Driving a bargain - Scooters on upswing as gas prices climb
Wherever Brian Sartorelli goes, he knows he looks ridiculous. The 25-year-old auto parts salesman spends his weekdays driving to see clients around Concord on a 1987 Honda Aero Scooter. Sartorelli is 6-feet, 4-inches tall.
But he takes the finger-pointing and the laughing and the honking in stride.
“Joke’s on you, because I’m spending $5 a week on gas, and I’m driving as much as you,” he said. “If you can get over the fact that you look ridiculous, it’s economical and it’s practical and it’s the smart thing to do.”
Drivers across the state have been letting go of their inhibitions this summer and scooping up scooters, which enthusiasts say are a safe and cost-effective alternative to cars as gas prices continue to climb. The state had registered a thousand more scooters as of last week than they had at this time last year, and dealers said they can’t get their hands on new models fast enough.
Sartorelli has had his scooter since 2005, when he resurrected the dusty bike from his girlfriend’s grandmother’s basement. It gets about 90 mpg and costs just $2.85 to fill up, which Sartorelli does only twice a week.
He said his scooter is lightweight, easy to maneuver, convenient for parking, and “incredible amounts of fun.” And not all the attention is negative, he said. What started as gentle ribbing from friends and stares from fellow drivers has turned into enthusiasm and inquiries about the scooter’s effectiveness.
“You get more honks and waves on that thing than you would in a Porsche or a Ferrari,” he said.
When Sartorelli bought a second scooter last summer for $200, he was able to resell it a couple months later for $300 to a teenager. Instead of a first car, the boy got a first scooter because he doesn’t have the money for gas, Sartorelli said.
That was when he noticed “the scooter craze,” he said.
“I probably could go three or four days without seeing a scooter at the beginning of summer, but now you see them everywhere,” he added.
At Freedom Cycle, the former Concord Motorcycle shop on Sheep Davis Road, Manager Rob Kisel said they’ve been sold out of all 2007 and 2008 scooters for weeks. It’s the same for other dealers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, with whom the shop works. They can’t even turn to the manufacturers - they’re struggling to keep up with demand also, Kisler said.
“We’re all in the same boat,” he said. “There’s just nothing available.”
Kisler said the scooter craze started at the end of April and was in full swing by mid-May. The shop sold 45 scooters, its entire inventory, in three weeks.
They now have a waiting list of six people, with a few more undecided, who have put down a deposit and are waiting for the next scooter to arrive. Kisler said customers are willing to wait for the longevity and cost savings that a scooter provides.
The shop carries Hondas, Yamahas and Suzukis, and most models are small and slow enough that a rider doesn’t need a motorcycle license under state law. The smallest models — engines 50 cubic centimeters or smaller — can get between 100 and 125 miles per gallon and cost between $800 and $2,000.
“If you live less than 5 miles from work, you’re only going to fill that thing up once a week,” Kisler said.
At the Segway shop on Hall Street, Manager Don Cheney said the 50 cc scooters, which the state classifies as mopeds, are the most popular seller. The shop sold between 40 and 50 models a month from their Keeway and Redstreak scooter lines during June and July. The sales surge started in April and has only increased since fuel topped $4 a gallon, Cheney said.
“Most of the people coming to us are coming for something to improve their fuel mileage,” he said.
Moped registrations have increased by nearly a third this year, from 3,274 registered in August 2007 to 4,339 registered as of last week, according to Katie Daley, a supervisor with the Division of Motor Vehicles and the motorcycle rider training coordinator.
“It’s definitely a significant different,” Daley said.
Motorcycle registrations, by comparison, have gone up just 6 percent since last year, from 72,997 to 77,519. Many of those may even include larger scooters - greater than 50 cc engines - that the state classifies as motorcycles, Daley said. Those models can go up to 65 mph, but drivers must complete rider safety training and pass a test to get a motorcycle license before they can take them on the road.
Safety is definitely a concern, Daley said. New Hampshire drivers aren’t used to seeing mopeds or motorcycles during winter months, and Daley said she wants to make sure motorists are aware that there are more scooters on the road.
Daley also recommends training for scooter riders, even though riders of smaller models aren’t required to take the $110 basic rider course. The course teaches proper techniques for turning, stopping, accelerating, and maneuvering. More people have signed up for training this year, a good sign, she said.
Aside from the potential safety issues, space constraints are another downside.
Eric Dyment, who bought his $250 moped three years ago on the side of the road, said he only uses it to cruise around town, “joy ride” with friends or run errands. His Toyota Corolla has increasingly taken a back seat to the scooter as gas prices increased, but Dyment said he still needs the car often.
“I do a lot of outdoor activities, so I’m still pretty dependent on my car to carry my gear and stuff,” he said.
Kisler said most models come with a storage compartment that can hold a laptop case or a messenger bag. But Dyment said making a trip to the grocery store is next to impossible on the scooter, even if he balances items between his legs.
The scooter gets plenty of use though - Dyment shares it with his younger brother, Alex, a college student. And he would still recommend it as an alternative mode of transportation.
“If you’re living in Concord it’s ideal, because you can get anywhere in Concord on a moped,” he said.
Although New England weather may be an impediment for some newcomers, diehard riders say they bundle up when it’s cold and cover up when it’s raining.
“It was probably about two weeks out of each year that I couldn’t drive because the roads were either covered with snow and ice,” said Brian Ducharme, who founded the New Hampshire Scooter Club in 2003.
A web designer, Durcharme decided to create a site for the state’s scooter riders to trade maintenance tips. (Scooters need regular tune-ups every 500 to 600 miles, he said.)
The club’s website, nh-scooters.com, is now one of the most heavily trafficked scooter sites in the world, with more than 10,000 members around the world, Ducharme said.
In Boston and other major cities, large communities of vintage scooter riders have developed a cult-like following, he said. But New Hampshire riders are much more laid back, and Ducharme said most riders are just looking for a cheap, fun way to get around.
As long as gas prices stay where they are, he said the scooter trend is going to keep growing.
A new club, Gate City Scoots, just launched a website in Nashua last month and held its first group ride there last weekend. And in Manchester, EagleRider NH Motorcycle Rental is now offering scooter rentals for $25 an hour as part of their new “try it before you buy it” program. They have 10 scooters to rent or buy.
“Over the course of the summer, we’ve been getting a lot of calls for the scooter rentals,” owner Jug Clough said. “We got a bunch of hits on our website overnight, so it might work.”
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