Friday, October 05, 2007

New 2008 Motor Scooters Using Big 16inch Wheels

A new trend in some 2008 motor scooters is the use of big 16inch wheels. With the bigger tires, these scooters are less prone to street potholes and likely far safer than models with only 10 or 12inch wheels. There are also some very modern hightechlike styling cues in some 2008 motor scooters as well. This seems to build on the popularity of the "Euro" styling of many scooters in the recent past model years.

While from a technical standpoint, many scooters seem very similiar to the current models, the quality of the construction seems to keep improving. The Chinese made scooters for example continue to vastly improve in quality and are worthy to consider against higher priced models from Europe due to the low prices, good quality, and great gas mileage. One new model scooter from China now claims as many as 142mpg fuel economy.

Motor scooters continue to climb in popularity as fuel prices continue to climb and many find scooters a fun alternative to the large automobile. One of the biggest growth is buyers over 45 who find motor scooters to be an excellent form of reliable, low cost and fun transportation.

Government could also help to promote the extreme fuel economy of motor scooters by allowing all motor scooters with 150cc and below engine size to be registered as mopeds. Currently only those scooters under 50cc are usually allowed to be registered as mopeds. All motor scooters generally require a valid driver's license as well as motorcycle insurance, however the added cost for a motorcycle endorsement to legally drive motor scooters over 50cc adds $40 or more to driver's license costs as well as involves additional tests that usually have more costs involved as well. All of this only limits the number of high mileage motor scooters that could be sold and reduce fuel consumption for the U.S. and result in big reductions in pollution. More liberal licensing could be a big boost for a wider market for high mileage motor scooters and really benefit American society, and only leave motorcycle licensing for high performance type vehicles capable of very high speeds where great skills are required for safe operation. Many 50cc mopeds only have about 1.9-4hp. Allowing motor scooters up to 150cc to be registered as mopeds would allow many 8-14hp models to be included, giving a little more power for carrying groceries or books from school, or the ability to use roads rated over 30mph to drive to work.