Americans are finally following the footsteps (or scooter tracks) of Europeans. With gas prices going up, up and up, scooters are becoming more and more attractive. According to the Motorcycle Industry scooter sales were up 66% in the first half of 2008 compared to a year ago. As reported in an article on CNN Money, during that same time period, motorcycle sales overall only increased 0.5%.
So why the interest in scooters verses motorcycles? A motorcycle gets between 40 and 60 miles per gallon while a scooter gets between 60 and 100 miles per gallon. Plus, scooters tend to cost less. Take Honda for instance: the two 2009 Honda scooter brands – the Rucqus and the Metropolitan – both sell for just over $2,000. In contrast, a Honda motorcycle starts around $3,000 and maxes out near $25,000.
Sales of scooters– especially smaller, more affordable styles– have been outstanding.
The owners of the Vespa, Piaggio and Aprilia scooter brands saw a 100.5% increase in scooter sales in May 2008 compared to May 2007. In June, sales were 147% higher than the previous June and in July, sales were 173% higher. Yamaha saw a 99.8% increase in U.S. scooter sales from September 2007 through July 2008 over the same period a year ago