Are scooters a gateway drug?

I've been trying to get my wife into motorcycles for a long time, and after reading a post the other night about how they started with a scooter and now have 2 scooters and 2 decent motorcycles. It got me thinking.

Scooter riders don't wave back.

neither do squids

They're afraid to take a hand off the bar with those itty bitty wheels.

What about the squids?

They're squids.

OP. Get a TW 200 and call it good.

http://boise.craigslist.org/mcy/1607069377.html

It wasn't for my Mom. My dad bought my mom a Suzuki FA-50 when I was in high school. My brother and I tweaked it a bit. My dad was pissed when he sold it 2 years later with less than 200 miles (all but about 10 but on by my brother, sister and I.)

My brother in law bought a couple. He got pulled over and ticketed for riding without a license and quit riding it. My sister in law rides hers all over the place. I asked her if she wanted to try my Uly and she lit up, looked at it and realized that it was probably too tall.

Bonnie wants to try a scooter. If the right Zuma or Rukus comes along, we might try it as an experiment.

Tom B

i had never ridden a motorcycle in my life until i was 31. i bought a scooter in july 2008, rode it until march 2009 and put 6000 miles on it. bought a klr in march 2009, had 17000 miles on it by november, and haven't ridden much since then due to a finger injury on my clutch hand, and continuously bad weather this winter.

Look for one with big wheels. I drove over the Cascades a few years ago and was impressed by the number of Maxi-scooters I saw out touring.

I had a TW200 for awhile, she is scared of motorcycles period

But she thinks scooters are "cute", and the people in movies ride them so she is naturally attracted to them

I've been handed a lemon...

I've got just the opposite problem of a "Gateway drug"
The high of the full size bikes has lost it's buzz.

I'm not riding my big bores as much as the scooters now.

In town they are so much fun. The bikes seem cumbersome
in traffic. The scooters are smooth, quiet and I'm always smiling
while riding one.

I have a Vespa 150, two Honda Reflexes and a Silverwing.
The Reflexes get the most saddle time.

They were for me. Is started out on a 1986 Honda Elite 150, moved up to a Helix and then a Yamaha XT600. Had a GT185 inbetween the Elite and Helix.

Hey now, some do. I ride a scooter, and wave back. Alot of the time if i wave first, the others won't wave back.

I completely agree. I have a Triumph Tiger for long rides/tours, a KTM LC4 for dual sporting, but my fixed up beater Honda Elite 250 gets used daily during the summer.

Stupid giggle fest to ride. Say what you want about small tires but the darn thing is a blast, even with my fat ass on it. It is painted in bedliner black, has a Givi clone top box and it is like I am invisible. Yes, I know that is a bad thing for safety, but I can ride like a total squid and get away with it because no one pays it any attention, even the cops.

I get better than 50mpg, it costs me $4.20 a month to insure, and I have about $350 into it total. Our monthly gas budget is pocket change in the summer.

A Vespa was my gateway. I waved back and I INITIATED the wave. Moved up to a "real" motorcycle when I thought I looked a bit foolish ATGATT on it, and I was afraid a pothole would swallow the 10" wheel.

Ask soboy.

Its fun to pull up next to a bunch of squids or harley riders trying to be outlaws on my Madass 125 and just act cool and nod at them. You get the dirtiest looks. Why won't they be my friend?

Damn that's it! A Helix 250 uncorked! Those things could terrorize and torment the crap out of the sport bikes back in the day. That's what a 5 foot 1 inch tall woman could ride, no sweat. Not much suspension but it would be a good starter. They make tiny little knobs for those things?

Ah yes, the seed to plant!

My return to 2-wheel moto transport was in April, 2008 with a new Yamaha Vino 125 scooter. Two months later I bought a new Versys. Before that summer was out I had a new BMW R1200R in the garage. Yes, they are absolutely a gateway drug and now I'm up at all hours reading stuff on ADV...

I'd give it a try!

A good friend of us raced and collected motorcycles for years. His wife never showed any interest - till he got her a an Aprilia scooter 5 years ago... now she has a dual sport and does pretty good.