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From: diego@cca.UUCP (Diego Gonzalez)
Newsgroups: net.bicycle,net.cycle
Subject: Re: requesting advice about motorscooters for 16 yr. old daughter
Message-ID: <3933@cca.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 4-Sep-85 13:30:10 EDT
Article-I.D.: cca.3933
Posted: Wed Sep  4 13:30:10 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 6-Sep-85 05:07:10 EDT
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Xref: watmath net.bicycle:1585 net.cycle:1206

I'd like to offer two points for consideration.

1)  The motor scooter was very popular in the early sixties because of
its "international" flavor and low price.  However, in my state, there
were very serious considerations of legislation to restrict use because
of the high number of accidents associated with motor scooters.  Helmet
use was eventually required, but helmets do not protect against broken
limbs or a variety of other bodily injuries.  If it were my sixteen year
old daughter, I would look at her transportation requirements very
carefully.  Since the majority of traffic on this net is about
pedal-powered equipment, I would recommend starting with that option.
If short-distance travel on low-traffic routes is the object, some of
the better mo-peds are well built and offer a motorized alternative.  If
your daughter has a real need to travel about and you have serious
concerns for her safety, I would seriously consider finding a
serviceable used car (what our grandparents called a "flivver").

Motor scooters and mo-peds are designed for the European environment
where population density, narrow streets and congested traffic, and
(most important) very expensive gas make them very practical.  There are
large numbers of these vehicles on the roads there, and drivers are
generally more alert to their presence and driving/riding
characteristics.  Here in America, although some of the advantages
remain for this type of transportation, the predominance of
straight-road, heavy vehicle mentality among our drivers makes the use
of scooters and mo-peds a risky undertaking.  Any young person reaching
the age of majority and entering new worlds of discovery and opportunity
should learn some lessons in real-life practicality.

2) This net has concerned itself with (primarily) human-powered
vehicles, mostly bicycles in the traditional form.  If you are fairly
resolved on purchasing a motor scooter for your daughter and are only
concerned with how to determine the value and quality of the choices, I
suggest you pose your questions to net.consumer.  That net has a great
deal of expertise in assessing comparable products and shopping for good
deals and reputable dealers.