I got rid of my car and purchased a new Honda Scooter last August and I must say it was a good move all around. In addition to lessening my footprint on the earth, the financial savings continue to go up as the price of gas goes up.

Green Librarian

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You could use a trailer or saddle bags. Trailers are great if you occasionally have to haul stuff that does not fit. There is no good reason to daily drive a huge fuel hog if you only have to move stuff once in a while.

Of course, our infrastructure developed based on people having huge cars and getting cheap gas. Small, local stores disappeared. Now the trip to the next super-department store looks less appealing and not practical at all if you want to use a scooter. Makes you buy less stuff though.

Many things are possible if you want to do it hard enough. When I was in college in Germany I took my Vespa scooter (50 cc), packed it with all I needed to bring for a camping trip, and went to find work in a farm in Yugoslavia. It took me five days of driving to find a farm and I had one break-down (but the replacement part with me) but I got there fine. I had a rack in the front, a rack in the back, and the seat behind me loaded as well. You could not push the scooter any longer by foot though. Too heavy to balance. I tried. Scooter fell over - broke blinker. Twice.

Below some good sites that list trailers. Some (may) even work for scooters or mopeds. Some allow you to transport even refrigerators by bike:

http://www.singlewheel.com/
http://www.bikesatwork.com/hauling-cargo-by-bike/


I will not be surprised if we very soon find more cargo carrying motor bikes for sale in the USA and Canada.

Karsten
--
http://www.polluteless.com
Practical Advice to Pollute Less

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Could not enter all links. Here is the rest:

http://www.tonystrailers.com/
http://www.rideyourbike.com/cargo.html

Karsten

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I went on a camping trip in my Ford Bronco June 2005 and spent $100 on gas alone. On our way back from the trip, I decided I would need something to commute. My job relocated and I am now 40 miles away.

I took the motorcycle course, bought the Honda Rebel 2005 (250cc/ 70 miles per gal) I'm pretty freaking happy today. I commute on a daily basis.

The downfall is I ride 1,000 miles a week and have to get an oil change on a weekly basis. Now, I'm learning to change my own oil from my mechanic. Being the one female on two wheels makes me a hot target.

Don't forget your leather! :)

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I took a quick look. The Yamaha scooter has an engine with 49cc displacement which allows anyone with a automobile driver's license to operate this vehicle. The scooter that took me (and as much luggage as I weigh) to Yugoslavia had the same engine displacement. It was not too bad loaded with two people either. No spinning of tires with this much load, but it went where I needed to go. It was fun when riding alone.

The new scooters have most certainly improved. I used to have a 50cc scooter a few years ago. Great fun. Very spunky! The model mentioned above has a 4-stroke engine which generally speaking is a bit heavier than a 2- stoke engine for the same horse power. Since they do not burn oil with the gasoline they burn fuel much cleaner though and there have been many efforts to increase performance and reduce weight for 4-stroke engines. I would not be surprised if that Yamaha is just as much fun as any other scooter with the same engine size out there.

The currently fastest (streamlined) 50cc motorcycle
went over 121 mph (over 194 km/h) but not on straight gasoline. In Europe 50cc scooters and mopeds are often tuned up (sometimes illegally) to go faster than 50 mph. That most likely messes up the great mileage, but 4-6 horsepower are probably no problem today. Just so you know a athletic bicyclist can produce maybe 0.75 horsepower. To get where you need to go you need a good transmission with a lot of gear ratio options, that is all.

I am certain that Yamaha scooter can pull a trailer just fine. We just have to get used to less power, less acceleration, and less top speed. But since we will (have to) live much closer to everything maybe this will not be a big deal. It is not in other places on this planet.

Karsten
--
http://www.polluteless.com
Practical Advice to Pollute Less

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i bought a scooter in 2007. it has saved me so much money that i have finally got the money to buy a more eco-friendly car now. i would say if you have the nice weather like in the southern states i would recommend getting one.

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This came up a few weeks ago on www.autobloggreen.com, and I can't emphasize to people enough how many experienced riders have chimed in to say don't DO NOT buy a motorcycle or scooter JUST to save gas. It's not worth the risk. I saw a young woman-- clearly inexperienced on a scooter-- almost get creamed the other day by a black S class. I was on my bicycle on the other side of the intersection.

First of all, ride a bicycle. It's better for your health. Secondly, there's an old adage among motorcycle riders: The question isn't whether you'll get into an accident, the question is when. I've been riding for 8 years, and except for a minor accident I had involving a pothole in Kaui'i on a rental, I'd never been in a real accident until November when a lady opened a car door in front of me on my motorcycle. So far, her insurance company has denied coverage, forcing me to sue to get any kind of compensation.

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My husband has talked about buying a motorbike for his commute to work (he had one over 10 years ago as a student). He currently rides a bicycle and goes mainly on a bike trail very busy wiith commuters.

I vetoed the idea of a motorcycle. I would be too worried. He has had two cousins die in motorcycle accidents and I have had one die. He needs to stick to the safer bicycles and bike paths. I feel much better that way.

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