avatar
ScootLemont
Member
Posts: 2526
Joined: Fri Apr 11, 2008 6:20 pm
Location: Lemont IL
Contact:

MSF at JJC

Post by ScootLemont »

hey... welcome
I rode for two years before I took the MSF at JJC
I learned a LOT
worth the time & the little $
Really good team running the program there

ride safe
BlackSheep
Member
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Jul 04, 2017 2:52 am
Location: Joliet Illinois

Post by BlackSheep »

Thanks scoot,
Definitely gonna check the class out,anything extra any of us can learn is a benefit not only to us, but to other drivers as well. Just got to find one that works with my work schedule . Any as for it being a China scooter, for no money down and 12 payments of 118. Can't beat that for a first scooter. Yeah I would love a name brand , would live a far raise and a big bonus on my pay check too...lol...in time I'm sure I will have one GOD willing. I hope and pray this one does me good, real good for a long time coming, but for a first one, I think I did pretty good..of course I will keep you guys posted of the ups and downs or what nots..and again , after I have it and myself 100% legal would love to find others to cruise with and just have some fun
artfull dodger
Member
Posts: 54
Joined: Fri Jul 14, 2017 12:55 am
Location: Kokomo, IN

Post by artfull dodger »

Locally, they will let you take the class with your scooter if you have no intention of ever riding a conventional motorcycle. My wife and I took ours on a pair of 150cc Roketa Chinese scoots. Doing the slow speed weave and such on a CVT driven scooter is different than on a manual transmission MC. This was one major reason they changed the class to allow scooters to be used so this skill set could be learned. Mike
BlackSheep
Member
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Jul 04, 2017 2:52 am
Location: Joliet Illinois

Post by BlackSheep »

Ty for your input,you are correct and I researched illinois motorcycle license...49cc and down you need a regular license...50cc to 149cc you need a L class license ...150cc and up you need a m class license...now fyi the L classt and M class are literally the same just L is classed for lower pc's as an M class can be used for all size cc's
Post Reply