2007 Schwinn Collegiate Review

Many early motorcycles were made by bicycle manufacturers who added a gasoline engine to a bicycle frame. That was back in the 1890s. Schwinn, a famous American manufacturer of bicycles, came late to the game. Founded in 1895, Schwinn did not begin making two-wheeled motorized vehicles until 2005 when it introduced motor scooters to its product line. One of its first scooters was the Collegiate 50, which is an entry-level scooter. As the name implies, the Collegiate 50 would be good to ride around a college campus or just running around town on errands. Since 49.5 cc scooters top out at 40 mph (or less), highway riding isn’t an option.

The Collegiate 50 is a one-person scooter. Gas mileage is excellent, an estimate 117 miles per gallon. This scooter does not have a trip odometer, which means riders need to remember the mileage at their last fill-up or pay close attention to the fuel gauge. The only instruments it has are a speedometer and a fuel level warning gauge. The College 50 has sleek classic lines, and comes in two-tone color combinations of either red or silver with white. One way the Collegiate 50 differs from similar scooters from other manufacturers is in the taillights. The Collegiate 50 taillights are built into the plastic body, whereas they are separate on other scooters. Owners give the Collegiate 50 average marks for performance, quality and reliability, and slightly higher marks for ride and comfort. The Collegiate 50 is manufactured in the United States.