Scooter (motorcycle)

A motor scooter is a motorcycle with a step-through frame in which the rider sits without straddling any part of the engine.

Description

Most modern motor scooters have smaller wheels than motorcyles, between 8 and 14 inches (20-35 cm) in diameter. The scooter engine is usually found under the seat with a continuously variable transmission transferring power to the rear wheel, often in a front-hinged arrangement that allows the rear of the engine to swing vertically in conjunction with the motion of the rear wheel. Older Vespas, most vintage scooters, and some newer retro models have a manual transmission with the gear shift and clutch built into the left handlebar.

In contrast to most motorcyles, scooters generally feature bodywork, including a front leg shield and body that conceals all or most of the mechanicals. The classic scooter design features a flat floorboard for the rider's feet (sometimes called the 'dugout') and often includes some integral storage space, either under the seat, built into the front leg shield, or both.

Most scooters have smaller engines than motorcycles (between 30 cc and 250 cc with a single cylinder). 49 cc and under scooters are classified in most countries as a moped and are subject to reduced safety restrictions and licensing fees. Until recently, most modern motor scooters came with air cooled two-stroke cycle engines with automatic 2-stroke oil injection although some of the higher spec small ones and large ones are water cooled such as the Honda FC50 or the 2002 Yamaha YQ50s. Scooters increasingly have four stroke engines to meet stricter emissions controls.

Trends world-wide have seen new variations on the classic scooter. A common variation, the 'big-wheel' or commuter-style scooter features wheels as large as a motorcycle. Popular models of the commuter-style bike include the Aprilia Scarabeo models, the Piaggio Liberty/ LT models, and the Taiwanese Kymco People models.

Another trend sees larger scooters, called Supescooters, Mega Scooters, or maxi-scooters, with engines ranging in size from 250cc up to 650cc. This trend began in 1986 when Honda introduced the Fusion/Helix/CN250, and continued with the 1999 introduction of the Suzuki Burgman 400. Piaggio, Yamaha, Aprilia, Kymco and others have since introduced scooters with engine displacements ranging from 400 to 650cc. Honda's PS250 or Big Ruckus defies commons scooter classification in that it's "step-through" is high and the bike features no bodywork but rather a motorcyle-like exoskeleton.

High-end scooter models now include comprehensive technological features including cast aluminum frames, engines with integral counter-balancing, and cross-linked brake systems. Some of these modern high-end scooters also come with comfort features such as windshields, heated hand grips and full instrumentation (including clock or outside temperature gauge.)

This trend toward larger, more powerful scooters with fully automatic transmissions is matched by an emerging trend in motorcyle design that foreshadows automatic transmission motorcycles with on-board storage.

High-powered electric road scooters are on the horizon now that small electric motorcycles like the e-max and the eGO have been released.

History

Scooters trace their ancestry back to the USA, where Cushman and Salsbury created some of the first motorized two wheelers with the traits that have come to embody scooters. Salsbury produced the first automatic scooter with a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). Cushman's light, compact, and rugged scooters were used by the United States military as ground vehicles for paratroopers during World War II. The Vespa, originally manufactured by Piaggio in post-WWII Italy, quickly popularized motor scooters in places where inexpensive transportation was in dire need. Constructed using aircraft design and materials it redefined the vehicle type for 35 years. Despite Vespa's dominance of the scooter market, they were not without competition. Lambretta offered models that rivaled those in the Vespa product line. In the 1980s new versions of scooters began to be released and become popular, especially in Japan and Far-East Asia. This styling of scooters began to reflect that of larger, sporty, higher-performance motorcycles of the time and the trend has continued to the current day. With the release of the Honda Ruckus, new trends towards dirt-bike scooters are just beginning. The classic styling of the Vespa has never lost its popularity, however and remains the most popular and most imitated scooter design. Almost all manufacturers now carry both a classic/retro model and a sporty/modern model.

Popularity

In many parts of the world, such as Europe and Asia, motor scooters are a popular form of urban transportation due to their size, fuel-efficiency, weight, and typically larger storage room than a motorcycle. In many localities, certain road motor scooters are considered by law to be in the same class as mopeds or small motorcycles and therefore they have fewer restrictions than that of larger motorcycles. In the UK from the 1960s, Mods and Skinheads rode customized Vespas and Lambrettas, adorned with many extra mirrors and chrome parts. The scene is still alive in the UK, and has spread to other countries as far away as Australia and the United States. All around the world people continue to gather their vintage scooters at rallies nearby, far away and in between. Joe Pancho, an American enthusiast, threw Hawaii's first ever scooter rally in October of 2005. In the last few years, new technology has emerged. Fuel-injected scooters are very efficient and durable. Aprilia released the SR Ditech in 2000. The fuel consumption of this direct injection scooter is 1 liter of fuel for 50 kilometers of driving. Later on, more brands, such as Derbi and Peugeot, started using direct injection systems for their scooters. Due to new environmental laws, scooters had to change because the Euro3 standard allows only four-stroke engines. Some scooter drivers don't agree this is a good solution because they are used to two-stroke motors.

Trivia

In recent years, collecting vintage motor scooters has become a popular hobby. A good example of a collectible scooter is a Cushman.

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Description

History

Popularity

Trivia

See also