About Scooters

Most modern motor scooters have smaller wheels than motorcycles, between eight and 12 inches (20-28 cm) in diameter (though maxi- and big-wheel scooters may have larger wheels). Most scooters have smaller engines than motorcycles (between 30 cc and 250 cc with a single cylinder, though larger models have twin cylinder 400 to 650 cc. motors).

Most jurisdictions have no legal definition for "scooter". Scooters increasingly have four-stroke engines to meet stricter emissions controls. Trends world-wide have seen new variations on the classic scooter. A common variation, the 'big-wheel' or commuter-style scooter features wheels as large as a motorcycle. High-end scooter models now include comprehensive technological features including cast aluminum frames, engines with integral counter-balancing, and cross-linked brake systems.

Scooters trace their ancestry back to the USA, where Cushman and Salsbury created some of the first motorized two wheelers with the traits that have come to embody scooters. Salsbury produced the first automatic scooter with a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). The Vespa, originally manufactured by Piaggio in post-WWII Italy, quickly popularized motor scooters in places where inexpensive transportation was in dire need. Despite Vespa's dominance of the scooter market, they were not without competition.

In many parts of the world, such as Europe and Asia, motor scooters are a popular form of urban transportation due to their low cost and easy driving position. For many people, a motor scooter is the family vehicle until sufficient funds to purchase an automobile are amassed. Motor scooters are also popular because of their size, fuel-efficiency, weight, and typically larger storage room than a motorcycle. Fuel-injected scooters are very efficient and durable. With lower prices and better quality control, China is now making scooters which meet strict United States DOT & EPA standards.