Scooting For Fun and Profit

I always enjoy riding the scooter to work when the weather is good and I feel an itch to ride. However, this year I’ve been exclusively riding the Silverwing and gas prices certainly have something to do with that. A recent AP article says that I’m not the only one. Sales of small displacement scooters that can achieve 75-120 miles per gallon are brisk, with name-brand scooters such as Honda, Yamaha, Vespa and Suzuki rising 24 percent in the first quarter of the year, according to Mike Mount (great last name for a motorcycle lobby, no?), spokesman for the Motorcycle Industry Council trade group. Vespa has even gone so far as to launch a Vespanomics site touting all the benefits scooting provides.

Bigger bikes also return decent mileage, but their sales numbers aren’t nearly as impressive. Sales of small and medium-sized motorcycles rose 7.5 percent in the first quarter, but sales of larger, more-expensive motorcycles were down 11 percent according to a trade group. I certainly believe that cost plays into that, but also many new riders may be flocking to the relatively easy to ride scooters as an easy way to save some money at the pump without the fear of having 500 pounds of molten metal fall over on you.

The more motorcyclists on the road, hopefully the greater awareness by motorists for all who ride. However, as these North Carolina statistics show, more inexperienced riders could mean a giant surge in accidents. North Carolina had 183 motorcycle rider fatalities in 2007, up from 61 in 1997. This was a 200 percent increase. The nationwide increase for motorcyclist fatalities during the same time frame was 140 percent. Anytime a stat increases over 100 percent and it’s not your stock portfolio, it’s usually not good news.

In general, I’m happy to see more folks out on the road. It’s a great way to either start off the day or enjoy the evening air on the ride home. Just be sure to ride safe.

You can check out a few brands from the links below:

Piaggio
Honda
Yahmaha
Suzuki
Vespa
Aprilia
Kymco