Guess what?!? I finally bought my scooter!!

The wait for an appropriate secondhand scooter was more than I could bare, so after some consideration, I decided to buy a new scooter instead. The tradeoffs are easily listed:

- Scooters get banged up a LOT. People generally don't care about their scooters too much, and crowded side-by-side parking results in scratches, dents, and more. Less to care about if you buy 2nd hand.
- 2nd hand scooters are cheaper, obviously. And for a casual rider like myself, this might be better.
- New scooters are extremely susceptible to theft, especially the models popular in China (which is where they usually end up)
- 2nd hands always have a question of reliability - people don't take care of their vehicles, resulting in reduced performance in as little as 2 years. And you can't trust 2nd hand dealers, because many of them will switch out good parts for older parts.

Anyway, after I started looking, it took two days to finalize the deal. I visited four stores/shops, and came across a decent scooter at a good price, about 10% cheaper than the other stores. Mainly because it was a "new old scooter", i.e. it had been "bought" or put under someone's name, but had never been driven. This is a tactic used by some dealerships to increase sales numbers. To me, it's all about the same, just cheaper.

I got a SYM 高手125 X-Pro. In FACT, coincidentally, in my Dec 5th blog, I based my original scooter on this model. Just a coinkidink.

To me, and any new scooter owner, theft is a major issue. In Taiwan, some 55% of new scooters get stolen. Unfortunately, it sounds like there is very little that can be done about it. Even with multiple locks, it doesn't stop someone from loading it onto a truck and leaving with it. In spite of it, here are theft prevention:

All scooters...
- ...have a handle bar lock. You turn the handlebars to the left, turn the key in the ignition all the way to the left, and then the handlebars are locked in that position.
- ...come with a U shaped lock. Same as the locks used on bicycles. The guy who sold me the scooter told me that he's tried breaking that lock, and he can't.
- ...are bound to get dirty, and this in itself is valuable. I've been told to never wash my scooter. Guess I won't bother waxing it either.

This model...
- ...has an extra hexagon groove next to the key ignition, which when turned slides a metal piece over the keyhole to prevent prying.

My scooter...
- ...has an added "button lock", which means you need to press a certain button before the ignition will start. It can be a left or right turn signal, highbeam, etc.

And that's about it! I took the scooter out into town, did some shopping yesterday, and had a great time! I love having a vehicle, and I guess I'm already wondering how I survived without it. Finally, acceleration doesn't require pedaling faster.