Know anyone who's bought a motorcycle/scooter for MPG reasons?

[wanna bECO]

I have had a motorcycle since 94, but I didn't get it for econ. I got it to be cool. d I have been actively looking for an old honda passport c70 though. I love the fact that they use a real cycle size tire, and you don't find that anymore. I have an ad a craigslist and I search everyday. I am also looking into putting a gas AND electric motor on my bicycle. I have very limited mechanical skills so I will need to ask my motorcycle mechanic if he can do the work on my next oil change.

[akcapeco]

Other "big wheel" scoots include the Kymco People series, the Piaggio LT series (nolonger made), the Aprilia Scarabeo (50 - 500 cc's).

We in the US tend to have a "toy-centric" view of scooters that emphasizes the styling of Vespa's and their ilk.... but Big Wheel scoots are the biggest selling scoots in the world...

[ebacherville]

i got 2 - 250cc motorcycles when gas went to 2.50 a gallon, However now my CRX can compete with them for MPG's.. so i drive that..

Also delved into alt fuels like veggie oil too.

[groar]

In France a lot of people are buying scooters. This is a must for teenagers, as smoking when I was young. This is to save time for older people in cities.

The probability of accident and the insurance taxes are so high that I gave up twice to buy one. Also because I can't replace a car by a scooter.

Anyway, scooters are big generators of CO2 and I'm saving gas to save CO2 1st, save €uros 2nd.

Denis.

[jonr]

I keep a Yamaha XT225 because it has high MPG - around 80.

[PaleMelanesian]

I know one guy who's commuting on a scooter now. Unsure what model, though.

Another guy bought a used Civic to displace some miles in his 7.3 diesel F250. Says he's more than paid for it in fuel costs.

[dcb]

Originally Posted by groar

Anyway, scooters are big generators of CO2

Not sure I follow, the old 2 strokes are nasty emitters, but do they even make 2 strokes anymore? I think if you have a 4 stroke, your CO2 output is much more porportional to fuel consumed, be it car or bike.

Of course if you are scooting instead of pedalling or walking, then yah, net increase in Co2, but not as bad as driving instead of pedalling or walking.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by dcb

I think if you have a 4 stroke, your CO2 output is much more porportional to fuel consumed, be it car or bike.

CO2 emissions are always proportional to fuel consumed. Unless you're e.g. dumping out a lot of unburned fuel, the HC & CO emissions are very small percentages of the exhaust. So it depends: if the scooter replaces a car, it reduces CO2; if it replaces bike or feet, it increases CO2.

[Matt Herring]

I picked up a 50cc scooter in early June and with about 1/4 left on my first tank I'm at 65 miles driven (projected at 80-85 mpg). I purchased it mainly to commute to work (only a 4 mile one way drive) so the gas savings will take some time to offset the actual $1000 purchase cost of the scooter. Every time I drive it to work I save about $1.50 so it will take a few years to see any savings (of course, gas prices moving towards $5 and above will expedite the savings). At current gas prices I estimate a $200 savings every 1200 miles driven (remember...scooters require 90+ rated octane so you have to use the good stuff and my last fillup with super was at $4.27 where regular was at $4.02 at the time).

My other vehicle is a 2005 Toyota 4Runner and I generally have to fill it up twice a month at the current cost of $180-200 a month. After 1 month of riding the scooter to work 3-4 days a week my first months fuel total cost was $85 (one tank in the 4Runner and 1 tank on the scooter).

I can tell you there is a brief feeling of elation when filling up a 1 gallon scooter tank for a little over $4 and driving away from the gas station! And, with more time on the scooter I am getting better at planning local trips I do not need my 4Runner for.

The scooter is alot of fun to ride and for a 50cc you are only required to register the vehicle - no motorcycle license is required in Massachusetts. In MA, however, you cannot drive it on state rated highways so route selection is essential.

[groar]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

So it depends: if the scooter replaces a car, it reduces CO2; if it replaces bike or feet, it increases CO2.

I can't find the original document from ADEME but here are the CO2 data from an extract of 2004's study found here :
. 50 cm3 : 50-80g/km
. 125 cm3 : 80-100g/km
. 400 cm3 : 115g/km
. 900 cm3 : 160g/km
The average for cars was 153g/km in 2004.
The prius is rated 104g/km.

Between 2000 and 2004 the HC&CO has been reduced by 6 from 2 wheelers but they are always more important than cars'. People on scooters are driving as rabbits and worse are modifying their scooters to have more power, so they come back to pollution level of 2000.

I found these documents with big tables for cars sold in France :

• Consommations de carburant et émissions de gaz carbonique des véhicules particuliers vendus en France
• Véhicules particuliers en France - Avril 2008

(Hope the URL are working...)

Of course the most important is the way you drive, but in France where cars has lower CO2 emissions, scooters are far to be as efficient.

I do not know anybody owning a scooter or a 2-wheeler to be eco-friendly, they only want to save time.

Denis.