Help-Need Input

[Vasilisa Jade]

This probably seems boring, but I need opinions on the buying of Mopeds and Motorcycles for my Jouranlism class. I'm trying to get as many as I can.

If you were a broke college student - or broke anybody would the price of gasoline drive you to buy a motorcycle or moped-thingy? confused - (apparently there are different types, of which I have not looked into yet)

Do you think the type of town you live in (rural, city, college-town) would affect your decision in possible alternative transportation?

Would your income?

Status as student v.s. non-student?

In the end this revolves around gas prices, but these other factors I figured could be thrown in as well.

I know this is wierd and stupid. I had to pick some sort of topic to gather a "story" on, and this one was the easiest. None were all that great.

Thank You all for your thoughts in advance.

 

[Willamena]

If I was a student, the price of gas would drive me to ride a bicycle.

 

[Valjean]

Boring?!! Not at all! Two wheels are a great student alternative to cars or trucks. Most are cheaper to buy. Many -- but not all -- get much better gas mileage than cars. Insurance, liability anyway, is way cheaper than cars. They can get through traffic faster than cars and they're really easy to park right next to wherever your going.

From your post I get the impression you don't know much about motorcycles/scooters/mopeds.
What, exactly, do you need to know about buying motorcycles and moped-thingys?

 

[Somkid]

We have a Yamaha Neuvo its a cross between a motorcycle and a scooter but my wife and I use it if we don't have the children with us or we use it individually to run to the market or post office, most people here do the same it has little to do with fuel prices but I guess it adds up as fueling the bike only costs about $3 per month. I would say in general anything over 5km I will use the car unless I'm doing major shopping but our cars are generally fuel efficient as they have much smaller engines then North American cars. I don't know if that is the kind of answer your looking for if you want to know more let me know and I be happy to tell you, I could even take some photos of the morning commute if that would help you, you won't believe how many scooters there are.

 

[Vasilisa Jade]

From your post I get the impression you don't know much about motorcycles/scooters/mopeds.
What, exactly, do you need to know about buying motorcycles and moped-thingys?

Well, I've got a better start now that I know a moped is foot operated and a scooter is what I see mostly lol. I called and interviewed an owner of a dealer who sells them. What you said is great though! I am looking for good stuff I can turn into quotes for the "story." I am not used to Jouranlism so this kind of writing makes me feel like a fish out of water. I am trying to grasp at anything I can get ahold of. lol.

it has little to do with fuel prices but I guess it adds up as fueling the bike only costs about $3 per month. I would say in general anything over 5km I will use the car unless I'm doing major shopping but our cars are generally fuel efficient as they have much smaller engines then North American cars.

That's good info, as I am trying to pull together all the benefits of a scooter versus a car/truck. I am strarting to see it seems to have more of an accessibilty benefit instead of the cost effective benefit that I was planning for.

I don't know if that is the kind of answer your looking for if you want to know more let me know and I be happy to tell you, I could even take some photos of the morning commute if that would help you, you won't believe how many scooters there are.

That was perfect. And if there was a way I could stick a picture into it that would have been beyond perfect as well! Thank You so much! It feels good to know I have so many intellegent beyond brilliant people who can help me out with stuff like this

 

[Somkid]

One thing to keep in mind is our average year round temperature is 75 degrees (here in the north), as a matter of fact I don't have heat in my car they didn't install the control and they plugged the place where the heater core goes so it is practical for us but not for Northern, North America.

 

[Valjean]

So is it scooters you're interested in? (Mopeds, by the way, are not "foot operated." Foot operated = bicycle.
Mopeds generally have foot actuated ignitions, after which they operate like tiny, one or two gear motorcycles. In the US they're generally limited to 50 ml displacement engines and about 20 MPH).

Scooters are very user-friendly and easy to operate. Those imported to the US usually have automatic or continuously variable transmissions. They get good mileage. They are less expensive than cars. Liability insurance is practically nothing. They have a surprising amount of storage space under the seat -- though expanding this with saddlebags or Top Boxes can be problematic. You can park them in tiny spaces right next to wherever you're going. I even see them parked on sidewalks or right outside the library or Student Union. Nobody ever seems to ticket them.
Scooters, as urban commuter vehicles, have much to recommend them.

Minuses:
With all two-wheeled vehicles, there's the potential to fall over. Scooters are not sport vehicles, and cannot be ridden that way. With their low ground clearance and wide rear end, a sharp turn can scrape the rear "fender" and lift the tire off the pavement, especially with traditional Vespa designs.
Scooters have small, usually 12 to 14 inch tires, and limited suspension travel. You'll feel every bump or pothole, and road irregularities that would merely jolt a car or motorcycle could seriously upset a scooter.
Most scooters are single cylinder. This necessitates more vibration-damping tech than multi-cylinder vehicles, plus a single cylinder doing all the work = more engine wear per mile than multi-cylinder vehicles.
The tiny tires, especially the rear, wear quickly, and they're way more expensive than you'd expect.
All repairs and maintenance is way more expensive than you'd expect. Parts are way more expensive than you'd expect. A plastic fender Hasbro could make for $2.00 will cost you $50.00.
Loose traction and you're likely to fall over --"drop" -- the scooter. Sand, gravel, mud, ice -- anything on the road can cause you to loose traction.
Rain and cold weather-- well, need I go on...?