A Buyer's Guide to 50cc Scooters

If you're in the market for a 50cc scooter here's a few suggestions for the top performers you may want to check out first, but keep in mind that a 50cc scooter is not going to get you from point A to B quickly. These small scooters with minimum power are great for small town use and in won't require you to get licensed in some states. This may also be a great alternative for travel within a larger city where travel is slow and parking is minimal.

The Vespa LX50 is a good solid scooter for this generation. With a retail price of $3,299 you expect to have a good experience if you lay down this kind of money. You will certainly get that with this scooter. The top speed you're going to reach is about 39mph, but you will get to travel approximately 100 miles before needing to refill your tank. That's also a good thing because the tank is only big enough to hold about 2 1/2 gallons of gas. It is offered in a variety of colors such as Dragon Red, Yellow and my favorite, Capri Blue among others. You can expect to relatively smooth ride with minimal vibration and the overall size of this scooter will work for just about anyone.

Another good option at a slightly lower price would be the Honda Ruckus. Starting at around $2,150, this scooter offers a V-matic automatic transmission, but unfortunately is not as pretty to look at as a lot of other scooters. With a choice of either red or metal/black colors you are certainly limited, but the upside is it's open design and size. This scooter is built more like a motorcycle in looks and is probably a better bet for men rather than women. It's built tough and can fit most larger sizes.

If you're not worried about a test drive you may want to check out Valley Scooters LLC as they offer a Motorino Allegro Turbo scooter, shipped to your home, for the low price of $899. This 50cc scooter, rated in the top 3 50cc scooters by Consumer Reports, has a 4 stroke engine, CVT belt drive automatic transmission, electric/kick start and more, plus they include a free trunk with your order. If you order now they will also include a free liftgate. This is a great looking scooter and comes in red, blue, yellow or black, all on silver. The whole scooter weighs less than 250 lbs. so it's pretty easy to move it and is delivered 99% pre-assembled. You really should check these out as they are really sharp looking scooters.

The Honda Metropolitan is a durable scooter and has a really cool European design. It comes in white, red, blue or graphite and is perfect for people of a smaller stature. This is a reliable scooter with a fully automatic transmission. The gas tank holds 1.32 gallons, which with the great gas mileage of around 100 mpg, should last you around town several times. The maintenance on these wonderful little Hondas are very minimal and at starting at around $2,000, it a pretty good bargain for a quality name.

Last, but not least, I could suggest the Kymco Super 9 50cc scooter which is a sporty looking scooter for around $2,500. I certainly recommend the others I mentioned over this one, but there are quite a few people out there who really like Kymco bikes, so I decided to review this top of the line scooter. This is a 2 stroke air cooled oil injected engine and will probably require a little more attention than other choices, but it's a sturdy scooter.