Motor Scooters -- Are You Ready for One?

Almost every day, I'm seeing more and more articles about the advantages of owning a motor scooter in a world of ever increasing gas prices.

Here's an excerpt from an article, Born to Be ... Fuel-Efficient, by Jonathan Welsh of the Wall Street Journal that sums up the current economic thinking about motor scooters:

"Chris Casal, a Brooklyn, N.Y., elementary-school teacher, used to drive to work almost every day, mainly because it took 12 minutes compared with an hour by subway. But rising fuel and parking costs made the trip 'kind of ridiculous,' he says. So last year he bought a Vespa GTS scooter that uses about $7 of fuel every two weeks instead of the $30 his Honda Civic consumed. He parks free in the schoolyard, and the two-wheeler impresses his students."

Of course, there are other considerations beyond the price of gas. There's the need to learn how to be safe while riding a motor scooter. Motorcycles are very hard to see as it is and motor scooters are even smaller visual targets for the average motorist.

The average non-motorcyclist has a lot to learn about riding on two wheels. I remember all the scooter accidents I saw while in Bermuda by newbie riders. I think I got a one-minute lesson before I rented my scooter.

I've just revised my article, Motor Scooters - Have Fun While Saving Gas, that summarizes all my motor scooter resources that may assist in introducing motor scooters to the masses.

Don't put your life on the line by getting a motor scooter without proper training and wearing apparel.

Have fun and save gas if you get a motor scooter but remember to first BE SAFE.

Picture ©2004 Lonnie W. Cavenee

Motor Scooters - A Picture Gallery of Motor Scooters

Pictures of motor scooters



My previous blog entry -- done for April Fools Day -- discussed how motor scooters might form the basis of a new economic stimulus plan. Irrespective of the veracity of that article, it is a fact that motor scooters are gaining new respect among motorcyclists and the non-riding public as well. Being able to get more than 50+ mpg means a lot in this new $3-4 per gallon world.

I'm seeing more and more motor scooters on the road. The high price of gas seems to be driving both motorcyclists and regular folks to look into acquiring a motor scooter. They're relatively cheap to buy, cheap to operate, and fun to ride.

To showcase some of these motor scooters, I've just opened a gallery of motor scooter pictures as submitted by visitors to the Motorcycle Views site.

One of the biggest features on the Motorcycle Views site is Moto Pics, where visitors to the site can display and describe their motorcycles. There are some motor scooter pictures in Moto Pics. To get the new gallery going, I have extracted these motor scooter pictures from Moto Pics and from the old site.

We need your help

Are you a motor scooter rider? Send in a picture of you and your scooter. We will place it in the Motor Scooter Picture Gallery. Submit a picture and description today. These pictures will also become part of Moto Pics.

Take a look at the Motor Scooter Picture Gallery. You'll also find a link there to submit your own motor scooter picture.