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Easy ridersGMI
Thursday, March 24, 2005 By ABAGAIL LEICHMAN
Scoot over, motorcycles. Make room for your more mild-mannered cousins. We're talking about motor scooters - not the kind you can get at a toy store for your kid, but the engine-under-the-seat, fully automatic road vehicles that you need a motorcycle license to operate. These vehicles are gaining in popularity for their ease of use, great gas mileage and pure fun factor. The U.S. scooter market has grown considerably over the past three years, and the Motorcycle Industry Council projects that trend is likely to continue. Why? Scooters, which technically are smaller-wheeled motorcycles, cost less, make less noise and have a lower center of gravity. Most have an electric starter and an automatic transmission, so they're easier to master. Many people find them more comfortable because you don't have to straddle the bike. And scooters have the storage space that most motorcycles lack.
The newest model, the Vespa PX 150 series, debuted this month. Available in red, silver or black, this four-speed with a 500cc engine can reach 56 mph. Its suggested retail price is $4,200. In keeping with its retro image, however, it has a manual gearbox - rare for today's scooters. People are still snapping up Vespa's previous offering, the 200cc Granturismo, says Gene Merideth, owner of Vespa Cedar Grove. The $5,000 machine (available in vintage green, black or steel gray) can reach 75 mph, gets 60 to 70 miles per gallon and has a liquid-cooled engine. "This is the scooter America has wanted," Merideth says. "It has large enough wheels and a powerful enough engine to handle local highway commuting. You could even take it to Philadelphia or Baltimore." Here is a quick look at some of this season's other scooter options: # Piaggio, Vespa's parent company, has just introduced a souped-up scooter, the X9 Evolution ($6,300), that blurs the line between motorcycles and motor scooters. This 500cc model features computer-operated disc brakes, fuel injection and a top running speed of 98 mph. Merideth also carries two Indian brands, Stella and Bajaj, which have a vintage look and start at $2,900. # This season, Yamaha has added a more powerful model to its motor scooter line, says Gary Peccarelli, a sales associate at Kawasaki Yamaha Sport Center in Pompton Plains. The liquid-cooled Majesty ($5,899) has disc brakes, a variable-speed automatic transmission and a fuel-injected 400cc engine, which is much bigger than the one in Yamaha's previous model, the 125cc, retro-looking Vino ($2,599). It gets up to 60 miles per gallon. The little Zuma ($1,899) is still the store's best-selling motor scooter, though. It has a 50cc engine but boasts bigger-than-usual tires and dual headlights, while most scooters have just one. # The Suzuki Bergman 400 ($5,699) and 650 ($7,799) can reach speeds of almost 100 mph, says Eric Gotthardt, sales associate at Kawasaki-Suzuki-Yamaha of Ramsey. "We don't sell a lot of scooters, but the ones we do sell are mostly for business commuting," Gotthardt says. Many of these customers, he says, are riders whose legs can't take the gear-changing wear and tear. Get instruction first Motor scooter fans say it takes just minutes to learn how to operate these bikes. If you already ride a motorcycle, Peccarelli warns that it will take a little adjusting to get used to the feel of a scooter. "But it's easier to maneuver, and it has a better turning radius than a motorcycle," he said. "You just give it gas and go." Dealers recommend that you take lessons before you board a scooter on the road, and they recommend instruction geared toward motorcyclists. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation's RiderCourse, given at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck during two weekend days and one night ($250), requires a valid motorcycle permit. Helmets and motorcycles are supplied. The next course begins in May. Information: (800) 338-3887. E-mail: leichman@northjersey.com
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