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BMW Scooter

:stick Repeat it all you want to, are you trying to convince us or yourself?

:nono Scooters on steroids are not motorcycles.
 
I do not like scooters being marketed as highway cruisers for the Geritol set.

I'm at the point where it's physically difficult to swing a leg. I don't much care what they call them, as long as I can still ride at interstate speeds, and I also wonder if they make knobbies in those sizes 'cause I like dirt roads.
 
I like a scooter for short trips to the store at the Jersey shore, half-helmet, T-shirt, flip flops and all.
I do not like scooters being marketed as highway cruisers for the Geritol set.

Think of this round of BMW scooter setting an upper bookmark for their scooters. As such there the potential is for a great deal of cross over between them and bikes and back when you get down to individual rider and use. They have been developing a bunch of scooters, both gas and electric, that better fit you idea of scooters. Which ones and when they will roll out is the question.
 
If it's 50cc or less it's a moped. If it looks like a moped but has a bigger engine than that it's a scooter.
 
50cc doesn't make a moped. Pedals make a moped. I have a Yamaha Vino 50cc and it is not a moped; it is a scooter.
 
OK ; here's my take on the subject.

A moped is a bicycle type frame with an exposed motor and probably pedals in case you cannot make it up the next hill. It can be anything from 50cc to what ever.
Yes there are 50 cc scooters but they have enclosed body work.

A Scooter is more likely to be an enclosed motor, some good inclement weather protection for the rider who needs cheap transport to get to work or run errands.
CC's have nothing to do with this , but i think it is generally accepted at less than 200cc's. Look at all the stuff that was in the market after WWII in Europe and then later in the 50's here in the states, Vespa, Lambretta, Puch, Adler as examples.
You know you lusted for one from Montgomery Ward's or Sears !!:dance

Now we have an aging generation of motorcyclists , who for what ever reason cannot or will not deal with a standard motorcycle.

I cut my riding teeth on a Whizzer Sportsman , and repairing the scooters of the time ( 50's) for the rich kids who could con their parents in to buying them and then tearing them up.

Got a lot of easy and cheap seat time, that led to a short stint as a club racer on motorcycles.

Let's remember there was a class for : 50cc , 75cc, 125cc and 250cc in international road racing for a long time. True , it was not all that popular here in the states. But the classes were hugely popular in the rest of the world.

When you think about the restrictive and intelligent licensing laws of other countries , smaller cc's make a lot of sense until you gain some real world riding experience.

So ; label them what ever you like, they are a great alternative for those of us who choose them for whatever reason:usa:usa
 
In Missouri a scooter is:

-Lessthan 50cc's
-automatic transmission
-top speed of not more than 30mph
-designed to carry only one person
-must have DOT approved lights, tires, horn, and mirrors.
-valid driver's license required, but not a M/C endorsement.
-no vehicle tag or insurance required.

I have one and it is perfect for in town errands. I do have the required milk crate zip tied to the rear rack for carrying things!:laugh

That said, if there was a maxi scooter suitable for two up touring, I would be first in line to buy one!
 
THis is 50cc, looks like a motorcycle, has a manual clutch and a foot shift transmission. Is this a moped?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5dAm8dNA9s&feature=related

From Wiki:
"A scooter is a motorcycle with step-through frame and a platform for the operator's feet."

A moped is a motorcycle which also has pedals (Mo(tor) Ped(als), which has been adopted by most plates for small scooters typically used around town and on college campuses, they figure it's not a huge step over a bicycle and no need to require a motorcycle license (for most states anyways). No need for pedals any more, you don't see this much on new machines.
The definition will vary from state to state. In Wisconsin to be considered a moped it is limited to 50cc, automatic transmission (CVT), and can't go over 30mph.

So a moped IS typically a scooter, but a scooter isn't neccesarily a moped.

For the TZR posted by sedanman, no that isn't a scooter, it is a motorcycle.
 
Scooters seem to be marketed toward the urban rider. The scooter provides better mobility in the urban environment than motorcycles. With the small wheels you can maneuver better at slower speeds. Also, with the automatic stop and go traffic is easier. I think scooters are designed to address the fact that more people are moving to cities. In theory, scooter sales should out-pace motorcycle sales. However, the problem in the USA is neither scooters or motorcycles get a break in most US cites. Both are registered vehicles and required to follow all the rules cars have. Additionally, despite being smaller both are required to pay full parking spots at least on the east coast. Baltimore, MD for example has no special parking for Motorcycles or Scooters. Additionally, many private garages in Baltimore, MD don't allow motorcycles for fear a motorcycle rider will get hit on the head from the wooden gate and sue. If scooters are ever going to take off in the US, scooters and cars needed to be treated differently at least for parking.
 
I wave at everyone (when I think of it) except uni-cyclists. I am to amazed by them to wave.
 
If I'm in town (a "big city" like Madison, which is full of college kids on scooters/mopeds), usually we are all too engrossed in not getting hit by a car or running over a pedestrian to wave. But in a more suburban setting I wave at scoots, out in the country I even wave at bicyclists, an being that I'm in Wisconsin, typically they wave back! Unless they are going up a decent-sized hill.
 
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