I’ve scooted to school all but two days so far this year. I’ve been riding the Hooligan almost exclusively lately. It’s cavernous under seat storage, combined with the saddle bags I added, have made The Hooli the ride of choice for hauling my laptop, my lunch, my drinks, and my GoPro plus accessories to school and back.
I’ve been riding it so much, that I started to think I should sell my Zuma 125. In addition to the extra storage, the Hooligan is quicker, faster, rides softer, and has WAY better brakes. The point of riding a scooter over a motorcycle is its practicality, and the Hooligan is way more practical. Plus, the Zuma is worth significantly more money. Being a well equipped Yamaha ... and having a title and all. Selling that puts enough money in my pocket to pay for half to all of a real motorcycle (depending on what I’d get).
Last night I took a 35 mile ride in the Zuma, and I was reminded why I don’t want to sell it. It handles So. Freaking. Well.
The one Achilles Heel of the Hooligan is handling. Which is really over stating it, because it handles pretty well ... but not as well as the Zuma. The Hooligan is a little twitchy. The front end geometry just isn’t as good as the Zuma. The Zuma handles almost telepathically. I swear you just think where you want it to go, and it goes there.
So yeah. I have two scoots that are direct competitors on the market. It doesn’t really make sense to keep them both. It’s far more logical to diversify and get something different to have a different kind of riding experience.
But I just can’t bear to part with either of them.