Most practical scooter for food delivery?

[Biichi]

I'm doing some brainstorming on what scooter would be able to perform the most optimally for food delivery work in the suburbs of California. The boxes that need to be ticked are weight for easy maneuvering (under 290lbs), proven reliability for high-mileage months (2000 miles a month), can maintain 45mph streets easily, and can hold a bag for drinks underneath the seat as well as a hot food bag (Packir) that can be strapped to a rear rack securely.

Optional quality-of-life features would be a 12v port for charging phone and tires that can handle some rough roads.

Would a step-through design vs. maxiscooter design be more desirable for quick and easy dismounting?

I personally have a 2014 Forza 300 which is pretty heavy and long for maneuvering around neighborhoods and parking lots easily.

The current scooters I am eyeballing are the Zuma 125 and the (of course) PCX 150. Any other recommendations, mods, tips, etc. would be extremely helpful. Thanks!

[Old Grinner]

I have owned a 2017 PCX 150 and currently a Zuma 125. That said I never put a top box on my PCX and only had it about a year. It's a great machine but being a larger rider the seat wasn't comfortable for me. That said I did sit on a 2019 PCX 150 in a dealer showroom and the seat definitely had better padding IMHO.

FWIW this is how I have my Zuma 125 kitted out . . .. Note that I've since removed the wooden base plate for the top box and just have it mounted directly to the luggage rack now. It's fine.

I've used it for getting groceries or grinders and fries/onion rings at a pizza place but never for pizza. It's been reliable.

It's so great around town. Easy to maneuver. Light. OK fuel economy (80ish MPG). It will get to 45 MPH fine and then start to reach for 50 MPH. The seat is not perfect either but I can live with it. It does have the grocery hook on the leg shield.

A huge plus is that it's easy to work on as far as oil changes and adjusting valves. That said it is a bit tough trying to adjust the exhaust side because the valves point down.

Here's some pics. Good luck. Really shop around and do your homework before you part with your hard earned money.

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[fish]

You might want to look at the reviews and the price of the ubiquitous Kymco Agility 125.
Comes with a 2 yr fully transferable warranty.

Agility $2100
Zuma $3600

Fish

[gn2]

Piaggio Liberty would be another contender.

[iceman]

What do they use for pizza delivery in california - i.e make and type? I know scooters are a rare breed for normal travel in the US, people seem to need cars and 4x4's just to go across 5 lanes of highway to reach a shop on the other side of the road (what we find when visiting and in a hotel one side of a road and need to go to a pub/restuarant on the other side of a 4-6 lane road - not easy in many parts of the US without J walking).

[Mel46]

In my humble opinion even a used PCX would tick off all of your boxes. My 2013 runs great, has plenty of storage under the seat plus a tail box (which can easily be removed/replaced with a pizza delivery box). I have a tall windshield which helps during rainy days as well as short freeway runs.

If you can do your own normal maintenance, like change the oil (10 minute job, less than a quarter of oil), and change your belt and rollers when the time comes, then you would find the cost of keeping a PCX is quite inexpensive. (Taking it to a dealer, unfortunately, is not cheap because of time needed to take off the plastics, which you can learn to do yourself if you have patience.)

[Biichi]

In my humble opinion even a used PCX would tick off all of your boxes. My 2013 runs great, has plenty of storage under the seat plus a tail box (which can easily be removed/replaced with a pizza delivery box). I have a tall windshield which helps during rainy days as well as short freeway runs.

If you can do your own normal maintenance, like change the oil (10 minute job, less than a quarter of oil), and change your belt and rollers when the time comes, then you would find the cost of keeping a PCX is quite inexpensive. (Taking it to a dealer, unfortunately, is not cheap because of time needed to take off the plastics, which you can learn to do yourself if you have patience.)

I think I'm going to go for a 2019 PCX 150. Will be looking to purchase by the end of the month or sometime next month.

Thanks for the recommendations y'all

[Gil]

Yamaha xmax 300, great mpg, huge underseat storage and Japanese engineering. As for maneuverability it depends on how flat your delivery area is. I haven't rident the xmax 300, but I'm sure it would be fine in a flat area. I had a couple mishaps with my PCX when dealing with hilly or uneven surfaces. I learned to keep my scooters momentum going when doing sharp maneuvers in hilly terrain.


I delivered with my Honda PCX during and after the last year of University. So, here are my thoughts on delivering with a Honda PCX.

Maneuverability: 10
Acceleration at stop lights: 10
Can maintain 45 MPH: 10
Highway ability to flow with traffic: 5
Reliability: 9, eats oil.
12v port, new ones have it stock: 10
Maxiscoot vs step-through: 10, It's not a flat floor, yet it didn't bother me when swinging my leg over the scooter.


You have to keep an eye on the oil level. When this scoot is run hard or during long trips, it will eat oil fast. My scooters original engine developed rod knock after running it dry of oil. The PCX had about 38,000 miles, at the point of failure. For the suburbs the Honda PCX 150 will ace it. Now for the highway, it will do fine when there is a lot of traffic, since you can split lanes, not so good 65mph plus.

As for mods and tips, I added a wireless charging pad to my phone Ram mount. It mostly worked, but it was a quick DIY. I made a big coroplast box with an internal insulated bag with sliding rails so that it would reside over the passenger space and not stick out too far back, but also move out of the way when accessing the underseat storage. The only pic that I found was when the wind tipped it over during class time,lol. In the pic you can see the underside of the box.

[Old Grinner]

I haven't rident the xmax 300, but I'm sure it would be fine in a flat area.

Seeing a scooter on it's side is painful . . . hope you didn't suffer any major damage. Damn the wind eh??

About the XMax 300 . . . the turning radius is wider. You can't monkey it around like a PCX or Zuma 125 in a fairly tight circle. Also the reach to the ground can be more of an effort for those who are vertically challenged. That said moving forward on the seat helps to reach the ground with your feet easier.

Think of it like comparing a Shetland Pony with a Belgian Draft horse.

[Mel46]

The wind turned your bike over? It must have been a big wind. On windy days I suggest putting it on its side stand, leaning it away from the wind.

I have had bikes all of my life and only once did the wind turn my bike over. That occurred on a windy day when I put it on its side stand without thinking about which way the wind was blowing. Parking it in a position that makes the side of it act like a sail will definitely get it moved. Putting it on its centerstand is ok if it is not broadside to heavy winds.

Having something on the back of it that is tall enough to help that "sail" effect will definitely put the bike on its side! Was that cabinet that is beside it in the picture on it at the time?

That particular day the winds were gusting up to 45 mph. Trying to ride was difficult. I didn't think about the sail effect back then. (I shouldn't have been riding that day because the winds were horrible, but I didn't have a car. It wasn't recently, but when I was much much younger and less experienced.)

[Gil]

@Mel46 The scooter tipping over was kind of my bad. It was forecast to be windy that day, but i got laisy and parked it at the most convenient motorcycle partaking spot. The parking spot was cresting a hill and perpendicular to the wind. I was more careful after this tipping. The box did make the scooter a bit more sensitive to wind, but nothing crazy.

@Old Grinner Thanks for your feedback from an actual Xmax 300 owner. I want a scoot with a bit more power for highway cruising, jealous of your scoot .