How many scooter riders do you see each day?

[AMAC1680]

I see one every other day if I'm lucky.

Amac where in Jersey you from?

Mantoloking just south of Pt. Pleasant on the north jersey shore.

Be Big,
AMAC

[ts1]

I bet a lot of you folks see a lot of scooters during your week - maybe even every day?
Yes?

Yes!

[wakeupmaggie]

Mantoloking just south of Pt. Pleasant on the north jersey shore.

Be Big,
AMAC

I don't see any scooters around ever - maybe one of you two once in a while?

I am from Somerset County, NJ between Somerville and Morristown.

[ScooterCommuter]

I see quite a few here in the Minneapolis/St Paul area in MN. Various brands and models, but a lot of Kymcos. 50s are extremely popular as downtown commuters and campus transportation for students at the U. Lots of 125s zipping around the metro area too. Now that my daily commute is highways across the metro area rather than side streets into downtown, I see fewer of them of course, but I spotted a couple of dt300s recently and a few days ago I think I was a couple vehicles behind a red xciting at the us169/i394 intersection (if that was one of you guys, I was the gold one couple cars behind you) Seen a couple of Burgmans too.

(I'm not counting the different scoots I see all ridden by the same guy near the Cedar/Riverside exits, that would be the mechanic from Scooterville doing test rides)

[Bubba]

I live in Bettendorf, IA haha and im lucky to see more than 3 a week. Our scooter club that I started only has 5 scooters in it.. In the future more people will talk less crap and get one because its efficient.

[Stig / Major Tom]

I see quite a few here in the Minneapolis/St Paul area in MN. Various brands and models, but a lot of Kymcos. 50s are extremely popular as downtown commuters and campus transportation for students at the U. Lots of 125s zipping around the metro area too. Now that my daily commute is highways across the metro area rather than side streets into downtown, I see fewer of them of course, but I spotted a couple of dt300s recently and a few days ago I think I was a couple vehicles behind a red xciting at the us169/i394 intersection (if that was one of you guys, I was the gold one couple cars behind you) Seen a couple of Burgmans too.

(I'm not counting the different scoots I see all ridden by the same guy near the Cedar/Riverside exits, that would be the mechanic from Scooterville doing test rides)

Why are scooters so big in Minneapolis? You guys have that famous scooter shop as well. Aren't you folks pretty far north for so many scooters?! What's your secret?

[ScooterCommuter]

Why are scooters so big in Minneapolis? You guys have that famous scooter shop as well. Aren't you folks pretty far north for so many scooters?! What's your secret?

I couldn't find figures for scooters specifically, but taking "registered motorcycles" as a whole (so including all scoots over 50cc, also our friends on their spyders etc) the top 10 states in "motorcycles per capita" are MT, SD, NH, IA, WY, WI, ND, MN, VT, ID.

So, we have this indication of a strong two wheeled community. Now consider that many of these states have a lot of sparsely populated rural area and a few major cities forming the centers of densely populated areas. Their simple practicality for the urban environment will increase the use of the smaller scoots not included in the "motorcycles per capita", further swelling that number and it will also slightly skew the fraction of "motorcycles" that are actually larger scooters.

Now let's put the cherry on the cake. Scooterville is RIGHT next to a few college campuses, including the UofM, and the U has dedicated moped parking spots all over campus. I'd bet a significant # of the students taking advantage of those will later become motorcyclists or ride bigger scoots.

Plus, the mere fact that Scooterville is there means you can GET them locally, and get them serviced too.

[wheelsoffreedom76]

   I see scooters every time I go out, and hear them drive by my house if the windows are open. Around here Kymco, Eton, Honda scooters are available between the two motorcycle shops we have. Most of the scooters I see are agility 50's.

[AVGuy]

That’s an interesting article. I live in Texas and a two day safety course, insurance, and driver license stamp are all required.

In Indiana, 49cc scooters are treated like bicycles, not motorcycles. No tags, license or insurance required. Many of the riders have lost their drivers license and scoots are the only motorized transportation they can legally ride.

They're referred to as DUI scooters, liquor scoots and other colorful names. If you're seen riding one, it's assumed you've lost your license.

Most of these riders don't pay much attention to the traffic laws, hence the high number of accidents. The state legislature will wind up passing more stringent laws eventually.

My 250cc Grand Vista is classified the same as a motorcycle, so I had to get my MC endorsement, plates and insurance, which I was happy to do.

[GLV55]

Here in the Boise, ID area, I only see about 1 - 2 scooters per week on my way to work and back, but I see a LOT of pick ups! Go figure! A lot more scooters in the downtown area around Boise State University, however.

[TroutBum]

Riding around Silicon Valley it can range from 1 to as many as a 12. Mostly Vespas. When in San Francisco the range is higher. I say 20 to 50. I see more on the weekends. Seems with the congestion on the avenues many in San Francisco take to scooters. The majority I say are students and young adults.