High Gas Prices Got You Down - Fight Back!

Gas prices continue to spiral up and up taking more and more money out of your pocket every trip to the pump. What can you do?

Try a motor scooter. Sure, they are not for everyone but there is a large segment of commuters that could be riding them and cutting their gas prices by two thirds or more. For a lone commuter the scooter is very practical. Practical may invoke thoughts of boredom, but not in this case. Scooters are loads of fun.

And don't be embarrassed that you are too old to enjoy a scooter. The median age of a scooter buyer is 46, which means that although half the buyers are younger than 46, half of the buyers are also older then 46. So no matter what your age you'll fit right in.

Many people who would never consider a motorcycle are choosing to buy scooters. Scooters are walk-through; you sit on them rather than straddle them like you would a motorcycle. The engines are enclosed and quieter than a motorcycle and the wheels of a scooter are smaller making them easier to handle.

To me the motor scooter invokes images of Audrey Hepburn sitting behind Gregory Peck on a Vespa scooter on their sightseeing ride through Rome in the 1952 film Roman Holiday. If you have never seen the movie, rent it, you won't be sorry.

Piaggio still makes scooters styled like its classic Vespa in Roman Holiday, and so do other makers, but there are enough different styles to suit most any taste.

The most interesting innovation is Piaggio's new MP3 scooter. The scooter, which comes with a 250, 400 or 500cc engine, has three wheels. Three wheels provide it with greater stability, and with its unique locking mechanism, the scooter can be parked without the need for a kickstand. There are two wheels in front and one wheel in the rear. The front wheels are designed so that they can tilt so that the scooter is able to lean into corners like a two wheel scooter yet it has more traction and is able to stop more quickly.