Scooter Renaissance

SCOOTER RENAISSANCE

SCOOTERS ARE ON THE move-again. Not since 1987, when annual sales maxed out at 153,000 units, have the small-tired urban trawlers shown such growth. Chalk up the increase to a stream of new imports, plus a budding youth movement.

“Young people are into scooters,” confirms industry-analyst Don Brown. “And the manufacturers are doing some pretty neat stuff. Aprilia, of course, is very experienced in this field. Also, a lot of people look at scooters as being safer. They’re not, but they are more accepted, more friendly.”

Stateside, Honda’s sleek new

Reflex is the biggest thing going. Displacing 249cc (5 up on the long-running Helix), the liquid-cooled, single-cylinder, disc-braked stretch scooter features three-stage VMatic belt-drive for lowrpm around-town efficiency and maximum topend shove (within reason, of course). The Combined Brake System is also unique-at least in the scooter realm. Borrowing from Honda motorcycles, the Reflex employs a three-piston front brake caliper and a singlepiston rear stopper. Squeezing the right-side bar-mounted lever engages the forward

caliper’s two outer pistons. Your left hand activates the rear brake and the center piston up front. An anti-lock option adds $500 to the standard Reflex’s $4999 price and 11 pounds to its 351-pound claimed dry weight.

Aprilia, meanwhile, now sells three scooters in the States, including the bigwheeled Scarabeo 150. “The Aprilia stuff is really avantgarde,” says Brown. “It’s fun transpo.” Though it displaces only 15lee, the $4199 150 offers surprising kick from its four-valve, liquid-cooled Single, not to mention full-size motorcycle handling thanks to its 16-inch five-spoke alloy wheels. The Italian bike-maker also sells the two-stroke Scarabeo 50, but at $ 1699, Yamaha’s

new Vino ring-dings in for $700 less. Downsides are drum brakes (the Scarabeo has discs front and rear) and clutch/exhaust mods that restrict engine output to satisfy moped laws. At least you can stow a full-face helmet under the flip-up seat.

Brown says U.S. dealers will than 30,000 scooters year. That’s a far cry from ’87 peak, but it’s a good start. And just wait until escalating fuel prices the waiting horde of Chinese, Indian, Korean and Taiwanese machines to our shores...

Matthew Miles