California Legal Motorscooters

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California Legal Motorscooters

It has been difficult to find good motorscooters to recommend which can be legaly sold and registered in California (see scooting in California). This is largely a result of regulation by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) (See Legislation-Happy California Shoots Itself in the Ecological Foot). Some inexpensive motorscooters have managed to acquire CARB approval however and we have done our best to find these and present them here.

If you live outside of California, a better deal is probably possible than those on this page. See: Classic, High-performance, Luxury, Minimalist, Stand-up/Sit-down, and Electric Motorscooters.

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The 50cc 4 Stroke Speedster Scooter $899.00

The 50cc 4 Stroke Speedster Scooter is essentially identical to its 150cc sibling, the TANK Urban Sporty but with its 50cc engine, smaller frame and wheels. It gets an amazing 100 MPG plus. These are extremely difficult to keep in stock with gas prices soaring, so they may be manufactured by either TANK, Peace, or Roketa. The products are virtually identical but at this point, it's impossible to know which one will receive.

Like the other 50cc scooters, the Speedster Scooter has only a top speed of about 35-40 MPH (not highway legal). It has Hydraulic front disk brakes. The gas tank capacity is given as 2 gallons which would give it a much larger tank than the 150cc Urban Sporty. Electric and kick starters are standard, and, of course, an automatic stepless transmission, lockable under-seat and steering column storage as well. Available in Blue, Red, Yellow, Green and Black.

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The Classic 50cc $899

Note: TANK Motorscooters are legal in all states including California.

The Classic 50cc Motorscooter $899 is the California legal classic design scooter.

Requires some assembly: uncrate, mirrors, battery, front wheel and plastic. Estimated time: 45 minutes. Maximum load is 300 lbs and it has adjustable rear suspension -- clearly a two-person scooter. Gas tank capacity is a very respectable 1.6 gallons (unlike the Urban Sporty which holds less than 1 gallon).

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The The XM-3500li Electric Motorscooter $3,899.00.
A 60MPH Electric Scooter with an 80 mile range.

The XM-3500li Electric Motorscooter (or motorcycle as they describe it) is the electric scooter that is made the way all electric scooters ought to be made. Using the REGEN energy regeneration system, the braking process recharges the battery. Recycling the power that is normally thrown away as heat during braking is the ideal way to produce a really efficient vehicle (See Fuel Efficient Driving).

The XM 3500 can go up to 80 miles on a single charge and has a top speed of nearly 60 MPH, making it the equal of many gas motorscooters in range and power. Its maximum load capacity of 400 lbs., exceeds that of all but the largest touring scooters.

Fully assembled. Shipping costs: Just $199.95 door to door anywhere in the continental United States!. Comes in Black and Blue.

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The Tank Touring Deluxe Scooter 150cc $1,299.00

Tank Urban Touring Deluxe 150cc Motorscooter $1,299.00 is legal in California and is our recommended choice of 150cc touring scooters for Californians.

The Tank Touring Deluxe Motorscooter currently sells for $1,299.00 . This model incoporates comfort into econonomical transportation with factory AM/FM cassette, windshield, an automatic front braking system, and dual rear suspension for added load capacity. Seats two in comfort with the pillion seat raised for a pleasant ride and improved passenger-seat view. A reasonable translation of the pidgin English manual for the TANK Touring Deluxe Scooter is available online. Alarm with remote is included and provides the driver with confidence of scooter's security when it is parked in public places (if you discover how to use it. See alarm systems). Comes in Silver, Blue, Black, Burgundy, White, Champagne, and Dark Silver.

Locking, weatherproof trunk is included. Some Assembly is required. Having ridden the Touring Deluxe and spoken with a number of owners with nothing but positive experiences, we feel we can recommend this excellent and very affordable machine without reservation.

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The Luxury Scooter
Touring Deluxe Scooter 250cc Water Cooled
can be registered in California. $1,879.00

Touring Deluxe Scooter 250cc is the big one and is California legal.

This motorscooter rides comfortably on the freeway and has the power to tackle driving challenges easily while carrying two riders.

With front and rear disk brakes, dual rear suspensions and turn signals on the rear view mirrors, the 250cc Touring Deluxe scooter is the largest of the TANK motorscooters. With its 250cc engine, the Touring Deluxe is much more powerful than the 150cc touring and delivers 18.9 Horsepower. It will do better than 85 MPH on the highway while getting excellent mileage.

Front and rear disk brakes are standard. Alarm with remote, trunk, and AM/FM Cassette player are included!

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The Fuel Efficient Economy Moped $859.00 On Sale

Fuel Efficient Economy Moped $859.00 On Sale

The Economy Moped, an I-scooter is a reasonable scooter for a very reasonable price. It has a maximum speed of 40 MPH and can carry two persons (Maximum weight: 300lbs.) Mileage is given as an astounding 102 MPG. However, this presupposes proper break in procedures which can be a bit onerous -- riding at less than 15 MPH for the first 100 miles, then not exceeding 20 MPH until 300 miles, and not over 30 MPH until 500 miles. If done properly, however, the Economy Moped will run faster and better. Of course, fuel efficiency varies with load and incline, but with its 5.8 liter fuel tank, this scooter has a formidable range.

The Economy Moped has front disk ABS brake (a first for 50cc scooters) and rear drum brakes. Shipping is free in the contiguous 48 states. Comes in silver, red, pink, black, and blue. Rear trunk (not pictured) and 12 month power train parts warranty are included.

Comes fully assembled. Estimated time to unpack and set up: 20 minutes.

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The Falcon Vista Electric Scooter $3800

The Falcon Vista Electric Scooter is an electric scooter in the classic Italian design. With its 3000 Watt motor, it has a top speed of 45 MPH, a very comfortable speed for surface street riding.

Falcon scooters are top-of-the-line scooters. They all use permium Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries with a 6 month or 6200 mile warranty, hydraulic disk brakes, and have a full 1 year warranty on all non-wearing parts.

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The Falcon Matrix Electric Scooter $4200

The Falcon Matrix Electric Scooter has a big 3500 Watt motor, windscreen, 13 inch wheels, and a top speed of 50 MPH. It weighs 295 lbs., and has a brilliant modern touring scooter design.

Falcon scooters are top-of-the-line scooters, custom constructed in the US with parts from Taiwan and China. They all use permium Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries with a 6 month or 6200 mile warranty, hydraulic disk brakes, and have a full 1 year warranty on all non-wearing parts.

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The Falcon Proton Electric Scooter $3800

The Falcon Proton Electric 3000 Watt Scooter has a top speed of 45 mph. It uses the basic Sporty scooter design with 10 inch wheels.

Falcon scooters are top-of-the-line scooters, custom constructed in the US with parts from Taiwan and China. They all use permium Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries with a 6 month or 6200 mile warranty, hydraulic disk brakes, and have a full 1 year warranty on all non-wearing parts.

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The Lance Charming 50 $1,399.00 Free Shipping

The Lance Charming 50 is a modern automatic four stroke, 50cc scooter which retains the perfect classic lines of the early Vespas. A number of refinements distinguish the Charming from other inexpensive modern scooters: ABS front disk brakes, a nylon (not vinyl) seat, an easily detachable locking trunk, and a complete 12 month or 12,000 mile warranty. The load capacity is a full 330 lbs, and mileage is estimated to be between 80 and 100 MPG. With the 1.5 gallon tank, this provides a significant range. Front glove box, underseat storage, and trunk provide ample cargo space.

Comes fully assembled with free residential liftgate shipping -- insert battery, check fluid levels, and go.

Availablle in black, baby blue, pink, silver, red, purple, mint green (pictured), and peach.

Free Shipping

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The MOPED 50cc 4 stroke Econo $1049

MOPED 50cc 4 stroke Econo $1049

Unlike the 150cc scooters, the econo 50cc Moped has only a top speed of about 35 MPH (not highway legal), does not have an alarm system nor disk brakes. It does, however, have the other standard features discussed above including electric and kick starter and automatic stepless transmission -- and it gets a whopping 120 miles per gallon. The seat is built for two but that may be a bit optimistic depending on the weight of the riders and the slope of the hill. The maximum load is given as 220 lbs, which does not leave much room for two people. At $1049, this scooter does not really have a very good value/price ratio, but that is often the case with California legal scooters (See Scooting in California). Estimated time to unpack and set up: 10 minutes.

STREET LEGAL IN CALIFORNIA AND ALL OTHER STATES

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The TANK Urban Sporty 150cc Motorscooter $1199

The TANK Urban Sporty 150cc is a scooter we can recommend highly from personal experience. A reliable and powerful machine, we bought this scooter from AllPro PowerSports, a full service registered dealer in Ontario, CA. Unfortunately, their website seems always to be under construction and only semi-functional. The Scooter Dynasty site seems to be a better bet for online sales. For more about the TANK, see the TANK video -- not particularly informative, but it shows that they are capable of producing a polished product.

Sold for many years in Central and South America under the name "Yumbo Roadpower 150," (See TANK Motorscooters) the Urban Sporty is in widespread use and has acquired an excellent reputation for reliability at a reasonable price..

This is the basic 150cc motorscooter -- freeway legal and able to carry two people at highway speeds. Its stylish design and simple, solid construction make it number one among inexpensive scooters. I've gone everywhere on mine, comfortably carrying a passenger on the pillion seat. Alarm and remote starter are included but we strongly recommend reading our Chinese Scooter Alarms page to understand how to work them (many people never figure out how to use them and then just leave them turned off). We also recommend the trunk option which also serves as a backrest for the passenger. See Cargo Storage Issues. It has front and rear disk brakes, glove box, underseat storage, and, (like all TANKs) is very easy to drive with an electric starter, a fill-at-the-pump four-stroke engine and a stepless automatic transmission. Gas mileage is given as approximately 85mpg. I have calculated mine to be 90. You'll get envious looks at the gas station. There is also a 50cc version of the Sporty. See Minimalist Scooters.

Disadvantages: (yes, some unfortunate aspects become noticeable only after using one for a while) The fact that the fuel tank capacity is only 0.875 of a gallon is worth thinking about. Even with 90 MPG, this does limit one's range. Also, the fuel gauge is non-linear -- that is, it only provides a measurement of the bottom of the tank as the needle stays on the FULL mark until the tank is less than half full, then drops rapidly. In common with most scooters, the fuel tank opening does not permit fuelling at full gas pump speed without danger of spillage. One must switch the pump on and off to give the gas enough time to sink down into the tank. Though freeway legal, it is not really freeway comfortable as, with its small wheels and light frame, it does not touch the ground quite often enough to give one confidence in its stability at freeway speeds.

Despite its minor foibles, I have been very happy with mine, which now has 3000+ miles on it. It has been very reliable and is so much fun.

Support and parts and for TANK Motorscooters are available. See our Motorscooter Parts page and scooter repair shops. This scooter uses a four-stroke engine with automatic stepless transmissions and is extremely simple to drive. The manual supplied by the manufacturer is dreadful (see the PDF of TANK Urban Sporty manual), full of strange non-words and written in some form of pidgin English without a single well formed grammatical sentence. Nonetheless, the simple, solid construction makes this machine reliable and very easy to work on and a general scooter repair manual covers all aspects of maintenance.

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The Honda Helix

Clearly not an inexpensive scooter, the Honda is of course legal in all states and supported by dealerships all over. Find a local Honda dealer. If you can afford it, there isn't a better luxury scooter to be found anywhere. The 250cc Honda Helix gets 60 MPG, has a capacious trunk that does not protrude above the body and the longest wheel base of any scooter.