Ice Bear Scooters: An Honest Brand and Range Guide
- on January 16, 2024
- Categories: Articles
Ice Bear is a value-tier powersports brand whose scooters, mopeds and trikes are built around the widely used GY6 engine family and sold in the US through dealers. They are inexpensive, simple to service and easy to find parts for. They are not premium machines, and this guide is about matching the right model to the right rider rather than calling them the best.
Who makes Ice Bear scooters?
Ice Bear is a brand rather than a factory. Like nearly everything in this price class, the machines are manufactured overseas to the brand's specification and imported for US sale through authorized dealers, which is how we stock them. The important practical consequence is the engine: most of the range uses the GY6-derived air-cooled single, a design used by dozens of brands for decades. That is why parts, belts, filters and service knowledge for these bikes are easy to come by, and why an independent shop can usually work on one.
Are Ice Bear scooters reliable?
Honestly: they are simple, and simple things last when they are looked after. The engines are a proven design with a huge parts supply, and there is very little on a carbureted air-cooled scooter that a competent owner cannot fix. The weaknesses are the ones that come with the price. Most models are carbureted, so stale fuel over a winter causes hard starting; the machines arrive crated and need proper assembly and a fastener re-torque after the first hour of riding; and finish, fasteners and switchgear are not to the standard of a Honda or Yamaha.
If you want a machine you can hand to a dealer down the road with a multi-year factory warranty, buy a Japanese scooter and pay several times as much. If you want cheap, fixable transportation for short trips and are willing to do basic upkeep, an Ice Bear does that job. Our scooter maintenance guide covers what upkeep actually means.
What the Ice Bear range covers
The lineup splits into a few clear tiers. Prices and listed top speeds below come from the models we currently stock.
| Class | Example model | Listed top speed | Best for | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49.5cc moped | Ascend PMZ50-4, Menace PMZ50-Z1 | about 34–37 mph | Neighborhood errands, moped-class registration | $999 |
| 150cc scooter | Vision PMZ150-17, Clash PMZ150-2 | about 56–57 mph | City streets and arterials | $1,099 |
| 200cc EFI scooter | Vlad PMZ200-V, PMZ200-R9 | about 59 mph | Longer commutes, fuel injection, better brakes | $1,399 |
| 300cc maxi-scooter | Defender PMZ300-T15 | about 70–75 mph | Liquid-cooled, EFI, ABS, faster roads | $4,799 |
| MadDog | PMZ50-22, PMZ150-22 and trikes | about 31–57 mph | Ruckus-style looks in 50cc or 150cc | $1,199 |
| Trikes | Trifecta PST50-2, PST150-2 | about 31–40 mph | Stability at a stop, three wheels | $2,249 |
Manufacturer figures on level ground with a light rider. A full-size adult, a hill or a headwind will all reduce them.
The MadDog is its own decision
The MadDog is the model most people arrive looking for: a Ruckus-style scooter with an exposed frame and a fat rear tire, sold in 50cc and 150cc and in trike form. Mechanically it is the same GY6 recipe as the rest of the range, so choosing it is a styling and frame decision more than a performance one. We cover it separately in the full MadDog model guide and in why people like the MadDog, so this guide will not repeat it.
Is a 50cc Ice Bear street legal?
How to choose within the range
- •Start with the fastest road on your route. If any part of it runs at 45 mph or more, you want 150cc or larger. A 50cc is a neighborhood machine.
- •Look at wheel size. Ten-inch wheels are fine on smooth pavement; 12- to 14-inch wheels ride far better on broken roads.
- •Carbureted or fuel injected. EFI models start more reliably in the cold and tolerate sitting better. Carbureted models are cheaper and simpler to work on.
- •Two wheels or three. A trike stands up on its own at a stop and suits riders who want low-speed stability, at the cost of speed, weight and lean angle.
- •Check seat height and capacity. Most two-wheel models are rated near 240 lb for the rider; trikes carry more.
A cross-section of the range
Icebear Vision PMZ 150-17 150cc Scooter. 12 inch rims
150cc · 12-inch wheels · CARB
$1,099$1,319
View
Ice Bear sits inside our wider range of adult scooters, from 49cc commuters up to 200cc.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ice Bear a good brand?
It is a good value brand rather than a premium one. The machines are cheap, simple, and built on a widely used engine with excellent parts availability, which makes them practical to own and repair. They do not match a Honda or Yamaha on finish, warranty or resale, and they are not priced as though they do.
Are Ice Bear scooters reliable?
With basic upkeep, yes for their class. The common failure points are fuel-system problems after long storage, and fasteners that were never re-torqued after assembly. Both are avoidable.
Who makes Ice Bear scooters?
Ice Bear is a US-market brand; the machines are built overseas to its specification and sold here through dealers. Most use the GY6-derived engine family, which is why parts are widely available.
Do you need a license for a 50cc Ice Bear moped?
That depends entirely on your state. Some states have a moped class with lighter requirements for 49.5cc machines; others require a motorcycle endorsement. Confirm with your DMV before buying.
Which Ice Bear scooter is fastest?
Of what we stock, the 276cc liquid-cooled Defender PMZ300-T15 is listed highest at roughly 70 to 75 mph, followed by the 200cc EFI models near 59 mph. The 150cc models sit around 56 to 57 mph.
