Scooter sales skyrocket 66%

By Catherine Clifford
September 23, 2008

With pain at the pump still real, Americans are jumping on those two-wheeled get-ups that Europeans have been riding for generations.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The scooter is becoming the new must-have set of wheels in a lot of American cities.

While auto sales have continued to sink, scooter sales were up 66% in the first half of 2008 compared to a year ago, while motorcycle sales overall only ticked up 0.5%, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council.

"About 5 years ago, most of the people were buying motor scooters more as a recreational product to enjoy on the weekend," said Paolo Timoni, president of Piaggio Group Americas, the maker of the Vespa scooter. "Nowadays, most of the people that buy this vehicle buy them as an alternative transportation vehicle."

Retail gas prices have come significantly off recent highs, but gas prices are still 33% higher than the same time last year, and that is motivation enough for Americans.

Scooter sales are outpacing sales of some motorcycle brands, which are typically more expensive and use more fuel.

A scooter is distinguished not by its size or speed. A scooter is defined by its automatic transmission, step-through design and wrap-around body work that hides the engine.

While a motorcycle gets between 40 and 60 miles per gallon, a scooter gets between 60 and 100 miles per gallon, according to Mike Mount, a spokesman for the motorcycle group.

Customers "are sick of feeding their big trucks," said Darrin Gitlitz, owner of New York Honda Yamaha. Gitlitz said that he has seen scooter sales increase more than sales of other kinds of motorbikes.

Honda typically sells more than 12 million two-wheeled bikes globally every year, according to John Seidel, a Honda spokesman. This year, in an attempt to capture sales, Honda released its 2009 scooter models to dealers early, according to Seidel. "We went ahead and released '09 this summer," said Seidel. The two 2009 Honda scooter brands - the Rucqus and the Metropolitan - both sell for between $2,049 and $2,149. In contrast, a Honda motorcycle starts around $3,000 and maxes out near $25,000.

The Italian manufacturer of scooters, the Piaggio Group, has logged record U.S. sales.The owners of the Vespa, Piaggio and Aprilia scooter brands saw a 100.5% increase in scooter sales in May compared to the same month a year ago. In June, sales were 147% higher in a year-over-year comparison and in July, sales were 173% higher.

While the Vespa scooter brand, which runs anywhere from $2,000 to $8,000, has been hitting record sales numbers, the luxury-class Harley-Davidson (HOG, Fortune 500) motorcycle reported that weakness in the U.S. economy dragged sales down in its second-quarter financial report. Globally, Harley-Davidson shipped 15.6% fewer motorcycles to dealers and distributors in the second quarter of 2008 compared with the year-ago period. Retail sales in the United States decreased by 8.7% in 2008 compared to the same quarter last year. A low-end Harley starts at $7,000, but other models can easily run you nearly $20,000 a pop.

Suzuki's scooters have big engines and therefore actually cost more than some of Suzuki's motorcycles. The larger scooters range in price from $5,949 to $7,899, but Suzuki's little cruiser motorcycle, the GZ250, goes for only $3,249. Sales of the Suzuki scooters, which get between 40 and 50 miles per gallon, ticked up 16% from January through July over last year, according to Glenn Hansen, a Suzuki spokesman. Sales of the GZ250, which gets 80 miles per gallon, are up 53%.Given the success of the smaller, more fuel-efficient two wheelers, Suzuki is working to bring some of its smaller models, already particularly popular in Italy, to the United States, Hansen said.

Yamaha saw a 99.8% increase in U.S. scooter sales from September 2007 through July 2008 over the same period a year ago, according to Kevin Foley, a Yamaha representative. One of Yamaha's most popular scooters is the Zuma 50 cc model, which costs only $2,199 and gets 123 miles per gallon.

Between high gas prices, traffic and congestion, "more and more people have started to realize that what they have seen people doing in Europe might be a good idea over here as well," said Timoni. "Go to Europe - London, Paris, Madrid - you see millions of people driving them to work everyday!"

Scoot to the movies

Sep 25, 2008
By Peter Calder
New Zealand Herald

If you find yourself in Newmarket or Northcote in the first couple of weeks of October and you can't move for motor scooters, blame it on the movies. The Italian Film Festival revs up next week for the 13th year in a row and on the programme is a valentine to one of the most-recognised and best-loved Italian icons: the Vespa motor scooter.

Sure the artistry may not be up there with the Sistine Chapel but take it from a Vespa owner: a renaissance fresco isn't much use when you need to get to Newmarket in 15 minutes through rush-hour traffic.
The rise in fuel costs has spawned a scooter boom. The last time I looked, sales were up about 80 per cent on the previous year. These days, a scooter rider is not a lone eccentric afloat in an ocean of cars. The other day, I found myself in a bunch of a dozen at a red light: as we throttled away in a buzzy swarm, leaving the ponderous saloons in our wake, I pretended I was in Rome.

Trouble is - and one doesn't want to be too snobby about this - not everything that buzzes is a Vespa. We Vespa owners do get a chuckle when people refer to a plastic and aluminium toy from Taiwan or Korea as their Vespa - although we are happy to accept as cousins anyone who rides one of those Indian-made Belladonnas, which were made to Piaggio's standards.

If you need to know why we feel this way, Forever Vespa will help. The film, whose full title includes the words "the story of an Italian legend", is so enthusiastic about its subject that I suspected it of being a promo film. But its makers, Pippo Cappellano and Marina Cappabianca, are independent filmmakers who were considerably assisted by the fact that Piaggio, the manufacturer, has kept impeccable records and even runs a museum in Pontedera, near Pisa.

Piaggio made aeroplanes and found itself in 1945 with a drastic drop in demand for its products. So it set itself the challenge of getting Italy back on the road by producing one of the most successful vehicles in history.

The film makes a fascinating chronicle of the scooter's design history and, more important, its part in rebuilding Italians' sense of themselves along with their bombed country in the years after the war.The Vespas in this movie range from the familiar (Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday) to the downright bizarre. I did not know that one model was fitted with a 75mm cannon and sold to the French to be used against the Algerians, though there are times in Auckland traffic where such an accessory would be useful.

As a traditionalist, I was distinctly unsure about the wisdom of the one fitted with ape-hanger handlebars. Ditto the stretch Vespa (with the handlebars about five metres from the seat, is a work of art, not a vehicle) but there are plenty of mint vintage models too, including a sidecar which, as the film shows, is vital if you want to change a tyre without coming to a halt. And I loved the canny marketing campaign which created a verb - vespare - meaning "to ride a Vespa".

It's unadulterated fun even if you are unfortunate enough to get around on four wheels. Festival director Tony Lambert has alerted the scooter clubs, so you've been warned: book early.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/movies/news/article.cfm?c_id=200&objectid=10533898

Saigon by Vespa Part 2

Our previous post was about Vespa tours in Saigon. Sounds like a relaxing and idilic way to see this fantastic city. There is a catch though...have you seen the traffic!

Saigon by Vespa Part 1

VietNamNet Bridge – For foreign travelers who want to explore the city, taxis or Xich lo (cyclo) are the most popular means of transportation. However, now there is an additional choice for anyone interested in riding bikes or scooters. In addition to classic bikes, like the Lambretta and Sprint, tourism agencies, in cooperation with Saigon Vespa Club, can now arrange tours on Vespa scooters. The Vespa tours have attracted attention from many Saigonese and foreign tourists on the city streets. Dominic Steven, a tourist, told the Daily last Friday that he found the scooters convenient, faster and less expensive and more exciting for touring the city. The Saigon Vespa Club has about 60 members, ten of them women, offering Vespa tours of the city. Chairman of Saigon Vespa Club Nguyen Anh Tuan told the Daily that traveling on scooters has been an option for years, but has become more popular these days. His club is aiming to offer Trans-Viet tours on those bikes in a near future.Tuan said that his club now has about ten to fifteen tours each month. He added that all profits, less the cost of gasoline that is approximately US$10 per tour, would go into the club's charity fund for supporting disadvantaged children and solitary elderly people in the city. After taking those tours many visitors have been interested in Vespa scooters and wanted to know more about them. After taking a tour last Friday a visitor asked about the model and price of the scooter, and said that he would buy one on his next visit. For more information, contact travel agencies in the city or Saigon Vespa Club at 135 Hai Ba Street, Ward 1, Ben Nghe District, tel: (08) 323 99 88. http://english.vietnamnet.vn/travel/2008/09/805319/

Vectrix Maxi Electric Scooter

At scooterhire.co.nz we love toys - most of them burn petrol.

Here's something a little bit different that we have put on our wish-list. The Vectrix Maxi Scooter is battery powered with power claimed to be 20kw and torque of 65Nm. Top speed is claimed at 100kmh.



The Vectrix company started in America some 13 years ago. Here, the Australian NRMA tests the Vectrix Maxi electric scooter.

Pricing

Pricing is AUD$14,990 plus on-road costs.

Standard features

There is a reasonably sized under-seat storage bin and a lockable glove/sunglasses compartment on the left hand side of the front fairing. Brakes are Brembo calipers with disc brakes front and rear.

Accessories

Options available at the time of writing are a top box valued at around $500.

Comfort

The rider's seat pad and backrest built into the front of the rear seat is quite comfortable and supportive whilst riding. The bars are placed well and the switches for indicators, high-beam and horn easy to use. Dual footrest positions further enhance the comfort factor. Pillion comfort is excellent with a large seat and pad-and-grab rails to help a passenger feel secure.

Ergonomics

Instruments are well placed, with a red, backlit, analogue speedometer in the middle which also houses the trip computer. LCD displays show battery life on the right and expected kilometres in the battery and time of day on the left. Both LCD displays are backlit by a funky blue light and provide a clear view whilst riding. On top of the three displays sit the warning lights for indicator flash, which was quite hard to see during daylight hours; high beam lights; side stand down and battery fail. Diamond shaped mirrors limit some rearward view.

Luggage space

A 40 litre storage box is located beneath the rear seat. It will fit a full face helmet with a tight squeeze, whereas an open face helmet has no problems and leaves room for other small items. The very handy 6 litre glove/sunglasses compartment located in the front fairing is large enough to accommodate a one litre carton of milk, wallet, keys and a mobile phone.

Build quality & finish

Mostly Italian parts further enhance the European feel to the bike. Sculptured plastic front cowls blend with the rest of the body to give a chunky look. Overall the fairing offers good protection in most weather. My test was conducted with occasional light rain falling and only a couple of drops hit my helmet visor and shoulders.

Paintwork is good with no defects found. The headlight offers good projection, whilst the rear brake light is an LED. However the centre tunnel cover was of concern with some marks to the plastic slightly evident on our test bike. The finish on the swingarm and rear shocks may dull if not regularly cleaned.

Security

The Maxi has lockable steering via the key and a starting procedure that requires a certain technique, which provide a sense of security.

Fuel

As the bike is electric the fuel used is simply any household electricity outlet. An 80 per cent charge is achieved within two hours. Battery life is claimed to be 10 years or 100,000km. Running costs are claimed at 2 cents per kilometre. Claims of up to 90km out of the batteries were not seen during my tests.

For my first ride I didn't use any regenerative braking, used full accelerator from standstill and got a total of 45km from the battery. On my second ride I used a lot of regenerative braking, which increases battery life, used half accelerator from standstill and got 66km from the battery. I would therefore suggest that if you planned to ride further than 55km per day, you recharge the battery.

Recharging
Recharge time	2 hours
Recommended voltage	240V electricity

Performance

Power is claimed to be 20kw and torque of 65Nm which provides seamless and smooth power from take off with the torque really pulling from the 30km/h mark. This makes for a swift manoeuvring bike in and out of traffic and makes for an enjoyable ride in the conditions for which the bike is designed. Top speed is claimed at 100kmh at which the Maxi stops accelerating and maintains that speed.

Ride

Turn on the ignition and there is no noise; only the dash comes to life. Hold the rear brake and flick the front brake to illuminate the 'Go' symbol and you are ready to ride. Turn the accelerator and straight away you notice the lack of noise. It is an eerie feeling, but I soon adapted to it. As the speed reaches around 30km/h, a small electric whine can be heard but is hardly noticeable. Whilst sitting at traffic lights there is no noise.

The Maxi has a multi function accelerator which provides regenerative braking and a slow speed reverse. The regenerative braking acts by twisting the accelerator forward which slows the bike to reduce braking distance and assists in recharging the battery. The only downside to this is if the need arises for quick application of the front brake you have to twist back the accelerator and squeeze the brake which in turn increases braking distance slightly whilst no braking is applied.

The reverse function is operated in the same way, but will only come on if at a complete stop. It is very handy to assist manoeurving in tight spots and parking.

Having only a side stand and no centre stand may restrict some parking options in tight places.

Handling

Overall handling is good with the bike quite easy to manoeuvre and comfortable to use on its Pirelli tyres. The rear suspension gave good grip and felt stable. The twin rear shocks can be adjusted for damping if carrying a pillion or for personal adjustments. The front suspension felt okay on smooth roads, but was upset on rough roads and gave a lack of feel mid-corner. An adjustable front suspension would improve this area.

Braking

With Brembo calipers as standard you would expect braking performance to be at a high level. However I was disappointed with the front brake which gave limited feel and low performance. The rear brake on the other hand was very good with loads of feel and power available. The only thing on offer to compensate for the front brake is the regenerative braking. However applying the rear brake and using the regenerative braking could result in a locked rear wheel so this feature should be used with care.

Summary

A large amount of research and development went into the design and manufacture of the electric Vectrix Maxi scooter to make it a viable mode of transport. Its aim is city riding while reducing its impact on the environment. In fact, it is claimed the only mode of transport with less emissions than the Vectrix Maxi is a push bike, although you have to take into account that the electricity used in NSW is mostly generated from coal, even if the emissions are located away from city areas...

If you wish to reduce your local environmental impact, want low maintenance costs, travel around 55km per day and can justify the high purchase price, this could be the perfect city or close range scooter for you.

Always remember when riding, wear an approved helmet and quality riding gear, enjoy yourself and ride safely.

Scooter Eco-Analysis

Wired Magazine
October 2008

Dear Mr. Know-It-All I've always been proud of my scooter's great gas mileage. But a friend tells me its emissions make it no greener than a Chevy. Have I been deluding myself?

Your use of the word always implies that your scooter is rather aged. If that's the case, then your contrarian pal may be right. Older scooters with two-stroke engines emit far more smoggy pollutants per mile than their four-wheeled counterparts.

True, you probably get double the fuel economy of a Chevy and can thus crow about your ride's smaller carbon footprint (and thus smaller contribution to climate change). But your tailpipe may also be belching out 10 to 15 times more smog (nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbons) than that Chevy, to the severe detriment of your city's air quality.

If you switched to a new, four-stroke scooter, you could pop your eco-jersey a bit more. New federal regulations on two-wheeler emissions kicked in for the 2006 model year, and they're slated to get even tougher for 2010. Look for a scooter with a catalytic converter — the emissions-scrubbing gizmos aren't required, but they are becoming more common.

http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/16-10/st_kia#

At scooterhire.co.nz, we do not spend a lot of time wringing our hands over environmental guilt.  We do however get a wee bit annoyed over environmental misconceptions and hysteria about Scooters. 

Scooters are at the other extreme of engine size of a "Chevy" (or most other “vehicles”) and typically have 50cc to 150cc engines. Admittedly some of these engines do have more lenient EPA emissions standards. However, while they may pollute more per displacement size, they are far smaller in engine displacement and will emit a smaller total amount of alleged pollutants into the atmosphere than larger motorcycles or automobiles.

Most modern scooters have a catalytic converter. If this article was written 10 years ago, the writer might have more of a point. But the fact is that these days most reputable manufacturers offer modern emissions-controlled, CARB and Euro III certified scooters.

Scooters are also cheaper energywise to build and maintain, which is a factor the writer forgot to mention. Half of the emissions created during a vehicles life are in the manufacture and cars and trucks lose that game in a huge way.
Cars emit CO2 in direct relation to how much petrol they burn, so using a lot less fuel should keep the environmentalists happy!

Peugeot scooter just right for the city

17 September 2008
Harriet Ridley

WHAT costs £829 brand new, will take you across town in no time whether it?s rush hour or not - and costs peanuts to run?

It's Peugeot's answer to the credit crunch. The V-Clic 50, the cheapest small scooter in town with one of the most respected European brand names.

For years now Chinese brands have flooded our markets with cheap runarounds and funny names. Yes, they're a bargain but there's always that element of doubt. If something goes wrong, what kind of comeback do you get?

Many of us choose to stick to brand names we know, stumping up the extra cash for peace of mind.
So it was only a matter of time before one of the big manufacturers took a long hard look at what the Chinese are doing to bring us exactly what we want - a scooter for the masses that lets us bypass overcrowded and overpriced public transport systems, escape the congestion and spoil us for choice when it comes to parking.
And that's with a brand name we trust, which ensures European standards are applied to the manufacturing. To prove the point, the V-Clic proudly displays Peugeot?s lion badge and comes with the manufacturer's two-year warranty.

Make no mistake, the V-Clic is no trendy NRG or Speedfight in styling. It's plain functional, keeping costs low while providing everything we need - a decent fairing, mirrors with a clear rear view, indicators that make a loud clicking noise so you can't forget they're on and a headlamp with strong beam.

Underseat storage is deep enough to accommodate a full-faced helmet and there's a handy, open cubby hole at the front to store things on the go.

Of course, the obligatory hook for handbag, man bag or shopping bag is present, with a flat floor optimising carrying capacity - even Kate Moss would have enough room to store her most oversized of handbags here.

The 50cc four-stroke engine reaches 30mph in restricted form. Unless you have a motorcycle licence or go through the effort of passing your CBT, you can ride a 50cc with L-plates on your car licence as long as it doesn?t exceed 30mph.

But that's all you need through town, with enough poke low-down to whizz past the traffic and through the world's busiest high streets. It's so small it really will squeeze through the narrowest gaps between cars.

It has the typical agility of small-wheeled scooters - U-turns are swift and at a measly 78kg it's so light you can jump off and push the V-Clic, engine off, across a stretch of pavement if necessary.

The V-Clic has a disc front brake and a drum back brake. This makes sense as most of the braking is done with the front brake, as the weight moves over the front end as you decelerate. So it needs the sharpest tool for the job.

Meanwhile the drum back brake applies the right amount of pressure without being strong enough to accidentally lock the rear wheel in wet weather. Working together the brakes are just the job to slow or bring the V-Clic to a rapid stop.

With the rising cost of public transport and the cost of petrol showing no signs of lowering, you can't go wrong with Peugeot's latest £829 proposition.

Tax costs £15 a year, insurance on a cheap 50cc is negligible and with an average of 100mpg, you can wave goodbye to the credit crunch on the V-Clic 50.

FAST FACTS
Peugeot V-Clic 50
Price : £829
Engine : 50cc single cylinder 4-stroke air-cooled 4-valve carburettor
Braking : (F) Single 170mm, (R) drum
Weight : 79kg
Seat height : 715mm
Fuel tank : 6.3 litre
Warranty : 2-year from manufacturer

http://www.ayrshirepost.net/lifestyle/motoring-car-news/2008/09/17/peugeot-scooter-just-right-for-the-city-102545-21844909/

Riders at risk without the leathers

At scooterhire.co.nz we love the "scooter image" however it pays to keep it in perspective:

KATE BENSON MEDICAL REPORTER
13/09/2008

SYDNEY'S love affair with scooters has a price, say doctors and ambulance officers who are seeing a growing number of riders injured because they don't wear protective clothing or full-face helmets.
There are more than 6200 scooters on NSW roads, including about 1870 registered last year alone, as motorists struggle to beat rising petrol prices and Sydney's congested traffic. But experts fear riders are not taking the dangers seriously.

"When people buy a scooter, they are in love with the image promoted by advertisers, so you have plenty of young girls in short skirts and heels riding around the streets," the chairman of the Motorcycle Council of NSW, Guy Stanford, said. "Well, sorry, the crash statistics say it's all the same, whether you're on a scooter or a motorcycle. If you come off and you're not wearing protective gear, such as jackets with body armour, gloves, boots and eyewear, you can find yourself … inconvenienced for months."

Or dead, says the Roads and Traffic Authority, which points out motorcycle riders are 16 to 20 times more likely to be killed in a road accident than a car occupant.

Despite that, many scooter riders wear half-face helmets, which don't protect the chin and teeth and rarely come with visors to protect the eyes from common dangers, including insects and burning cigarettes thrown from cars. Only 51 per cent of riders wear leather boots, which can prevent fractured bones piercing the skin and infections from gravel and grease on the road. Only 38 per cent wear motorcycle pants.

Mr Stanford, who believes half of all motorcycle injuries could be reduced or prevented if people wore protective clothing, said cheaper helmets, usually the half-face versions, were often heavier and put extra stress on the neck and spine in an accident, while riders who wore jackets without body armour were at risk of chipping bones in their elbows or vertebrae.

The most common injuries from motorcycle falls or crashes included fractured skulls, bruising and bleeding on the brain, compound fractures of the leg and infections caused by gravel rash, but some injuries were particular to fashion-conscious female scooter riders, an emergency physician at St Vincent's Hospital, Fiona Chow, said yesterday. "We had someone recently who was wearing a scarf which got caught in the wheel of her scooter. She was OK, but if it had been tied differently around her neck, she may been strangulated," Dr Chow said.

A spokeswoman for the NSW Ambulance Service said paramedics were seeing more injuries from riders wearing inappropriate footwear.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/national/national/general/riders-at-risk-without-the-leathers/1271486.aspx#

2008 Scooter Cannonball Run

By Chris Somerville
September 11th, 2008

The 2008 Scooter Cannonball Run started today, a 3000+ mile coast-to-coast endurance run for hardcore scooterists who want to test themselves and their machines.

The Cannonball Run is a 10-day timed rally and is open to all scooters up to 252cc.

The proverbial green flag dropped this morning in San Francisco, sending 23 scooter fanatics off on a wild ride of more than 300 miles a day as they head to Ocean City, Maryland with a planned ending date of September 20th.

As an avid scooter rider myself, I’m envious of the freewheeling spirit and adventurous attitude that Cannonball participants have to have to embark on such a monstorous and potentially perilous journey. But just the thought of riding more than 300 miles a day on a scooter makes my butt, back and legs ache.

The Cannonball is not only a test of vehicle endurance, but a test of a rider’s mental stability as well. Riding for more than 8 hours a day on a scooter for 10 straight days is not something to be entered into lightly. Of course there is the worry of having a mechanical breakdown, something that seems to happen with amazing regularity on some of the older Vespas and Lambrettas on the run. But there is also the concern of hitting checkpoints, finding lodging and food and calculating gas mileage — all while riding on 10-inch tires.

Back in 1996, a group of my club members from Secret Society Scooter Club and some other scooterist took a “Ride of a Lifetime” from San Francisco to Italy for the 50th Anniversary of the Vespa (clearly they had their bikes shipped over “the pond” and then continued to ride from there).

They rode more than 350 miles a day on classic Vespas, and while everything went OK for them, the hardship tales from the trip convinced me that it takes a special breed to ride that far in such a short time.

Send your good thought out to these hearty souls who have embarked on their own ride of a lifetime. Many of them have blogs to detail their adventure, along with pictures and even GPS real-time locators so you can “live the dream” along with them from the comfort of your office chair. Check the forums and who knows, maybe next year you will decide to Cannonball it yourself.

Motor On!!

http://www.somervillecustompublishing.com/Gasoline-Alley/scooter-cannonball-takes-off/68/

Scooter girls can beat helmet hair

At scooterhire.co.nz, we tackle the big scooter problems head-on...here's an article about that age old problem of helmet hair:

10/10/08
Harriet Ridley

THERE'S a soaring number of women discovering the joys of two wheels to beat the credit crunch. With the latest generation of super-cool scooter gear girls can now be really trendy. But the problems begin when we reach destination and take our helmets off to reveal hair that's as flat as a pancake and clinging to our heads.

Helmet hair is the plague of every two-wheeled rider with hair. The longer the hair, the more tragic the problem. So what can we do about it?

Don't even think about not wearing a helmet. You would never get away with it and can you imagine the tangles? Faced with no viable alternative, over the years I've learned there are things we can do to minimise the problem.

For instance, washing your hair the night before rather than on the day makes it less pliable and thus less willing to take the shape of your helmet.

And get a helmet with a removable washable lining. A dirty helmet will make your hair greasy and smelly. All good-quality helmets nowadays come with removable lining. Alternatively, wear a clean balaclava under the helmet. This is also good for keeping the hair tucked inside the jacket so it doesn?t creep out and get tangled.

These tips can help, although I still haven't found a solution to end helmet hair days for good, so do let me know if you have one? just as long as it's not something like, get a helmet that fits loosely.

A loose-fitting helmet won't do anything to protect your head in the event of a fall. Getting a helmet that fits properly is vital: Too small and it will give you a headache, too big and it won't cushion your head during impact. It's better to have helmet hair than brain damage.

There's a range of helmets to choose from. Open-faced helmets are popular on scooters, although I steer clear as they don't protect your chin in a fall. However, on some modern scooters storage space is only big enough for open-faced helmets, so this may be enough to convince some riders of their worth.

Different helmets suit different people as everyone has a different shaped head. Clearly I've got an expensive head shape as Arai fits me most comfortably. Well, it is one of the best quality helmets money can buy.
However, Shoei is an expensive brand too, but their helmets don't fit my head shape comfortably, squeezing my cheeks to give me that fish-in-a-bowl feeling.

Arai is bringing out a full-faced helmet with a new design for girls in 2009. You?ll be able to see it at this year's International Motorcycle and Scooter Show at the NEC, so if you're going check it out it's gorgeous! And will cost £344.

Suomy is bang on trend at the moment with its cheaper range of full-faced helmets with colourful, flowery and sparkling designs. It has a good selection of open-faced versions too. See www.suomy.com for details.

HJC is another brand to look out for. The girly designs include the Art Fighter for £120, or the EVE in pink or white and lilac for £119.

And check out Shark's limited edition butterfly full-faced helmet for £139.99; there's an open-faced version too.

IXS do a good selection of  jet helmets in girly colours. You can find all these brands at www.girlsbike2.com .
Meanwhile, super-popular brand Momo have a selection of girl-friendly designs at www.momo.com .

And if pink is your thing, I'm the not-so-proud owner of a bubble gum pink open-faced helmet from Nexx (www.nexx-helmets.co.uk), although you won't catch me wearing it too often.

Still, it's not as bad as the latest craze to have hit Spain. Scooter riders there are wearing horse riding hats! All the trendy kids wear them, call me old-fashioned but they look ridiculous. That's one trend I can't see catching on here.

http://www.ayrshirepost.net/lifestyle/motoring-car-news/2008/09/10/scooter-girls-can-beat-helmet-hair-102545-21794289/

Wi Fi Scooter

At scooterhire.co.nz we thought that this was cool. We love scooters and we love technology - so why not combine the two!

If you own a scooter, that's great. Fancy turning it into a portable Wi-Fi hotspot? Well, all the necessary instructions are provided here, so read on to find out how you can spruce up that old boneshaker of yours into one funky scooter that is able to offer GPS navigation, a pirated radio station and even enough power to juice up an electric guitar so that you can play songs via the Web. You'd best be equipped with a decent amount of DIY knowledge if you want to attempt this project though.

Vietnam scooter swarm

This is unbelievable! Is this what driving down Auckland's Queen Street is going to be like in a few years time...