WTAF?

"Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom" (will-alib) 08/19/2019 at 17:23 • Filed to: None

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I saw this in a suburb of Boston two weeks ago. Is this the latest moronic  thing the kids are now doing ? Putting scooter wheels on the back of motorcycles?

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 08/19/2019 at 17:29

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Motorcycle spare tire? 

MrDakka > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 08/19/2019 at 17:29

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This must be how you stance motorcycles

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 08/19/2019 at 17:31

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Actually I googled and I think you saw this:

https://www.motobuys.com/racer-50-tao.html

Manny05x > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 08/19/2019 at 17:33

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Here in NC they are popular as every drunk thats had a DUI gets them.

ttyymmnn > Snuze: Needs another Swede 08/19/2019 at 17:34

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But why?

Snuze: Needs another Swede > ttyymmnn 08/19/2019 at 17:35

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So idiots will think you have a sweet sport bike?

Thats the best I can come up with. 

Nothing > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 08/19/2019 at 17:35

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That IS a scooter. Tao Racer50.

Mercedes Streeter > ttyymmnn 08/19/2019 at 17:37

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It’s literally just a scooter with a frame inspired by a real motorcycle. Why does it exist? I guess Chinese scooter manufacturers figured out there’s somehow an overlap between people that want to ride 50cc  scooters and people that like bikes that look like sportbikes?

Mercedes Streeter > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 08/19/2019 at 17:39

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TIL: People actually buy the Tao Tao Racer 50...

It’s literally just a scooter with a frame inspired by a sportbike . “ Inspired” is also a stretch because I’ve heard they handle worse than a normal scooter. Why does it exist? I guess Chinese scooter manufacturers figured out there’s somehow an overlap between people that want to ride 50cc scooters and people that like bikes that look like sportbikes?

ttyymmnn > Mercedes Streeter 08/19/2019 at 17:39

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Well, it fooled me. I thought it was a sport bike with a small tire. Is there some sort of licensing  law that limits tire sizes for scooters?

facw > Manny05x 08/19/2019 at 17:39

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You are allowed to ride them with a suspended license? Or cops are just too lazy to deal with scooters that couldn’t break the speed limit if they wanted to?

Mercedes Streeter > ttyymmnn 08/19/2019 at 17:46

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I think it has a tiny rear wheel because the only unique parts on these bikes are the plastics and frame. Other than that, they’re parts bin specials. Front wheel from their 125cc “sport bike”, rear wheel from any one of their 50cc scooters.

AFAIK there isn’t any regulation that limits the wheel size for vehicles classified as mopeds/49cc scooters. Aprilia makes a Scarabeo 50 with big wheels. And every Tomos out there also has big wheels.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > ttyymmnn 08/19/2019 at 17:47

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Not sure about tire size, but I know most jurisdictions limit scooters to a 50cc engine. Miss Mercedes explanation makes some sense - on a scooter the engine, trans, swingarm, rear tire are all basically one unit, so it wouldn’t be hard to adapt to a differemt frame that looks like a sportsbike.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Snuze: Needs another Swede 08/19/2019 at 17:51

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So it’s not a motorcycle with a tiny rear wheel, it’s a moped with a big front wheel. 

Mercedes Streeter > facw 08/19/2019 at 17:51

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A lot of states are loose with 49cc regulations. Turns out NC doesn’t require a license of any type, just insurance and a license plate.

https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/license-id/driver-licenses/motorcycle/Pages/default.aspx

Snuze: Needs another Swede > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 08/19/2019 at 18:01

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Basically yes.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Mercedes Streeter 08/19/2019 at 18:01

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Ive always wanted a Honda NS50 since its only 49 cc it can be registered as a scooter in many places.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > ttyymmnn 08/19/2019 at 18:13

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I imagine it is because there is some website in China selling the engine, transmission, rear suspension, and tire as one ready to go unit for really cheap.

Manny05x > facw 08/19/2019 at 18:36

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You dont need a license for them here, so its a way to still be able to commute.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > Snuze: Needs another Swede 08/19/2019 at 18:45

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Okay then. Add this to the list of Things I Don’t Understand.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 08/19/2019 at 19:05

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From a consumer standpoint I think its for people who want to look like they have a sweet sportbike but for reasons can’t have one (cost, age, DUI, etc.)

From a manufacturer’s standpoint, the hard part of the scooter is already done - engine, transmissions, final drive, rear brake, and wheel/tire are all pre-packaged in a swingarm that was designed for a different scooter. Apparently this company already makes a baby 150cc “ sportbike” , so all the parts are already there.

Im not saying its right, or even good, but I can understand how it came to be. 

Wacko > Snuze: Needs another Swede 08/19/2019 at 19:12

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Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Manny05x 08/19/2019 at 20:56

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The infamous DUIcycle...

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Nothing 08/19/2019 at 21:00

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Wow, that’s ugly.

If you’re going to make a 50cc that looks like a motorcycle, make it look like a motorcycle instead of some mutant half-breed...

I would be embarrassed to be seen on that Racer50, less embarrassed to be seen on a Derbi GPR50R.

Manny05x > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 08/20/2019 at 10:50

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Yes you know about them. I visited a chinese dealer of these mopeds and he came straight out and said his biggest clients are the DUI folks.

McMike > Snuze: Needs another Swede 09/05/2019 at 17:34

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That’s the first thing I thought once I saw that engine/swingarm combination.    Put a big wheel on the front, some clip-ons and a faring and now it’s like, 20% cooler. 

Snuze: Needs another Swede > McMike 09/05/2019 at 18:43

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But 20% of 0 is still 0. 

McMike > Snuze: Needs another Swede 09/05/2019 at 19:02

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Some egos need that math.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Mercedes Streeter 09/11/2019 at 11:37

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If this is near a college town then there might be a parking permit for 50cc bikes but a different one for motorcycles. I know at my college the 50cc parking pass was cheaper and had way more parking places available than the motorcycle one.

Mercedes Streeter > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 09/11/2019 at 11:50

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That’s a possibility, and college students seem like they’d be the most likely to saddle themselves with a sad Chinese bike. Still...just...oof. It’s a bike I still wonder why even exists.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Mercedes Streeter 09/11/2019 at 12:00

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College students are also the most likely to be too cheap to buy something better than this too.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 09/11/2019 at 15:16

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Anyway, State Police are about to jam him up...