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Thursday, June 5, 2008
Scooters looking better everyday
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
He started riding a scooter in 1955.
Then, Bill Scoggins was 13. Gas was cheap - 15 or 20 cents a gallon. The Atlanta native rode a Cushman scooter to school and to deliver The Atlanta Journal.
“Now gas is almost $4 a gallon, and I am still riding one,” said Scoggins, 66, who rides a scooter from his Lawrenceville home to his business, Scooter World. “I like them because you’re out in nature and you can smell the roses and enjoy the scenery.
“I am a 365-day rider.”
Scoggins has seen an uptick in customers at his shop off Grayson Highway in Lawrenceville. You know why. Gas prices. The shift from four wheels to two reflects a national trend. Some dealers have reported sales boosts as high as 30 percent when compared with this time last year.
And that’s what brought the Badie Tour to Scooter World. I wanted to talk to someone who knows scooters, maybe ride one.
Scoggins has sold motorcycles, scooters and mopeds since 1985. He recalls two other scooter surges. One was during the 1990 recession. The other was two years ago, when gas inched toward $3 a gallon. Neither period, though, compares to the current traffic flow in his service and sales shop.
“I have seen more people in three months - and that’s 90 days - seriously in the market to buy than I have the past 10 years,” he told me. “I’ve had quite a few sales. I see people every week come in here who are getting 15 or 20 miles per gallon in their vehicles. With a scooter, you can get from 80 miles per gallon on the little one to 60 on the bigger ones.”
Scoggins specializes in the more popular engines - the 49 cc (top speed is 35 miles per hour); the 150 cc (60 mph) and 300 cc engine (80 to 85 mph). More power equals a higher price tag. A new scooter with a 300 cc engine runs about $4,000. (You don’t have to have a tag or insurance to operate a 49 cc scooter. A tag, insurance and motorcycle license are required to operate anything bigger.”
How practical is it to ride a scooter in Gwinnett traffic?
Before answering that question, Scoggins told me what he usually tells customers: If you’ve never ridden a two-wheeler, or haven’t done so in months or years, take a safety course. At the very least, practice starting, braking and accelerating in a parking lot before hitting the streets.
“I can tell right off how skilled or unskilled a customer is,” he told me. “The main thing is balance. If you can ride a bike, you can ride a scooter. The only difference is you have a throttle for gas. You have to know when to give the gas and when to stop.”
As for scooting down Gwinnett roads, Scoggins does it all the time, weather permitting. He said only a seasoned driver should brave busy arteries like Ga. 316 and U.S. 78.
“I tell people you can go from Maine to Miami on secondary roads and never get on the interstate,” he said. “Highway-capacity scooters are ideal for secondary roads. If you are going on [U.S.] 78 or [Ga.] 316, I would drive with caution - unless you’re an expert driver.”
Scoggins and I didn’t navigate a busy road, but we did cruise through a nearby neighborhood. The view was panoramic. The breeze delightful. Fun ride.
Rick Badie’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact him at 770-263-3875 or e-mail: rbadie@ajc.com.
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