Talkin' Scooters

I've had more people ask me about scooters this week than I have in ages. I guess gas has finally hit that point: the point where people think about changing their behavior. People are giving scooters and motorcycles a second thought. There are 2 more guys at my office that just started riding fixed-up old motorcycles under 500cc. Today I had a coworker tell me, "Last year when you showed up with a scooter, I thought 'what is Gerry doing?' But now I think you're the smartest guy here."

Nolmi Emailed me last weekend asking for advice on purchasing a cheap scooter. Maybe she saw something like these at Horsepower Enterprises, LLC at the corner of N. Prince St. and W. McGovern Ave.:

They sure look sporty, don't they? And 150cc for only $1,999! But keep in mind that these are machines. Vehicles, not toys. They're going to need maintenance and oil changes. Ask yourself this: if something breaks, where am I going to get it fixed? Even if somebody says they will support them, where are they going to get parts? Does the manufacturer have a supply network that will get peices to you in a timely manner? That sporty scooter won't be saving you any gas if it's in the garage waiting on parts.

I'm not saying these particular scooters are no good. I don't know anything about them. But as the scooter market heats up in the USA, there will be an influx of Asian products hoping to find a niche. And some of them will be crap. There is a tradition of producing generic scooters and shipping them to the USA to be re-badged. You can find Schwinns (which are not the Schwinn you remember from your childhood: the name was sold) and Lambrettas (same story). There are horror stories on the intranet from people who bought a $700 scooter at Pep Boys that fell apart on the ride home. Some scooter distributers are only interested in selling scooters to dealers. They sell them 4 or 5 units, and a hardware store is a suddenly in the scooter business. But will they be in that same business 3 years from now? Where will you find your friendly neighborhood Xingyue dealer then?

As I was looking at the scooters above, I met Rich the Italian plumber. He was out riding for fun on this Honda Reflex Sport. This bike is closer to $5,500. Of course it's 250cc, also. But it's solid. And it's backed by Honda's network of dealers. Rich had many of the same reasons for buying Japanese that I did. Honda makes some $2,000 scooters too, and they can be had used for less than that.

Besides the big three Japanese brands (Kawasaki doesn't send any scooters to the USA), there is Genuine Scooter Company. Genuine is an American company with headquarters in Chicago. I think their scooters are made in Korea, but they are gaining a reputation. Time will tell if they turn out to be a long-term trusted name. There is also, of course, Piaggio and Vespa. But like Genuine, they don't have dealers in Lancaster.

Speaking of Vespa, Rich told me about a local scooter club that rides and restores Vespas. I knew about them last year, but could never find them. But I have the details now and will be checking them out. Vespas are their own culture, about which I know very little.