People 150 questions

[birdmove]

    I'm just wondering what the P150 is capable of as far as cruising speeds that don't push the bike too hard might be.Will it hold an honest 50 mph with say, a 180 pound rider? How about cruising range?How far can one go on a tank of gas?

   Thanks, Jon

[Calothrix]

I weigh in at 175 and my '05 P150 will cruise all day at 50 mph with no problem at all.  I would say somewhere between 55 and 60 mph is more realistic.  I typically get between 70 to 75 mpg depending on how twisty I get with the throttle and I believe it has a 1.8 gallon tank, so figure about 125 to 135 miles per tank, if you run it dry.

[Monoplex]

This is slightly off topic but does the weight of rider affect top speed? I would certainly expect it with acceleration but not with top speed aside from its effect on rolling friction.

This is based on what I vaguely remember from physics classes taken a long, long time ago. 

[birdmove]

   Certainly rider weight will have an effect. If you, for instance, read some scooter reviews at justgottascoot.com, he often has a lighter rider do a top speed run.Most of them seem to gain 3-4 mph top speed with the lighter rider.How much is due to weight, and how much is due to the lighter one having less wind resistance (smaller outline or cross section) is a good question.

    The more I read and research the People 150, the more interested I am becoming. Almost everyone loves them-even after owning them for years. A dealer not too far away has new ones for $2399.00 plus fees, which sounds pretty good.However, another dealer has a new,leftover 2009 Yamaha Vino 125 for $1699.00 plus fees. The Vino is normally about $2800.00 I think.

    Where I will end up living in a year or two there is both a Yamaha and Kymco dealer about 120 miles away.The only nearby dealer is Suzuki, and I'm not interested in the SuZuki scooters. So I will need to pretty much do any maintenance myself. Kymco has a two year warranty, while the Yamaha has a one year.

    My wife will be taking her SYM, and there are no SYM dealers in Hawaii.
     ion

[Portland Steve]

The size of a rider will effect the speed as well.
If you are tall and lanky, like me, you make a heck of a sail with your big jacket on.
If you are a petite little gal then you can tuck in for better streamlining.
Downhill with a tail wind is the best fro me.

[k0co_5]

Pushing 230# and can do 50mph no prob on straight and level.  Maybe 55 tops.