What is a good brand of scooter/moped?

I am going to buy a scooter/moped. I want one that is 50cc's or less. In SC you don't pay taxes on them under this size.

I know Honda, Yamaha and Vespa (Italian?) sell them. Can anyone recommend a good one. I went to a local that has a Chinese brand, but I don't think I will be buying it.

First its Chinese, and Second it has a limited 6 month warranty. I know Honda beets that hands down. And labor is not included.

I thought about a motorcycle, but then you have the taxes and license and all that junk. Besides, I road an RD 350 for 5 years and owned a couple of others. I am in no hurry now. It's just to get back and forth to work.

2 gallons of gas for a weeks travel is very appealing to me at the moment.

Any suggestions, warnings, recommendations on Brands and your experience is greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Frank Pytel

you already know, find a good local dealer, if thats honda, then get honda, yamaha the same. all the name brands will be a good choice, price and style is whats left (And service, so buy from local dealer)

Vespa and Piaggio are good but the Vespa is too pricey. Both are owned by the same company. Kymco, from Taiwan, is a great value. Less known from Taiwan, but on a par with Kymco is Adly. Yamaha and Honda are always safe choices. Many Chinese scooters are the same but with different names. The quality is not as good as the forementioned brands but the prices are nearly irresistable. The big issue with the Chinese brands is the lack of a dealer network anywhere. Most share interchangeable parts.

You can go to www.ecobikeusa.com and see some interesting scooters also. They are not as expensive as the hondas and others. But I've never tried them and can't say how good they are.

Suzuki Hyabusa should be enough to get you from place to place.

Yamaha C3 44mph and around 125mpg
Skip the cheap crap from China

Check out the e-ton lineup. Inexpensive and reliable. Large U.S. dealer network.

First, it's useful to make clarify "Vespa" is a moped made by the Italian manufacturer "Piaggio"; Vespa is actually the most known and sold, in Italy is even part of the culture and daily living form the 60s, a true icon (at the time along with Lambretta, by Innocenti); there are a lot of other model, including cheaper ones. You can take a look at their website http://www.piaggio.com/ (then choose your Country) where you're going to find out Piaggio owns other well known Italian brands. The fact you'll find a "Vespa" section between those brands doesn't mean Vespa is a brand, simply it's so important it deserve a section on its own :)
Piaggio even entered the Chinese market with great results (it's the best selling foreign manufacturer)

Japanese brands are always reliable, so you could check your taste, comfort and warranty (in Europe a minimum of two years warranty is mandatory by law, but I see in other Countries is different).

Peugeot also do good moped, so if available you can consider them.

Chinese moped are not necessarily that bad, cheap doesn't mean worthless (remember once they were used to say the same about Japanese electronics...). Especially if they're "original" moped and not more or less legally "inspired" by well known brand, they could be a good choice; I agree you should look at Kymco.

An issue you could be interest in (it's up to you) is the ethical one: for Chinese or even foreign brands actually manufactured in some Asian Countries there could be exploitation of worker, including minors.
There are some association that supervise and can guarantee respect of workers right, like FLA http://www.fairlabor.org/

I would look at Kymco they are the largest manufacture in the world and are rated higher than the Japanese scooters. The only thing rated better than a Kymco is a Piaggio and Vespa. You will not be paying for the Jap name. This company also use to make Honda's motors for them. Kymco has been around since 1963. They have a 2 year warranty and they honor it. In the six years I have been around them. 99% time all I do is change oil and adjust valves. Normal maintence things.