What’s So Great About Scooters?

“What’s So Great About Scooters? Why Should You Care?” That is the title of a blog entry that is trying to convince us that scooters should be taken seriously in America. In actuality, the article is full of misinformation and opinions fueled by a lack of knowledge. So why should we care about this poor writer? Because his article appears under the New York Times masthead, which is going to give it (underserved) credibility.

His intention is good, and I agree that scooters can reduce traffic congestion and fuel imports. But the fallacies he spreads are dangerous. And he practically contradicts himself by implying that scooters are smelly and lawless in Europe before telling us we should adopt them here. He talks about how great the small, efficient scooters in Europe are, then comes to America and gets a bigger, less efficient scooter because, well, this is America, baby!

The discussion going on there includes a lot of people bragging about their own preferred brand of transportation. The pious Prius owners pipe up, proclaiming their own smug superiority (conveniently ignoring how much they pay for it compared to a scooter). Motorcyclists talk about how much safer a motorcycle feels (but I notice that people who say that have almost never ridden a scooter… so how would they know?) And the bicyclists chime in (but acknowledge that arriving sweaty after a work-out in 85-degree heat isn’t the optimal commute).

Scooters are cheaper and more efficient than any car sold today. Yes, there are compromises in collision safety and storage, but nobody is proposing to eliminate one or the other. We still need both. And motorcycles have their place, but scooters are easier to ride. For those who don’t understand why, here it is in a nutshell: no clutch. And yes, I do have both a motorcycle and a scooter (and a car) and I don’t feel any less safe on my scooter than I do on the motorcycle. It’s just… different. It depends upon where your mental safety zone is. If horsepower and stability over obstacles are your thing, get a motorcycle. If you want confidence starting out at intersections, even on steep hills, and you don’t mind slowing down for corners, a scooter is going to be fun too. What you may lose in feel by not straddling a scooter you probably gain with a lower center of gravity. And I’m pretty sure I’m less likely to lose a leg if I’m side-swiped on a scooter.

People who tell you that scooters are polluting and smelly probably got that impression from old 2-stroke scooters, not the modern fuel-injected, liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, catalytic-converted scooters being sold today. And there are just as many safety concerns with an idiot behind the wheel of a Lincoln Navigator as there are for a responsible person on two-wheels… the main difference being that the Navigator driver is more likely to kill you than themselves.

Scooters aren’t for everyone. But I believe that they are for more people than know it yet. So don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. And do your homework first. Whether you’re buying a scooter, or just writing an article about them.