Motor scooters gain in popularity

[phantom power]

speaking of stock tips...

PIERRE, S.D. - Gasoline pushing $3 gallon? Why worry? Buy a motor scooter like thousands of other Americans and stretch that single gallon of gas a week or more.

“As people start driving them, they start finding more reasons to use them,” said Doug Day, owner of Scooter Centrale and Vespa Hartford in Plainville, Conn. “They’re practical, easy to park and get great gas mileage. I put $5 worth of gas into mine when it’s totally empty, compared to $50 in my SUV.”

As gasoline prices soar, the popularity of peppy, fuel-sipping motor scooters — most easily get 50 miles per gallon and some of the smaller ones get up to 80 mpg — is soaring. Sales, estimated at 86,000 last year in the U.S., have doubled from 2000, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9041933

[bottomofthehill]

1. Does a Buell Blast count

My buell gets about 65 miles to the gallon but it is due to be serviced. When I first got it I was getting about 70 MPG. It is a little more fun than the scooter.

I have owned other bikes in the past and wish I had the money for a big one but for the time this will do.

BTW Buell is owned by Harley Davidson

[phantom power]

2. I'm sure all kinds of bikes and scooters will gain in popularity.

I'm thinking about outfitting my bike with rear baskets, once it stops being a 100 #@#$@ degrees outside.

[tridim]

3. Does anyone know if they go on sale during the winter?

I want one badly, but can't afford it until I sell my gas guzzler project car that I never drive. It could take awhile.

[TlalocW]

4. How fast do motor scooters go?

In high school, my brother and I had 4 mo-peds (we called them that back then) used to deliver papers in our little farming town at 3 in the morning - Old Yeller (constantly breaking down), Blue Thunder (no muffler), and the twins (bought when Old Yeller and Blue Thunder started giving us problems). Blue Thunder's speedometer went up to 40, but the most I could get it up to was 35, and that took about a mile with the throttle revved up all the way.

I have to take the highway to get to work, and I don't think I'd be safe on one of those.

TlalocW

[phantom power]

5. Some models will do 55mph.

I'd think twice before taking any scooter out on, say, a Phoenix freeway, but it's enough for most surface roads.

[htuttle]

6. Many models go 55 mph (most Indian scooters, for example)

Specifically, all Bajaj models and Stellas.

There are some Italian scooters that can do 80mph+, if you are insane enough to go that fast on 10-12 inch wheels. I'm not sure if you can get those in the US, however.

Finally, Honda makes a 'Silverwing' scooter that's almost as big as a Goldwing that can easily do freeway speeds. It's as expensive (and almost as thirsty) as a Goldwing, though.

I find that the fastest comfortable cruising speed on my Bajaj Chetak is about 50 mph. I can push it up to 55, maybe 60 if I tuck in, but it doesn't feel like it 'tracks' well enough on it's 10" wheels to go that speed safely.

I easily get over 100 mpg -- last time I calculated it, it came out to about 108 mpg.

[dcfirefighter]

7. suzuki burghman

600 cc motorcycle, shaped like a scooter.

I think i'd go for one of the Japanese Vespa knock offs -
or more likely just get a 600 cc motorcycle, mileage should still be good when not riding it like a banshee.

[Deja Q]

8. Gawd, another frigging duplicate. And sip a bicycle instead.

It's healthier... and harder to put in lame adjectives into too.