Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Mopeds, But Were Afraid to Ask

It gets you a lot of looks.  And a lot of questions—the main one is "How much does it cost to gas that up?"  That's a really good question these days, and my answer is usually "under eight bucks!"  That's a good answer.

I'm talking about mopeds of course—or scooters.  Whatever you want to call them.  But you've seen them.  So, here's the answers to all the questions you were afraid to ask!

1. How much does it cost for the scooter, maintenance, equipment, etc?
It can be from less than a thousand to a couple thousand to get one.  Maintenance is next to nothing.  Oil, gasoline... Mine is a three gallon tank, so it's about $12. 

I had my brakes tightened up once, went for some bigger than stock size tires, and that's about it.  Equipment?  Wear a helmet.  I know, I don't always want to either, but look out of your car window once when you're going 20-30 mph.  Imagine your head hitting that.  Then go get a helmet. 

Oh, Wisconsin does not require insurance, so you don't have to pay for that unless you want to.   If you get a motorcycle instead, you need insurance.

2. Can I ride anywhere I want?
Well, it depends on how fast your scooter goes!  Mine can top out at 37 mph, so I feel comfortable going on roads with a 35 mph limit.  So they can't go that fast, but they do accelerate quickly—as fast as or faster than the average automobile.  But, I know a lot of back roads too.  Never a highway, though!  Scooters are street vehicles, so you need to ride out in traffic—not on the side like a bicycle.

3. Can I get cool stuff?
I have a basket on the back of mine that I can fit grocery bags in.  You can get stickers and other things at Zazzle.

4. What about mileage?
Oh, you practical people.  I'm just kidding—I am too, although I ride mainly for fun.  My other vehicle is a Jeep (not so practical), so the plan is to let the Jeep rest all summer along while I'm scooting all over the place.  You can get 50-100 mpg, depending on the scooter and your size.  I got it mainly because I thought it would keep mileage off the Jeep, and that's been true.  Every mile I see on the odometer is a mile that's not on my Jeep—free miles, is what it comes down to.  Certainly nothing wrong with that!

5. Do I need a special license?
Not in Wisconsin you don't -- and no insurance required either!  That makes it really practical.  No safety courses required, no motorcycle license... no nothing, when it comes down to it!  Catching on to the theme of affordability yet?

6. Will I really like it?
Yes!  The biggest thing I notice is the smells.  As you drive, you smell fresh cut grass, water, grills, and clean air.  It can really be pretty invigorating, and if you stick with the 50cc size, you never really have to worry about feeling out of control.  So for those of you who don't want a motorcycle, but want to save some gasoline, and have some fun at the same time, think about it.

7. Will I feel safe?

Yes!  Don't be put off by the small size.  They're stable enough where wind won't affect you much, and light enough where you'd really have to not be paying attention to tip it over.  When I started, I was a little nervous about turning, but like anything else, you get better the more you do it!

8. What about storing it over winter?
This is really easy.  Garage it with a tarp or sheet over it.  You can always add Stabil to gasoline to keep some life in it, but I always try to run off at least half a tank riding it out before winter.  Then I just gas it up with fresh gas, rock it back and forth a few times, and it's good to go!

9. How can I find out more?
Reply to this blog!  Or, ask someone who's riding one!  We'll tell you all about it.