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Shopping for a sporty scooter or moped at a price
you can afford? You'll want to jumpstart your search for
the right scooter by considering models from the
best-known manufacturers, including Honda, Razor,
Schwinn, Suzuki, Vespa, and Yamaha. A good scooter can
be surprisingly cheap, too - used gas scooters are
available for under $1000, and small electric models can
be even more affordable.
While there is a wide range of new scooter makes and
models available, you may also want to consider the
classic scooters of the past.
By looking around a site like eBay you can often find
vintage scooters from makers like Vespa, Lambretta, and
Cushman that will let you get around town in style.
These older models are coveted by collectors, so be
prepared to find yourself in a bidding war with a
devotee of classic scooters. And who knows, your first
old scooter may be the first acquisition in a vintage
moped collection.
Which brings us to the question, what's the difference
between a scooter and moped? The simple answer is, not
much. The two categories overlap substantially, though
not completely.
By most definitions, many scooters are a type of moped.
However, not all moped are scooters. Mopeds are usually
defined as a small powered vehicle, usually with two
wheels but sometimes with three, with a gas engine of 50
CCs (cubic centimeters) or less, and a top speed of
around 30 mph or 50 km/hour. However, in some places
vehicles with larger engines and higher speeds also
qualify as mopeds.
Mopeds can include small motorcycles, motorbikes, and
motor powered bicycles, vehicles most riders would not
consider scooters. (In fact, the term "moped" is a
combination of the words "motor" and "pedal," since the
earliest models combined bicycle-style pedaling with a
small engine.) On the other hand, many scooters have
larger engines and higher top speeds than the strictest
moped definition allows. So before this gets any more
confusing, let's just conclude by saying that most
scooters are mopeds, and some mopeds are scooters. But
some aren't.
If you're looking for a powered scooter, you can choose
between gas and electric models. Gas-powered scooters
run off a small two-stroke engine generally not larger
than 150 CCs in capacity. All the classic scooter models
you'd recognize from movies and TV are gas scooters, and
they're still the most popular choice for commuters and
recreational riders. While they get great mileage, their
engines are more polluting than their electric
counterparts, an important consideration for some
green-minded consumers.
Electric scooters have a motor you that runs off
rechargeable batteries that can usually be plugged into
a standard household outlet. They are a lot cheaper to
run than a gas scooter, are very quiet, and produce no
polluting exhaust. They can also be ridden inside a
building, which you'd never want to do with a gas
scooter. Electric scooters also have substantially lower
maintenance costs over the long term. However, they can
take a while to charge up, they're not as fast, and they
have a much shorter range than gas scooters.
If you're just looking for a fun way to get around your
neighborhood, you may not need a motor scooter at all -
a foot-powered kick scooter may be the perfect option.
They're nowhere near as expensive, you'll get more
exercise from your ride, and best of all you'll feel
like a kid again. One of the leading makers of kick
scooters is Razor, which offers a variety of models for
both children and adults, not to mention a line of small
electric scooters.
Once you've done your research and decided on the
scooter that's right for you, you should have no trouble
finding a great deal at shopping sites like Amazon and
eBay. With plenty of experienced online merchants to
choose from, your new scooter or moped is just a few
clicks away!
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