Comments on: Gas Prices Got You Down? Buy a Scooter!

By: Rob Scanlan

Rob Scanlan — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 06:02:39 +0000

I have been riding, off and on, for 18 years. My first experience was with a rented 49 cc Honda Spree scooter. I toured Victoria BC on it and loved every moment. Two years later I took a motorcycle safety course. I bought a 550 cc Yamaha Vision motorcycle. It was mechanically problematic and a little scary at times. I rode the bike all the way from Brampton Ontario to St. John’s Newfoundland (a journey of just over 3000 kilometers). I kept the bike a year and shed no tears when I sold it to my brother-in-law. While in Europe a few years later I rented another scooter. Again, I loved it. A year later I decided to buy myself a 250 cc Honda Elite scooter(very reliable but ugly). The cost: $600. I rode it for five years, sometimes in very cold weather. I sold it because I needed to buy a snow blower. The other reason: my children were young and I had stopped riding. I sold the Honda for more than what I paid for it. Try that with a car. Recently, I bought another scooter: a 49 cc Yamaha BWS (known as the “Zuma” in the US). I just love this thing. It has fat tires, two headlights, tons of storage space and is surprisingly peppy (off the line). In two weeks, I have used it for commuting to work. I have visited clients with it (I’m a social worker). I have used it to drop my son off at art class and my daughter off at gymnastics. I have used to pick up groceries. A 15 pound turkey fit very easily under my seat. Try that on a regular motorcycle. When the gas gauge nears empty, I can barely squeeze $5 into the tank. In conclusion, I also own a very fuel efficient car (a Corolla) and a gas guzzling minivan (a Sedona). But my favourite ride is my scooter.

By: Dan Braasch

Dan Braasch — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:13:06 +0000

Hi fuel additives,

I did not buy a motorcycle, I bought a scooter, specifically a Yamaha Vino 125. That stands for 125cc, by the way (small engine). It has a CVT trans, so no shifting in heavy traffic. Scooters are typically much better on gas than motorcycles are.

Dan

By: fuel additives

fuel additives — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 17:51:28 +0000

I was tempted to get a motorcycle at one point, but I just know that I’d kill myself on one of those things!

So did you get a bullet bike, or more of a Harley style? I think if I was going to get a motorcycle it would be either a Harley or a Chopper.

By: Don

Don — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:10:47 +0000

Hey All,

I’ve seriously considered a scooter, only a few things are holding me back.

1/ Winter is fast approaching. So I’d have to drive a car anyways (I really do hate the cold and my ultimate goal is to live somewhere that has a low of 15 at night during the winter….).

2/ Cost. I’m at the point where I need a different car (selling my Volare on ebay at the moment) and one that my wife can drive.

So a scooter is considerable for next spring at this point in my life.

By: Dan Braasch

Dan Braasch — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:20:12 +0000

I just turned 2000 miles this morning on my scooter, and thought it would be a good time to look at the savings in gas.

Normally I drove my car 4000 miles during this time (1000 miles per month). The cost was:
4000 divided by 26MPG = 153.84 gallons at $4/gal = $615.38.

So far I’ve been able to ride the scooter ½ the time, so:
Scooter: 2000 divided by 88MPG = 22.7 gallons at $4/gal = $90.80.
Car: 2000 divided by 26MPG = 76.92 gallons at $4/gal = $307.69
Total: 99.62 gallons = $398.49

Gas savings: 54.22 gallons = $216.88, a 35% reduction in fuel use.

And the scooter’s MPG has been around 90 lately, so it has been getting better than the 88 I used for my calcutions, which is my overall average during the 2000 miles. It gets better the longer I own it.

Of course, these numbers do not take into account saving 50% of the wear and tear on the car, which is much more expensive than wear and tear on the scooter, (which is also easier to work on). It also does not take into account the cost of the scooter nor insurance for it.

Just think if everyone dropped their fuel use by 35%!

Dan