What is the weight limit for a rider on a 49 to 50cc scooter?

by Kathie
(Somewhere)

Can a person weighing 220 pounds ride a 49cc-50cc scooter, and have it get up to 35-40 miles per hour?

Comments for What is the weight limit for a rider on a 49 to 50cc scooter?

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Mar 30, 2016
 Is weight an issue of frame NEW
by: t.m & t.g

I'm looking at a 50cc trike. My concern is too much weight damaging the scooter, not speed. I am 170, my wife is 210
Jan 01, 2016
 Speed 50cc moped NEW
by: Kay

I am 9 stone (130lbs) and I have a 50cc ped. What would my top speed be? Would it be 30mph?
Jan 01, 2016
 Speed 50cc moped NEW
by: Kay

I am 9 stone (130lbs) and I have a 50cc ped. What would my top speed be? Would it be 30mph?
Jan 01, 2016
 Speed 50cc moped NEW
by: Kay

I am 9 stone (130lbs) and I have a 50cc ped. What would my top speed be? Would it be 30mph?
Sep 07, 2012
 50cc sticker NEW
by: Anonymous

wow why not get a 150cc scooter and slap a 50cc sticker on it and then monitor your speed. Seems pretty simple to me and tho its breaking the law its kinda the unspoken rule here not robbery or murder
so in a city like mine its not even really recognized. Just saying
Aug 23, 2012
 Is weight an issue of frame capacity? NEW
by: E'Trigan

I'm looking at a 250cc trike. It says max weight of 300lbs. My concern is too much weight damaging the scooter, not speed. I am 220, my wife is 135, so based on the 300 weight limit, would I damage the unit?
Jul 24, 2012
 triad cycle in rochester indiana NEW
by: angela

yea i recently purchased a 50 cc scooter from triad cycle in rochester indiana we bought it used the man who owned the shop sd he put everything new on it well he sd someone knocked it over the day we got it from him and he would replace some of the scooter plastic we wenr bk 2 weeks later he acted like he didnt no what we were talking about he is a crook the scooter broke down 1 mnth after we had it he told my husband that it ws because i rode it and weigh 450lbs i dont weigh 450lbs i weigh 227lbs and the scooter broke down when my husband was riding it by himself he only weighs 156lbs that is a bunch of crap he is a bad bussiness owner we pd 500.00 for a used moped when we could have gotten a brand new 1 for 499.00 we judt didnt no it at the time
Jun 24, 2012
 Read the Manual NEW
by: Ron Goldwyn

May I point out that the manuals for your scooter is provided for your education. In almost every 49cc scooters it lists the maximum weight capacity as being around 250 pounds, but my scooter while it has a seat for a passenger there is a label on the scooter that says ONE PASSENGER ONLY as they also produce a similar scooter with a larger engine.
As for speed and acelleration the passenger weight is a definate factor. In CT where I live, state law says that the maximum speed for a scooter and/or a moped is 30mph, so check your state regulations.
Finally, in CT any scooter over 49cc is a MOTORCYCLE and must be registered as such.
Jun 24, 2012
 Read the Manual NEW
by: Ron Goldwyn

May I point out that the manuals for your scooter is provided for your education. In almost every 49cc scooters it lists the maximum weight capacity as being around 250 pounds, but my scooter while it has a seat for a passenger there is a label on the scooter that says ONE PASSENGER ONLY as they also produce a similar scooter with a larger engine.
As for speed and acelleration the passenger weight is a definate factor. In CT where I live, state law says that the maximum speed for a scooter and/or a moped is 30mph, so check your state regulations.
Finally, in CT any scooter over 49cc is a MOTORCYCLE and must be registered as such.
Jun 24, 2012
 No passenger Good, Two passengers Bad NEW
by: Carolyn

The user's manual for my 2008 Asian-made Champion VIP 50cc scooter states the max load as 90 kg, that translates into only 198 pounds. I bought it for my daughter and I. We are both big women. When we ride together, we are about 380 pounds! Far over the weight limit. I notice that top speeds are very hard to reach when we ride together. We only seem to be going at a good clip when we are riding down a long hill. My speedometer is broken at the moment, but it feels like we are only going about 15 mph on level ground. The extra weight really does make a difference. (Which is why we are planning to buy another scooter soon.)

However, you didn't say anything in your question about passengers, just your own weight. When I ride by myself, I have no problems at all and just zip along easily.
Mar 11, 2011
 Check the scooter specs.
by: Rick Rudge

Hi Kathie,

I'm just short of 200 lbs. and ride a stock 50cc Yamaha Zuma. It maxes out at 37 MPH on the flats. I'm new to scooters, so that speed is perfectly fine with me and in fact, in inner-city driving, it's about the fastest thing that I need out there.

Most scooter owners manuals will give you the weight of your scooter and the recommended maximum weight. If you really feel that you must go faster, invest in a larger scooter. I know there's a lot of tuner guys out there trying to ink out more speed, but I think that it's better to buy a larger scooter that's really designed to ride those faster speeds.

Best of luck in your decision.

--Rick
Jun 08, 2010
 To Each His or Her Own, I Guess...
by: Kathi

Ron... In my state, all 2-wheeled motorized vehicles must be licensed and you need the motorcycle endorsement to drive them, regardless of engine size. So choosing between a 50cc and a 125cc scooter was never an issue for me, financially or legally, I guess.

That being said, I've read on this site and many other places, that people frequently are disappointed with their first scooter, from a size standpoint, and later want to upgrade.

So, to me it makes sense to consider from the get go whether you are truly going to be happy with the limitations of a 50cc scoot, when you can get one a bit larger for just a bit more, even if you consider the cost of the licensing/insurance.

For me, those costs are barely $125 a year. Yes, I did have to do the road and written tests, but is it a bad idea to make sure your skills and knowledge are up to par? I don't think so.

I know there are many people (like you) who are perfectly happy with their little 50cc scooters and that's great. But I wanted the other Kathie to hear that there is another side to that story.
:)

-->
Jun 08, 2010
 For a Little more
by: Ron Goldwyn, Milford CT

Dear Kathy,
No it is not just spending a few bucks more and getting a bigger bike. In my state and others a scooter over 49cc is treated like a motorcycle, requiring the driver to have a motorcycle license as well as a drivers automobile license.

In addition, you must have license plates and registration. You must also have liability insurance. But even before all of that, the driver must take a course in driving a motorcycle and then pass an examination both in the field and a written examination.

A person riding a 49cc scooter who weighs over 225 pounds may have to modify his scooter just to keep up with young women who weigh only 125 pounds, but even those women may not exceed 30 mph on a 49cc scooter.

As I weigh 240 pounds and my scooter can hit 40mph on level roads I feel very happy with no registration or insurance.
Jun 06, 2010
 I resemble that...
by: Ron Goldwyn, Milford CT

Let's say that I fall between 225 & 250 Lbs.
I ride a Tomos Nitro 50 and my scooter can hit 47MPH going downhill (I never tried going faster.) As for uphill riding I have a slower time of it. Say around 30MPH.

I had my dealer make two modifications that are reported in the mod section of this site. One was to simply remove a plastic washer in the governor device and the other was to replace my 50 cc CDI unit for one designed for a 150cc scooter.

The fact that I can go 40+mph on a level road attest that these two simple mods now says that in my state a 49cc scooter is only allowed to go 30MPH and I exceed that limit by at least 10 MPH.

But there is one advantage - Safety. I now can keep up with auto traffic on main roads.
Jun 04, 2010
 Check Your Scooter's Specs
by: Kathi

Hi Kathie... Most scooters are rated for maximum carrying weight. I did a quick search online and most of the ones I looked at seemed like 220 pounds was their max, so I think it's likely you'd find that a 50cc scooter could be a big sluggish for you.

I'm pretty sure, though, that I've had some big guys write somewhere on the site that they do just fine on their little 50cc'ers, so who knows?

For not that much more money, though, it looks like you could get a 125-150cc scooter that is rated for more weight and also would be able to go faster, giving you more flexibility. Just a thought...

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