"Well the next vehicle that I buy is definitely going to be larger than my Fiat."(Update: it's mine)

"Chuckles" (chucklesw37)
11/10/2019 at 15:48 • Filed to: two wheels good

Oops.

Update: I finally took ownership of the scooter today. It’s a Yamaha Riva 125Z. An 87 model made in December of 86, the same year I was born. The Z was an appearance package that added black paint, gold badges, gold pinstripes, and gold wheels. It badly needs new rubber but otherwise seems to be in decent shape.

DISCUSSION (41)

atfsgeoff > Chuckles
10/12/2019 at 19:20

Welcome to the Yamaha club! We gotta go cruising!

Chuckles > atfsgeoff
10/12/2019 at 20:15

Thanks! It’ll be a little while until I’m ready to ride. Th e scooter needs new tires asap, and I don't take the MSF course until the weekend after Halloween. I currently have 3 hours of scooter experience under my belt. I'll keep you posted though.

atfsgeoff > Chuckles
10/12/2019 at 20:19

Wow, I didn’t know they ran the MSF courses into November!

BeaterGT > Chuckles
10/12/2019 at 20:37

Congrats!

Chuckles > atfsgeoff
10/12/2019 at 21:10

I'll be at Luzerne County Community College. The course at Blackman's was booked.

shop-teacher > Chuckles
10/12/2019 at 22:49

Hey! You bought it!!! Congrats!

Chuckles > shop-teacher
10/12/2019 at 23:10

I may have jumped the gun a bit with this post, but let's just say that I have a deposit on it and I will be making the purchase soon. It definitely needs new tires but otherwise seems solid.

shop-teacher > Chuckles
10/12/2019 at 23:22

Gotcha!

Chuckles > shop-teacher
10/12/2019 at 23:26

Hopefully it will be mine within the next 7-10 days. That'll depend on my schedule though.

shop-teacher > Chuckles
10/12/2019 at 23:30

Fingers crossed! How much are you paying?

Chuckles > shop-teacher
10/12/2019 at 23:34

I offered 750 and he accepted. I could have offered 700 and had him counter with 750, but I didn't want to lowball him and I figured he'd accept my offer. I think we're both happy with that price, and at least in this area there aren't many 125cc scooters available under a grand.

shop-teacher > Chuckles
10/12/2019 at 23:37

I think that’s a good price. I probably would have hit him lower ... But I might also be an cheap ass ;)

Chuckles > shop-teacher
10/12/2019 at 23:43

It is hard for me to put into words just how much I hate to haggle over price.

shop-teacher > Chuckles
10/12/2019 at 23:44

I think you've got a good scooter, at a very fair price.

Chuckles > shop-teacher
10/12/2019 at 23:48

Thanks. I agree. Hopefully everything works out and I'll be riding soon.

shop-teacher > Chuckles
10/12/2019 at 23:52

I’m sure it will!

Decay buys too many beaters > Chuckles
10/21/2019 at 14:54

Missed this post but CONGRATS! Taken delivery yet?

Chuckles > Decay buys too many beaters
10/21/2019 at 15:04

Sadly, not yet. The seller is still waiting on the title. He has a shop that sells/repairs golf carts (it's in a residential area where everyone drives golf carts around). One of his customers traded in the scooter towards a cart a few weeks ago. So they transferred the title to his name, and in PA the notary takes the title and then you have to wait for the state to mail you a new one. So once that title shows up, he and I will go to the notary and repeat the process.

Chuckles > shop-teacher
10/25/2019 at 10:00

Bad news: scooter title is taking longer than expected.

Good news: he agreed to deliver the scooter to my brother’s house once we make the transfer.

shop-teacher > Chuckles
10/25/2019 at 10:20

Nice!

Titles can be a pain. You could always plate it in Vermont without a title. They’ll happily mail you a plate to your out of state address, in exchange for a small check, no title required. Two of my buddy’s scooters in Chicago, have green Vermont plates on them.

The title makes the scooter worth a lot more though. Without a title, that’s a $500 scooter. With the title, the $750 you’re paying is a good deal.

Chuckles > shop-teacher
10/25/2019 at 10:29

I don’t mind waiting on the title for now. I might change my tune depending on how long it takes. But he seems like a nice guy, and I don’t think he’s doing all of this to scam me out of a $100 deposit. I’m pretty sure that he wouldn’t have had me come to his house and place of business if he was just trying to steal $100.

My brother’s house is about 23 miles from his house. The initial plan was to ride it back. Unfortunately, between those two points is a mountain ridge big enough to have a ski resort (Blue Mountain) . So the only options were to ride it up, over, and down a mountain on the old tires, or take the pass and be on a 4 lane road with a speed limit of 55mph. Neither option sounded appealing, so I’m glad he’s willing to deliver.

shop-teacher > Chuckles
10/25/2019 at 10:52

The delivery is definitely worth the wait then. I agree, neither of those options sound like a good idea on those old tires! And yeah, if he was trying to scam you out of your deposit, you never would have heard from him again.

Chuckles > shop-teacher
10/25/2019 at 11:00

The plan was to have my friend (an experienced rider) ride the scooter back through the relatively flat pass. I’d be following behind in my car, with flashers on since we’d be slow. It’s not a heavy traffic area so it would have been manageable, but delivery is the better option by far.

shop-teacher > Chuckles
10/25/2019 at 11:26

Yeah, that would have worked, but delivery is definitely better.

JasonStern911 > Chuckles
11/10/2019 at 16:04

Scooters are underrated.

Hopefully this is a gateway drug to a Zuma or Ruckus.

Chuckles > JasonStern911
11/10/2019 at 16:08

This is a 125cc. I like the idea of a Ruckus, but I think I'm a little too big to rely on a 50cc scooter in my hilly area. The Zuma 125s are definitely on my radar, but out of my price range for now.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Chuckles
11/10/2019 at 16:47

Enter: t he Honda Big Ruckus. 249ccs of CHONK

Kinja'd!!!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > JasonStern911
11/10/2019 at 17:02

100% agreed. I don’t have my bike license, but I am not really interested in bikes at all, BUT I am really interested in scooters!

Very nice little Riva! :D

May I suggest as your first mod that A. You leave the lights on all the time for visibility, and B. You do an LED upgrade to make them bright and stand out more? :)

Chuckles > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
11/10/2019 at 17:03

The Honda Big Ruckus is a beast of a scooter.

JasonStern911 > Chuckles
11/10/2019 at 18:48

Honestly a Zuma/Ruckus is just a gateway drug to a Grom/Z125, so you might as well just jump there.

Chuckles > JasonStern911
11/10/2019 at 18:52

I like the scooter for what it is. Maybe there’s a Grom in my future, but I got the Riva because I genuinely like scooters. Slow, unfashionable, no shifting, and the pass through design works perfectly for my short legs.

Chuckles > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
11/10/2019 at 20:30

I think your reply was meant for me.

I will definitely always ride with my lights on. As for an LED conversion, I'll have to see what that entails. I think the headlight is a sealed beam.

shop-teacher > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
11/10/2019 at 21:48

I'd love to get one of these, but they go for stupid money for a scooter.

shop-teacher > Chuckles
11/10/2019 at 21:50

Alright! Now you actually have it! How'd the MSF class go?

Chuckles > shop-teacher
11/10/2019 at 21:52

I ended up canceling. Decided to make "taking the MSF course" my reward for losing the next 10%. I won't be doing too much riding before the spring anyway.

shop-teacher > Chuckles
11/10/2019 at 23:13

Gotcha. Get those tires replaced this winter. They are UGLY!

Chuckles > shop-teacher
11/10/2019 at 23:21

They'll hopefully be getting replaced in the next few weeks. The scooter is at my brother's house, a few miles from his friend's shop where I'll be taking the scooter. The goal is to get it back to my garage (maybe 15 miles away) before we get snow.

shop-teacher > Chuckles
11/10/2019 at 23:43

Fingers crossed!

Chuckles > shop-teacher
11/11/2019 at 00:02

Considering that my permit only allows me to ride in the daytime, and by the time I get out of work the sun has set, this will have to be a weekend project.

shop-teacher > Chuckles
11/11/2019 at 07:12

I wouldn't worry too much about the permit rules. Odds of getting pulled over while riding a scooter when you're wearing a helmet, are virtually nil.

Chuckles > shop-teacher
11/11/2019 at 07:25

Well legal or not, I'm not comfortable riding in the dark yet. I still only have 3 hours of scooter experience.