Scooting past the gas station

Review |

Harley-Davidson might be wishing it made a scooter. In fact, most motorcycle manufacturers without one in their lineups have to be feeling the pain. Motorcycle sales are down.

Scooters, on the other hand, are selling as fast as their little wheels can carry them from showroom floors. Sales have jumped 23.6 percent in the first quarter of 2008 compared with the same period in 2007.

Why? A scooter gets between 40 and 120 miles per gallon, compared with 27.5 mpg for the average car and about 50 for a motorcycle.

I sampled the lower and upper ends of the displacement range to show the breadth of the segment. With scooter sales so strongly tied to gas prices, I chose the 125-150 cc class for its fuel efficiency, price and speed, which is fast enough to keep up with city traffic; and also the 400-650 cc "maxis," because even the largest are more fuel efficient than most cars or motorcycles.

Minis

2008 Vespa S

Best for: saving with style.

Base price: $4,199.

Powertrain: Air-cooled, carbureted, SOHC, four-stroke, single-cylinder, two valves per cylinder, 150cc.

Weight: 243 pounds.

MPG: Manufacturer's, 72; ours, 67 (based on 89 miles).

This scooter's rectangular headlight, mirrors and piping-trimmed saddle harken to the Vespa Special and Primavera models of the '70s, only it's outfitted with a bigger motor and 21st-century technology.

Vespa claims a maximum 59 mph. I reached 72 with positive thinking and a tailwind. The Vespa S was the only mini I tested that I felt even moderately comfortable riding on the freeway, due to wide tread that kept it stable at high speeds.

The suspension, which uses double-acting hydraulic shocks front and back and adjusts for preload, was also plush enough that I wasn't bouncing out of the saddle at every rut.

Almost everything about the S is a cut above, from the performance enhancements offered by its steel monocoque frame to an under-seat area roomy enough for a full-face helmet.

The S costs more than its competition, but Vespas tend to hold value.

2008 Yamaha Vino

Best for: no-frills, fuel-efficient street commuting.

Base price: $2,699.

Powertrain: Air-cooled, carbureted, SOHC, four-stroke, single-cylinder, 124cc.

Weight: 229 pounds.

MPG: manufacturer's, 96; ours, 78 (based on 125 miles).

The Vino's style is classic, chromed and simple, but it doesn't inspire smiles from passersby like the Vespa. Riders, however, are likely to be grinning as they gas up the frugal Vino.

Twenty-six cc's smaller in displacement than the Vespa S, the Vino features many of the same engine enhancements, such as forced-air cooling to help prolong its life.

My top speed on the Vino was 60 mph. On city streets, it had enough speed and power off the line to keep pace with surrounding cars.

The Vino weighs the least and has the shortest saddle of the scooters I tested, which is nice for short riders. It could carry a passenger, though the seat is small to do that comfortably. Cargo is all I wanted to carry; it has a small luggage rack and under-seat helmet storage.

It's the bestselling model in Yamaha's scooter lineup.

Kymco People 150

Best for: economical street commuting with a dash of zip.

Base price: $2,799.

Powertrain: Air-cooled, carbureted, SOHC, four-stroke, single-cylinder, 152cc.

Weight: 245 pounds.

MPG: manufacturer's, 84; ours, 58 (based on 120 miles).

The Vespa is the design inspiration for the Korean manufacturer's People 150. The housing for this air-cooled single is rounded, its coloring a pleasant sherbet green. The finish just isn't as nice or as consistent as those of its competitors. Kymco offers seven model families and six displacements, from 499cc to 49cc, but its socialist-sounding People lineup is its bestseller.

The People 150 had the best torque of the scooters I tested and a top speed of 70 mph. It's a lot of fun to zip around city streets, and the suspension is top notch for its price.

The People has large, 16-inch wheels, but the tires are skinny, so the scooter can be unsettling at high speeds.

Under-seat storage is the smallest of the minis I tested.

Maxis

2008 Yamaha Majesty

Best for: living large while protecting the pocketbook.

Base price: $5,899.

Powertrain: Fuel-injected, liquid-cooled, four-stroke, single-cylinder, DOHC, four valves per cylinder, 395cc.

Weight: 432 pounds.

MPG: manufacturer's, 51; ours, 60 (based on 215 miles).

The Majesty is Yamaha's largest scooter, which explains its name. But compared with the rest of the Japanese mega-scooters, it's a minimalist. The Majesty got the best mileage of the three maxis I tested, and it was also the cheapest.

With the smallest displacement of the three maxis, it wasn't as quick off the line, but I didn't find it lacking for overall speed. It cruised comfortably at 80 mph.

The main reasons buyers choose a maxi over a mini are size and power. They won't be as easily dwarfed by surrounding traffic. And larger folk won't dwarf their ride.

All three maxis offered comparable storage space; the Majesty's 16-gallon, under-seat area was different in that it had two sections rather than one cavernous space.

In its bargain-basement, stock version, the Majesty is a good, all-around, no-frills maxi-scooter.

2008 Honda

Silver Wing ABS

Best for: a safety-conscious and smooth ride.

Base price: $8,599.

Powertrain: fuel-injected, liquid-cooled, four-stroke parallel twin, DOHC, four valves per cylinder, 582cc.

Weight: 551 pounds.

MPG: manufacturer's, not available; ours, 47 (based on 222 miles).

With each bump up in displacement, maxi-scooters don't just get a boost in power but more storage space, leg room and available features. The Silver Wing was equipped with antilock brakes, a $500 option that seems well worth the money since many people making the move to scooters may be new to two wheels.

I found the Silver Wing to be a great all-arounder. The 29.7-inch saddle was only marginally lower than the other maxis I tested, though it felt the shortest. The suspension was the most adept at soaking up the bumps. It was well balanced and nimble enough for street commuting but also stable and comfortable at freeway speeds. I was especially impressed by the tall and narrow windshield, which flowed the air nicely.

The down side to a larger maxi is that you're hauling some extra weight, which cuts into fuel efficiency.

There's about 15 gallons of under-seat storage and a pair of cubbies in the front shield.

2008 Suzuki Burgman 650 Executive

Best for: the comforts of a car on two wheels.

Base price: $8,999.

Powertrain: Fuel-injected, liquid-cooled, four-stroke, twin-cylinder, DOHC, four valves per cylinder, 638cc.

Weight: 518 pounds.

MPG: manufacturer's, 38; ours, 53 (based on 236 miles traveled).

This is the car of maxi-scooters, the biggest of the big, the most plush. There are so many stock extras on the Executive that it practically drives itself.

It costs $400 more than the Silver Wing with ABS, but you get much more for that money. ABS is a stock feature, as are retractable mirrors, an electronically adjustable windshield, hazard lights, a 12-volt DC outlet and a switch that allows the rider to toggle between an automatic or manual transmission.

An intriguing feature was the "power" button, which helps boost the Burgman under heavy loads. While I never carried enough stuff to warrant using it, I just liked knowing I could press a button called "power" and get some.

E-mail Carpenter at susan.carpenter@latimes.com

This story, published May 30, 2008 was corrected on June 21, 2008. A previous version of this story incorrectly indicated the scooter's manufacturer was based in Korea. Kymco is from Taiwan. Also, fuel efficiency was wrongly listed as 93 miles per gallon — a detail that was highlighted in the headline. The L.A. Times' test drive actually yielded 58 mpg.