Month: May 2008

Don’t laugh, I have actually been thinking about buying a scooter. I’m willing to trade my pride for 75-120 miles per gallon. Hey… I might even start my own scooter gang.

Scootin’ along: More people opting for 2-wheel solution to save money on fuel

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Watch out drivers – there are more scooter and moped riders out there.

As gas prices soar, more and more drivers are looking for two-wheeled alternatives.

Scooters and mopeds are growing in popularity among commuters, allowing them to keep their cars in the garage to help reduce emissions for the quick trips around town.

Nationally, fuel-sipping scooters are surging in popularity from 12,000 sold in 1997 as compared to 131,000 in 2007, according to statistics compiled by the Motorcycle Industry Council in Irvine, Calif.

“It seems like when we’ve seen these recent spikes in fuel prices, that there has been a correlation in sales,” said Mike Mount, a spokesman for the industry group.

For some people, bicycling takes too long or leaves work clothes crumpled.

In Missoula, Dr. Diana Griffith fills up her yellow scooter for about $4 and uses it to commute to Community Medical Center where she works in the emergency room. She only refuels about once a month.

Griffith, 33, bought her Genuine Scooter Co. Buddy last year, paying about $2,000. A petite woman, Griffith said her scooter is easy to maneuver. She rode it last year from April to October. It gets about 90-120 miles per gallon.

“My scooter paid for itself in one summer,” she said. “I have a small SUV and it seems like a huge waste of gas and amount of emissions to be just driving alone.”

She’s also takes her bicycle on errands and says she feels safe riding in town, saying most Missoulians are cognizant of two-wheeled travelers.

Even though the scooter can travel up to speeds of about 70 mph, she said she wouldn’t take it on the highway.

“There are a lot more people on scooters this summer because of the gas prices,” she said. “The more visible we are, then the safer we are.”

Tyler Gilman bought his candy-apple red scooter recently to save on gas for his four-mile commute from home to downtown Missoula.

He spent about $3,000 for his Piaggio Fly, a cousin of the manufacturer’s more famous Vespa, which means “wasp” in Italian. The Fly gets about 70 miles per gallon.

“At the end of the day it is fun to hop on that thing and cruise around,” Gilman said.

Initially, he said his girlfriend was concerned about the image of a man on a scooter. But, she’s now a convert.

“If you don’t watch yourself, the scooter has the tendency to put you in the posture of a prissy woman. It’s very Euro,” he said. “I’m not out to break down any barriers, but vanity will only take you so far on the other side of $3.50 a gallon.”

Genevieve Giroux, who teaches French at the University of Montana, bought a used Honda moped last July for about $600 and zips around town. Its maximum speed? Twenty-seven mph.

She said she scoots around town to run errands on her moped. Legally, she can ride in the bike lane because her moped has pedals. She said she always wears a helmet.

“It’s so old, it doesn’t have directionals, so I use my hands to signal,” she said. “I have an orange helmet and the moped is yellow, so people can see me. There are only a few people with the mopeds. People respect us.”

Nancy McCourt, co-owner of Scooterville in downtown Missoula, said spring is a busy season for scooter sales. But interest has been more pronounced this year because of the gas prices.

“I’m getting a lot of people who’re saying, ‘I never thought I would be buying a scooter,’ ” she said. “They are driven here because of the gas prices.”

Bicycle riding remains popular, but “not everyone can ride up Whitaker (Drive),” she said.

She said they try to match the transportation needs of consumers who step into her small shop on West Broadway. McCourt urges them to enroll in a motorcycle rider safety class, insure their scooters and wear helmets.

She’s noted a shift in the traditional demographic of buyers, including young couples who don’t want to buy a second car, and professional women ages 25 to 45.

These days, the spectrum is larger, and the most striking demographic shift includes guys with pickup trucks and SUVs.

“They still want to keep their rig, but want something to ride to work,” she said.

A culture around scooters is emerging, with scooter rallies and group rides, she said.

Chad Eckley, manager of Five Valley Honda/Yamaha on U.S. Highway 93, estimated their sales have doubled as the fuel prices climb upward.

“For a lot of people, it is realistically a free machine when they figure how much they’ll save in gas,” he said.

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