The best scooters if you’re on a budget – and if you aren’t


Scooters are continuing to grow in popularity, as cheap personal transport becomes more appealing and we all still need to social distance on public transport. If you’re currently thinking about becoming a scooter owner, Bikesure has rounded up the best scooters on the market for you to consider.

Scooter and motorcycle registrations have seen significant increases in August 2020 compared to the same time last year. It would seem reasonable to assume that lockdown played a part in this as people finally turn their backs on public transport or more people get delivery jobs.

Affordable Scooters

First, we’ll take a look at some of the cheaper bikes.

Honda PCX 125

The current reigning champion in the ‘reasonably-priced-scooter’ world is Honda’s elegant PCX125. It’s been the UK’s best-selling 125cc scooter for a few years now, and it’s easy to see why. Not only does it look good, but it drives well too. More importantly, as with any machine from one of the larger manufacturers, there’s a highly developed network of dealers and garages to support you through any repairs you might need.

Honda SH Mode 125

Image source: Honda

The Mode is a slimmed-down version of Honda’s SH125. At £2,700 it’s a cheaper option for anyone dead set on a Honda, and its smaller profile and reduced fuel consumption makes it a great city transport option.

Suzuki Address 110

Suzuki’s Address is a good choice for hassle-free urban travel. Costing £2,300, it’s lightweight and ideally sized for shorter riders. The 113cc engine is well designed and easily able to keep pace with most 125ccs, plus, it’s simple to maintain.

Piaggio Liberty 125

For a touch of Italian style, you could do worse than checking out Piaggio’s Liberty 125. Costing just under £2,400, it’s economical to run and responsive enough to make city transport a breeze – as you’d expect from an Italian scooter. It features Piaggio’s single cylinder i-get engine, which stands for Italian Green Experience Technology. Which doesn’t really mean anything.

Lexmoto Titan 125

Lexmoto is the current leader in the low-cost scooter market. They have a comprehensive range of scooters that are all half the price of those produced by the Big Three. This is obviously because they’re made of less advanced or expensive components. However, for the most part, they have managed to shrug off the reputation Chinese manufactured bikes have had for poor build quality and have carved out a niche as the ‘go-to pick’ for the cost-conscious. The Titan 125 costs only £1,300, making it a great choice for those on tighter budgets.

Kymco Agility City 125

Kymco is arguably the other manufacturer who’ve helped to turn the image of Chinese bikes around. Their scooter range costs more, on average, than Lexmoto’s but are closer in quality to those of the Big Three. The Agility is about £2,000 new and is a dependable, no-nonsense workhorse for anyone who wants to get around in a stress-free way.

Yamaha D’elight

Image source: Yamaha

D’espite the somewhat silly name, Yamaha’s midrange scooter is another fine choice for anyone looking for a more premium product. It’s not the most visually exciting design, but that is rarely the point of scooters unless you’re doing the full Quadrophenia.

Premium scooters

If you’ve got a larger budget for your personal transport and really want to make an impression, then the manufacturers are more than happy to provide some great options. These will generally be higher specced, with better components, a more powerful engine and an overall better riding experience.

Yamaha TMAX Tech Max

Going for the best of the best?  Then the redundantly named TMAX Tech Max is £12,000 of finely-tuned scooter. With a 560cc engine and all the bells and whistles Yamaha could stuff into the frame, you’re getting a hell of a scooter for your twelve grand, which, frankly, you should do. If you have to commute to a city, rather than within one, then you’ll probably need a more powerful scooter. Whether you need it to be this powerful, only you can decide.

Suzuki Burgman 400

Image source: Suzuki

Suzuki’s big-ticket scooter is £6,500 which suddenly seems a lot more reasonable after the TMAX. Its 400cc engine will really help make any longer journeys take less time, and its larger size makes it more comfortable for taller – or wider – drivers. As with the TMAX or any of its larger cousins, if you need to regularly go on busier roads, including motorways, then a 125cc just won’t cut it, whereas this will.

Kawasaki J300

A new model in the market, the Kawasaki J300 has been highly anticipated for a while now. This is a premium bike with a smaller price tag than the rest. From £4,899, the J300 2020 uses stylistic features from the Kawasaki Ninja supersport range to stand out from its competitors. With a 300cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine, this super scooter can get you through your daily commute with little effort.

Honda Integra

Honda’s big flagship scooter crams a 750cc engine into the frame, and costs only – only! – £8,900. You’re getting a lot of scooter for your cash, but if features like storage are key you might want to look elsewhere because the Integra doesn’t have as much storage space as some less powerful bikes.

Italjet Dragster

Image source: Italjet

And finally, a newly released premium 125cc scooter? They exist! The Italian manufacturer has recently relaunched the Dragster scooters, which are widely regarded as some of the best sports scooters ever made. The new version takes the sporty look to its logical conclusion, with a largely bare frame letting you see pretty much every component it has. As a limited edition scooter, only 500 will be made so you’d have to be really cool to make this your daily driver. And, to be fair, rich enough that you don’t really need to commute.

Have we missed out your favourite scooter? Are you already a scooterist, and do you have any tips and tricks you want to tell any new owners? Let us know in the comments!

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