[skyemoor]

I can foresee countless scenarios where electric scooters would be beneficial. You would need to give us more information about your needs, the situations you would be using it in, etc. The truth is much larger than one person's opinion.

[Micki]

Limited range and battery life realy limits the attractivness of these. Just using a normal petrol scooter already saves a lot on fuel consumption compared to a car, so right now these stand out as better option.
Bicycles with battery pack is a slightly different story though as you can use the bicycle even when the battery has run out.

[TheDude]

One of my local scooter dealers has a page on Important Ethanol info. They recommend using something called Opti-Mizer Fuel Stabilizer, from Interlube International. Just starting to look into getting a scooter. I'd keep the thing inside the house - forget about even trying, zombie gas thieves!

Have my doubts about electric scooters too, agree with Micki that bikes are a safer bet for now - lot cheaper, too.

[JohnDenver]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')n the first three months of 2008, scooter sales were up nationwide by 24 percent compared with the same period a year earlier, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council. And that was before gas starting hitting $4 a gallon. A continued rise in fuel prices could accelerate sales further. The increase in gas prices in summer 2005 correlated with a jump in scooters sales of 64.5 percent during the summer months compared with summer 2004. (Sales in the entire motorcycle category went up also, but by only 16 percent.)



Scooters are winning converts, and not just for the romance of Vespas. Last August, Chris Casal, a 32-year-old elementary school teacher who lives in Brooklyn Heights, bought a scooter for his commute to Williamsburg, in part because of concerns about gasoline prices and parking. Since then, he estimates he has driven his car only 15 times and usually only when it was cold or less than 20 degrees outside. Even though he lives only five miles from work, it is a 45-minute trip by subway or a 12-minute drive.

“Because I know I am going to get a gallon, gallon-and-a half max,” Mr. Casal said, he no longer worried about gas prices. “That’s the first time in my life I’ve ever not cared what the price of gas was.”

[SILENTTODD]

I'm thinking if I ever do buy another motor vehicle it's going to be a scooter! Something in the 150 to 200cc size would get me around town or even farther on those occasions I need to get somewhere faster than my 4 bicycles could get me. But anything within 5 miles my bicycle is better.

[socrates1fan]

This is no surprise to me.
As the months pass I see more and more scooters parked along the narrow streets we have and people riding in 'scooter gangs.'

[GeoJAP]

I'm planning on getting a Yamaha Vino 125 sometime this year. I'll probably get about 80 mpg on it. It's perfect for city traffic around here unless I get flattened by a truck.

I called both Yamaha dealerships in the area and they told me that when they get in any scooters at all, they are sold out in a few hours, way before the end of the day.

[misterno]

I am looking for a hybrid scooter.

[GeoJAP]

I thought about waiting for an electric scooter, but decided viable technology would not be available any time soon. I also thought about getting a plug-in car in a few years, but the price on those will be so prohibitively high initially that a gas 4-stroke scooter makes the most economic sense for the next 5+ years at minimum.

[frankthetank]

I can't wait to grab some scooter/blizzard pictures this coming winter. Should be a hoot.

[seldom_seen]

That's a great pic. Hats off to the photographer.

[TheDude]

Ominous thread title, perhaps.

Scooter ( motorcycle ) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A') scooter is a style of two-wheeled motor vehicle with certain design characteristics such as a step-through frame, small wheels, automatic transmission and small engine. The definition is evolving as motorcycle designs change over time. Historically, a scooter was noted for a small engine, small wheels, a step-through design, a forward fairing with floor boards, and possibly under-seat storage. Modern scooters cover a broad spectrum of designs: step-through or step-over frames, small or large wheels, front fairings or floor boards, under-seat storage or not, and manual or automatic transmissions. Most scooters today feature automatic transmissions.

[frankthetank]

I got a problem with scooters. A lot of the people on them (high school/young adults) should be on f-in bicycles, not motorized scooters. Jesus kids have become lazy.

I'm all for commuting on them. I can't wait until the Scooter Interstate Act of 2009 opens the shoulder of interstates to scooter travel.

Seriously...at some point these are going to be peoples sole source of transportation. At least until the time comes that the pumps run dry.

Just to put in perspective...a bicycle ridden by a human gets the equivalent of 1000mpg...

[3aidlillahi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')Just to put in perspective...a bicycle ridden by a human gets the equivalent of 1000mpg...

[KrellEnergySource]

It's a constant debate whether scooters are significantly cheaper to own and operate than cars. They don't last anywhere near as many miles. Tires have to be replaced approximately every 3-4 thousand miles. The routine maintenance, if done by a shop, comes more frequently than does that of a car...again approximately every 3 thousand miles.

But when you have one, as I do, you can significantly reduce your weekly expenditures by electing to ride the scooter whenever possible rather than driving. My scooter commuting, as well as my bicycle use, are really helping us out this year. They are also easier on road wear, and take less energy to produce.

Motorcycle dedicated parking in public and private parking lots, with secure posts to which you can lock up your ride, would help encourage lots would be a big help in encouraging this alternative to the automobile.

Policies that promote the use of motorcycles, scooters, and bicycles could all have some impact on conservation.

But I'd still rather have the flying car. I'm not enjoying the descent so far.

[GeoJAP]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('KrellEnergySource', 'I')t's a constant debate whether scooters are significantly cheaper to own and operate than cars. They don't last anywhere near as many miles. Tires have to be replaced approximately every 3-4 thousand miles. The routine maintenance, if done by a shop, comes more frequently than does that of a car...again approximately every 3 thousand miles.