12"="nimble"

[Stig / Major Tom]

IMHO baloney, bunch of!

Vespa owners with 10" and 12" wheels say how nimble these little wheels make their expensive scooter in traffic.
Well, it sure wouldn't look the same without them.
A 10" or 12" wheel is also great for thrills on a SoCal interstate at 70mph, and on wet bridges in a major city!

 I switch from 12"/12" to 16"/14" scooters each ride - so I am reminded almost daily of the difference in the ride between these wheels.
Maybe...maybe ....you do need 12" wheels if you're doing the cones on your bathroom floor - otherwise, other than being round -  they are chalk and cheese in ride quality in the city or on the open road..


I started with a 12" wheel scooter, and I am fond of it after 9 summers - but I'll never again purchase another with 12" wheels.
Rode the big-wheel in strong crosswinds on dark damp roads this morning and, as usual, really enjoyed the difference out there in the county, and while thumping across the lousy inner city streets.
I hope plenty of people try Kymco's new People 150!
Stig

[Iahawk]

tire life also takes a beating with smaller wheels....Stig, I know it's tough to compare different brands of tire but do you have a rough idea of the difference in tire life you get out of the little ones vs the big ones?

[Stig / Major Tom]

tire life also takes a beating with smaller wheels....Stig, I know it's tough to compare different brands of tire but do you have a rough idea of the difference in tire life you get out of the little ones vs the big ones?

No I don't.  They're taller, but skinnier. I do remember how long  a skinny radial tire would last on the 16" rim of a VW beetle. They'd fairly rot before the tread would wear out.
Stig

[klaviator]

The Vespa's I have ridden had a pretty good ride.  My Like150i on the other hand rides pretty rough.  There is more to ride quality than the size of the tires.  Suspension is as much if not more important. 

My Sport City 250 had 15" wheels yet the tires wore out faster than the 12 inch tires on my Like.  I wore out a 17" rear tire on a motorcycle once in three days of riding and 750 miles.  Again, it's not just the tire size.

One advantage of smaller wheels on scooters is that it normally allows for larger underseat storage.

[Iahawk]

I do enjoy how the 12 and 10" wheels on my Helix help with nimbleness and quick turn in. I know they don't last all that long (rear tire, especially) due to fat, heavy scooter, heat from exhaust about 1/2 inch from the tire cooking it and the small tire size (imagine how many rotations the tire makes at 55 mph vs a larger 15 or 17" tire).

I've never had a vehicle where the rear tire is too hot to touch after a ride...the Helix's is. I've read others on Helix forums making the same observation.

[john grinsel]

Gee---I had good experience with Helix and its tire/wheel size combo   ---4 new ones and over 175,000 miles---danger was the speed rating of 62 mph of the 10 inch rear---had one rear, Bridgestone!!, fly apart after long high speed run on tollway---did not go down, air remained, on exit, limped home, slowly.    Also had rear tire, Bridgestone come apart on Reflex---Bridgestone paid for replacement---again did not go down=lucky.  Had earlier experience with Vespa 125 2 stroke and its small wheels/tire=no problems, remember it was scooter. On board spare again=wonderful.

[Iahawk]

John, yes, the OEM Bridgestones carry a 62 mph rating...odd on a vehicle that can get into the low 70's. My Heidenau tires I installed carry a little higher M rating for 81 mph.

[john grinsel]

I have long time experience with Heidenau tires---in the DDRdays with MZ/solo and sidecar---recently my 2019 XTown 300i.  They work well and uniform quality.

[Neil955i]

The Vespa's I have ridden had a pretty good ride.  My Like150i on the other hand rides pretty rough.  There is more to ride quality than the size of the tires.  Suspension is as much if not more important. 

My Sport City 250 had 15" wheels yet the tires wore out faster than the 12 inch tires on my Like.  I wore out a 17" rear tire on a motorcycle once in three days of riding and 750 miles.  Again, it's not just the tire size.

One advantage of smaller wheels on scooters is that it normally allows for larger underseat storage.

Totally agree with your first point Klav.  In my book suspension (together with good quality rubber)  is far more important than wheel size.  The before and after ride quality on my previous Honda PCX was jaw dropping.  Both the change to Michelin City Grip tyres and the aftermarket YSS shocks transformed its handling.  Suspension components on small displacement scooters tend to be built down to a price - yes, even on Hondas!  If you're pushing the envelope, it's worth considering an upgrade.

[Ruffus]

@Neil, chiming in. On one of my latest purchases, GRAND DINK 150,  rear shocks were finished. Replaced them with a pair of YSS shocks and all of a sudden this scoot behaves on medium bad roads too.

[Stig / Major Tom]

@Neil, chiming in. On one of my latest purchases, GRAND DINK 150,  rear shocks were finished. Replaced them with a pair of YSS shocks and all of a sudden this scoot behaves on medium bad roads too.

You know....that makes 2 guys* (whose technical prowess I respect) - claim that an aftermarket (YSS) shock can improve the ride of a scooter.
Plenty of folks who just paid for an expensive set of pretty-colored "aftermarket" shocks claim that they are like a Christmas miracle!!  ....But, what else are they gonna say - after dropping all that cash?!

*Ruffus and Neil......well, I might just listen to them with my 'good' ear 

Stig

[klaviator]

You know....that makes 2 guys* (whose technical prowess I respect) - claim that an aftermarket (YSS) shock can improve the ride of a scooter.
Plenty of folks who just paid for an expensive set of pretty-colored "aftermarket" shocks claim that they are like a Christmas miracle!!  ....But, what else are they gonna say - after dropping all that cash?!

*Ruffus and Neil......well, I might just listen to them with my 'good' ear 

Stig

It's not rocket science, better shocks will improve the ride and handling of any scooter, motorcycle or car.  The only question is whether the improvement is worth the expense.  A really high end shock like an Ohlins can cost over a thousand bucks.  YSS scooter shocks are considerably less and I have read good things about them on other forums as well.

[randyo]

my K-Pipe with 17" wheels is plenty nimble and still able to hold smooth lines in sweeping curves.  It competetor, the Grom, and K125 with 12" wheels, not so smooth in the long sweeping curves, and not really that much more nimble 

[Neil955i]

You know....that makes 2 guys* (whose technical prowess I respect) - claim that an aftermarket (YSS) shock can improve the ride of a scooter.
Plenty of folks who just paid for an expensive set of pretty-colored "aftermarket" shocks claim that they are like a Christmas miracle!!  ....But, what else are they gonna say - after dropping all that cash?!

*Ruffus and Neil......well, I might just listen to them with my 'good' ear 

Stig

Depends on your definition of “all that cash” I guess. For just over 100 bucks the difference was astounding. At the time I considered it money well spent. Now almost a grand for Ohlins?....

[klaviator]

Everything else being equal larger tires will ride better than smaller ones and smaller tires will be more nimble than larger ones.  The thing is, everything else is normally not equal.  I have ridden a number of bikes with 12" tires and they all handled and rode differently.  I have ridden a Grom with 12' knobbies on it and a Grom with 12' street tires and they handled very differently.  Both rode better than my Like.  I also rode Benelli TnT135 with 12" wheels which had a pretty good ride.  I have ridden a couple of Vespa's with 12" wheels and they had a pretty good ride.

One of the smoothest riding Bikes I have owned was a Kawasaki KLR650 with 21/17 inch wheels.  On the other hand my KLX250 with 21/18 inch wheels has a pretty stiff ride.  The KLX also handles much better than the KLR did. 

I currently own 4 bikes.  The wheels on all four bikes are very different sizes.  12", 13/14", 17" and 21/18"  I really like all four of those bikes.  When I replace my Like someday I will consider another 12" wheel scooter but I will also consider scooters with bigger wheels.


As for shocks, I have only once bought an aftermarket shock.  I put a $650 Ohlins shock on my 95 BMW R1100GS back in the late 1990's.  The OEM shock was worn out and the Ohlins did make a noticeable difference. 

Looking at the price of YSS shocks I could see buying them in the future.