so my friend is looking to get this aprilia rs50 that's for sale at school. basically just for commuting to and from school with possibly some real small back road fun. Details are it's a 2000 rs50, around 5000 miles, big bore kit, top speed of about 80mph, there are some scratches on the plastic but it's in pretty good condition, started right up after sitting for 2 weeks, taken care of by go-race.com, comes with a spare motor (stock motor I believe...), registered as a moped so doesn't require insurance or an M license (that I know of...), and no other mods that I'm aware of. They're asking $2000 for everything. Here's the pic:



I just wanna be sure that this thing isn't gonna be a royal pita for my friend. He likes bikes but doesn't know a lot. He's ridden dirt bikes as well as his sisters' scooters and what not. Mainly concerned about maintenance and whether or not like the big bore is gonna reduce life as well as maybe cause it to blow up. I honestly don't know. I mean I think it's a slick little bike but I really don't want him getting a bad deal. so any help/advice that you can give would be much appreciated. thanks in advance

I did goto this site: http://www.maxmoto.co.uk/aprilia_rs50_tips.shtml which says do not buy second hand... so I dunno.

 

Don't buy second hand because the two stroke cylinders/pistons... they can be swapped out faster than you can say Scrumdilicous. the bikes a great handler and much better than a scooter, HOWEVER... 2k you can buy a full size 600, or even vintage bike. So choose your weapon and come out swinging.


On a serious note, this is not a ride and forget type bike, it takes a lot of TLC and a bit of a wallet to keep going

 

wouldn't it being easy to swap the pistons out be a good thing? he's not looking for a full size bike either is the thing. his twin sisters each have yamaha 50cc scooters to commute with to and from school (at college). That's all he's looking for, as well as maybe leading him into bikes later on when he can afford to get a larger bike (aka parents would kill him now. lol).

Are there any other 50cc to 125cc bikes that'd work? I'm gonna hate to tell him that getting the rs50 isn't a very good idea...

 

my bestfriend had one of these...
fun bike because its so light and you can throw it around:x it would be a BLAST on the track.

slow as hell though. tell your friend to allow himself plenty of room to catch up to speed with other vehicles

 

speed isn't the issue at all. he's not gonna be riding backroads with 600cc bikes or anything. just commuting mainly with possibly taking it out on a few small backroads by himself

I'm just worried about maintenance. I'm not sure how long he wants to keep it either... right now it seems like it isn't a wise decision... damnit this is gonna suck cause I was the one who told him about the bike being there and that he should check it out....

 

Any 2nutter will be a lot more maintenance than a 4stroke. Even with a top speed of 80mph, you'd be wringing the neck out of that RS50.

The practical man would choose a scooter for commuting short distances. If he really wants to get into sportbikes, when that time comes, a 250 would suffice.

 

hmm.... ill tell him that. commuting to campus for him is like 2 miles. probably would hit a tops of like 40-50 mph. biggest thing is that parking sucks for cars so having a bike = ftw

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by marmaladeboy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> a 250 would suffice.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I agree. Why not a Ninja 250? Right now, you could pick one up for $1000 in good condition and low miles.

Also, keep in mind that if he has to get on the freeway for any of his commute/daily duties, well, he can't on that bike.

 

i honestly don't know. ill ask him that. i can't imagine insurance would be too bad on one either. just got liability really. don't think I'd worry about comp... would require him getting his M license but getting the permit should be simple and my friend was able to pass the riding test on his f2 and well he sucks. lol

where is the best place to find the 250 for sale? i found web forums seemed to be the best deals

 

Don't you have to mix the gas and oil together? You can't just use only pump gas from a gas station.

 

i believe it auto mixes for you just like 2 stroke scooters

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by EngineNoO9 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i believe it auto mixes for you just like 2 stroke scooters</TD></TR></TABLE>
Ahhh IC

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by EngineNoO9 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i honestly don't know. ill ask him that. i can't imagine insurance would be too bad on one either. just got liability really. don't think I'd worry about comp... would require him getting his M license but getting the permit should be simple and my friend was able to pass the riding test on his f2 and well he sucks. lol

where is the best place to find the 250 for sale? i found web forums seemed to be the best deals</TD></TR></TABLE>

The insurance should be next to nothing for liability. And if he can't get his M endorsement...he shouldn't be on the road.

I found the best place to find 250's is craigslist and local paper ad's.

 

I believe scooters don't need the full M1 endorsement (in CA...not sure what it's like over there). IIRC, the M2 can be acquired with a simple written test, and is good for any bike less than 50cc's.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by P Nut &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The insurance should be next to nothing for liability. And if he can't get his M endorsement...he shouldn't be on the road.

I found the best place to find 250's is craigslist and local paper ad's.</TD></TR></TABLE>

oh I'm sure he can get his M. it's just with the rs50 that wouldn't even be necessary as well as insurance. i think i'm gonna recommend him look at 250's though... I posted this same thread on apriliaforums though i have a feeling those responses will be slightly biased... heh

 

2 miles? Just get a bicycle. IMHO, its not worth it. I've ridden a stock rs50 and its fun for like 30 minutes haha. You gotta take it to a track to have real fun on it.

 

the distance, fun factor are not any issue at hand. for me it'd be boring. for him it'll be a blast. he loves riding his friend's 50cc scooters. it's just is it gonna be a pita maintenance wise to own for say... a year and a half?

 

Even though the RS fits the displacement limit, many states note that any transmission other than automatic/cvt automatically makes it a motorcycle despite the CC limit - might be worth double checking that if he is a "by the law" type of person.

 

it's already registered as a moped. with a moped plate. helps that the shop is a licensed inspector as well as duncan honda

 

Forgot to mention - if you're friend is planning on picking up chicks, they won't have anywhere to sit.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by marmaladeboy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Forgot to mention - if you're friend is planning on picking up chicks, they won't have anywhere to sit. </TD></TR></TABLE>

What about the rear seat?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bud &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What about the rear seat?</TD></TR></TABLE>
Whoops. I must be thinking of another bike. Looks like there IS a backseat after all... but that's going to be a slooooooooooow ride...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by marmaladeboy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> but that's going to be a slooooooooooow ride...</TD></TR></TABLE>

Passenger's not going to make that big of a difference. I've ridden a 50cc moped w/ a passenger, and I could feel the difference in speed, but wasn't that drastic.

Again, I don't think I'd spend $2k on that bike. I'd rather get:

a) the Ninja (cheaper than $2k)

b) a moped (waaay cheaper than $2k)

 

I'd get it just for baller status

and because a lot of people DONT have it.

 

I think what I'm gonna tell him is that ok if you want an rs50. it seems to be an alright deal. however maintenance is required on the piston ring and it's possible that it'll be a royal pita the whole time... I however would recommend a kawi 250 instead. yes it's bigger but they can be had for LESS then the rs50 and will require a lot less maintenance for sure