How to save on gas by buying a motor scooter

Whether choosing to ditch your car for a more gas-friendly commute vehicle or choosing to join the two-wheeled revolution for the sheer joy of riding to the beach, picking out the right scooter can be a somewhat daunting task. These days, there are so many different brands of scooters (from Vespa to Kymco to Stella) knowing which scoot will suit your needs before you buy will ultimately help you save money on rising gas prices and grief in the long run.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Internet access
• Scoot! Quarterly or Scootering Magazine
• Access to a local scooter shop
• Common sense

1. So you want to purchase a scooter. First, decide if you'll be riding the scoot for business or pleasure. If your scooter will be your primary means of transportation, you'll want to consider something that is reliable and doesn't require a lot of daily or weekly maintenance. If you need to get up and go on a regular basis, you need to know that your vehicle will run on a moment's notice. Also, for all of you vintage scooter lovers, purchasing an old scooter with the hopes of restoring it to new glory can be a fun project, but restoring your scooter while using it as your primary means of transportation is a risky proposition unless you are handy.
2. Piaggio's New MP3 - Courtesy of Piaggo USA Scooters are made with many different engine sizes from as little as 25 and 50 to as many as 500ccs. What size of engine (i.e. how many CCs) of the scooter you should get depends on many things. Think about your weight, height and where you live. Are you tall? Do you live in a place that has lots of hills and other inclines? Do you plan to take your scooter on a highway? Do you plan on transporting a passenger on the back of your scooter ever? The harder you need the engine to work, the more power you need. If you're a person of larger stature who plans to get on the freeway with your scooter, opt for more power. If you're of average stature, live in a place like San Francisco that has many hills and plan to carry a passenger from time-to-time, a scooter in the 150 to 250cc range should suit your needs just fine.
3. Vintage 1959 Lambretta Decide how much you can spend on a scooter, being sure to factor in riding gear (helmets, gloves, boots, jacket, etc.), insurance and regular maintenance. Also decide if you want a new or used modern motor scooter or if you want to take the vintage that can sometimes be a "fixer-upper" route. The last thing to factor into the money mix is engine size. Typically, the more CCs a scooter is, the more money you'll need to budget. Depending on many variables, scooters run between $1,500 to $8,000 dollars.
4. Photo by: w.wali These days there are a multitude of options when it comes to selecting the right brand of scooter. Most people are familiar with Vespas, Lambrettas and Piaggios, but be sure to do your homework as shopping around and doing a bit more research will yield many additional alternatives. Not all scooters are created equal and even if many offer similar features, some may come with a few more or less bells and whistles like windshields, chrome bits and/or extended warranties. Sometimes the brands DOES make the name, but sometime you may pay more to own a more popular brand.
5. Gas powered or electric? Motor scooters are an affordable transportation option and these days manufacturers and dealers offer many options including an option for a gas powered motor scooter or an electric motor scooter. Gas-powered scoots tend to be more powerful, travel at faster speeds and typically can go further distances than electric scooters. If you want to avoid the ever changing gas line, don't mind sacrificing a little speed and want to go with a "greener" alternative then check out the latest modern electric scooter options. Either way, paying $3-$5 dollars for a tank of gas that will take you great distances is a much more appealing option to combat the ever-increasing costs we continue to see from gas stations at the pump.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to visit a local scooter dealer. Pictures are worth a thousand words, but being able to get touch and sit on different scooters is priceless.
• Talk to people who own scooters to get their perspectives on riding and why they purchased their scoot.
• Check out the Motorcycle Safety Foundation for additional information: www.msf-usa.org - to find a class in your area. Eighty percent of drivers involved in scooter accidents are self taught. Sure the class is around $200, but you learn the rules of the road and you get riding experience that could save your life and help you decide if two-wheeled riding is for you before you make a several thousand dollar investment in a vehicle.
• Go out and pick up a copy of Scoot! Quarterly - a scooter enthusiast publication that comes out four times a year. You can also order your own subscription online (www.scootquarterly.com)
• Consult your local DMV and DOT to find out the laws of your state prior to purchasing a scooter. Some states have stringent smog and emission codes, some states require a motorcycle license to operate a motor scooter on the road and some states don't require a helmet (although most do, thankfully).
• Never operate a vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol, especially as you have less protection on the road, your response times are slower and balancing you body weight on two wheels becomes more difficult after one drink.