Scooter sales take off in South Sound, retailers say

As soon as Claudia Wheatley test-started her Vespa scooter and heard the purr of its small gasoline engine, she was hooked.

"It sounds so cute," she said, sitting atop her white scooter.

Wheatley of Olympia later bought the scooter and a pink helmet. She liked her new form of transportation so much, she nicknamed it Vivian.

Consumers such as Wheatley are buying the two-wheeled vehicles in greater numbers as gasoline prices remain near record highs, state officials and scooter dealers say.

The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded in the Olympia area as of Sunday is $3.94, according to AAA. When gasoline prices surpassed $4 per gallon in May and June, the number of people seeking motorcycle endorsements for their driver's licenses soared, state Department of Licensing spokeswoman Selena Davis said. The endorsement, which requires a driving test or a safety class, also applies to scooters, she said.

"We started seeing a major spike (in endorsements) about June 1," Davis said.

80 miles per gallon

Wheatley bought her scooter for the same reasons. Her older-model Toyota Camry isn't as fuel-efficient as it once was, she said, and with the direction of gasoline prices an unknown, a vehicle that gets more than 80 miles per gallon makes sense.

"It seems like the practical alternative both financially and for the environment," said Danni Sabia, a friend of Wheatley's who was with her when she bought the scooter.

Wheatley made the purchase last week at NW Motor Scooters, a Tacoma-based scooter seller that expanded to Olympia this month, co-owner Randy Sobel said. In Olympia, the business, which sells mostly Italian-made scooters, is at 2405 Harrison Ave. N.W.

Sobel also co-owns Sobel & Associates in Tacoma, a sales and management training company.

Sobel said he opened the scooter store in Tacoma as a place for sales training, but when gasoline prices increased, scooters were in high demand.

"Our sales went off the chart," Sobel said.

The Tacoma store has sold nearly 350 scooters in its first year of business. It also has developed a customer base in Olympia, resulting in the new store, he said.

Vince's Motorcycle Store co-owner Vince Palazzo, who also sells scooters, said he has sold more than 100 this year. That's more scooter sales in one year than he previously sold in the 24-year history of the Olympia business, he said.

"When gasoline hit $4 a gallon, it was like throwing a switch," he said about the increase in prices in late spring.

But with more people driving scooters, Sabia wondered if there has been a corresponding increase in crashes. That information wasn't immediately available, but there are some rules of the road that scooter riders must follow, Davis said.

A scooter operator must be at least 16 and have a driver's license. If the vehicle travels faster than 30 miles per hour, a motorcycle endorsement is required, she said. Scooters also are not allowed to operate in bicycle lanes, and if the scooter can't go faster than 30 miles per hour, it is not allowed on roads where the posted speed limit is higher, Davis said. Drivers are required to wear helmets in Washington.

Scooter manufacturers do make models that can be driven on the freeway. Bob Black of Eugene, Ore., who drove up to Olympia last week to participate in a scooter rally, rides a scooter with a 250cc engine. Although that size engine is common for motorcycles, Black's vehicle still has the shape and design of a scooter.

Black said while fuel efficiency is important, riding a scooter also brings a smile to his face.

"It brings me bliss," he said.

Rolf Boone covers business for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5403 or rboone@theolympian.com.