Feels good to finally be back on two wheels, after nearly 6 years.
I originally thought I might get a CF Moto, but procrastinated, and it looks like the that company makes a fine engine, but cuts corners elsewhere, like tires. Plus I couldn't find a local dealer or a place to work on my own bike (outside of routine oil changes).
So I went with the air-cooled, EFI'd Yamaha Zuma 125. I found one with 850 miles on it, and paid about 2k. I calculated, if I were to get 70mpg on it (it's rated at 89mpg), and the miles I drive to and from work, and even factoring in the average 45mpg I get with my 02 Corolla (slight mods and hypermiling), the Scooter would pay for itself in about 2 years.
I plan to modify it heavily down the line, but for the first couple years or so, it'll be pretty much stock.
Just changed the motor/tranny oil yesterday (not knowing when the original owner last changed it, if at all; engine oil was dark brown, tranny oil was murky gray/black), and drove to work today. Got a little stuck in traffic this morning unfortunately; fatal accident on the highway, affecting the street I drive to work.
But other than that, so far, so good.
The ignition won't start unless I'm applying one of the breaks. I am not sure that this feature is disabled while I'm moving though. I plan to test it in the parking lot.
Update: The 'Engine Stop' button is kind of a neutral button. Your engine remains on, but the transmission is disengaged from the throttle. I'll be using that a lot, going forward. You simply press the switch like you would your high/low beams (only it's on the right handle-bar) for neutral/in-gear. It works smoothly when you flip-it down to engine-on (in-gear) while coasting. Update II: Okay, well it's not true-neutral, it merely disables the 'in-gear' mode (whatever it's called) and still hurts your rolling resistance; but it's good to hit it if you're rolling up to a stop light, as it'll kill your engine when you're fully-stopped, then you can switch it back to engine on, and of course start when it's about to turn green.
I haven't been killing the engine at red lights or anything yet. I'm still getting more comfortable on the bike and just being on two wheels in general again. I had to overcome the urge to apply the rear break, thinking it was the non-existent clutch lever when I first test-rode it.
I've been doing a lot of zuma-themed sketching and planning for Eco mods down the line. Lower seat (placing gas tank where storage compartment is), Aero-shell, and oil cooler are all on the way... eventually.
