Well, it had to happen sooner or later. Last week, I put the scooter (our Kymco People Mover 150 cc) away for the winter. For anyone who hasn’t ridden a scooter, I highly recommend it! Emasculating? Slightly. Dangerous? A tad. Fun? Definitely! And a great choice for an environmentally-friendly commute.
I’ll admit, it had gotten a little ridiculous. Don’t get me wrong- with the full ski suit, gloves, two scarves, full helmet, I was perfectly comfortable, but the snow/black ice was starting worry me a little.
My wife’s family introduced me to the virtues of scooters- no trouble finding parking, fill up your tank for well under $5 and, here’s the real bonus, at 85-170 miles per gallon, it’s a great way to lower your footprint. My father-in-law (a former fighter pilot and all-around thrill seeker) only turned to scooters after he crashed his BMW motorcycle into a deer at 50 mph (could’ve been faster than that, he says with a wink). We’ve had Hondas, Vespas, Kymcos and others. My wife stopped riding on back when she was pregnant with our son and her belly got too big- and, for some reason, she didn’t like my suggestion that she should just turn around and ride backwards. For about $20k less than a Prius, you can buy a top of the line scooter. And think of the money (and CO2) you’ll save on gas. The average commuter would save more than $300 a year by leaving the car in the garage in favor of a scooter. Admittedly, it made more sense when we were living in San Francisco and Los Angeles than here in wintry New England. I must say, though, the daily look of bewilderment on the face of that crossing guard I’d pass every morning was priceless.
It looked something like this:
Tuesday, 23. December 2008
What a hilarious photo! I loved the way it popped up just after you wrote about it!
And I am totally convinced about the scooter. Too bad I can’t have one here! Where would I put the car seats?
Friday, 26. December 2008
It may be a few months until it comes out of hibernation, but the Scooter will ride again! In the meantime, think snow