Got scooped on this via the world famous ScooterBBS. If you haven’t been there, you must bookmark it. A great place for news and opinions right there in the warmth of a flame-war or two. The link points you to a little article from the Powersports Biz trade mag. Like to hear it? Here it goes.
Powersports Business: “As gas prices soar to record highs, a survey released last month indicated that 30 percent of U.S. consumers would be “extremely” or “somewhat likely” to use a scooter for their everyday transportation needs.
According to the survey, conducted in the first week of May by ICR on behalf of Piaggio Group Americas, queried individuals indicated a willingness to transfer 35 percent of their weekly mileage to a scooter. The survey also found that 33 percent of respondents would be likely to use a scooter to reduce emission harmful to the environment, and 35 percent would be likely to use a scooter to save $25 a week on gasoline.
Piaggio leadership said comparing the results of the survey to Department of Energy national averages for fuel consumption and emissions shows that if Americans were to utilize one of the scooters available in the market today, they could, in aggregate, reduce national fuel consumption by 14 million gallons of gasoline per day and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 324 million lbs. per day.
Scooters were defined in the survey as two-wheel vehicles that can reach 40mph to 100mph and have an average cost of $2,000 or above.”
25. May 2006 at 9:22 pm
RE: “Scooters… reach 40mph to 100mph”
Highway commuting. Other than the oversized 2-up touring machines (SWing-600 & Burg-650) the only options on the market for highway-speed commutes are the slightly underpowered 39- horsepower 400s and 500s.