GOMC - Scooters

SYM Symba is the Honda Cub, only Taiwanese

The SYM Symba is an Asia-cute riff on one of Honda's best-selling products... To read the rest of the review of the SYM Symba, originally published on www.latimes.com December 9, 2009, click here.

Italy's bestselling Honda SH150i scoots on to U.S. market

Like most forms of transportation in 2009, scooter sales are down this year after seeing their biggest sales ever in 2008. One in four on-road two-wheelers sold last year was a scooter, aided by $4-a-gallon gas and an economy that had yet to implode.

With gas a buck short of the scooter-buying tipping point and accessible credit an increasingly distant memory, scooter sales have declined more than other categories so far in 2009, but that isn’t stopping Honda from bringing two new models to the U.S. this summer, the first being the immensely practical SH150i... To read the rest of the review of the 2010 Honda SH150i, originally published on www.latimes.com June 26, 2009, click here. 

Vespa GTS 300 Super lives up to its name

"Fast" isn’t the first adjective I’d use for a Vespa. Classic? Of course. Adorable? Truly. But with its new GTS 300 Super, Vespa has come up with a bike that doubles as a can of whoop ass... To read the rest of the review of the 2009 Vespa GTS 300 Super, originally published on www.latimes.com April 10, 2009, click here.

2008 Genuine Buddy St. Tropez

The Buddy may be the best Vespa knockoff on the market. That's saying something because so many scooters these days are attempting to emulate the famed Italian marque and style... To read the rest of the review of the 2008 Genuine Buddy St. Tropez scooter, originally published in the Los Angeles Times July 9, 2008, click here.

2008 Suzuki Burgman 650 Executive

Suzuki's Burgman 650 Executive is the car of maxi-scooters. The 638-cc scoot isn't just the biggest of the big. It's the most plush of the maxis on the market. In fact, there are so many stock extras on the Executive that it practically drives itself... To read the rest of the review of the 2008 Suzuki Burgman 650 Executive, which appeared as part of a larger scooter package originally published in the Los Angeles Times May 21, 2008, click here.

2008 Honda Silver Wing

With each bump up in displacement, maxi-scooters don't just get a boost in power but a little more storage space and leg room, as well as a larger complement of features. Such was the case with the 582 cc Silver Wing, which was equipped with antilock brakes... To read the rest of the review of the 2008 Honda Silver Wing, originally published as part of a larger scooter package in the Los Angeles Times May 21, 2008, click here.

2008 Vespa S

Legacy brands have a habit of ripping themselves off. They have the luxury of delving deep into their own histories to develop new models, so they do, which is the case with the Vespa S. The minimalist 150 cc scoot, with its rectangular headlight and mirrors and piping-trimmed saddle, harks back to its Vespa Special and Primavera models of the '70s, only it's outfitted with a bigger motor and technology that brings it into the 21st century... To read the rest of the review of the 2008 Vespa S, which was part of a larger scooter package originally published in the Los Angeles Times May 21, 2008, click here.

2008 Yamaha Vino

It's clear from looking at the Vino's lines or even just acknowledging its vintner's name what the Japanese Vino aspires to be, but nobody's fooled. The Vino's style is classic, chromed and simple, but it doesn't inspire smiles like the Vespa. At least it doesn't inspire smiles from strangers. Riders, however, are likely to be grinning on the inside as they gas up the Vino, which got about 80 mpg per my test... To read the rest of the review of the 2008 Yamaha Vino, originally published in the Los Angeles Times as part of a larger scooter package May 21, 2008, click here.

2008 Kymco People 150

Once again, the Vespa appears to be the design inspiration for the Korean manufacturer's People 150. The housing for this air-cooled single is rounded, its coloring a pleasant sherbet green. The finish just isn't as nice or as consistent as those of its competitors... To read the rest of the review of the 2008 Kymco People 150, which was originally published as part of a larger scooter package in the Los Angeles Times May 21, 2008, click here.

2008 Yamaha Majesty

The Majesty is the largest of Yamaha's six scooters, which explains its name. But compared with the rest of the Japanese mega-scooters on the market, it's a minimalist. The Majesty got the best mileage of the maxis I tested (60 mpg), and it was also the cheapest ($5,899)... To read the rest of the review of the 2008 Yamaha Majesty, originally published as part of a larger scooter package in the Los Angeles Times May 21, 2008, click here.