Firedude...I did the math and those short trips in the truck don't really add up to that much savings considering even a cheaper throw away scooter is $2500. bucks that's a lot of around the camp $$ for the fuel for the truck seeing as how you really aren't using it much it REALLY makes no sense !!! but the OP wanted to use it for those small errands and taking his /her golf clubs to the course?? Small errands sure, save fuel yes (the golf clubs is a picture you as Fireman might like to get the call on to tell around the firehouse about the unusual "rescue") but make economic sense? maybe in after about 5000 miles of driving around the camp ground.If the scooter stays together.
Safety no ( I must admit I'm surprised you haven't picked up enough inexperienced riders in your day my neighbor a trauma nurse sees them all the time and tells me I'm nuts to still ride a friend bike )
Pollution? BIG TIME!!!! these things (the cheap scooters)pollute hundreds of times more than a real car just like a lawn mower
convenience?? .. maybe if you outfit it with racks to hold things.but then its one more motor to care for and pack around.
Fun??? Absolutely And as I rider Id get one for the fun but the "real" scooters start at 5 grand... at least the ones i'd ( YMMV)take on the road and that starts to change the economics.
I only wanted to point out that what seems so simple does have some negatives that someone whos never ridden should consider. But then i bow to those want to pay less at the pump
Bill
2000 Ford f250 7.3L 6sp man 3.73
ride rite airbags
2004 everest 343L
jorbill2or...
Bill my use as indicate as some others would be savings. As far as the dangers? Everything we do ever day had a hidden danger lol! Ask me how many calls I've been on over 33 years where the victims said, "I never thought something like that would ever happen to me!".
As far as inexperienced riders? You bet please do take a safety and riding course. They are offered almost everywhere ands cost little and if your state requires a special license the course usually suffices. A very good friend I worked with in the sheriff's dept, had never ridden a motorcycle and he took the course. Said it really educated him on safety. Pilots are trained to fly to Bill but occasionally there are crashed due to pilot error . heck it's dangerous towing an Rv too!!
Now for MY savings....
I figured out what I would use the scooter for. Mainly stuff/duties in the campground, running to the store, post office and other very short trips. Easily at $5 per gal I'm looking at $200 per month I'd save. $2400 per year! OK round it off to $2,000 per year for maintenance and insurance. Equating to the to the 30K miles you mentioned I'd save $14K over the 7 years before I get to that 30K miles. Not a bad savings. OK I'll be realistic here and say $7K over a 3.5 year period. Not to mention keeping the miles off my tow vehicle and less maintenance needs there. Since state parks offers no perks on fuel and you have to use your own tow vehicle (which is a lot sometimes) the scooter would pay for itself just using it in the campgrounds alone while saving me a lot of money. Bottom line it would create a lot less havoc on the pocket book from month to month on fuel. That alone could easily ease a lot of people minds. Miner for one.
I rode Harley's the better part of my life and I am a very strong advocate of safety over savings! If one chooses this route (Ya'all planted a seed now don't ya know) and if you have little to no experience riding any 2 wheeled motorized vehicle, do your self a favor and take an accredited safety course. They not only teach you to ride, but also what to be aware of and look out for in regards to your safety. They aren't very expensive at all.
MPG is not necessarily the great cost savings imagined. Think about a typically grocery run:
In a car, that's one trip.
On a scoot, several.
In a car, the most direct route.
On a 50cc scoot, you'll likely have to take an alternate route to avoid highways and freeways. (You can cross them, but not ride them. Good luck with the GPS on that!)
In a car, you don't care if it's after dark or raining.
On a scoot, you can't be seen well after dark, and you can't see if it's raining.
In a car, you can mount your GPS on the dash.
On a scoot, it's in your bag or pocket - not so great for getting signal.
And that's another thing - the MPG touted are a good deal less than accurate sometimes. They'll say 80, maybe you get 60. That stacks up, just like with a car. It's not terrible, but be realistic. If you think you're gonna have a car and a scooter, calc in the cost of a special hauler, too. You'll need it.
Safety is a personal decision. I have a scooter, I ride it, I like it. I'm not a testosterone-ridden teenager on a crotch rocket. Some people are too scared, others not scared enough, as with any vehicle.
But there are other practicalities to deal with. I probably spent $250 on transport, parts, and repairs this past month. Part of that cost was driving a Class A to a dealer and hauling it back - a trip I would not have made for any other reason, AND the parts did not arrive as reported, so I have to do it all over again. Any gas 'savings' were wiped out for a while to come. And that's a new scooter under warranty.
Do it if you want to. Do it if you don't care about any of those things I mentioned. Do it if you need to. But don't do it thinking all your problems will be solved and you will save, save, save. That's a fantasy. It's a good alternate for 4 wheels - not a replacement.
My little moped is over 10 years old still running an avg. 220 miles per week with 3 baskets makes it good for groceries to.Needs a dollar or 2 for upkeep but saves and has saved way more money than the car.
jorbill2or wrote: ...those short trips in the truck don't really add up to that much savings
a cheaper throw away scooter is $2500
Safety no
Pollution? BIG TIME!!!!
Fun??? Absolutely
...what seems so simple does have some negatives
Thanks for the things to consider. I'm not about to buy anything now, just thinking about it. Here were my data points (poke at them as you like I don't take offense).
I'd seen scooters for $800 to $1200 and did consider them the throw-away kind. I'd thought the $2000+ were possibly OK? Don't know, really haven't looked into it.
Yes, safety is a concern. They would be a clear weather, daylight and low traffic area kind of thing I suppose. I'm not so concerned about my ability to control the thing as I am about being invisible to cars.
I was just wondering about golf clubs. I've seen motorcycles parked at golf courses before but I've never seen anyone with clubs on the back of anything (scooter or larger bike). Here's the logic on that (safety aside). In the winters we stay in FL at a CG about 6 miles away from the course. All secondary (eg 35 mph) roads, easy trip. When I play and DW needs transport I get dropped off at the course, then picked up later. That's 2 roundtrips = 24 miles = ~1.5gallons diesel = $7.50 vs 12 miles on a scooter getting say 80mpg call that 60 cents?
For pollution, yes I'd heard that these things are not so good. Are those numbers (eg for carbon) on a per gallon basis or per mile? Just curious.
wrt to fun. Yep, I thought it might be. It also dawned on me that since I can transport a scooter I might be able to pick/choose where we ride it and only ride it in safer places.
Dave Lindemulder
Tammy, Mark & Kirsten
04 Dodge 2500 4x4 SLT QC/SB
HO-CTD/48RE - Graphite: Raptor SS nerfs, Prodigy, Reese 16K Kwik-slide, BD X-Monitor, PML Trans pan, PML Diff cover, Firestone Airbags
09 Heartland Cyclone 3210
LOL. Short of a sidecar or a trailer I don't see how in heck you'd carry clubs unless you put them in front of you. (And I'll bungee almost anything to almost anything else. Looks like Bangkok rush hour when I shop.) Do they have lockers at the course?
Re: price. I guess if you're into owning a fine mochine or want a low-power wannabe biker image or something, you could spend more. Otherwise, I can't see the point. You gonna polish it, or ride it? The way I have it figured, I can get a new scoot every year if I want, sell the used bike to a college student with warranty to spare, and maybe MAYBE drop a car payment's worth of change in the process. So, if there's some serious savings to be had, that's where it is. You surely can't do that with any other kind of vehicle!
Re: Usage and location. If you're golfing in the dark or the rain, you have problems I can't begin to solve.
Serena wrote: If you're golfing in the dark or the rain, you have problems I can't begin to solve.
LOL!! Mine would save me all the way around budget wise just using it to do the running around the campgrounds and short errands. Rain, wind, cold? Momma didn't raise a dummy lol. If I could handle a Harley all those years and survive, I think I could handle one of those little scooters. With a tow vehicle that gets 10-11 mph all the campground stuff and short errands can ad up real fast. Hey if I can BBQ a steak more often then what the hey!?
I can see it now... complete with GPS, umbrella (for rain) and halogen lights for the coastal fog. Maybe I can get a couple baskets put on and even get a paper route! The only draw back is my size. I'd probably look like Haystack Calhoun riding a mini-bike. At 6'4" and 250 the scooter would probably come to my knee caps.
Serena wrote: ... I can get a new scoot every year if I want, sell the used bike to a college student with warranty to spare, and maybe MAYBE drop a car payment's worth of change in the process.
If you're golfing in the dark or the rain, you have problems I can't begin to solve.
Well... I would not mind buying a year old scooter for a few hundred just to try it. I also like the idea of craigslisting them regularly. Kind of like dorm refrigerators?
re when I golf... I had to laugh. I've played a lot of holes in near darkness and without lightening I'll keep playing in rain too. But that's another topic.
Dave, you mention staying at a campground a few miles from the golf course. If you play the same course often, could you rent a locker or otherwise store your clubs there? Drive the first round and leave the clubs, then ride the scooter the other times? No need to worry about carrying clubs that way.
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but make economic sense? maybe in after about 5000 miles of driving around the camp ground.If the scooter stays together.
) 
But then i bow to those want to pay less at the pump 
heck it's dangerous towing an Rv too!!
