Motorcycle.com

New Zuma 50F Rider

I recently purchased the 2012 Zuma 50F. I was on the fence for a while due to the fact most people I know are Cruiser or Sport bike riders, (stigma factor). I have to say that so far I have been having a complete blast. I was concerned about the weight it would have to carry, I'm a 5'9" 218 pou...nd meat cookie on the saddle of this thing. True, it does slow down going up steep hills in my New England town in Connecticut but not ever below 20 mph. I decided to give it a true workout by adding my 105 pound wife on the back and did some shopping at local stores. We put about 45 miles on it in a single day trip and she loved it. I do have to sit a bit farther forward on the seat with a passenger and at that point I can say the seat becomes just mildly annoying but I know I'm pushing the limits. On a level surface with her on the back I can still make 45 mph and was impressed that there's enough torque to speed off with cars on some main roads where the speed limits are between 35-45 mph. 132 miles per gallon might be what a someone the size of a horse race jockey may achieve. I'm getting just over 100 miles per gallon. I'm not crying about it in the least and may have to purchase a battery tender for my car. I haven't driven it in over a week because I've been tearing up the streets on my Zuma. I have no regrets purchasing this thing and I'm quickly becoming less concerned with the (stigma factor). Storage is pretty decent. Under the seat with a cable lock I've purchased so that it doesn't grow legs in the middle of the night without my knowledge, I can also fit a gallon of milk along with some other items I can use as an excuse to take out the Zuma. The cup holder will hold a 33.8 FL OZ water bottle along with my not so smart phone. So far I'm very pleased and one day may decide to go with a "big bike" but for now I'm having too much fun. At 48 years old I feel like a kid again when I rolled down the streets illegally on a Rupp mini-bike, it feels illegal all over again. I'll only give the Zuma a middle of the road score on reliability only because I haven't hit the 1000 mile mark yet on the odometer. By then, with me, if it's going to break it'll be at that mile range. Read Full Review